Transport

ESA Helps Southern California Agencies Land $500 Million Grant to Decarbonize Goods Movement

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provided $5 billion for the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to fund the development and implementation of ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners Presentation on Heavy Rail Alternatives

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Yusef Robb from tk/Communications discusses two heavy rail alternatives for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project and the potential to transform regional mobility by connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside and beyond through a network of integrated transit options.

Ara Najarian on Burbank Airport’s Long-Awaited Replacement Passenger Terminal Project

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Ara Najarian, recently elected as President of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA), updates readers on the status of the  Hollywood Burbank Airport’s long-awaited, replacement passenger terminal project.

LA28 leadership: Highlighting close to $900 Million in Federal Funding to Bolster LA Transportation Infrastructure Ahead of 2028 Olympics.

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“ The partnership between (Metro), LA28, LA County, and our federal leaders shows us what can be done when we form a united front. Metro is committed to providing world-class mobility across LA County and to …reshaping transforming and reimagining mobility in our region.”

CoMotionLA Panel: The Push for a Comprehensive EV Charging Network

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Andrew Rogers, FHA

David Abel, Chairman of VerdeXchange moderated a CoMotionLA panel that included Lynda Tran, DOT Director of Public Engagement and Andrew Rogers, FHA's Deputy Administrator, as well as TAE Power Solution's Rob Capaldi, and Petersen Automotive historian Leslie Kendell on the rapidly approaching transition. Panelists addressed the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program ($5 billion), the Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure ($2.5 billion), as well as the challenges of unifying the states re: standards.

L.A. Yellow Cab’s Bill Rouse on the Future of Taxis & Collaborations with Uber

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Bill Rouse

Since the advent of Uber, Lyft, and other Transportation Network Companies (TNC’s), taxi businesses like Los Angeles Yellow Cab have been exploring ways to reinvent their business models and claim back lost revenue from their new, less regulated competitors. Over the last decade, with the passage of AB1069 which eased regulatory burdens on Taxis and a pivot to more contract work, taxi cabs have begun to recover. On the other side of the street, TNCs are now looking to fill the gaps in their own service by teaming up with the once-upon-a-time enemy cab companies, with Uber and LA Yellow Cab being the most recent of those collaborations. VX News spoke with Bill Rouse, CEO of Southern California taxi operations, about his new partnership and the collaborative benefits to be seen by taxi operators. Rouse also addresses the taxi industry future, the not-so-threatening robotaxi business, and future groundside operations at LAX.

GM Phillip Washington On How New Infrastructure Funding Will Power Denver’s Largest Regional Economic Engine – DIA

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Phil Washington

In 2021, President Biden signed a massive 1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill aimed to address growing concerns in the country with regards to aging infrastructure in the face of continued population and density growth. VX News spoke with CEO of Denver International Airport, Phil Washington, on how his airport is tackling that exponential growth and where that infrastructure money is being put to use. Washington also shares the economic implications of making DIA one of the most traveled through airports in the Rockies, as well as his thoughts on what it will take to ensure LA’s Olympic Games in ’28 will be a successful event.

Patsaouras: Political Origins of LA's Transit Safety Challenges

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TPR shares this op-ed by former member and board president of the Southern California Rapid Transportation District (RTD) and MTA board, Nick Patsaouras, who outlines the historic and political origins of LA Metro’s policing contracts in the 1990s and subsequent degradation of security on the system. Highlighting the work of former MTA Police Chief Sharon Papa, Patsaouras highlights the necessity of having consistent, dedicated personnel specifically hired, trained, and deployed to work in and address crime, security, and quality of life challenges on LA’s transit system.

VX2023 Plenary: Upgrading & Greening Our Air & Sea Ports – The ROI

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With another $4 billion from the Biden administration & Congress on its way to electrify and cut emissions at our nation’s ports, the federal government is continuing to demonstrate the need for modernization and innovation of our maritime infrastructure.

More Than a Mirage in the Desert: Brightline West’s Ben Porritt on SoCal to Vegas HSR

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Ben Porritt

With California High-Speed Rail updates putting its projected total cost at $128 billion, Brightline West’s new high speed rail connection between Southern California and Las Vegas plans to break ground sometime this year for a fraction of the cost.