News and Updates

Center Staff and Partners to Present at Upcoming APTA Rail Conference

Posted June 2014

The 2014 Rail Conference is scheduled for June 15-18, 2014 in Montreal, Canada.  Workshops and technical sessions cover timely issues of widespread interest in operations, technology, safety, security, planning, finance, capital projects, and the technical aspects of providing all modes of rail service: urban, commuter, high-speed, and intercity.  Center staff will be presenting two sessions at the APTA rail conference:

Brian Turner and Jack Clark presentation - 10:30-12pm Monday June 16

Xinge Wang presentation - 10:30-12pm Tuesday June 17

John Buckner of SEPTA - 10:30-12pm Tuesday June 17

Partners in Philadelphia Host After School Prog. for Recruiting Future Frontline Transit Workers

Posted June 2014

SEPTA, TWU Local 234, Keystone Development Partnership and school partners continued their cutting edge work on career pathways in Philadelphia as they kicked off a Careers in Public Transportation After School Program at Mastbaum Vocation and Technical High School.  The programs builds on the partners’ innovative summer youth program, detailed in the Center’s “Pathways to Equity: Effective Transportation Career Partnerships” report.

Center Delivers Train-the-Trainer Course at BART

Posted June 2014

Last week, six current and future maintenance trainers at BART went through the Center developed Train-the-Trainer course developed as part of the Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium.  This program was co-facilitated by the Center’s Manager of Instructional Design Julie Deibel and BART’s Section Manager of Elevator/Escalator Power & Mechanical Maintenance George Younger.

Standards-Based Training: Cleveland, Sacramento Transit Systems Join The Center in APTA Webinar

Posted May 2014

More than 50 transit managers and trainers participated in APTA’s TLC-led webinar on Standards-Based Training last week.  George Fields, Training Director for Greater Cleveland RTA gave an inspiring account of their work with the Center and ATU Local 268 in creating a new Rail Car Technician apprenticeship training program.

Signals Training Consortium Forges Ahead on Training Program

Posted May 2014

The Signals Training Consortium held its third full meeting last week, May 6-9, 2014, at Metro-North’s facility in White Plains, NY.  The consortium brings together 20 public transportation agencies and their unions from across the country to create a standardized training program for signal maintainers.