Grow With the Flow: Steady Funding is Key to Many Transit Agencies' Growth Plans, but Changing that Funding Trickle to a Stream is an Ongoing Challenge

This article examines the current state of rail transit and commuter rail agencies in the face of rising ridership and the need to add infrastructure to satisfy increased demand. A new approach is to secure dedicated funding rather than rely on fluctuating sources such as sales taxes, which are the most common way transit improvements have been funded in recent years. The Virginia Railway Express and the Port Authority of Allegheny County have recently obtained dedicated state funding. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) is seeking it, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is facing budget challenges in the face of state lawmakers' proposal to cut transit to fund other program. Other agencies are using increased or new sales tax revenues to fund services. Obstacles and opportunities posed by the different approaches are described.