July-August_2021 - 8

PEOPLE & PLACES
THE LASTEST INDUSTRY NEWS
several courses on assault awareness
and prevention and violence in the
transit workplace for both transit system
employees and train-the-trainer. The virtual
courses are held between July and
September and last a total of 3.5 hours.
FTA also assembled a funding sources
factsheet for the initiative to help agencies
understand which pools of federal
funding can support certain safety-focused
expenditures.
MassTransitmag.com/21230329
Lane Transit District
REP. DEFAZIO and Secretary Buttigieg learn about electric bus charging with LTD
Director of Fleet Management Matt Imlach.
Secretary Buttigieg tours trio
of transit agencies
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured three
transit agencies from Oregon to Illinois to spotlight the need to invest in
infrastructure and bring awareness to climate change. Secretary Buttigieg
began his tour at Lane Transit District's (LTD) Glenwood Offices
in Springfield, Ore., with U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04). The two
were able to join a test drive of LTD's electric buses and discussed the
INVEST in America Act that passed the House in early July. Secretary
Buttigieg then traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., where he toured Valley Metro's
South Central Extension/Downtown Hub. The project is part of the Federal
Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grants Program. The final
stop for Secretary Buttigieg was in Chicago where he toured the Chicago
Transit Authority's (CTA) 95th Street Red Line station, which is one of
the busiest on the CTA's network. The new terminal opened in January
2019 and includes wider bus lanes, sidewalks and waiting areas for passengers,
expanded rail platforms and bus/train tracker signage among
other improvements.
MassTransitmag.com/21230755
FTA launches enhanced
transit safety initiative
▶ The Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) launched the Enhanced Transit
Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative on
July 13. FTA said in a post announcing
the initiative that transit workers should
expect a safe workplace and riders
should expect a safe trip. The program
provides information and resources to
help transit agencies address and prevent
crime and protect riders and employees.
The National Transit Institute offers
8 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | JULY/AUGUST 2021
Credit
Amtrak
FEDERAL, STATE and local officials
and descendants of the lateabolitionist
Frederick Douglass
celebrated the 150th Anniversary of
the B&P Tunnel's groundbreaking, as
well as news that the replacement
tunnel would be named after
Frederick Douglass.
Amtrak's new B&P tunnel to
be named after abolitionist
Frederick Douglass
▶ In late June, federal, state and local
officials gathered to celebrate the 150th
anniversary of construction on the Baltimore
and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel, which
Amtrak and the Maryland Department of
Transportation are planning to replace as
it represents one of the biggest passenger
rail bottlenecks between Washington,
D.C., and New Jersey. The new tunnel
will also carry a new name: The Frederick
Douglass Tunnel. Douglass, one of the
most well-known abolitionists in history,
was a Maryland native and the railroad
played a key role in his escape from slavery.
Amtrak calls the Frederick Douglass
Tunnel the centerpiece of its B&P Tunnel
Replacement Program, which will modernize
and transform a four-mile section
of the Northeast Corridor. It includes two
new high-capacity tubes for electrified
passenger trains, new roadway and
railroad bridges, new rail systems and
track and a new ADA-accessible West
Baltimore MARC station.
MassTransitmag.com/21227570
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July-August_2021

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