Mass Transit – At The Show – September 2026 by Endeavor Digital Editions

AT THE SHOW ISSUE

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Contents

SEPTEMBER 2026 AT THE SHOW

FE ATURES

One Region, One Network: The Next Era of Chicago Transit The Northern Illinois Transit Authority is tasked with transforming the rider experience throughout the Chicago region by coordinating fares, planning service, making capital investments and establishing enforceable standards.

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Transit Agencies Rise to Challenge of Moving Millions Transit agencies across North America reflect on the planning, collaboration and customer service strategies behind operations that supported soccer’s biggest event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Image: 296933346| Dreamstime.com

Pace on the Road to Project Zero

Rather than wait on battery-electric buildout, the agency is retiring older vehicles today and using hybrids as the bridge.

On the cover: 1350087930 | imagoDens | Getty Image

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Published by Endeavor Business Media, LLC 30 Burton Hills Blvd, Ste. 185, Nashville, TN 37215 800-547-7377

Metra Rolling into the Future with Alternative Propulsion Technology

The rail agency is pursuing two different paths to launch battery technology on its system, supporting its strategic plan and regional rail initiative.

From Policy to Projects: Lessons from Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Movement Through sustained collaboration, bold policy reforms and strategic investments in community-rooted developers, Chicago has built a model other cities can adapt to their own communities.

Vol. 52, No. 5 VP/MARKET LEADER - INFRASTRUCTURE & AVIATION GROUP Andrena Feaster AFeaster@endeavorb2b.com

D E PA R T M E N T S

EDITOR IN CHIEF Megan Perrero (603) 891-9454 | MPerrero@MassTransitmag.com

Editor’s Notebook

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brandon Lewis (216) 298-3269 | BLewis@MassTransitmag.com

Expo Map & Exhibitor Listing

Find the booths that are on your list to visit

CONTRIBUTORS Maulik Vaishnav, Juan Sebastian Arias, Jacky Grimshaw, Kate Ansorge, Reed Schwartz, Will Poff-Webster

MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER Meriwether Drummond (678) 992-5071 | MDrummond@MassTransitmag.com

People & Places

The lastest industry and people news and updates

The Transit Abundance Playbook offers 15 solutions to empower transit agencies and improve their capacity to deliver infrastructure projects.

PRODUCTION MANAGER Rita Fitzgerald AD SERVICES MANAGER Terry Gann ART DIRECTOR Erin Brown AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Debbie Dumke

DIGITAL AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Alden Metzger

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A Playbook for Building Cheaper and Faster Transit in the U.S.

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reprints@endeavorb2b.com Mass Transit (USPS 017-230), (ISSN 0364-3484 print, ISSN 2150413x online) is published 7 times per year in January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, At the Show Issue, September/ October, November/December by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N Main St 5th Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mass Transit, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257.

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SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual print and digital subscriptions are available without charge to qualified subscribers in U.S. and Canada. Please visit www.masstransitmag.com and click on “Subscribe”. Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. $49.00 per year, $97.00 two years; Canada/ Mexico $84.00 per year, $146.00 two years; All other countries $120.00 per year, $223.00 two years. Back issue $13.00 prepaid, if available. All subscriptions payable in U.S. funds. Canadian GST #842773848. Send subscription inquiries to Mass Transit, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Customer service can be reached toll-free at 877-382-9187 or at circ.masstransit@ omeda.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions. Printed in the USA. Copyright 2026 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.

Safe Fleet..............................................................................33 Transdev North America......................................................2,6

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SPONSORED BY

Beyond Today’s Workforce Challenges: Preparing Transit for the Next Decade

Photo: 2603758829 | Shutterstock

By Laura Hendricks, CEO

For years, conversations about transit

workforce challenges have focused on one issue: fi lling open positions. While attracting and retaining qualified talent remains critically important, the industry’s future depends on looking beyond today’s vacancies and preparing for tomorrow’s workforce needs. Like a driver focused on the road ahead, we must look beyond immediate challenges and cultivate the talent, skills, and leadership needed for the future. The nature of transit work is changing rapidly. New technologies, evolving stakeholder expectations, expanded service models, and growing data capabilities are reshaping how agencies plan and deliver service. At the same time, a significant portion of the transit workforce is approaching retirement

age, creating both challenges and opportunities. The question is no longer simply how many people we need to deliver service, but whether we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles to meet our communities’ expectations. Th is forward-focused shift requires a data-driven approach to workforce planning. Agencies are increasingly using workforce analytics to better understand their precise staffi ng needs, predict future skill gaps, and align employee resources with service-level requirements. Emerging technologies, including AI-enabled staffi ng tools, offer new opportunities to improve scheduling, reduce administrative overhead, and help agencies deploy personnel more efficiently and effectively. These innovations are not

about replacing people. Instead, these advances in technology ensure valuable human talent is deployed when and where they will have the most meaningful impact on passengers. Success in the coming decade will also depend on prioritizing quality over quantity. Filling positions is important, but building a workforce with the skills, adaptability, and leadership qualifications will drive long-term performance. That work starts by creating career pathways rather than simply fi lling jobs. Several transit agencies are investing in apprenticeship programs that provide hands-on experience while building a dedicated pipeline of qualified talent. Mentorship programs help transfer institutional knowledge from experienced employees to the next generation. Cross-training initiatives equip employees with broader capabilities, increasing operational flexibility by creating new career growth opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, we must continue strengthening our connection with the next generation of talent. Those entering the workforce now are looking for meaningful work, career mobility, and opportunities to learn new skills. To recruit and retain this talent, we must more clearly communicate the purpose behind what we do. Transit is more than a career. It connects people to opportunities, improves quality of life, and makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others every day. That sense of purpose is what draws many people to this industry and what inspires them to stay. Our goal is to tell that story more effectively and make it easier for young people to discover and pursue careers in transit. Transit has always been a business powered by people, for people. Technology will continue to transform the way we operate, but our success will always depend on the people delivering the service. By investing in workforce development today and leveraging opportunities, we can collectively build a stronger, more resilient industry that is prepared for tomorrow.

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Editor’s Notebook

Chicago region ready to host APTA’s triennial event I hope every attendee takes the time to explore and experience the investments and improvements our regional transit systems have been implementing in the past few years.

n just over a month, thousands of people will congregate in Chicago for the American Public Transportation Association’s 2026 TRANSform Conference & EXPO. From “What’s Next” to “Next Starts Here,” this year’s theme, “Elevate,” is fitting for our conference setting (‘L’evate, anyone?). By the time October rolls around, Chicago’s regional transit ecosystem will be a month into the Northern Illinois Transit Act taking effect—a mandate that promises to elevate the transit experience across the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus (Pace). That’s not to say the region hasn’t already been investing in the rider experience. The CTA is making improvements on a number of fronts, including increasing bus frequency (shout out to routes #77 and #53), upgrading legacy rail stations and reinforcing safety and security efforts. Several major infrastructure projects are also taking shape. The Red and Purple Modernization Phase One Project, the second largest capital project in CTA’s history, reached substantial completion last summer. This massive undertaking involved installing new elevated track for the Red and Purple lines, completely rebuilding four Red Line stations, upgrading to a new signal system and constructing a new bypass (I’m astonished at how tall this thing is every time I ride the Brown Line). Notably, this project required the agency to move an entire 1,000-ton, 127-year-old building 30 feet west and 10 feet south to make room for the new track structures. The authority’s Red Line Extension project is also progressing, with soil boring, site preparation and utilities work happening across several locations. Metra has at least eight major projects happening concurrently, supporting its over $500 million 2026 capital program. Projects range from station rehabilitations and expansions to bridge replacements and a new rail yard. On the vehicle side, Metra recently completed overhauling 302 railcars through its in-house railcar program. The rehabbed vehicles were outfitted with outlets, sensitive-edge outer doors, new LED displays, new bathrooms, wheelchair lifts, composite floors and seats. Out in the burbs, Pace is pushing ahead with Project Zero—its effort to transition to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2040. Within the past few years, the agency launched its inaugural electric bus into service, received its first electric paratransit vehicle, ordered an additional 22 electric buses and opened a charging station out of its North Division. As you make your conference plans, I encourage everyone to get on transit and explore one of the over 100 unique neighborhoods in what I believe is the best city in the world (but I may be biased; I’m a proud Chicagoan).

“

The Red and Purple Modernization Phase One Project required the agency to move an entire 1,000-ton, 127-year-old building 30 feet west and 10 feet south to make room for the new track structures.

”

 mperrero@ masstransitmag.com  (603) 891-9454  linkedin.com/in/ megan-perrero

Megan Perrero, editor in chief

SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE | MassTransitmag.com

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One Region, One Network

The Next Era of Chicago Transit

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The Northern Illinois Transit Authority is tasked with transforming the rider experience throughout the Chicago region by coordinating fares, planning service, making capital investments and establishing enforceable standards. BY MAULIK VAISHNAV

efore the sun comes up, a nurse in the south suburbs of Chicago heads to her shift without building an extra hour into the trip. Her Pace bus is scheduled to meet the Metra train, but if she misses her connection, another train is not far behind. When she reaches downtown, the same ticket takes her onto the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) ‘L’ for her final leg. In the afternoon, a college student travels from class in the city to a part-time job in the suburbs. The buses and trains he takes are clean, the arrival information is accurate and one university pass carries him across operators seamlessly. Near midnight, a restaurant worker begins her trip home. The elevator status at the station is available to her on her phone, the platform is well lit and feels safe, and she knows her wait time will be just a few minutes. If she encounters someone smoking, a person in crisis or another problem, she can tell a transit ambassador working at the station or report it from her phone, and the right team will quickly respond. Together, these trips describe the future the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) was created to deliver: one system that works for everyone and connects the entire Chicago region. It is a rare opportunity to get to jumpstart the second largest transit authority of the nation (based on unlinked passenger trips) from scratch with a mandate to transform the rider experience and actually have the resources to make it happen.

Photo: 76623110| Dreamstime.com

NITA Act supplies needed funding to transform Chicago region’s transit

On Sept. 1, NITA formally began just as Chicago prepares to welcome transit professionals from across the country for the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) TRANSform Conference and Expo. The timing offers our region an opportunity to demonstrate what a truly coordinated regional transit network will look like. Illinois lawmakers gave us the tools to get there through the NITA Act, which paired more than $1.2 billion in estimated new annual operating funding and roughly $180 million in new annual capital funding with meaningful regional authority. Among our large transit agency peers, the state of Illinois has provided a blueprint to not only solve the post-pandemic transit funding crisis, but also doubled down on the promise of expanding transit access regionwide. NITA will coordinate fares, plan service and make capital investments blurring agency lines, establish enforceable standards and hold the

transit operators accountable for meeting them. Success will be measured in riders’ everyday experiences: more frequent service, dependable connections, simpler fares, safer and more accessible trips and a system they can trust. The combination of transformational investment, authority to act and a commitment to riders is what makes Chicago’s transit future significant beyond our region. Illinois did not treat the fiscal cliff that our transit ecosystem was facing in the wake of the pandemic as simply a budget hole to fill. It used the moment to transform how the system works going forward. While the governance changes will take a few years to implement to their full promise, the immediate positive impacts are already showing. Since Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the NITA Act in December 2025, we launched pre-transition efforts and coordinated early changes to deliver for riders. In May, we infused $132 million into the regional system to fund near-term investments that riders are feeling. Those investments include expanded and more reliable service on CTA, Metra and Pace; improvements targeting rail slow zones and chronic bus delays; new safety and security resources; and expanded access to affordable fares. The Access Program, which provides reduced fares for riders experiencing low incomes, is expanding from a pilot only available to Metra riders to include eligible CTA and Pace riders this fall. Digital signage, multilingual information and real-time accessibility updates are becoming more consistent across the system. These investments are just the start.

Establishing standards will streamline regional service and investments

The biggest shifts ahead will transform how regional trips actually feel. NITA will establish transparent, systemwide standards for frequency, span of service, travel time, on-time performance, crowding, cleanliness, safety and connectivity across a six-county region with more than eight million residents. Those standards will recognize that a dense

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The Next Era

city neighborhood, a suburban job corridor and a lower-density community all deserve great transit but require different types of service. Coordinated network planning will mean key regional connections served by NITA’s three operators get the service and technology they need to make transfers as seamless as possible.

What changes is how decisions are coordinated across the region. The new governance structure is designed to make that coordination real.” Maulik Vaishnav

About the author

Maulik Vaishnav became chief transition officer in June 2026 to guide the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority through its transition to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), ensuring strategic leadership and compliance with the NITA Act.

Fares are getting simpler, too. Regional fares are not going up, but better alignment will help riders understand what to pay and when. For example, changes to student fares starting this academic year will make every bus ride for students on CTA and Pace 75 cents while expanding the hours and days when they can ride, so the fare will make more sense with their lives and travel patterns. Within two years, systemwide fare capping will ensure that a rider paying trip by trip never pays more than someone who purchased a pass. By 2030, a next-generation fare system will provide a single, unified mobile ticketing application across CTA, Metra and Pace. Reliable information must also be available in whatever way a rider needs to receive it. Whether someone checks a station display, listens to an announcement, asks an employee or looks at a phone, the arrival times, accessibility updates and disruption alerts should be accurate and consistent across the systems. NITA will centralize digital trip planning and vehicle arrival information while establishing regional customer information standards. Those standards will be developed alongside the new Office of Disability Policy and Planning, ADA Advisory Council and Riders Advisory Council, so the system is designed with riders from the beginning. Riders will also see safety improvements that began this summer. Nearly $60 million in new funding is supporting additional sworn officers on transit vehicles and at stations, expanded K-9 patrols, crisis-intervention and outreach efforts, additional health and human-services support and the early development of a regional transit ambassador program. Over time, NITA will connect the public safety work of CTA, Metra and Pace through a coordinated regional structure. A new Office of Transit Safety and Experience, led by a chief transit safety officer, will work with a multi-jurisdictional law-enforcement task force, the Coordinated Safety Response Council, transit ambassadors, social service providers and the three transit operators. That structure will help ensure that different situations—from smoking and other quality-of-life concerns to a person in crisis or a serious safety threat—reach the people best equipped to respond. It will also strengthen operator protections, improve the sharing of incident data, iden-

tify recurring problems and help deploy resources where they are needed most. The physical system will continue to improve as well. A coordinated five-year capital program will rebuild aging infrastructure and prioritize projects based on service needs, equity, environmental benefits and clear performance criteria. Regionally significant projects will be managed as one connected portfolio instead of a collection of agency-by-agency projects. That investment reaches beyond the station door. NITA’s role in transit-supportive development—paired with investments in sidewalks, crossings and bicycle connections—will help more neighborhoods connect safely and conveniently to the regional network. None of this means the region’s operators, CTA, Metra and Pace, disappear into NITA. Riders will continue to see the same agencies operating their trains and buses each day because that operational expertise remains essential. What changes is how decisions are coordinated across the region. The new governance structure is designed to make that coordination real. A majority of directors on each transit agency board will also serve on the NITA Board. Those overlapping memberships will create a direct link between regional decisions and day-to-day operations. NITA will provide the foundation: setting regional direction, aligning funding and policy, coordinating decisions across agency lines and holding the network accountable while CTA, Metra and Pace will keep doing what they do best. Chicago’s experience offers a useful lesson for other regions: sustainable funding and system reform are strongest when pursued together. A coalition that includes riders, labor, business, civic organizations, transit agencies and elected leaders can build support for both investment and change. The Chicago region is only beginning this transformation, and continued engagement will be essential as NITA turns the law’s requirements into improvements riders can see and feel. NITA will work to earn trust through clear milestones, public reporting and continued rider input as we build toward a common goal: one network, one region.

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rom June 11 through July 19, soccer fans from all over the world came to the U.S., Canada and Mexico to cheer on their country in FIFA World Cup 2026™. In the U.S., 11 cities hosted matches, with two cities hosting in Canada and three in Mexico. With an event as big as the World Cup, when deciding which regions would host the prestigious tournament, public transit was a factor.

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TTC’s Dufferin Station is wrapped in FIFA World Cup 2026 “We Are Toronto” branding. Photo: Toronto Transit Commission

Many of the host cities implemented car bans near the match sites due to traffic, making public transit essential. Numerous ridership records were broken across many transit modes during the five-plus week tournament. In Seattle, more than 1.1 million people used public transit during the first two matches. Kansas City set a one-day record for streetcar ridership on June 27 with 48,260 riders. Atlanta counted more than two million rides to matches, fan fests and other events. The World Cup may be seen as the Super Bowl of soccer, but it is completely different in terms of mobility. While both share fan festivals and other activities leading up to the competitions, the Super Bowl is, at its most, a seven-day event, with the big game only taking place on one day. On the other hand,

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FIFA World Cup 2026

Inside Brightline’s FIFA World Cup 2026 fan activation tent, an immersive display highlights the railroad’s station network from Miami to Orlando, inviting soccer fans to travel between host city venues by train. Photo: Brightline

this year’s World Cup was a 39-day event. This massive undertaking is why most host cities started planning with their respective public transit agencies at least more than a year before the first ball was kicked. For the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Canada, Brightline, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the U.S., planning for the World Cup not only involved planning for services on match days, but planning for services on off days, too. The agencies each planned around three specific areas: • Safety • Service • Wayfinding

TTC

According to TTC Chief Strategy and Customer Experience Officer Josh Colle, the agency started working with the city of Toronto on the World Cup 18 months before the event began. During that time and leading up to the start of the matches, the agency implemented many efforts to better the rider experience, including:

• New priority lanes for TTC buses. • A six-station wayfinding pilot program designed to make it easier for riders to navigate through some of the busiest subway stations in the city. • A bike‑based Special Constables Core Response Unit and a pilot program deploying drones in select locations. • Body cameras on station managers. On match days, the 29/929 Dufferin bus route ran additional service. Dedicated World Cup shuttles were were available on match days, operating between key locations. Service was also increased on lines 1 and 2 of the subway system, ensuring connections to bus and streetcar routes to get riders to and from BMO Field (Toronto Stadium for the World Cup). The 509 Harbourfront and 504 King streetcar routes also increased service levels. “We were pretty fortunate in the Toronto World Cup setup where the stadium and the major fan fest was right in our downtown core and pretty well already served by existing transit lines,” Colle said. Colle notes that the agency, with funding from the city, built a temporary transit hub right outside of the fan festival within a close walk to the stadium. The TTC is keeping all service adjustments it made for the World Cup through September, with Colle noting all of the changes the agency made for the World Cup are “intended to be forever and growing initiatives.” “The hope is with the performance and the ridership we’ve seen on those corridors that the ridership boom will stick around, but maybe even help us make the case for other services we can add,” Colle said.

Brightline

Brightline separated its World Cup service into two buckets: Match days and the fan festival. Matches took place in Florida at Hard Rock Stadium (known as Miami Stadium during the World Cup). The fan festival took place at Bayfront Park, about 15 miles away from Hard Rock Stadium. The Brightline station closest to Hard Rock Stadium is Aventura, which is approximately eight miles away. The Brightline station closest to

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Bayfront Park is Miami Central Station, located just a little over a mile away. Because of the two locations being far apart, Brightline Florida CEO Patrick Goddard notes that during the World Cup, fans would take trains from points north of South Florida (Orlando, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Boca), come to Aventura for the match and then come to Miami Central Station to attend the fan festival. To make the transit experience as seamless as possible, the agency partnered with Miami-Dade County, Fla., which set up four transit hubs that serviced the stadium with shuttles. “Anybody who had a ticket to the game could travel to the Aventura Station by train or by car, and then from there, show their ticket to get transported to and from the events at the Miami Stadium,” Goddard said. “And then similarly, people would take the train all the way down to Miami Central and

walk or take a freebie or a metro mover to the fan fest events.” Goddard says people could also ride South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Tri-Rail) trains from any of its train stations and arrive at Tri-Rail’s Golden Glades commuter rail station, where they could connect directly to shuttle services that transported them to Miami Stadium. Fares were not adjusted for the World Cup, as Goddard explains the agency uses a dynamic pricing model. Short-haul trips are described as anyone traveling between West Palm Beach and Miami and long-haul is anybody that touches the Orlando station. “There really was no feedback from our guests relative to fares that were being charged during the games, and we moved anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people per game,” Goddard said. “We optimized trains so there was two to three trains per match to get you there, and two to three trains to get you out of there.” Service increased from trains running every hour out of the stadium to every half hour on match days, which Goddard notes the agency already does for Miami Dolphin home games at Hard Rock Stadium. To enhance the station experience during match days, the agency added more safety personnel at Aventura and Miami Central stations. The agency reported no arrests were made at stations during the World Cup.

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FIFA World Cup 2026

In terms of accessibility for tourists, Goddard believes the agency lucked out with the teams that were playing in Miami, as most of the native languages in those countries are English, Spanish and Portuguese. “Those three languages, plus Creole, we already have available throughout our digital experience and in most of our announcements in station and onboard, so I think for the most part, people were able to navigate our systems without too much difficulty,” Goddard said.

Santa Clara VTA

Santa Clara VTA started planning for the World Cup in 2024 as part of its mega events planning initiative for not only the World Cup, but Super Bowl LX that took place in February 2026. Both events took place at Levi’s Stadium (known as San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the World Cup) in Santa Clara, Calif.

According to Santa Clara VTA Public Information Officer Stacey Hendler Ross, since the stadium already hosted Super Bowl 50 a decade earlier in 2016, the agency leaned on that experience when planning for not only Super Bowl LX, but the World Cup. She also noted the agency carried riders to the stadium for a Taylor Swift concert in 2023, so the agency already had a grasp on how to move a massive crowd in a reasonable time. Along with Santa Clara, the city of San Jose hosted events for the World Cup, including fan festivals. Ross notes the challenge with the World Cup was the rules for trains coming to the stadium. “Because of security restrictions, we were not allowed to bring our trains in front of the stadium, so we couldn’t run the trains from the east side [the Lick Mill Station] to the Great America Station, which is on the west side of the stadium,” Ross said. With the restrictions in place, the agency had to run trains only to the Lick Mill Station from the east and to the Great America Station from the west. “Serving those two separate stations was a very different situation that we had to plan carefully for in terms of how many trains would be assigned to each station,” Ross noted. In terms of extra security for the World Cup, Santa Clara VTA hosted law enforcement agencies and transit agencies from throughout the Bay Area for a conference on human trafficking approximately eight months before the event. During the World Cup, the agency had increased security from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department throughout the system, as well as Allied Universal, a private security company the agency uses for massive events, patrolling stations and transit systems. Ross notes the agency had “one or two false alarms” where security personnel had to check a suspicious package that was left on the train, but there were no arrests. For wayfinding, the agency worked closely with the other 27 agencies in the area on a regular basis to ensure riders could easily identify logos and signs in various languages. According to Ross, in Santa Clara VTA’s Customer Service Department, staff there have the ability to tap into almost any language in the world. The agency also had ambassadors in the field who were multilingual. If the ambassador didn’t speak the specific language that someone needed, the ambassador would refer the person to customer service. Levi’s Stadium hosted six matches for the World Cup. Ross says the agency was expecting a high of around 30,000 passengers, but the agency carried a max ridership of 42,000. Ross notes the standard to clear platforms during NFL games is two hours, and with more people riding to Levi’s Stadium for the World Cup, platforms were cleared in approximately 90 minutes.

BART

BART’s service areas were not a World Cup host site. Instead, the agency played a role in helping riders transfer to For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10064967

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Santa Clara VTA and/or Caltrain via BART’s Millbrae Station and making sure that all services aligned to get riders to Levi’s Stadium in time for the matches. Marshalette Ramsey, BART’s operations control center manager, notes one of the unique service changes the agency made for the World Cup was creating service post-revenue hours, due to most of the matches taking place in the evening. “Instead of dropping fans off and leaving them to their own devices, BART came up with a limited service plan to be able to get everyone home at the end of the night,” Ramsey said. “We collaborated with [Santa Clara] VTA to make sure when they ran their last shuttle, we were there to transfer those fans and get them back home. That’s a little outside of our normal service area.” Ramsey explains that with the ser-

vice changes, BART changed its maintenance schedule during the 39-day event, as the times trains were running on match days were times maintenance crews would usually be working. Due to the high demand, staff worked extra hours and more trains were in service. For the first match day at Levi Stadium on June 16, BART had what Ramsey detailed as limited stop service, resulting in riders who were parking their cars at certain stations close to Milpitas Station being skipped as part of BART’s original service plan. After the first match, the agency received feedback and implemented a new service plan that covered the areas that were skipped within three days. When it came to wayfinding the agency made sure its maps on service plans showed images of stations. “We worked together with not only our marketing team, but other regional agencies to make sure the same color palette, the same imagery was consistent throughout all of our signs,” Ramsey noted. “We did not want riders to have a full-on culture shock that they were attending the same event but using multiple, different agencies.” The marketing teams of the transit agencies still meet quarterly now that the World Cup has concluded to better their collaboration efforts.

See How Lippert, Freedman, and Trans/Air Are Driving Innovation in Public Transportation

A FIFA World Cup 2026 directional floor decal bearing San Francisco Bay Area host city branding, designed for deployment in transit stations and public spaces to guide fans during the tournament. Photo: Bay Area Rapid Transit

SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE

Visit Us at APTA Expo, Chicago, October 5–7 | Booth #3931 For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/55287514

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Photos: Pace Suburban Bus

On the Road to Project Zero

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Pace has installed 12 chargers at its North Division facility to power buses, while also adding chargers to park and rides and other support facilities for passenger vehicle charging.

ace Suburban Bus (Pace) isn’t waiting for a full fleet of battery-electric buses (BEB) to be available, or for every charging post to go into the ground before embarking on its journey to decarbonize its fleet. Its zero-emission goals are set—laid out in the agency’s Project Zero plan—but the agency is already replacing its oldest vehicles with hybrid buses to bank emissions savings sooner. Pace launched its zero-emission goals in September 2021, committing to transitioning to a completely zero-emission fleet by 2040. Th is plan also includes upgrading its North Division in Waukegan, Ill., into a zero-emission facility by 2029. After setting its intentions, the agency began taking steps to procure its future fleet. “Pace understands that the transition to a fully electrified fleet is a marathon and not a sprint,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger in an exclusive statement to Mass Transit magazine. “Our new hybrid buses are a critical step in this journey by immediately delivering a quieter and more comfortable ride for our passengers and meaningful environmental benefits for our region. It’s a practical step that continues our momentum toward a modern and sustainable transit system and helps us address manufacturing and industry challenges at the same time.”

How Pace is bridging the gap as it pilots fully electric buses

Rather than wait on batteryelectric buildout, Pace Suburban Bus is retiring older vehicles today and using hybrids as the bridge. BY N OA H KO L E N DA , A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

Pace’s first electric bus went into service in January 2024 on Route 381, providing a cleaner transit option in the region’s southwest suburbs—though this procurement stood more as a proof-of-concept for the agency while it built out the required infrastructure needed to support a full fleet. However, Pace needed to bridge a gap it was facing as it made this transition—needing new vehicles now. Enter hybrid technology, which the agency is now using as a stopgap emission reduction measure. Pace now has 47 hybrid buses in its fleet after a delivery of 24 new buses to its Will County fleet earlier this year. As for why the agency chose to proceed with hybrid buses at this moment when its zero-emission commitment was only 14 years off, Pace Chief Communication Officer Maggie Daly Skogsbakken says it came down to multiple elements of timing. “It’s a variety of reasons. The main one is we need the infrastructure for a fully electric fleet, and we need the vehicles,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “There are not a lot of battery-electric bus producers out there right now and a lot of people want electric buses.” Facing limitations on the production side and in how fast infrastructure could be stood up, the agency saw hybrid buses as a way to begin cutting emissions and solve for aging buses that were due for replacement. The agency says that the hybrid technology is expected to reduce fuel costs by approximately 20% annually compared with traditional diesel buses, supporting Pace’s ongoing focus on operational efficiency, fi scal responsibility and environmental stewardship. SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE | MassTransitmag.com

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Pace Suburban Bus

Hybrid buses are equipped with systems to suggest the best times for operators to utilize full electric mode, providing opportunities to reduce pollution in residential areas.

“Hybrid buses move our Project Zero vision forward by providing cleaner, quieter and more efficient transportation today while creating a practical pathway toward a fully electrified fleet,” Metzger said in the statement. “Our approach allows us to address industry challenges head on and continue our progress toward an all-electric future.” Daly Skogsbakken notes, however, that that lead time has given the agency breathing room to achieve its goals. “It’s not as fast as we want it to be, but it is giving us time to secure all of the funding we’re going to need to fully transition the fleet,” Daly Skogsbakken said. While the agency already has an established compressed natural gas division, the reduced production of vehicles with that propulsion led the agency to select battery-electric hybrid buses for this gap. Additionally, while the agency is also working on hydrogen propulsion options, it’s just started to pilot those options in 2025, though that comes with similar infrastructure and procurement challenges that electric buses have.

Hybrid buses move our Project Zero vision forward by providing cleaner, quieter and more efficient transportation today while creating a practical pathway toward a fully electrified fleet.” Melinda Metzger, Executive Director, Pace

Building the infrastructure to power it all

To support the impending fully electric fleet, Pace has begun upgrading its facilities. It broke ground on the North Division garage project in Waukegan in early 2025—what will be the agency’s first facility purpose-built for handling a full battery-electric fleet. Pace launched the first phase of the renovation at the end of 2025, hosting 12 charging stations—10 pedestal chargers and two pantograph chargers.

It’s also upgrading its River Division in Elgin, Ill., which is projected to host 20 BEBs and up to 35 electric paratransit vehicles. This location is also where the agency is piloting hydrogen propulsion technology. As for how it decided to start with these facilities, Daly Skogsbakken explains that the agency considered a range of factors before making its initial decisions. “We look[ed] at the overall state-ofgood-repair schedule—what divisions had repairs, renovations or upgrades coming soon—that’s an initial consideration,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “Then, we consider the length of the route, so that we’re testing it on a little bit of a shorter route. We have buses out all day. We don’t want to test the first electric [buses] on those routes.” Daly Skogsbakken continued, explaining that the agency is trialing the electric buses on Route 395—one of the agency’s high-frequency routes— so that if a bus isn’t functioning properly or experiences a significant delay, there’s enough frequency to make up for a missing bus. “We chose Waukegan first because North Division needed a renovation. It had a good variety of routes that we can test these vehicles on as we get more of them,” Daly Skogsbakken said. The agency also made the choice to start with the North Division because of the “disinvestment” the area has experienced. It’s seeking to reduce emissions in an area that’s long delt with industrial pollution while also working to clear a transit desert. While Pace is interested in further expanding to more facilities, it’s facing the need for more capital funding and the general challenges that come with making such an upgrade: remediation, right-sizing the fire suppression system for the use case and ensuring the general safety of its staff when introducing high-powered, alternating current technology such as BEBs and their chargers. It’s also facing an industry-wide problem: vendor capacity. As so many agencies make similar, or even nearer-term goals, like Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

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that has a zero-emissions target of 2030, procurement doesn’t just come down to what an agency has already planned for itself or what it can afford at that moment. It must also contend with the timelines and contracts of others. “It really is like a game of Tetris,” Daly Skogsbakken said. As part of that breadth of planning, the agency isn’t necessarily locking onto one exact solution and is keeping an open mind as the zero-emission goal is still north of a decade away. “What if other fuel sources become available? Become cheaper? Become more safe? All of those things have to be considered,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “And that’s what’s really interesting about this time in project management. Generally, you have to be so flexible that you’re building plan A, plan B, plan C, and that’s what you have to do to be a responsible public entity—and that’s what we’re doing.”

Funding the upgrades both short- and long-term

To support this transition, Pace has sought funding from multiple sources, including grants, federal funding, state funding and from any other sources it’s able to tap. “We actively pursue grants. We actively lobby for funding from the federal government. We have a lot of legislators who want to see this happen and see the big picture,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “They’re working to get us the funding that we need to do this. Our state is working to get us the funding that we need for this.” Daly Skogsbakken notes the importance of building trust with the federal and state funding providers and elected officials, citing that good stewardship of funds creates a bit of a cycle that allows for more funding to flow down the line. “As we get this funding, managing it responsibly and transparently is really important to maintaining and building more trust to get that,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “We understand that a lot of this funding might be opportunistic, and that really relies on the relationship building aspect and involvement in groups like [the Illinois Association for Clean Transportation]… Being partners with these groups to learn about opportunities for funding and new technology is really important. We can’t be the subject matter experts on every little

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Pace Suburban Bus

Once upgrades are complete, the River Division is set to host 35 paratransit vehicles and 20 battery-electric buses.

thing, so we need those relationships so people can help us identify grants, work with legislators to secure funding and to look at this technology that might save us some money.” Funding the North Division upgrades is a combination of Rebuild Illinois and federal grants, with $12.5 million in Rebuild Illinois funding also supporting high voltage electrical equipment, a stormwater detention system and parking lot reconstruction. Further, a Community Project Funding grant

was secured by Rep. Brad Schneider (DIL-10) in fiscal year 2023 appropriations to fund two pilot electric buses for the North Division. A new funding mechanism has also been created for the region to, in part, support these electrification endeavors in the form of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act (NITA)—a bill intended to modernize the governance of transit in the region, avoid service cuts and invest in the transit systems. The bill created $1.5 billion in annual funding, with over $800 million of that coming from fuel sales tax revenue. So far, this funding stream has allowed Pace to add 353 trips systemwide, funded through long-term dollars it expects from NITA, and delivered on the new hybrid buses it has already procured. The agency expects its current Project Zero plans to require $2.5 billion in funding, which covers both vehicle procurements and facility upgrades.

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New buses bring new technology, changes and a fortified strategy

The new vehicles hitting the streets aren’t just bringing a new propulsion technology to riders; they’re also bringing new amenities like Wi-Fi and points to charge devices. This move was made not only as a measure to come into parity with other transit agencies and modes, like that of Santa Maria Regional Transit, which made similar upgrades during its zero-emission transition, but also to lean into a desire the agency had discovered during focus groups it conducted before the pandemic—riding the bus to get time back to be productive. Additionally, Pace didn’t just opt for small technology upgrades. It’s also making upgrades to its bus lift systems to include automatic mobility device securement technology so that riders using mobility aids won’t need to have an operator get into their

personal space to assist with securing the aid. Daly Skogsbakken also shares that, while there was a near-agency-wide retraining, Pace was “very lucky” to have dedicated staff to manage the rollout. Further, the agency hasn’t just trained operators and maintenance staff and moved on, instead working through its communications and community relations departments to ensure it can effectively communicate the value of the new hybrid technology. Finally, operators aren’t just trained on the new features or how to best maximize the range or regenerative braking, but are trained in the full scope of the vehicles so they can confidently speak with riders and the public about them when questions arise. As to how it’s making this all work admidst so many unknowns, Daly Skogsbakken shared what’s worked for Pace so other agencies that may not be as far along can learn from its experience. “Some of the biggest advice I could give right now is utilize your networks, talk to people, learn about this and keep learning because it’s going to change,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “At this point, almost every month, I feel like there’s something new, right? So, it’s that commitment to being open and flexible and learning new things. That’s how you’re going to get to the finish line on projects like this.”

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etra is gearing up to roll into a new era of innovation and sustainability powered by battery technology. Th is culmination has been years in the making, built upon years of research, industry engagement and above all—patience for the technology to develop. Seven years ago, Metra challenged the industry to convert its older locomotives from diesel to zero-emission battery power. Though a request for proposal (RFP) was issued and a bid was accepted, the challenge proved to be too much at the time. “The technology hadn’t developed far enough yet that people could sit there and say, ‘Hey, I can build you one of these,’”

Metra CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinksi told me during an interview. That didn’t deter the agency. Derwinksi kept an eye on battery technology’s progression, specifically in Europe’s trainsets and the freight industry’s locomotives. As industry peers saw success in battery performance, Derwinksi was ready to put out another RFP. This time though, Metra chose to take two different paths. In September 2022, Metra

Photos: Stadler US Inc

Metra Rolling in WITH ALTERNATIVE PROPULSION TE

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into the Future ON TECHNOLOGY The rail agency is pursuing two different paths to launch battery technology on its system, supporting its strategic plan and regional rail initiative.

Photos: Stadler US Inc

BY MEGAN PERRERO, EDITOR IN CHIEF

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Alternative Propulsion Technology

issued an RFP for battery-powered trainsets and eventually awarded the $154 million contract in February 2024 to Stadler US Inc. The manufacturer is tasked with completing a base order for eight two-car, battery-powered trainsets that are currently being assembled in Salt Lake City. They’re expected to be delivered as early as 2027. Metra didn’t abandon its quest for greener locomotives, either. Earlier this year, the agency published an RFP for five, all-electric locomotives. Responses are being evaluated, with the goal of awarding a contract next year, according to Metra Spokesperson Michael Gillis. I recently sat down with Derwinksi and Gillis to get a deep dive on why Metra is pursing battery technology, how it’s executing these two projects and what it will take to get them to the finish line and beyond. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Megan Perrero (MP): Why did you decide to pursue both

of these projects instead of picking one over the other?

Jim Durwinski (JD): I think first and foremost, we did a so-

licitation for zero emission many years ago. In a lot of cases, the technology itself was kind of early on. Well, over time, the technology has marched forward. In Europe, they’ve been actually deploying these trainsets and so we kind of took a stab at it. So we put out the RFP, and we awarded it to Stadler. The battery locomotive one, that’s a little bit different. So the battery locomotive is what it’s going to be demanded to do. Maybe it’s going to have to go 40 miles one way and 40 miles the other way. It’s going to have to have our start and stop patterns, and it’s going to have to get up to our track speed. For us, legally, 79 miles an hour. This is a lot more demand, and it’s got to tow the passenger cars behind it. The difference between the trainsets [and the locomotives] is trainsets are lighter, less capacity. You can put more batteries in the locomotive depending on how big they want to make it. And that technology, the freight industry has been starting to dabble in. So for us, I looked at the opportunity, and I like to say kick it, smell it, feel it and see what it really does in real-world conditions—not just in a lab or in a controlled environment. Our hope is that there is a manufacturer out there that will be able to build us a battery unit that can meet our salient needs. If the ultimate goal is reliability, reduced emissions footprint and potentially lower operating costs, if the potential bidders produce something that gives us all that, that’s incredible. MP: Why is Metra interested in battery propulsion? JD: From a zero-emission standpoint, [based on] our research

and discussions with other operators, battery technology is in many years advanced right now from hydrogen. The real challenge for us here in the U.S., specifically the Midwest, is there is no supply chain for hydrogen that really exists. From the type of fuel demand that we have, there’s just currently no

infrastructure to support it. And then of course the grants are what gave us that ability to [pursue battery technology]. These grants are going to allow not just Metra, but allow the industry to test these batteries. MP: For the all-electric locomotives RFP,

how did you identify the vehicle specifications without being overly prescriptive?

JD: The first step in that is we’ve been

talking to the manufacturers in the industry for years now about what is the next step. Obviously talking to a lot of our peers, the freight industry. Their engineering and their mechanical departments have shared with us their experiences both with hydrogen, batteries and kind of seeing this evolution occur. So our spec was really based on the operational performance need that the vehicle needs to produce. One of the biggest challenges, of course, when we talk about anything in the rail industry, is limited capacity. There’s really only one passenger locomotive manufacturer out there right now. When that supply chain is so limited, it challenges all of us to really be innovative in this. This is an opportunity I think for a lot of people to learn a lot of different things about how this technology will work. MP: How did the solicitation process

differ when it came to procuring the zero-emission trainsets?

JD: [It was] more defined because of

the fact that vehicles have been produced like this in the world. We did our investigation on the front end to see what the industry could produce, but on the other side of it, the RFP was pretty standard. This one’s giving a little more freedom to the manufacturers to really produce different ideas without us being too prescriptive other than the salient characteristics of operations. MP: When you were reviewing the bids

that you received for the trainsets, what were you looking for from the vendor side?

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JD: For the trainsets, obviously we were

first and foremost looking at experience. Did they have the experience building what they said that they could build for us? One of the big challenges, especially with newer manufacturers, is it [Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)] compliant? It’s one thing to say, “Hey, I want to build you a train, and it’s going to cost this much.” The other one is, have you gone through the rigorous crash worthiness tests and all the other specific things that need to happen for an FRA-compliant vehicle? I think it was just pretty much a standard process. And then you get into the Q&A section where you bring in the manufacturers and then we can actually challenge them through dialogue of some of the things that we may have concern about. MP: How do the trainsets and ze-

ro-emission locomotives support Metra’s regional rail priority that is part of the current strategic plan?

JD: In the beginning, we’re going to use [the trainsets] in a

limited use service area. It’s a 15-mile section of track on our Rock Island District just to start really understanding the capacity, the recharge requirements, the recharge timelines and how we can incorporate that in there. That particular line, in the near future, will have pretty much half-hour service for most of the day. Today, those runs are done with diesels. So to tie into the regional rail, it’s a one for one replacement of what’s already in the service model. In an ideal world, [the zero-emission locomotives] come on property, they are a direct replacement for the service needs, and they’re able to perform at the same level as the diesel locomotives. The benefit that they have is obviously

Stadler US Inc is manufacturing Metra’s batterypowered trainsets after being awarded the contract in February 2024.

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Alternative Propulsion Technology

the reduced emissions footprint on the region. And then secondly, the noise footprint on the region. They were really more of just a direct replacement for aged technology.

next couple of years before we make longer term decisions on other vehicle replacements and service models.

Michael Gillis: But our strategic plan has other goals that

MP: What kind of progress has been

these check the boxes on. The strategic plan also calls for innovation to become more efficient and effective. So it checks those boxes. And also the environmental advantage of these checks the box for being more sustainable. JD: And the other thing thinking much farther ahead, de-

pending on the performance of the vehicles, we’ve actually had discussions about could these vehicles possibly move between lines? We have one line that’s electric. Today, you’d have to hang wire to get that anywhere else. These vehicles have the ability to go between two lines that potentially down the road through a reconfiguration on the build could work. In our strategic plan, we talk about efficiencies. If these vehicles tend to have less capacity on them, rather than haul an eight-car diesel train around for our evening service where we’re not filling that train up, these become an efficiency model specifically for a certain time of the service day. So there’s so many possibilities, I think, in the fact that we just want to really figure out how they operate over the

made to prepare infrastructure for the new train sets and locomotives?

JD: We already know we have the infra-

structure in place to do trickle charge based on our salient characteristics that we’ve laid out in the scope. So the trickle charge could be anywhere from an hour to eight hours, depending on how depleted the batteries get during the course of their use. The fast charge is the area that we’re working with Stadler right now to determine the load requirements. Then actually we’re looking at building this thing in a more portable manner where if we use it right now in the Rock Island and then we decide, “hey, this might work in another area,” now we’ve developed more portable types of units.

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I’ll just call it the big battery charger that can plug into the ComEd power and eventually just hook up to an output, which then goes into the vehicle. Right now, the vehicles are going to be designed with a pantograph on the overhead that would deliver the higher voltage. And so again, that type of infrastructure, the battery charger, we’ll call it, our [vision] is it’s portable. The only thing we’d have to hang would be putting up a little bit of catenary. MP: How is Metra planning to upskill

its workforce so the team is ready to receive these new trainsets? JD: Part of the bid spec is the manu-

facturer has to provide training. This is obviously all new technology. What’ll end up happening is the vehicles will get here, and they’re going to go through seven to nine months of dynamic testing. We’ll have to train the operators on

how to use the vehicles, and we’ll have to train the mechanics on how to repair the vehicles. There’ll be formal coursework that they go through. There’ll be a service rep on site during the entire nine-month period before they go back to Pueblo, Colo., where they’re going to have further dynamic testing before they go in revenue service. MP: Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share? JD: With regard to just alternate fuels, we’re interested. We obviously operate some pretty legacy equipment out here. Some of the things that we’ve been doing as we’ve modernized our fleet, going just from DC traction to AC traction, have proven to be incredible on the reliability side and the maintenance side of being more efficient. So we continue to really look at this as not the only potential solution, but as a piece of that conversation. I think in a lot of cases, the U.S. is way behind Europe and Asia. So, we continue to look over the big ponds and see what they’re doing over there. It’s the idea of testing it in this environment is very important. Without those federal grants for these pilot type programs, we can’t do this. I mean, the funding’s not there because ultimately, when you’re doing such a low batch order, the engineering cost just drives the expense.

For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/11611073

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From Policy to Projects:

Lessons from Chicago’s Equitable TransitOriented Development Movement Through sustained collaboration, bold policy reforms and strategic investments in community-rooted developers, Chicago has built a model other cities can adapt to their own communities. BY J UA N S E B A S T I A N A R I A S , JAC K Y G R I M S H AW, K AT E A N S O R G E

hicago passed its first transit-oriented development (TOD) ordinance in 2013, encouraging mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development near transit through zoning incentives. Yet within a few years, an uncomfortable reality became clear: TOD projects were taking hold downtown and on the North Side—Chicago’s wealthier neighborhoods—but not in the long-disinvested South and West Side neighborhoods that, arguably, stood to benefit the most from it. A city analysis found that from 2016 to 2019, nearly 90% of new TOD projects were developed downtown and on the North Side. Today, Chicago’s TOD landscape looks very different. In May, Elevated Chicago members released the State of ETOD in Chicago report examining progress made on Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Policy Plan over the last five years. Adopted in June 2021, the plan was developed by the city and Elevated Chicago alongside more than 70 community, civic and public sector partners. It established 42 recommendations to direct transit-oriented investment to disinvested communities, prevent displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods and create more transit-connected, walkable and people-centered communities citywide. Though there is more work to do, the progress is real. Today, ETOD projects are reaching more neighborhoods across Chicago and increasingly on the South and West sides. These projects include grocery stores, coffee shops, daycare centers, affordable housing and community centers. The pool of developers has also become more diverse, with smaller, firsttime and community-rooted developers increasingly leading projects supported by city funding and technical assistance. At the same time, zoning reforms have made it easier and less costly to build near transit while supportive leadership from City Hall has embedded ETOD into broader housing, planning and economic development strategies.

That progress did not happen by accident. It reflects years of intentional collaboration and offers lessons for transit agencies, planners and local governments seeking to maximize the impact of transit investments while creating more affordable, connected and opportunity-rich communities. Here are three of the most important lessons.

Cross-sector collaboration is essential

ETOD is inherently cross-sector work. It requires transportation agencies, planners, housing departments, community organizations, developers, financial institutions and philanthropy working together toward a shared priority. Elevated Chicago was formed in 2017 to bring those voices together around a common goal: ensuring transit can live up to its potential as a catalyst for economic growth and opportunity, drawing investment that reflects community needs and aspirations while protecting against displacement. Alongside the city, Elevated Chicago co-led development of the ETOD policy plan. But adopting the plan was only the beginning. Sustaining momentum required an ongoing forum for implementation. Today, Elevated Chicago

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continues to co-convene the city’s ETOD working group, along with the mayor’s office, bringing together city agencies, community organizations, developers, advocates and technical experts to identify barriers, workshop solutions and coordinate implementation. Meeting quarterly, the group keeps related initiatives moving, surfaces on-the-ground challenges and ensures policy continues to evolve alongside community needs. The lesson is simple: equitable development isn’t achieved through a one-time planning process. It requires ongoing partnership and mutual accountability.

Implementing policy requires community support

The ETOD policy plan established the vision. Implementing it required changing the rules of development. The plan paved the way for the 2022 Connected Communities Ordinance— still one of the country’s most ambitious local ETOD policies—along with deeper parking reform, transit corridor planning, strategic rezonings and new anti-displacement and housing initiatives. Together, these reforms have made it easier, faster and more financially feasible to build housing, mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly development near transit. None of these changes happened over-

night. They required years of education, coalition-building and strategizing among community organizations, city staff, elected officials and advocates. Building community and political support is just as important as writing smart policy. Chicago’s experience demonstrates that ETOD depends on more than visionary planning. It requires sustained advocacy, public leadership and real policy change that creates the conditions for equitable investment.

Policy needs a supportive ecosystem to be most effective—build one

ETOD projects are reaching more neighborhoods across Chicago and increasingly on the South and West sides. Photos: Elevated Chicago

Crafting a stronger policy vision is only the first step. Changing zoning codes creates opportunity, but it does not automatically produce equitable projects. Community-rooted developers— particularly in historically disinvested neighborhoods—face many barriers long before construction begins: securing predevelopment financing, assembling land, navigating approvals and accessing the technical expertise needed to move community visions from concept to construction. Recognizing this, Elevated Chicago focused on building the ecosystem of support needed to translate policy into projects. The coalition successfully advocated for dedicated ETOD funding through American Rescue Plan Act investments while incorporating ETOD principles into city grant scoring and expanding predevelopment funding. Between 2022 and 2024, dozens of developers received up to $150,000 in predevelopment grants and $250,000 in development funding totaling more than $5.5 million—early investments that helped unlock significantly larger public, private and philanthropic financing. Capital alone, however, wasn’t enough. Elevated Chicago launched Elevated Works, a city-funded and philanthropically supported initiative that operated from 2023 through 2025 to help community-rooted developers navigate the barriers SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE | MassTransitmag.com

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ETOD

About the author

Juan Sebastian Arias is the executive director of Elevated Chicago.

Jacky Grimshaw is the senior director at the Center for Neighborhood Technology and co-chair of Elevated Chicago’s Systems Change Working Group.

Kate Ansorge is vice president of real estate solutions at IFF and co-chair of Elevated Chicago’s Capital and Programs Working Group.

The Green Line Performing Arts Center serves as a theater venue and rehearsal space that supports the arts across the South Side of Chicago.

that often delay or derail projects. The program paired 36 developers with 18 technical assistance providers specializing in architecture, zoning, financing, legal services and more while every project received a dedicated real estate coach, available by phone or Zoom. In 2024 alone, Elevated Works delivered more than 2,000 hours of technical assistance and nearly 850 hours of coaching. The impact was tangible. More than 30 projects reached milestones such as site acquisition, groundbreaking or opening with fewer delays, with technical assistance helping developers secure reduced parking requirements, secure more funding and assess project readiness. Tracking this pipeline of capital projects brought additional upstream benefits. It helped show the impact of policy change—like the Connected Communities Ordinance—in neighborhoods while surfacing common barriers to inform future systems change efforts. The lesson extends well beyond Chicago. If cities want ETOD, they must invest in more than projects. They must invest in the people, organizations and systems capable of delivering them. Policy creates opportunity. Capital creates momentum. Capacity turns both into lasting community investment.

Looking ahead

Chicago has made meaningful progress over the past five years, but the work is far from finished. While significant advances have been made on many recommendations in the ETOD policy plan, nearly half remain incomplete and challenges around housing affordability, displacement and equitable access to transit persist.

For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10065283

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Fortunately, the opportunities ahead are just as significant. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act—which gives the new agency authority to support development on agency-owned land—creates an opportunity to better align transit investment with housing and economic development. At the same time, the Red Line Extension, which will bring rail service to the Far South Side by 2030, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pair transformative transit investment with equitable community development from the outset. Five years ago, Chicago set out to redefine what TOD could look like. Today, it is a national leader in ETOD—not because the work is finished, but because it has shown that equity can move from aspiration to implementation. Through sustained collaboration, bold policy reforms and strategic investments in community-rooted developers, Chicago has built a model other cities can adapt to their own communities. As communities look to reimagine transit’s role in economic development and housing affordability, Chicago’s experience offers a clear lesson: successful ETOD requires more than good transit and good policy. It requires sustained partnerships, political will, public investment and community leadership. The next generation of transit investment shouldn’t simply ask how we move more people. It should ask how we create more communities where people of all incomes can afford to live, thrive and benefit from that investment.

7/31/26 11:36 AM

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Guest Opinion

A Playbook for Building Cheaper and Faster Transit in the U.S. The Transit Abundance Playbook offers 15 solutions to empower transit agencies and improve their capacity to deliver infrastructure projects. By Reed Schwar tz, Will Poff-Webster

BETWEEN 1999 AND 2003, Madrid added 47 miles to its metro system for $7.2 billion in today’s dollars—about $150 million per mile. In 2017, after 10 years and for approximately the same price, New York City completed the first 1.7 miles of its Second Avenue Subway. On a per-mile basis, it was the most expensive subway project ever built. New York’s costs are shocking, but they are not unique. Since voter approval in 2008, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has spent $15 billion and produced 100,000 pages of environmental review; it has no plan to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles without at least another $90 billion in new funds. High costs compromise America’s ability to deliver the transit that voters have asked for and that constituents need. Thousands of riders take the Second Avenue Subway every day and millions benefit from the trips taken by their employees, customers, families and friends. If California ever manages to connect its two largest cities with highspeed rail, similar benefits will be felt by millions more. But with the costs of a single project swelling far beyond the entire annual Capital Investment Grants appropriation—and with little hope for major increases in federal funding, at least in the short term—many important projects will never break ground. But America’s exceptionally high transit costs are not inevitable. The U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world. The fact that it pays more than lower-income countries is no surprise. Yet, while American costs are three times as high as the international average, they are six times as high as developed countries like Spain and South Korea. If U.S. funds went as far as they do in France—a developed economy with roughly average costs— we could deliver more than twice as many projects for the same level of spending. Thanks to research from the Transit Costs Project, the Eno Center for Transportation and others, we know the drivers of our cost problem. Outdated procurement laws prevent transit agencies from

Spain builds tenneled subway for $200M per mile on average. NYC spends more than 20 times as much. Even controlling for the higher costs of tunneling subways, U.S. cities pay far more than comparable cities and countries. Percent tunneled

Percent surface or elevated

Chart: Institute for Progress

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Guest Opinion adopting better practices; insufficient agency capacity leads to overreliance on consu lta nts w it h little incentive to limit Bid price weight costs; utilities and local Scheduling weight governments demand Technical qualifications weight exactions in exchange 80% for necessary permits; federa l requirements prioritize box-checking over efficient project 50% delivery and delay important planning steps; 30% over customization and 20% overdesign absorb scarce 10% 10% funds; and permitting laws treat emissions-reducing transit infrastrucMadrid Delaware Chart: Institute for Progress ture with a presumption of environmental harm. The Transit Abundance Playbook presents 15 solutions to address these problems. In it, experts ranging from transit practitioners to

Many U.S. states’ best-value procurement processes still weigh price over everything else

advocates, consultants and researchers identify evidence-based solutions to empower transit agencies and improve their capacity to deliver. As a case in point, one proposal details an improvement to American procurement laws. Across many states, agencies are required to select the lowest bid for construction and other contracts. Although originally intended as an anti-corruption measure, lowest-bid selection can lock agencies into selecting less qualified bidders and can be gamed through price coordination. Selecting the lowest upfront price can paradoxically raise overall spending, as contractors recoup costs through change orders and delays. The alternative in countries with low transit costs is best-value procurement, which gives transit agencies the freedom to pick the best contractor for the job. Many U.S. states that technically allow best-value procurement methods weigh price so heavily it makes the designation meaningless. Delaware weighs price at 70 to 90%, giving only marginal consideration to technical qualifications and scheduling. In contrast, Madrid, which has consistently built metro extensions cheaply and on

For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10065706

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time, weighed price at only 30% during its expansions. Allowing agencies to select better contractors will lead to lower costs and faster timelines. Another proposal would streamline third-party approvals, addressing the morass of potential veto points that can block linear infrastructure like transit lines. In order to build, transit agencies must negotiate with many different stakeholders, including utilities, local governments, asset owners and other government agencies, each with their own demands—and often, each with the ability to hold up the project. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority negotiated 43 separate third-party agreements for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project. In another glaring example, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority paid for a new police kiosk for the city of Beverly Hills, Calif., in exchange for necessary street closure permits. While third parties have legitimate interests and priorities, the individual negotiations that agencies must undergo give disproportionate leverage for delay and value extraction.

The playbook’s solution would borrow from Italy’s “Conference of Services” model, empowering a single decision-maker—such as a member of the governor’s office—to convene all stakeholders and negotiate an agreement up front, with stakeholders that fail to raise substantive concerns forfeiting the right to litigate afterward. Such a process would create certainty for agencies while respecting the needs of third parties and could shave years off project timelines. Faster, more cost-effective construction will only deliver results if paired with adequate funding for both construction and operations. But reform complements funding by ensuring that the money agencies receive builds as much transit and creates as much access for riders as possible. Regardless of how much any lawmaker wants to spend on transit, there is bipartisan agreement that any dollars allocated should go as far as possible. Other countries’ successes show that high transit costs are a policy choice. The Transit Abundance Playbook authors present solutions to make a better one.

About the author

Reed Schwartz is an associate infrastructure fellow at the Institute for Progress, a public policy think tank that promotes scientific and industrial innovation.

Will Poff-Webster is the director of infrastructure policy at the Institute for Progress, leading the institute’s work on energy, transportation and housing policy.

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STER N.A. LLC

Kuba

LockNClimb, LLC

3825

3819

4212

4210

Spare

4606

3619 3620

3816 3817

Power Manufacturing

4112 Voith US (VTI)

4207

3631

3717

4012 Driventic GmbH

4009

4006

Egis

3622

3616 3617

3812

3907

4003

Thermo King

STV

3042

3238

3431

2544

2446

Piper Networks

Tracsis

3425

2542

2842

3038

WeDriveU

3215

3414

3609 3610

3606 3607

3803 3804

3020

3315

Hall Technical Services

3600

Indra Group

REI

3405 3406

3603 3604

Aurionpro

UZURV Arrive

3408

3402

2820 2917 2

APTA Innovation Learning Zone

3100

Global Display Solutions, Inc. (GDS)

APTA Solutions Learning Zone

2708

2705

Woojin IS America, Inc

2700

GIRO

2642 OMER SpA

2638

2731

2720

2442

8/17/26 8:03 AM

4647

2542

2544

2446

2452

Fuji SEMEC

2645

2642 OMER SpA

2842

2449

STV

2649 2650 2651 2652 2749

2750

2852

Mersen PTT NA

Piper Networks

3042

Nepean Transport Equipment

2653

3645 3646

IT Curves

2581

2681

2680

2774

2776 2777 2778

2780

3176

3256

3275

3276

3254

3451 3452

3453

3551

3553 3554

AeroBus 2782

STraffic America

3078

3081 3082

3278

3845 3846 3945 3946

3748

3654 3655

3478

3475 3476

3463

3657 3658

4045

4042 4043

3185

4444

4646

3854 3855

4051 4052

4647

3857 3858

3860 3861

4057

4054

Swiftly

4249

4252

4255

4352

4355

4358

4455

4458

ACTIA Corp.

4648 4649

4060

Rosco Inc.

4349

4448

Merak

3090 3190

3281

3282

3285

3289

Cummins

3574

3570

3567

3862 3864

3867

3863

WiTricity

4063

4067

3390

3485

3488 3489

3490

3588 3589

3590

3579 3580 3581 3582

Complete Coach Works

3870

3389

3679

3681 3682

3874

Frontrunner Bus Group, Inc.

3879 3780

3781

3779

3881 3882

3685 3686 3687 3688 3689

3690

3785

3790

3787 3788 3789

3885

3951 3952

Aesys

4244

3087 3088 3089

3186 3187 3188 3189

3085 3086

3182

3481

3467 3468 3 4 6 9 3470

Optibus

3660 3661

3848 3749

3948

394 3942 3943

4644

3851

2985 2986

3181

3751 3752 3843

2888

2886

2885

Beep APTA Hot Topics

3549

2485

2880

3075 3076

3651 3652

2481

2580

2676 2677 2678

3175

3449 3450

3648 3649

2480

2674

2875

3563 3642 3643

2474

2571

2570

Beacon Mobility

3252

3445 3446

2470 2471 2472

Nova Bus

3352 3353 3354

3344

3544 3545 3546

2467 2563

3052

APTA Central

3443

2560

2854

3342

3542

2460

2656

3242 3243 3244

3442

2458 2558

2752 2753 2754

2846

2843

2455

Sutrak Corporation Cor

GIRO

Littlepay

2442

4170

4257

4261

4264

4267

4269

4361

4363

4367

4368 4369 4370

4463

4467

4460

4655

4657 4658

4659

4661

4663

4178

VinFast Auto, LLC

4179 4180 4182 4184

4286 4287 4288 4289

4290

4385 4386 4387 4388 4389

4390

4285 4280 4281

4274 4275 4374 4375

4470

4670

4667

4078 4079 4080 4081 4083

4172

GFT

4452 4453

4650 4651 4652 4653

4074

4071

4070

4672

4277

4380 4381

4485

4474

4480 4481

4574 4575 4576 4577 4578

4580 4581

4674 4675 4676

4677 4678

4679

4486 4487 4488

4489 4490

4585 4586 4587 4588 4589

4685 4686 4687 4688

4590

4689 4690

4785

Bizlink Elocab Ltd.

4074

Busline.

3780

Champlain Cable Corporation

BAE SYSTEMS

3100

Blink America

4523

BUSPAS INC.

3414

ChargePoint

Ballard Power Systems

462

Block By Block

4622

BUSRide & BUSRide Maintenance

3254

Chestnut Ridge Foam Inc.

2073

Basemap

1370

Block By Block

4624

Citiri, Inc.

2270

Bode North America, Inc.

4244

CITYROVER

4417

Bonatrans North America

4455

C.E. Niehoff & Co.

3616

CivicPlus

2170

Bosch Engineering

3545

CAC Turbo Intercool Ltd.

2649

Clark Testing

3862

Brandt Industries Inc.

2542

Cad Railway Industries Ltd.

3581

Clean Energy

3685

Brasco International, Inc.

3660

CAF - Solaris Bus & Coach

419

Clear-Vu Lighting

1382

Bremskerl CV, LLC

3354

California Creative Solutions, Inc.

2680

CLERPREM SPA

4063

Bremskerl North America, Inc.

3810

Bridgestone

4277

California High-Speed Rail Authority

4658

Brigade Electronics INC

4585

Calmo Inc

3580

Brookville Equipment Corporation

3103

BSPL North America Corp

3282

Bus Climate Control

1843

Bus Stuf Inc

778

BusGraphix

3242

BatOnRoute - School and Staff Transport App

4337

BBA Project, Inc.

4217

BBM Railway Solutions

3952

BEA Transit Technologies

2347

Beacon Mobility

3052

BEC Technologies, Inc.

2267

Becker Global America

4369

Beep

3278

Bentech Inc.

2048

Benteler/ioki

2708

Bentley Systems

3652

Bitimec Wash-Bots Inc.

2063

Bitzer U.S. Inc

2651

Camber Operating Company, LLC. 1972 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

1470

Cameron Manufacturing & Design 4518 Camfil Clean Air Solutions

3751

Camira Group Inc.

1478

Camlin Rail

3609

Capitol Government Contract Specialists, Inc. 3353

Booth 3655

railheadcorp.com 800.235.1782

Capte Technologies

4452

CAPTRON North America LP

1180

CBM US

2780

Cembre Inc

3809

Central Sales & Service, Inc.

1278

Cetest

3717

137

Clever Devices Ltd.

1924

CloudFactory

2286

Coach Glass

4418

CoachCrafters

1482

Code Blue Corporation

3443

Cojali USA

2986

Common Pixels

4610

Compak Ramps

3787

Complete Coach Works

3574

Compliant Technologies

2085

Concept Seating

4648

Conduent Transportation

2517

Connectall Ltd.

3087

Connectpoint, Inc.

2247

Connixt, Inc.

1759

ConnX, Inc.

1379

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2609mass_34-40_ExpoMapExhibitors.indd 37

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8/17/26 8:03 AM

FLOOR PLAN & EXHIBITORS F

Consat Canada

2186

HSM Transportation

2620

Knick Interface

3864

Consertus, Inc.

263

FAAC Incorporated

4025

Hubbell

3475

Knorr-Bremse

1312

Consilium US Inc.

1077

Feig Electronic GmbH

3212

HUBER+SUHNER, Inc.

1677

Kontron

131

Continental ContiTech

2705

Femco USA Inc

2678

Hubner Manufacturing Corporation 1049

Kuba

4212

CSched

3752

Fenton Mobility Products

3285

HYDAC Technology Corporation

3342

CSiT

142

Filnor Inc.

3648

HYUNDAI ROTEM COMPANY

425

Cubic Transportation Systems

2043

Fire Rover

4080

Cummins

3481

Fit Consulting

4653

Cylus

261

FLEETWATCH by S & A Systems, Inc. 4237

I/O Controls Corporation

Cysca Technologies Inc.

1081

FleetZero

362

Fogmaker USA Inc. FOGTEC Fire Protection

L L.B. Foster Company

4458

Language Testing International

2677

4427

Lanner Electronics Inc

2472

IBASE Technology Inc.

3679

2580

IBM

1658

Lantech Communications Global, Inc.

3951

3446

ICP DAS Co., Ltd.

4625 1455 3619

Lazzerini Corporation

249

LDV, Inc.

4678

D&N Bending

3681

Fraenkische Industrial Pipes

3406

IDIS Americas

Daktronics, Inc.

4405

Frank Ralphs, Inc.

1780

IGRALUB North America, LLC Imagry Autonomous Buses & Shuttles

4642

LED Smart Inc.

3840

Imeco Cables

4178

Leitner-Poma of America, Inc.

3008

IMS Engineered Products

4425

Leroy Automation

4414

In A Blink

4006

LIFT-U, Division of Hogan Mfg., Inc. 452

InCharge Energy

4180

Lilliput Electronics (USA) Inc.

3845

Indra Group

2820

Lin Industries, Inc.

3488

Infodev EDI Inc.

1471

Lippert, Freedman, Trans/Air

3931

Litemax Electronics Inc.

2842

Littlepay

2563

LockNClimb, LLC

4210 4042

Damera Bus USA LLC

2101

Fraser Gauge

1371

Dana B. Kenyon

4646

Frontrunner Bus Group, Inc.

3874

Daniels Manufacturing Corp

2570

ddm hopt+schuler GmbH & Co. KG 4627 Dellner Polymer Solutions

4535

Delta-Danobat

4252

Fuji SEMEC Inc.

2449

Future Systems Inc.

2560

Device Technologies Inc

3855

G&G Industrial Lighting

2074

DEVISMES SAS Company

3579

Gatekeeper Systems Inc

2281

DEWESoft

3682

General Plastics

471

DFI Inc

4409

Genetec

3551

Diesel Laptops

2558

Genfare

2231

Digi International

1952

Gensco Equipment

Doron Precision Systems Inc.

3315

Genuine Cable Group

113

Driventic GmbH

4012

Geocomp, Inc.

572

Driverge Vehicle Innovations, LLC

3622

Gerflor

1655

Drossbach Inc.

1682

Gessmann

1680

Duo Form Plastics

4249

Getac

3452

GFT

4467

Gillig LLC

506

GIRO

2442

Eastern Connector Specialty Corp. 4421

Glenair, Inc.

2160

ebm-papst Inc

1861

Global Display Solutions, Inc. (GDS) 3402

EdgeDX Co., Ltd.

153

GMT International Corp.

E EAO Corporation

2070

1580

4667

Egis

4003

GMV

Ekyrail Enterprises Inc.

3417

Graffiti Shield, Inc.

3570

Electro-Techno, Inc.

117

Greatlink Int’l, Inc.

3649

119

Elmira Stamping & Manufacturing 3076

Green Flush Restrooms

4517

EMP

Guchen Industry

4672

449

ENC

1006

Enertec Rail Equipment

3646

Enfasco, Inc.

1874

H H.O. Bostrom Company, Inc.

3749

Lea + Elliott Inc.

1770

LECIP Inc.

2058

INIT Innovations in Transportation, Inc.

1061

InnoTrans

1575

Insperial

4661

Insurica

4374

Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.

INTANGLES USA INC

1771

LPA Group Plc

3185

Intellicene

4078

Lucchini North America

1681

InterClean Equipment, LLC

1362

Lucerix International Corp

1774

Interloc Solutions

3468

Luminator Technology Group

659

IRIS Inc. NA

2258

LUTZE Inc.

2812

Irwin Transportation Products

1849

Lux Modus

4338

Isringhausen, Inc.

3215

LYT

3181

Istobal

3851

IT Curves

2474

ITT Cannon

1578

Maestronic USA Inc.

ITT Koni

4674

MAFELEC TEAM

4045 2176

IVU Traffic Technologies Inc.

4079

MAN Engines & Components Inc.

2055

MANCON

2470

Mankiewicz Coating LLC

3804

J. Lanfranco Fastener Systems Inc. 4423

March Networks

3220

J.W.E., Inc

3275

Jacobs

1458

Marmon Industrial Energy & Infrastructure, formerly RSCC Wire & Cable 3563

JCM COMMERCE MECHATRONICS, INC. 2375

Martinus Rail, LLC

675

Masabi

2527

Masats LLC

1652

Enghouse Transportation

4071

Hall Technical Services

3612

Jewell Instruments

445

enRoute

3946

Hallcon Corporation

4170

Enseicom, Inc.

2263

Hanning& Kahl GmbH & Co. KG

3861

Jing-Jin Electric Technologies Co., Ltd.

343

Mass Transit

2171

ERGO Transit

672

Hanover Displays

1643

Josefina Pan Pacific Ltd

2372

Masters Transportation

1820

Ericsson

253

Harting Inc. of North America

4509

Matawan

4506

Esri

4352

Hayden AI

4043

Matrix Railway Corp.

3606

ETA

3631

HBL Batteries

4407

EuropTec USA, LLC Eurovac (Clean Air Technologies)

115 3943

Everson Tesla Inc.

2274

Exclusively Yours Total Solutions (EYTS)

3546

Express Systems & Peripherals

4070

Heliox, A Siemens Business

2452

Hendrickson

2423

Herzog Transit Services, Inc.

1367

HID

4628

Hill International, Inc.

2455

Hitachi Rail

2504

Hitachi Rail

2700

Hoppecke Batteries, Inc.

3642

K Kawasaki Rail Car Inc.

3420

Mattei Compressors, Inc.

2374

Keolis North America

2217

May Mobility

4220

Khrome

1670

Mayser USA, Inc.

2251

Kiel Americas

1648

McAlpin Industries

4358

Kiepe Electric LLC

1044

McLaren Applied Ltd

1074

Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

4659

MCS North America Inc

3686

Kirk’s Automotive Inc.

3816

MCT Brattberg

4524

Kismet Rubber Products

3467

Mechanical Rubber

3544

KLI Inc.

4676

Merak

4444

38 Mass Transit | SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE 2609mass_34-40_ExpoMapExhibitors.indd 38

8/17/26 8:03 AM

Mersen PTT NA

2852

Ofolux S.R.L.

Message Point Media

1662

Oiles America Corporation

4267

Queen City Transit Solutions

3478

Sherwood Electromotion Inc.

151

Quester Tangent Corporation

4349

SHINBO Co.Ltd

Metal Solutions

1875

OMER SpA

2642

Metro Magazine

2886

Omnigo Software

1479

Michael Baker International, Inc.

4234

OnRails

1377

155

Quinte Plastics Ltd.

2173

Sicame

1870

Sideros America inc

4051

Micro Bird

2289

Onspot of North America

3554

r2p USA Inc.

Micro Bird

2088

Ontra Mobility

470

MIdsun Group

2754

Onward Health

2458

Midwest Bus Corporation

3643

Optibus

Milwaukee Composites, Inc.

4636

Optimal

Minuteman Security & Life Safety

3549

Oracle Corporation

4485

Miovision

3317

Oran Safety Glass, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc.

431

Mobile Mark, Inc.

1474

Modaxo

1025

3857

Siemens Mobility, Inc.

1531

4617

SIGMA S.p.A

3617

Railhead Corporation

3655

SignAgent

4269

Railroad Software

3639

Signal-Tech

1381

3567

RAM Mounts

3553

SIL4 Systems

2681

145

RATP Dev USA

2137

SilverRide

3082

Redstone Technologies LLC

3748

Sim-Tech

1857

4412

REI

3408

Sintrones Technology Corp.

3854

Orca Glass Company Inc.

148

REMS+

4516

SKODA GROUP

4655

oToBrite Electronics , Inc.

4644

Ride

4440

Smith Systems, Inc.

4422

RideCo Inc.

4122

Snake Tray

2075

RideShark

4275

Modern Networks

2285

P-Duke Technology, Inc.

1277

Rigidized Metals Corp.

3839

SOGECLAIR SIMULATION - OKTAL SYDAC 3843

Modeshift, Inc.

3654

Papercast

3825

Rochling Composites USA

4009

Sonca USA Inc.

2581

Modine Manufacturing Co., Inc.

3289

Parabit

Rogers Corporation

3661

SpaceAge Synthetics, Ltd.

4638

Modula, Inc.

4226

Parsec Antennas

150

ROK Brothers

4385

Spacecraft Components Corp.

4420

MOEV Inc.

2776

PCTEL, Inc.

2175

Romaine Electric Corp

2749

SPAL Automotive USA

4060

Mohawk Lifts

2260

Peak Transit, LLC

132

ROMELL INC

2287

Spare

4207

Mohawk Mfg. & Supply Co.

3658

Peerless-AV

1961

Rosco Inc.

4057

Spheros North America, Inc.

125

Moltec International

4067

Penn Machine Company

3607

Ross and White Company

3822

Spika Design & Manufacturing

3075

Moon Shadow Glass

4525

Penta Corporation

2653

Rotary Solutions

1020

Spradling International

4647

Morbern Inc

3463

Pfisterer North America

2275

ROUSH CleanTech

3106

Stadler US Inc.

1013

Motive

3640

Phoenix USA Inc.

1179

Roxtec

2753

Stadler US Inc.

1317

Mott MacDonald, LLC

3203

Piper Networks

2843

Royersford Spring Co.

3863

STER N.A. LLC

3819

Moxa Americas Inc.

3870

Plascore Inc.

2272

MTM Transit

4431

Plastic Components, Inc.

2158

MV Transportation, Inc.

106

Polymer Technologies

356

S. Sterling Company

Polymershapes

3610

S.K. Polymer Co., Ltd

N 2650

NANOV DISPLAY INC.

2645

NASPO Valuepoint

2752

National Bus Trader & Bus Tours Magazine

3881

National Railway Supply, LLC

2185

National Transit Institute Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey 1281

Stertil-Koni

1055

STI-CO Industries, Inc.

4339

4620

Stirling Cryogenics Inc.

3085

3451

STONKAM CO, LTD

1863

3781

STraffic America

2880 2327

4203

Sable Corporation

Power Brake

1675

SAF-HOLLAND Group

4367

Strategic Mapping

Power Manufacturing

3812

Safe Fleet

2012

Streamax America LLC

1177

Powerex, Inc.

1781

Safety Brake Set Inc.

1577

Strive Transit Ambassadors

4274

PowerON Energy Solutions

3476

Safety Vision, LLC

3636

STV

2446

PowerPusher

4612

SAFOP

4663

Sunrise SESA Technologies Inc

3657

PowerTrunk

1079

Sahay AI

1760

Sunset Vans Inc.

2814

2774

Sure-Foot Industries Corp

1868

POLYVANTIS

Nagels North America LLC

4335

Poynting, Inc.

2782

Samsara

NATSCO/International Name Plate 4257

Prelco

4675

Sander Electronics USA

4437

Sutrak Corporation

2467

Neopart Transit LLC

2676

Pro-Flex Inc.

4261

Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery

446

Swiftly

4054

NEORide

3470

Prodata PTexcellence LLC

2481

Scalabros Srl

1758

Syntech Systems

2386

Nepean Transport Equipment

3042

Schaltbau North America

2051

SYSTRA USA

2404

Netmotor (Mfg.) Ltd.

1579

Professional Software Associates, Inc.

2076

Scheidt & Bachmann

3425

Systrans, an Equans company

2243

NFI Group

1031

Proheat by Dometic

678

Schunk Carbon Technology, LLC

2507

NGIP Consulting

2387

Projye International Co., Ltd.

264

Schurter Inc.

4453

Propane Education & Research Council

3182

No-Spill™ Systems

161

Nord-Lock

1574

Noregon Systems

2471

North American Center of Excellence for Transportation Equipment 370 Nova Bus

2875

NS Corporation

649

O O’Neil & Associates, Inc.

4179

O-CITY

367

Octave

3779

Odyssey Battery

2271

Propelex Cybersecurity

2674

Protran Technology

3846

Prysmian

4460

PSI Repair Services, Inc.

1852

Pulse Transit Software

4685

PureTech Systems, Inc.

4281

Q Q’Straint/Sure-Lok

2513

Q’Straint/Sure-Lok

1801

QRyde by HBSS

3281

Quality Mobile Installations

3078

Seal & Design

346

Talkaphone

Seifert Graphics, Inc.

2571

TDG Transit Design Group International Inc. 2437

SEKISUI KYDEX

2255

SELS USA LLC

4632

SEMTECH (SIERRA WIRELESS)

2174

SENOPLAST USA

3081

Sensor Electronics Corporation

3582

SepsaMedha North America

4470

Shallco Incorporated

2072

SHC

1880

Shelterra Inc.

1867

Shenzhen Ltime In-Vehicle Entertainment System Co.,ltd

3276

Technical Services & Logistics, Inc. (TSL)

3817

Teknoware Inc.

4052

Televic Rail

1877

The Mobility House

455

The Okonite Company

3879

The Routing Company

4255

Thermo King

3431

ThermOmegaTech

1078

Thermon Inc

3243

Tmoney

2212

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FLOOR PLAN & EXHIBITORS Token Transit

VDS Rail SpA

2351

Willowglen Systems Inc

361

Tolar Manufacturing Company, Inc. 4231

3175

TSR Engineering Inc. TSS Paratransit

2544 158

Veneklasen Associates

4368

Winchester Interconnect

3217

Top Tempo Technical

1181

TT Electronics

4522

Ventura Systems North America

213

Windhoff Rail Technology Corp

3344

TopBus

2480

Turbo Images

442

Verbom

1279

WiTricity

3867

Total Power Group (TPG).

4651

TYLin

2060

Via Transportation, Inc.

3208

Woojin IS America, Inc

2917

Tracsis

3038

Vidmar LISTA CribMaster

3485

Workday

2385

Transdev

1506

Vignal Group

1974

WOW Brand Products

4264

Transdev

2731

U.S. Train Products, LLC

3620

VinFast Auto, LLC

3885

WSP USA

1244

Transify

3352

Uber Technologies, Inc.

458

Visual Counter

4434

WTS International

358

Transit

3939

UITP

4361

VIVOTEK

3858

Wurth Electronics ICS

2854

Transit & Paratransit Company

3445

UKG

1582

Vogelsang USA

4355

Transit Ambassador

1775

ULTIMATE USA Transportation Equipment Inc.

2077

Voith US (VTI)

4112

1481

Transit Marketing Group / Sportworks

1448

UltraTech International, Inc.

Transit RE

3469

Uniform Warehouse Inc.

3442

Transit Resource Center

3390

Unipart

3860

Transit Technologies

656

Transit-Systems LLC

1282

United Safety and Survivability Corporation

515

TransitCheck

1674

Uptale USA, Inc.

262

Transportation Diversity Council

112

Transtech Innovations Inc.

2750

TransTrack Solutions Group

1025

Treelight BV

4172

Troman Industries Inc. & Metro Transit Sales 3252 TRONTEQ Gmbh

3942

TSI Video

1067

TSO Mobile

2652

Urban Engineers of New York, D.P.C. 4657 Urban Solar

4534

Urban Technologies

3882

Urban Transportation Associates, Inc.

4463

UTC RAS

667

UZURV

3012

V Valeo

Vontas

1025

X Xcalliber

3176

Xiamen Lenz Communication Co., Ltd. 3453

W WAAV, Inc.

2885

Wabtec Corporation

1537

WAGO Corporation

1963

WaySine LLC

4649

Webb Wheel Products

342

WeDriveU

3020

Wendel

3936

Westermo Data Communications, Inc. 2460 White Associates

3945

Whiting Corporation

2253

Xiamen Magnetic North Technology Co., Ltd. 4285 Xovis Germany GmbH

4241

Z Zebra Technologies Corp

232

ZF CV Systems North America LLC

1737

Zilla Corporation

4631

Zoppas Industries Heating Element Technologies 1970 ZPro Solutions

1475

Whiting Door Manufacturing Corp. 4608 2985

Wi-Tronix

3005

Start your search. Access your next Career Opportunity. Mass Transit Career Center: Your guide to open positions in the transit industry Start your search Jobs.MassTransitmag.com

40 Mass Transit | SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE

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People & Places APTA celebrates commitment The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) honored 12 organizations and leaders with the 2026 APTA awards for their vision, leadership and commitment to public transportation. The association also inducted four new members into the APTA Hall of Fame. APTA says the 2026 APTA Awards recognize organizations and leaders in the public transportation industry in North America who have demonstrated significant leadership, are outstanding role models of excellence and whose accomplishments and innovations have greatly advanced public transportation. MassTransitmag.com/55395826

The Chicago Transit Board has authorized a pair of intergovernmental agreements with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and with the city of Chicago that will fund transit infrastructure improvements across the city’s West Side. The agreement made with IDOT transfers funding to the Chicago Transit Authority to support the design of future track work along a significant portion of the Blue Line’s Forest Park Branch. As part of future project work, which has not yet been funded, the agency says that crews would completely remove more than 13 miles of existing track and underlying infrastructure and replace it with new materials and a new underlying drainage system. MassTransitmag.com/55390337 ▶

APTA honored 12 organizations and leaders with the 2026 APTA awards. Image: APTA

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Metra introduces new drones to expand aerial monitoring

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT)

The Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, the governing body of HRT, has appointed Noelle Pinkard, its current organizational advancement oﬃcer, as interim president and CEO. Pinkard assumed the interim leadership role following the retirement of William Harrell, who retired in August after 14 years leading HRT and 40 years of public service. MassTransitmag.com/55394903

Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD)

Denver RTD has selected Jimmy Vigil as the agency’s next director of safety and environmental compliance/chief safety oﬃcer. Vigil joined Denver RTD in 2021 as manager of rail safety, supporting operations, facilities and frontline teams across the agency. In this role, he led investigations using root cause analysis, advanced federal compliance eﬀorts, implemented Federal Railroad Administration regulations and fatigue risk programs and coached employees to strengthen safety culture across bus and rail operations. Prior to Denver RTD, Vigil was a safety and security manager for Exxon Mobil Corp., leading teams and overseeing assignments in Texas, Vietnam, Iraq, Tanzania and Papua New Guinea. MassTransitmag.com/55394903

Metra Police have launched drones to monitor rail lines and facilities as part of a new pilot program, aiming to improve safety and security throughout the system and decrease response times. Under the pilot program, Metra has purchased three Beyond Visual Line of Sight drones and stationed them at its 18th Street Yard facility on the Metra Electric Line and its Western Avenue Coach Yard. The drones are controlled remotely and monitored by Metra Police officers who are licensed drone pilots. The drones are equipped with high-definition video, 3-D rendering and infrared capabilities with a flight range of about three miles. MassTransitmag.com/55392006 ▶

MORE NEWS AT A GL ANCE STV has completed the procurement effort for 78 Maryland Transit Administration heavy rail cars. MassTransitmag.com/55393372 ▶

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

The DART Board has named Nat Ford as its next president and CEO, eﬀective Oct. 26. Ford has served as the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority since 2012. He also has experience working at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. MassTransitmag.com/55393378

Chicago Transit Board secures funds for Blue Line Forest Park Branch Rebuild project

AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. and Siemens Mobility have been selected by CDPQ Infra to advance the next phase of the TramCité project in Québec City. MassTransitmag.com/55392003 ▶

SEPTEMBER 2026 APTA EXPO ISSUE | MassTransitmag.com

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Products

IN FOCUS: AT THE SHOW

H60D fast charger The H60D fast charger is a compact, high-utilization solution designed for cars, buses and trucks. The system combines a dynamic power allocation between its two CCS1 outlets, broad electric vehicle and backend compatibility and flexible mounting options to support higher charger usage across a variety of sites. The H60D enables two parallel charging sessions from a single unit, increasing the number of vehicles that can be served. Both outlets can operate simultaneously and share power dynamically, allowing operators to either deliver the full 60 kW to one vehicle or distribute power between two vehicles. HELIOX, A SEIMENS BUSINESS www.heliox-energy.com

Bus Shelter Digital Retrofit Geephon developed a retrofit kit for bus shelter displays that replace the LCD displays while maintaining the shelter’s integrity and the fit and finish of the enclosure. During refurbishment, Geephon determines which components can be reused and which should be replaced. Utilizing 70-inch, high-resolution LCMs that incorporate local dimming, IR/UV resistant glass and integrate the customer’s preferred media player and router, the end result is a lower-cost digital retrofit display. G E E P H O N G R O U P LT D. www.geephon.com

MTLx Pro MTLx Pro is a transit tunnel LED luminaire engineered for 15-plus years of unattended service—an engineering standard designed to eliminate one full tunnel re-entry cycle over a 20 to 25 year capital horizon. Two light sources deliver two operating modes in one fixture: a 40W downlight module provides continuous NFPA 130 §1.4 egress path illumination in standard mode and ramps to full OSHA 1926 output in work mode, joined by a 12W linear uplight for ceiling and overhead equipment visibility. It’s activated via clearNET or magnet wand and has IP66 housing, UL 1449 type 4CA surge protection, ANSI C136.22023 verified. Made in the USA. CLEAR-VU LIGHTING clearvulighting.com

TAP-M310R Wi-Fi 6 Train-to-Ground Radio

The 5M Paratransit Architecture unifies booking, scheduling, realtime dispatch, billing and National Transit Database reporting into one platform. The platform features an incremental batch optimization engine that works throughout the day without interruption to the dispatch system. 5M can help deliver operational stability and financial accountability for high-volume agencies.

The TAP-M310R Series Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) railway train-to-ground IP67-rated wireless AP/clients are built for communicationbased train control, closed-circuit TV and broadband radio service communications, supporting controller-based turbo roaming with handover times under 50 milliseconds.

T S S PA R AT R A N S I T www.tssparatransit.com

MOX A AMERICAS INC. www.moxa.com

5M Paratransit Architecture

View more products at MassTransitmag.com/directory

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Map the Whole Journey With ArcGIS® software, leading public transit agencies connect planning, operations, assets, customer experience, and security.

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