Transportation industry

The Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois heads into the new year with a $2.9 billion operating budget and $3.8 billion five-year capital program that relies on federal funds and loans, and borrowings including inaugural issues from two of its service boards.

Citing a recent debt restructuring, Moody's Investors Service upgraded the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency two notches to Ba2.

Standard & Poor's removed California's Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, operator of Caltrain service between San Jose and San Francisco, from credit watch on Monday citing improved budget operations.

Costs for Oahu's $5.26 billion rail project are on pace to exceed the budget by at least $500 million, according to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

The New York City Regional Economic Development Council awarded $443,750 to the Trust for Public Land for design work on the QueensWay parkland project.

Volvo division Prevost opens a production line for MTA buses in sister company Nova Bus' expanded Plattsburgh, N.Y., facility, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Denver International Airport must bear most of the $53 million cost to complete a rail segment into the airport, a Denver District Court judge ruled. DIA had claimed the cost was the Regional Transportation District's responsibility.

Increasing interest in public-private transportation partnerships due to constraints from $3.6 trillion of state and local outstanding debt, Brookings Institution said.

The Los Angeles World Airports board of commissioners has approved its piece of a plan to connect Los Angeles International Airport to the city' light rail and subway system.

A sales tax hike to support $1.7 billion in annual transportation and education funding will go before Michigan voters under a plan lawmakers approved in a compromise with Gov. Rick Snyder.

A ruling by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that it has authority to pre-empt state environmental law on construction of California's high speed rail project conflicts with a previous decision by a California Court of Appeals.

The New Orleans Aviation Board expects to issue up to $659 million in revenue bonds in February to finance a state-of-the-art terminal and related infrastructure.

Private investors will begin collecting tolls soon on new interstate express lanes in Virginia built and operated under a P3 agreement through 2087.

A big uncertainty for New York's MTA looms after it approved its operating budget for 2015: Its proposed $32 billion capital plan, which state officials must approve.

Moody's raises its outlook for U.S. airports to positive as economic growth boosts passenger loads.

Long Island's Nassau County now must plug a budget gap after legislators voted unanimously Monday evening to repeal a controversial revenue generating school-zone speed camera program.

Alabama plans to price $508.5 million in highway bonds in mid-January backed by an AAA rating from S&P that could save the state $40 million, the governor said.

New York MTA board members called on the state to waive fees on new money bonds, which could cost the MTA $22.5 million in calendar 2015.

New York's MTA seeks up to $300 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements for the L subway line to account for a spike in ridership.

The federal government has given Illinois and Indiana the go ahead to advance plans for a more than $1 billion bistate toll road both states hope to build with financing from a public-private partnership.