May 28, 2014
ALBANY, NY (May 28, 2014) The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) has earned top honors for its outstanding security program by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The TSA has commended six rail and mass transit agencies from across the nation for earning the administrations highest rating of “Gold Standard” on their 2013 Baseline Assessments for Security Enhancement (BASE) for their dedication to building a strong security program.
“It is such an honor to be included in this prestigious list,” said CDTA Board Chairman, David M. Stackrow. “It’s a real testament to our security measures and CDTA employees who are charged with upholding CDTA security policies and procedures every day.”
CDTA has a number of ongoing security measures in place to keep customers and employees safe such as the national initiative, “If You See Something, Say Something,” and security cameras installed on a majority of fixed-route buses, with all 232 buses to be equipped within the next couple of years.
The BASE program is designed to establish a security standard for individual system security programs and assess progress. This voluntary comprehensive review of transit agency security programs focuses on multiple categories identified by the transit community as fundamentals for a sound transit security program. They include a review of topics such as an agency’s security plans, security training, drills/exercise programs, public outreach efforts and background check programs. The BASE program analyzes the security program for each transit system and identifies opportunities to further enhance security.
These agencies were reviewed in 2013 and attained high scores across all categories. TSA considered this caliber of performance as reaching a “Gold Standard” and recognized them for having strong security programs. TSA continues to work with all transit agencies across the country to develop and implement robust security practices system-wide.
In addition to CDTA, Sound Transit, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Hampton Roads Transit, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority/Tri-Rail and Valley Metro were also recognized for achieving the Gold Standard.
In addition to these six agencies, there have been 37 others that have previously earned the Gold Standard Award level of security since 2010.
Other News:
CDTA’s Board of Directors formally adopted an updated fare policy to establish consistent guidelines for setting or restructuring CDTA fares. The policy serves as the overriding policy document regarding rates, fares and prices. The policy supports CDTA’s mission and is designed to encourage ridership and raise revenue while balancing the needs of customers. The policy will assist in the implementation of the new fare collection system scheduled for 2015.
CDTA approved the purchase of two commuter style buses for the Northway Xpress service to Motor Coach Industries (MCI) of Schaumberg, Illinois. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) useful life of this model bus is 12 years. These buses will replace the same number of vehicles that have reached the end of their useful life. Anticipated delivery is Fall 2014.
The CDTA Board of Directors meets on the last Wednesday of every month at the Rensselaer Rail Station. Board meetings are open to the public and streamed live at www.cdta.org
ABOUT CDTA: The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) was created in 1970 by the New York State Legislature as a public benefit corporation to provide regional transportation services by rail, bus, water and air. CDTA is the premier mobility provider in the Capital Region, providing local, express, commuter and bus rapid transit services. CDTA owns and operates the Rensselaer Rail and Saratoga Springs Train Stations. Today, nearly 650 people work to deliver a transit system that transports more than 55,000 customers each weekday.
