Schumer Announces, After His Push, CDTA to Receive $15 Million in Fed Funds to Build New State-of-the-Art Nerve Center That is Critical for Bus Rapid Transit Lines & Entire Bus System

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that, after his push, the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) has been chosen to receive $15 million in federal funding that will transform the Capital Region's bus system by replacing its outdated dispatch and vehicle communication system with a new, state-of-the-art "nerve center" that will enable bus rapid transit lines and the entire system to communicate in real-time. In June, Schumer urged the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund this project through the DOT's TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant program, which provides funding for road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives. This project will dramatically upgrade CDTA's dispatching and vehicle communications technology, which will improve transit service safety, reliability, and efficiency. The current dispatch/communications system has reached the end of its useful life due to the fact that many of the parts needed to improve the system have been discontinued and it no longer is able to receive technical support. A new system is also needed to help ensure the bus rapid transit lines are running at maximum efficiency. Schumer wrote a letter to DOT in support of this project and personally called DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx to pledge his support. This is the first transportation project in the Capital Region to ever receive TIGER funding.

"This federal funding is great news for the tens of thousands of passengers who rely on the CDTA system to get around the Capital Region every day. This new, state-of-the-art dispatching and communications technology will serve as the nerve center for the entire CDTA system, enabling buses to transmit and receive real-time information that will help the system run more smoothly and more efficiently," said Schumer. "This complete technological overhaul is also a key piece of CDTA's efforts to expand its Bus Rapid Transit options. Bus Rapid Transit lines need advanced technology systems managing and timing traffic lights, so the lines can run as quickly as possible, and this federal funding will enable CDTA to build a system that will do just that. I would like to commend Secretary Foxx and the entire Department of Transportation for seeing the value of this project and making it the Capital Region's first TIGER grant recipient -- it will reduce congestion, save time for commuters, and spur business and job growth by improving the entire system's efficiency."

The development of this new "nerve center" will enable CDTA to better integrate its dispatching and communications systems with a larger effort to achieve 40 miles of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in the Capital Region. This new technology will use radio and computer technology to better sync real-time information about traffic lights, traffic patterns, bus location, passenger demand, etc. across the entire CDTA system, and will be especially helpful for BRT lines, which rely on advanced technology to provide faster, more efficient service. The first 17 miles of BRT was successfully launched in April 2011 and has resulted in a 20 percent increase in ridership. This new Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system replacement is instrumental in effectively launching the next phases. This project will accommodate approximately 280 revenue vehicles (fixed route and paratransit), approximately 40 non-revenue vehicles, support equipment, and the mobile data communications infrastructure at four Radio Frequency (RF) tower locations.

Schumer has been a long-time advocate of CDTA. In March 2014, Schumer urged the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to approve CDTA's application for federal funds to expand the CDTA's bus rapid transit system through FTA's "Small Starts" program. Following this push, Schumer announced in July that the CDTA had been accepted into the "Small Starts" program, making it eligible for federal funds that would enable CDTA to build the New Washington/Western "Purple Line." With this acceptance into the "Small Starts" program, CDTA is now able to work with FTA to review the project plan for its new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line and determine how much funding it can receive. The line is expected to run through the city of Albany, connecting downtown to the Crossgates Mall, the multiple campuses of the University at Albany, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the College of St. Rose, Albany High School and more. Schumer also played an integral role in securing over $18 million (70 percent of the project's total cost) for CDTA's first bus rapid transit line, the Red Line, which runs between Albany and Schenectady along Route 5.

The TIGER Discretionary Grant program provides an opportunity for DOT to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives. In each round of TIGER, DOT receives many applications to build and repair critical pieces of freight and passenger transportation networks.

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