Texas Transit Association

The American Public Transportation Association (”APTA”:http://www.apta.com/) reports that while Congress returned from its recess this week, progress towards a conference on the House and Senate reauthorization bills did not take place. Latest indications are that Congressional Leadership and the White House have agreed to go to conference only after agreement is reached on an overall acceptable funding level. As this has not yet occurred and with the current short-term extension of TEA 21 expiring April 30, Congress is expected to pass a third extension that will likely continue the federal transit programs for two months.

Metro has taken a significant step toward the construction of Houston’s next four light rail lines. Directors on Thursday authorized signing a five-year contract estimated at $60 million with STV Inc. of New York, the same consortium that shepherded development of the Main Street line, which opened Jan. 1. More…
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Linda S. Watson, General Manager of the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority, was selected Thursday, April 22, from among five finalists to become the next executive director of Central Florida’s bus agency Lynx.
Lynx’s board of directors chose her largely because of her track record as an outgoing and effective ambassador for public transportation in Texas.

Texas Transit Association: “Should Linda take this position, then it will be Texas’ loss and Florida’s gain. We wish her the best. She will be missed.”

Florida newspaper article on following page.
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When assessing Amarillo’s public transportation, the bus is half full - or the bus is half empty - depending on how one looks at it. The system isn’t practical for many of the city’s residents, but for others, it’s an essential mode of transportation.
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Brownsville Urban Systems officials hope a new software system will help make their fleet a more efficient mode of transportation. City buses are awaiting installation of tracking software - similar to the Global Positioning System — as part of the BUS’s Intelligent Transportation Systems. In March, Brownsville city commissioners awarded a $533,427 contract to Mentor Engineering, a Canada-based company.
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Texas Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton, Jr. will deliver a Keynote address to the 2004 Annual Texas Transit Conference & EXPO in El Paso. Conference dates are May 15-18. Commissioner Houghton will pull double duty: presenting the prestigious Friend of Texas Transit Award on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation as well as the Keynote at the Annual Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, May 18, 2004. A Conference Update, including Exhibitors to date, are found in the following .pdf file:

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