Public Transit

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A closed airport in Michigan is auctioning its equipment.

A judge ruled auto dealerships have to inform buyers of their credit status before they charge them higher interest rates.

Italian automaker Fiat, which now owns Chrysler, might build Mazdas at its plants soon.

A disputed subway tunnel in Beverly Hills, Calif., has been approved for construction.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Passengers at New York City area airports will soon be greeted by a hologram.

A former Newark Liberty International Airport employee accused of threatening President Obama was granted the ability to own guns by an appeals court.

The federal Transit Authority awarded $745 million to a proposed light rail in Portland, Ore.

Transportation taxes have become an issue in Washington state's governor's race.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The doors on a Washington, D.C. MetroRail train opened while the train was in motion.

Wind has been blamed for delays at London's Heathrow International Airport that have worried officials about the upcoming Olympics.

An Newark International Airport employee accused of stealing a deceased person's identification has pleaded not guilty.
 
Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is opening a new international terminal.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and lawmakers who have vested interests in the proposed expansion of Washington, D.C.'s MetroRail to Dulles International Airport reacted Tuesday to a report criticizing the panel overseeing the project.

The Department of Transportation's Inspector General conducted an audit of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which is building the railway to Dulles that will eventually be operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The audit was requested by Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf (R), who has filed legislation to create a permanent inspector general for the agency that is at the center of a funding fight over the proposed new railway.  

Wolf said in a letter to LaHood Tuesday that he was "deeply troubled" by the MWAA audit, which he said found that the board was insufficiently transparent.

"I requested this audit last year and am sure you agree that the report raises significant concerns about the current board's policies and procedures, including contracting practices, ethics and transparency," Wolf wrote. "This demands immediate action."

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A security supervisor at Newark International Airport using a deceased person's identification is among the security breaches detailed in a new inspector general's report.

The number of on-time arrivals for U.S. airlines increased in March.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) is touting a new cargo center at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Train service in Chicago is being cut because of the NATO Summit that is coming to town.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A settlement has been reached in a case involving an accident between a duck boat and barge ship.

A pair of Southwest Airlines flights were grounded because of a bomb threat.

A United Airlines airplane made an emergency landing in Denver.

New Jersey's transportation commissioner wants his state's commuter buses to pick up passengers at Manhattan bus stops.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday that a logjam in planning for the proposed extension of Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail to Dulles International Airport will be resolved "pretty quickly."

LaHood made the comments after meeting with officials from northern Virginia, where the proposed railway will run, and the the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which will operate it.

Lahood said he a "very good meeting" with the officials, and expressed confidence he could resolve differences that have threatened the construction of the project.

"What we've decided to do is continue to stand behind this project; it's a very important project," LaHood said. " There are a few things that need to be worked out. We'll probably have a couple more meetings, and then gather together again and find where we stand on things."

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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is meeting with officials involved in the proposed extension of Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail to Dulles International Airport to attempt to break a logjam on funding for the project.

LaHood said in an interview with Washington radio station WTOP that he was meeting Wednesday with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, as well officials from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The MWAA is building the railway to Dulles, but WMATA will operate it when it is completed.
 
LaHood said the meeting also would include leaders from Loundon and Fairfax counties, which are contributing to the railway's construction costs. He said the project, which is dubbed the Silver Line and intended to connected Dulles airport to downtown Washington, was important the entire country.

"The Metro system is America's metro system," LaHood said. "It's the system that delivered 2 million people to President's Obama's inauguration. Not many people drove cars, but a lot of people used Metro." 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Boeing has introduced the first 787 airplane produced at its controversial South Carolina plant.

Hip-hop personality DJ Khaled's tour bus caught on fire.

Maryland's Transportation secretary is stepping down.

Environmentalists are opposing a proposed transportation tax in Atlanta because they say it does not allocate enough to railways.

A Virginia Republican has introduced legislation to create an inspector general to oversee the agency in his state that is overseeing a proposed expansion of Washington, D.C.'s MetroRail to Dulles International Airport.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) said Monday that his bill (H.R. 5322) would bring accountability to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which is building the railway to Dulles that would be operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The first phase of the 23-mile extension, intended to connect Dulles airport to the capital city's downtown, is under construction and scheduled to open in 2013. But local officials are feuding over the funding for the second phase of the line, which is planned to stop at Dulles.

Wolf said Monday that his bill, which would allow the Transportation secretary to appoint and oversee an inspector general for the airport authority, would bring order back to the controversial Northern Virginia project. 

"The continued growth of the Dulles corridor demands that this project be successful," Wolf said in a statement.