Mass Transit - 11

San Luis Obispo RTA operations
and maintenance facility secures
first rural initiative TIFIA loan
San Luis Obispo Regional Transit
Authority has secured a $13.08-million loan through the Transportation
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
Act Rural Project Initiative (RPI), which
is the first time the U.S. Department
of Transportation has awarded a loan
through the initiative. Under the RPI, an
eligible borrower can receive a loan of
up to 49 percent of eligible project costs
at half of the prevailing U.S. Treasury rate.
The new operations and maintenance
facility will house San Luis Obispo RTA
operations, administration, dispatch and
vehicle maintenance and will play a vital
role in the authority's ability to deliver
safe, reliable transit services for San Luis
Obispo County.
MassTransitmag.com/21153463

Houston to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, as well as one along the
Inner Katy Freeway Corridor.
MassTransitmag.com/21151461

▶ The

Houston's METRORapid
Silver Line opens for service
▶ The Metropolitan Transit Authority of
Harris County (Houston Metro) held a

FRA announces rail
inspection technology rule
to improve track safety
▶A

Houston Metro

THE SILVER Line serves 10 stops on a
five-mile route.
virtual ribbon cutting Aug. 23 to mark
the start of service on the METRORapid
Silver Line. The Silver Line is a five-mile,
10-stop bus rapid transit line that connects the Northwest Transit Center to
Westpark/Lower Uptown Transit Center.
The METRORapid Silver Line is the first
of several METRORapid routes Houston
Metro has planned to deliver through
the voter-approved METRONext Moving
Forward Plan, which calls for 75 miles
of METRORapid service, including a
direct connection from downtown

final rule was submitted Aug. 28
by the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) to allow railroads to use ultrasonic
inspection technology, augmented with
global positioning system (GPS) technology to employ continuous rail testing.
These updated regulations are expected
to improve safety by making it easier for
railroads to test rail more frequently and
to identify and repair internal rail flaws
before conditions degrade safety. This
regulatory reform allows rail testing vehicles to move without stopping along the
track, potentially decreasing passenger
and freight train delays associated with
routine inspections. FRA estimates that
one continuous rail car could replace
three to five stop-and-verify test cars.
MassTransitmag.com/21152390
Continued ▶

WARN THE
PEDESTRIAN

Eliminate accidents before they happen
Our Safe Turn Alert (STA) System Offers:
* Audible & Visual Alerts

* Data Logging & GPA

* Automatically Alerts
Driver & Pedestrians

* Geo-Fencing

* Compatible with Electric Buses

(866) 779-7795

* Blind Spot Awareness Available

info@protrantechnology.com

protrantechnology.com

For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/11211076
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit |

11
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