News & Updates

August 11, 2023 Issue

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September 22, 2023, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM --TCNT Annual Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport, with Congressional Update and Transit CEO Panel Discussion. 

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Where is Development on Panther Island Headed? New Report Offers a Look


keranews.org


Following years of speculation about the future of real estate development on Panther Island, residents are getting their first peek at what’s to come for 500 acres between downtown Fort Worth and the Northside community.


Panther Island’s original development strategy, which focused heavily on downtown housing, came into focus in 2003. Twenty years later, consulting firm HR&A Advisors was tapped to create an updated, long-term blueprint — what government officials call “Vision 2.0” — for partners like the city of Fort Worth and the Tarrant Regional Water District to follow.


Based on interviews with 20 Fort Worth organizations affected by Panther Island, HR&A’s initial findings were published Aug. 3. The firm identified four core themes for the project moving forward: vision and identity, urban design, strategic implementation and connections to community.


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Vacationers are Discovering Multimodal Travel, and Nothing Will Ever be the Same


forbes.com


Adam Lubinsky is a poster boy for multimodal travel. When he commutes from Brooklyn to his Manhattan office, he switches effortlessly from a folding bike he has modified to make electric and then onto the subway.


"This allows me to bike straight from home to the office or a regional airport," he says


Lubinsky is a principal of the design firm WXY Studio. And lately, he's found that he is no longer the only one with a foldable bike or doing the multimodal thing. Leisure travelers have gotten on board with the trend, too.


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Transit Briefs: Trinity Metro, Midcoast Rail Service, NYCT, Keolis


railwayage.com


Trinity Metro selects a final design consultant for its $167 million commuter rail extension project in Fort Worth, Tex. Also, Midcoast Railservice debuts Rockland-to-Brunswick, Maine, rail excursions; off-peak headways on MTA New York City Transit’s C Line are decreasing by 20%; and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis) provides $25,000 in scholarships to Massachusetts students.


The Huitt-Zollars + TranSystems team will serve as the final design consultant for Trinity Metro’s $167 million TEXRAIL extension project. The project will expand the commuter rail line 2.1 miles south from the Fort Worth T&P Station to a new station (plus 100-spot parking lot), which will be located in the Fort Worth Medical District that employs 50,000 people. Construction is slated to begin in 2024, Trinity Metro reported Aug. 2.


In 2020, AECOM was selected to conduct environmental assessment and preliminary engineering for the project.


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DCTA Wants to Modernize Services with its $90M in Cash Reserve Funds


keranews.org


Denton County Transportation Authority leadership is looking into the future of its transportation service as they discussed possible plans to retire diesel buses, replace A-train rail carts and modernize service fleets, thanks to the agency's more than $90 million in cash reserve funds.


DCTA leadership discussed details about the funds during the long-range financial discussion plan at the July 27 DCTA Board of Directors meeting.


Paul Cristina, DCTA chief executive officer, told the board the long-range financial plan is for the agency to compete for federal grant money four years from now.


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Texas Central, Amtrak Exploring Partnership to Advance High-Speed Rail Project


communityimpact.com


Texas Central and Amtrak officials are exploring a partnership to potentially advance the 240-mile high-speed rail project proposed to connect Houston and Dallas, Amtrak officials announced in an Aug. 9 news release.


The high-speed rail project connecting Dallas to Houston, which was announced in 2014 by Texas Central, was set to be operational in 2023, by 2025 and in 2026, according to prior reporting. However, construction has not yet begun on the route.


Amtrak’s announcement states the two entities are evaluating a partnership to further determine the project’s viability.


“We believe many of the country’s biggest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas, like Houston and Dallas, deserve more high-quality high-speed, intercity rail service, and we are proud to bring our experience to evaluate this potential project and explore opportunities with Texas Central so the state can meet its full transportation needs,” said Andy Byford, Amtrak senior vice president of high-speed rail development programs, in the release.


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NREL Workshop Hosts Experts to Envision Tomorrow's Sustainable Mobility Systems


cleantechnica.com


The race to decarbonize the U.S. transportation sector is on. With a historic federal goal in place to eliminate nearly all greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by 2050, interest in clean transportation technologies has skyrocketed. But the nation still faces a pressing question: Which energy-efficient mobility strategies will get us to the finish line in time?


That question was the focus of a two-day workshop hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where thought leaders from industry, government, and academia discussed the challenges — and opportunities — that should be prioritized to create the sustainable transportation systems of the future.


The workshop, titled “Envisioning Tomorrow’s Sustainable Mobility Systems,” asked experts from across the nation to identify the technologies, trends, and solutions that will contribute most to creating sustainable mobility systems: in other words, the most energy-efficient, affordable, equitable, and safe ways of moving people and goods.


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Transit Coalition of North Texas

TransitNorthTexas.org