The Hub 8/17/18: The Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up to date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

Plan Philly: Freight trains using Regional Rail lines threaten to keep SEPTA from full Positive Train Control compliance – Norfolk Southern, one of the freight lines that uses SEPTA Regional Rail tracks, is developing their own system for positive train control (PTC), automatic speed control technology that is required by congress. Since their trains will be unable to communicate with SEPTA’s PTC system, the tracks that Norfolk Southern operates on could remain out of compliance with federal standards.

Mobility Lab: Free parking costs employers thousands – Building parking, especially in urban areas, is extremely expensive. Providing subsidized transit passes, developing flexible work arrangements, and providing secure bike parking can save employers thousands of dollars when compared to providing free parking to employees who drive alone to work.

City Lab: The $1.4 Billion Transit Fund the U.S. Government Won’t Release – Congress approved funding for 17 rail and rapid bus transit projects across the country that has yet to be allocated. The delays are costing transit agencies and municipalities millions, and there has been no clear explanation from the administration as to why the promised funds have not materialized.

Next City: Lyft Buys Bike-Share Company Motivate, Operator of Citi Bikes and More – Lyft has become a major player in the bikeshare game with their acquisition of Motivate, one of the country’s major bike share operators. Maintenance and servicing operations will remain separate, because their workers are unionized. Lyft has been working to green its image, not only by investing in bike-share, but also by purchasing carbon credits to offset the emissions generated by ride-hailing trips.

Philly.com: Atlantic City train shutdown feeds fears for the future – Commuters and weekend travelers alike are concerned about the fate of NJ Transit’s Atlantic City rail line. The rail line is being shut down from September 5th to early 2019 to allow for required updates to the system, including implementation of PTC. Though NJ Transit says it plans to reopen the line, many riders worry that the Atlantic City train won’t be coming back.

Image Source: Philly.com