Public Transit

Construction of a new subway line in New York City was interrupted Tuesday by an explosion, according to news reports.

The New York Times reported that an explosion in an under-construction tunnel on the long-planned subway line on New York's Second Avenue in Manhattan that was supposed to be controlled went awry on Tuesday.

The result was damage above ground, the paper said, but no injuries were reported. 

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) visited the headquarters of the Washington, D.C. area's subway system, MetroRail, on Friday.

Hoyer, who represents a suburban Maryland district in close proximity to the capital city, tweeted a picture of himself and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager Richard Sarles.

WMATA has come under fire for its performance in recent year, particularly from lawmakers who represent Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and elected officials from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., said Tuesday that the authority that oversees the capital region's airports is in dire need of reform.

The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority oversees Washington's Reagan Washington National Airport and Dulles International Airport, both of which were formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport authority is also in charge of construction of a $6 billion extension of the Washington area's Metrorail subway system to Dulles airport, one of the largest transportation projects under construction in the country.

But LaHood, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and D.C. Mayor Vince Gray (D) said Tuesday that they had "serious doubts about the ability of the [MWAA] to competently promote, protect and manage the airports and other transportation activities.

"We are gravely concerned with the lack of accountability, transparency and sound judgment that has come to light regarding the board's recent activities," the leaders wrote in a letter to MWAA Chairman Michael Curto.

"It has become clear that the MWAA's policies and procedures are deficient and lack the safeguards necessary to ensure the principled oversight of nationally and regionally significant assets," they continued. "The board needs to restore the confidence of its appointing officials and the public." 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Sales of imported automobile brands are on the rise again.

Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) has weighed in on the defeat of a proposed transportation sales tax there.

Automobile manufacturer Dodge will not be testing cars cars for NASCAR races in 2013.

The C train in New York City has been rated the worst subway line in the city.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) is applauding a Senate committee for approving the restoration of a tax benefit given to people who use public transportation systems to get to work.

The benefit was included in a Democratic tax package known as the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012. The package was approved by the Senate Finance Committee Thursday on a 19-5 vote.

Under the legislation, commuters would be allowed to set aside $230 of their monthly paychecks from the deductible income on their taxes for their trips to work if they use public transportation.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) has said there will be no do-over for a proposed transportation sales tax that was defeated in most of his state.

San Antonio's International Airport was closed because of a bomb threat.

Sacramento's International Airport has been preliminarily approved by the Transportation Secretary Administration for private-security screeners.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is making changes to its normal bus and light rail service for the Democratic National Convention.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A closely watched transportation sales tax proposal in Georgia is finally coming to a vote.

Debris from a test flight of a Boeing 787 sparked a fire in South Carolina.

Dubai International Airport broke a record for airport traffic in becoming the busiest airport in the Middle East for the first half of 2012.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) opened three new stations.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that new federal authority to regulate public transportation systems will make commuting in the United States safer.

Congress included an expansion of the Federal Transit Authority's (FTA) power to regulate transit agencies in the recently approved $105 billion surface transportation bill. The change gives the federal government power, for the first time, to do more than tie safety requirements to future funding. 

LaHood said Thursday that public transportation passengers would see a difference.

"You see, for the first time, the new two-year transportation bill passed by Congress, MAP-21, gives the FTA the authority to require basic, common-sense safety standards across our nation’s transit systems," he wrote in a blog post on the Department of Transportation's website.

"Before MAP-21, transit riders depended on a patchwork of local and state safety rules that changed from one system to another," LaHood continued. "Because of this, safety standards vary widely. But to maintain a safe and efficient network of transit systems, we need to make sure the highest safety standards are in place — across the nation." 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Opponents of a proposed transportation sales tax in Georgia are promising to craft a better list of proposed projects if the measure is voted down.

The tax is being supported by businesses in Georgia, however.

Transit officials in London are feeling the pressure of the Olympics before the games even begin.

Hot weather and thunderstorms have slammed Northeastern airports with delays this summer.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray thinks it takes too long to fix escalators within the capital city’s Metro subway system.

In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine that touched on his recent to trip to Beijing, Gray said buildings are constructed in the length of time it takes to fix escalators on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) system.

“[In Beijing] they built a convention center equivalent to ours in nine months, and it took us nine months to get the escalators fixed in the Metro system,” he said.