MassDOT Taps Electric Trains for Commuter Rail Line

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – a division of Massachusetts Department of Transportation – recently signed off on a $54 million plan to introduce battery-electric multiple unit or BEMU trains to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line. The first of those BEMU trains are scheduled to go into operation in early 2028.
[Above photo by MassDOT]
Keolis Commuter Services, the company that operates MBTA commuter rail lines, will begin the design and procurement process with the goal of delivering enough BEMU trains to operate 20-minute train service along the line. At just over nine miles long, the Fairmount line is the shortest of the 12 commuter rail lines, serving 3,200 passengers a day.
In a statement, MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt called the move to BEMU trains “a milestone moment” as the transit agency “prepares to begin operating the first of what will be dozens” of new BEMU trains. MBTA serves more than 100,000 rail commuters a week.
MassDOT pointed out that moving the entire Fairmount line from diesel to battery-electric service will save 1.6 million gallons of fuel and mitigate 17,700 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Besides emitting less air pollution, the BEMU trains will be faster, quieter, smoother, and will give passengers more space for a “modernized commuting experience,” the agency said.
[Editor’s note: In April, the Nevada Department of Transportation hosted a groundbreaking event for the Brightline West High-Speed Rail Project; a 218-mile all-electric rail line that will operate between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The agency received $3 billion in funding from the USDOT’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program in December 2023 to help build this Brightline West electric rail line, which the company expects will open in 2028. That grant brings the total federal support for project up to $6.5 billion in grants and financing.]

Commute times should be cut from 30 minutes to about 20 minutes because the electric trains can accelerate faster out of each of the nine stations along the route, MassDOT noted. People who live near the commuter line, yards, and maintenance facility should experience less noise and vibration from the new trains, according to the release.
BEMU trains are powered by on-board batteries that are recharged by overhead catenary wires. Instead of locomotives pulling passenger cars, the batteries and motors will be integrated into four-car fixed sets. Once the design is finalized, engineers can determine seating capacities, which will be one factor in deciding exactly how many trains will be needed.
Eventually, MassDOT and MBTA want to convert the entire commuter rail system to electric trains, but it’s not financially feasible to do that right now, according to MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng.
“Understanding that billions of dollars are needed to fully electrify our entire system, we are proud to find a way to bring electrification to this corridor sooner within available fund sources,” Eng said. “This work will help inform us as we strive to improve and decarbonize our service on all of our regional rail network.”

Oregon DOT Boosts Safe-Routes-to-Schools Support

The Oregon Department of Transportation recently distributed $1.4 million in grants to 14 school districts and community groups to get more children to safely walk and bike to school.

[Above photo by Oregon DOT]

The roots of agency’s Safe Routes to School or SRTS program are in the former Federal Highway Administration program of the same name. When FHWA shut down the program in 2012, Oregon DOT decided to convert it to a state program through a combination of discretionary federal funds and dedicated state money.

Part of the program is for infrastructure improvements – designing and building sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian and bicycle paths. The program also funds an educational and outreach component to raise awareness of and promote safe walking and biking to school, which are what the latest grants cover, said Heidi Manlove, Oregon DOT’s SRTS program manager.

Many of the 14 competitive grants will pay for coordinators who work with students, parents, school officials, and other community partners to find active transportation solutions to get students to and from school.

“The coordinators’ jobs are tough,” Manlove said. “There’s a lot of time spent knocking on doors, trying to get people to come together on this stuff. Some of it is fielding transportation issues and doing a walkability trip, or checklist, and seeing what some of the barriers are around the school.”

Coordinators look at entry and exit points and times for car pools and buses, alternative paths around the schools that could be used for walking or biking, and strategies that make the best use of infrastructure.

Sometimes, Oregon DOT must convince school districts or municipalities that there’s more to promoting a safe way to walk or bike to school than building a sidewalk or installing a flashing beacon, Manlove said.

“People want sidewalks, crosswalks, speed bumps, and oftentimes, we have to sell them on the education piece because they’re so focused on the ‘build-it-and-they-will-come’ approach,” Manlove said. “The coordinator is that liaison who bridges the gap to have those conversations.”

One strategy coordinators use is to create a “walking school bus,” a group of students who walk together and “pick up” more students along the way. At least one adult, or “driver,” leads the group.

Several other state departments of transportation, including Florida, Alaska, Indiana, and Massachusetts, also promote walking school buses in their SRTS plans.

While many schools express interest in the SRTS program, it isn’t a given that they are implemented everywhere. But once a school or school district starts the program, they quickly buy into it, she said.

Some of the groups Oregon DOT has funded in the past “now have managed to get funding in the school district budget,” Manlove said. Schools in the 38,000-student Beaverton School District program, for example, have embraced the SRTS program, “and the schools now are “doing (active transportation) education pieces during P.E. [physical education] class,” she said. “Even if those students aren’t walking or biking to school, they’re learning bike safety and pedestrian safety in P.E.”

Maryland DOT Helps Seal Regional Commuter Rail Deal

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) – a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation – and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) recently forged a new agreement that allows rail commuters with a weekly, monthly, or 10-trip tickets purchased on either the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) or VRE system to transfer at Union Station in Washington, D.C., to the other system (MARC-to-VRE or VRE-to-MARC) at no additional cost.

[Above photo by VRE]

“This agreement represents a significant step forward in regional transit integration,” said MTA Administrator Holly Arnold in a statement. “We are not only fostering a more connected and efficient transportation network across our states but fueling economic growth by facilitating easier movement of people, supporting tourism and attracting business to the National Capital Region.”

This new “cross-honor program” enables travelers to seamlessly transfer between MARC and VRE trains on one ticket; simplifying travel logistics and promoting greater accessibility and affordability for the region’s commuters.

 It also underscores the commitment of Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland to prioritize the needs of commuters and shape the future of regional mobility, noted VRE CEO Rich Dalton.

“This agreement effectively expands the geographic footprint of commuter rail service in the region and provides passengers with an affordable two-seat ride across state lines,” he said.

“It lays the groundwork for future efforts to better align MARC and VRE operations, which is consistent with our long-range plan to grow VRE from a peak-period, commuter-focused rail service to an all-day, bi-directional transit system that can better meet the transportation needs of a growing region,” Dalton added.

With this new program, MTA and VRE said rail commuters will gain easier access to connections between major National Capital Region urban centers, along with greater flexibility offered by the multiple transportation options available at Union Station.

MassDOT Issues $37M in Regional Transit Grants

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently issued some $37 million through two separate state grant programs to support regional public transportation providers.

[Above photo by MassDOT]

The agency said this funding will go to Regional Transit Authorities (RTA), Councils on Aging, and other entities to support transit fleet electrification, enhance and expand existing transit services, expand service hours, improve rural connectivity, and assist with operating and capital expenses.

Almost $20 million from the state’s Community Transit Grant Program or CTGP will be used to purchase vehicles for public transportation needs, with an additional $2 million awarded through a separate CTGP entity for projects expanding mobility for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. 

Finally, $15 million is being provided to increase operating and capital funding for transit providers through the Regional Transit Innovation Grant program.

“We are excited to announce these grant funds because we know the money will go a long way to supporting the needs of organizations that provide mobility options across the state,” said Governor Maura Healey (D) in a statement.

“Public transportation plays a crucial role when it comes to accessibility, community connectivity, and economic growth and we will work to ensure that all residents have access to the transportation services they need,” she added.

“This grant funding will help our transit providers do more, including adding service, expanding routes, and purchasing electric vehicles so more mobility options can be offered to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and individuals who cannot afford to own a car,” noted Monica Tibbits-Nutt, MassDOT secretary and CEO.

Utah DOT Kicks off New Volunteer Litter Removal Program

The Utah Department of Transportation recently launched a new volunteer litter removal program called “Keeping Utah Beautiful” – a program designed to make it easy for members of the public to go online and sign up for a one-time cleanup of state roads.

[Above photo by the Utah DOT]

The agency said these volunteer cleanups will supplement the work of Utah DOT crews who regularly pick up litter statewide. To ensure volunteer safety, “Keeping Utah Beautiful” participants will not clean interstates or some state routes, the Utah DOT stressed – and requires that program volunteers be a minimum of age 14.

The “Keeping Utah Beautiful” program replaces the agency’s Adopt-a-Highway program, though Utah businesses can continue to support the “Sponsor a Highway” program, which hires a professional litter cleaning company to perform pickup along Utah’s interstates.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) helped launch the new litter removal program by cleaning up a stretch of SR-201 near Mountain View Corridor.

“Serving others and giving back is the hallmark of who we are,” the governor said in a statement. “Utah leads the nation each year in volunteerism, and I know many Utahns, including myself, will take advantage of this new opportunity to help maintain the beauty of our state.”

Utah DOT Deputy Director Lisa Wilson added that her agency’s maintenance workers will continue cleaning up litter from interstates and major state roads alongside volunteer groups; an ongoing effort that costs the department an average of $2.3 million per year.

“Keeping litter off our roads not only keeps Utah beautiful, but it keeps Utah safe,” Utah DOT Deputy Director Lisa Wilson said. “This new program will make it easier than ever for Utahns to lend a hand and clean up our roads.”

State departments of transportation across the country are involved in a wide variety of litter removal efforts, as well as public awareness campaigns that seek to eliminate roadway littering – in no small part due to the growing cost of roadside cleanup efforts.

The Ohio Department of Transportation, for example, note that it is now spending $10 million annually to collect trash along state and U.S. routes outside municipalities and all interstates except the Ohio Turnpike.

In addition to Ohio DOT workers and Adopt-A-Highway groups, litter collection in Ohio is also performed along state highways by the following:

  • Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections – Ohio DOT works with 11 institutions on litter pickup along state highways. Since January, their crews collected over 24,000 bags of trash.
  • Interstate Business Solutions – Ohio DOT contracts with them to clean up litter in the state’s metropolitan areas (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown). Since January, the IBS team has collected over 31,343 bags of trash.
  • Center for Employment Opportunities – Ohio DOT contracts with CEO to pick up along roadsides, and to clean encampment areas of unhoused individuals. Since January, the CEO team has collected nearly 25,000 bags of trash.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Missouri Department of Transportation recently wrapped up yearly contests that seek to highlight the issue of roadside littering among elementary through high school aged students.

Oklahoma DOT said the 14 student winners of its 2024 Trash Poster Contest – drawn from a pool of 4,615 entries –receive a monetary award, T-shirt, certificate of recognition, a poster board and a laminated copy of their poster. Additionally, they are awarded sponsor promotional items and a state legislative citation of congratulations.

Concurrently, the Missouri Department of Transportation selected winners of the 2024 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trash-can-decorating contest.

MoDOT said that it sponsors this contest as part of Missouri’s “No MOre Trash!” campaign to raise awareness about and discourage littering. The competition encourages students from kindergarten through 12th grade to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter-prevention message using a variety of creative art mediums.

New Mexico DOT Launches New DBE Support Program

On May 14, the New Mexico Department of Transportation launched its inaugural Small Business Training and Resources or “STAR” program; a 14-week course designed to provide support and resources for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises or DBEs and other small businesses seeking to work with NMDOT.

[Above image by NMDOT]

The STAR program will guide participants through corrections and improvements to any financial, managerial, technical, or labor conditions which could potentially prevent them from receiving project contracts. The agency added that the program’s “carefully crafted curriculum” is designed to ensure that participants receive a comprehensive learning experience tailored to their unique business needs.

NMDOT noted that its new STAR program is free for all participants and offers a “powerful blend” of expert-led workshops, practical tools, and personalized coaching tailored to propel DBEs and small businesses forward in the government contracting sector.

“Having a program that offers support and essential training to DBEs helps grow our local economy and business community. NMDOT wants small businesses to have more opportunities to partner with NMDOT and in turn, bolster the local business economy,” noted Ricky Serna, NMDOT secretary, in a statement.

The agency said the STAR program includes weekly online sessions, networking opportunities, a supportive environment, personalized coaching, and a professionally filmed and edited marketing video that will help advertise each business to its fullest potential. 

NMDOT pointed out that all small businesses looking to do business with the agency are eligible for this program; with first preference given to New Mexico-certified DBEs certified in the core construction and design category within the North American Industry Classification System.

Michigan DOT Podcast Talks Benefits of Trails

The latest “Talking Michigan Transportation” podcast – produced by the Michigan Department of Transportation – interviewed Julie Clark, chief executive officer for the Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation or TART Trails advocacy group to discuss how trail networks can enhance quality of life for residents while also providing an economic boost.

[Above image via Michigan DOT]
The economic value of trail networks comes from the key role they play in outdoor recreation, Clark said. For example, in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released statistics estimating that outdoor recreation accounted for $862 billion in economic output or consumer spending), 1.9 percent or $454 billion of gross domestic product, and supported 4.5 million jobs. 

In Michigan, outdoor recreation in 2021 contributed $10.8 billion to the state economy, according to that agency’s numbers, as well as support for 109,000 jobs and $5 billion in wages.

“Our vision is ‘every house a trailhead,’ meaning we want people to be able to leave their home and access a trail,” Clark noted. “Getting out on the trails doesn’t mean there’s a trail up to your door, but the facilities – whether you’re rural or in a town – should be nearby and you should feel very comfortable and safe using them. That is where we come in, working with [local] road commissions and state DOTs.”

She also emphasized that trails help increase property values and help reinvigorate neighborhoods –key economic development benefits for communities.

“They also provide, as COVID [the COVID-19 pandemic] pointed out, some really important opportunities for physical and mental health, and that I think has become so important to folks all around our region and, I think, around the state,” Clark noted.

To listen to the entire podcast, click here.

There has been an ongoing push over the last several years to increase trail networks across the country.

For example, in January 2023, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy or RTC recently launched a national effort aimed at creating a “new community” where public leaders, advocates, and transportation professionals can come together to advance the development of trails and other active-transportation networks across the country.

Dubbed the TrailNation Collaborative, this new “community effort” seeks to fill what RTC describes as an “unmet need” for peer learning and collective action in order to leverage funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA to create a connected systems of trails, sidewalks, and protected bike lanes in every community in America.

State departments of transportation around the country are also spearheading their own trail expansion efforts.

For example, the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s Lamoille Valley Rail Trail project – the winner of the 2023 America’s Transportations Awards People’s Choice Award – is a 93-mile multi-modal recreational path in northern Vermont, connecting 18 town centers and linking to other trails in Vermont and Canada.

This project is open year-round for various activities, including walking, biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing, preserving Vermont’s natural landscape.

In November 2023, the Texas Transportation Commission approved over $345 million for new sidewalks, bikeways, and other types of active transportation infrastructure projects statewide.

The funding will go towards 83 projects designed to improve bicycle and pedestrian access while providing safety enhancements and mobility options to schools, jobs, public transit systems, and local destinations, the commission said.

The Texas Department of Transportation noted that some the projects approved by the commission include sidewalks connecting to schools and transit options, shared-use paths benefiting both pedestrians and cyclists, new pedestrian bridges, and 15 planning studies.

In July 2022, a team of Utah State University researchers recently explored how to use the state’s network of historic canal trails as an active transportation solution. That study is poised to help the Utah Department of Transportation and community leaders make decisions about building canal paths and trails.

The Utah DOT funded the university’s research project – entitled “Active Transportation Facilities in Canal Corridors” – that the American Society of Civil Engineers subsequently published in June 2022.

State DOTs Win Regional Awards for Transportation Projects

Thirty-one transportation projects from 27 state departments of transportation around the country earned regional recognition in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards competition for providing solutions that increase safety and save lives, make infrastructure more resilient, while improving the quality of life for their communities.

[Above photo courtesy of Montana DOT.]

“The people who planned, engineered and built these projects deserve recognition for the positive impacts they have provided through these investments in local communities,” said Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2019-2020 president, in a statement.

“Their work represents a dedication to connecting people and improving local economies while implementing creative solutions.”

Broken down by region, the winners are:

  • Five projects from four state DOTs (Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) received top honors in the Midwest region.
  • Seven projects from five state DOTs (Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) received top honors in the Northeastern region.
  • Eight projects from five state DOTs (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia) received top honors in the Southern region.
  • Eleven projects from eight state DOTs (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington State) received top honors in the Western region.

The three highest-scoring projects from each regional competition earn a place on a “top 12” list of projects that will compete for the national Grand Prize – selected by an independent panel of industry judges – and the People’s Choice Award, which is selected by the general public through online voting.

Those top national winners each receive $10,000 cash awards that will be donated to a charity or scholarship of their choosing. Online voting for the People’s Choice Award began in August, with the top 12 national award winners to be announced later this year.