Throughout the year, Mass Transit magazine has published dozens of pieces of contributed content from professionals throughout the public transit industry. These pieces of content allow us to dig deeper into topics our readership care about by platforming experts who can share best practices, case studies and insights from the field. To all of our contributors, thank you for submitting! You’re part of what keeps the transit industry moving forward.
Take a look at Mass Transit magazine’s contributed content wrapped, spotlighting what contributed content our readers engaged with the most.
The Future of Rail Safety: TTC’s Grade Crossing Testbed
Starting off at number five is an article courtesy of ENSCO Senior Staff Project Engineer Alejandro Alvarez-Reyes detailing a set of upgrades to ENSCO’s Transportation Technology Center. The article highlights the addition of a new grade crossing to trial new technologies that would make the high-risk areas safer. What makes the new testbed unique is its collaborative vision. A consortium of stakeholders worked together to design the upgrade so that it could provide as many possible testing scenarios as it could. The testbed is being designed for emerging technologies too, being outfitted with a suite of sensors and technology needed to trial autonomous vehicles. Read Alvarez-Reyes’s full piece to learn about the implementation and how stakeholders hope to learn from the tool.
Batteries, hydrogen and the pursuit of zero-emissions transit
In fourth place is a piece from WSP Senior Vice President and National Zero-Emission Fleet Lead Mike Finnern that examines three common operational challenges with operating a zero-emissions fleet—whether battery electric or hydrogen—workforce training, safety enhancements and resilience considerations. Finnern explains the possible long-term savings before digging into the workforce considerations that need to be made for such an upgrade. He gives tips like surveying staff for their comfort level with the new technology before casting it upon them and hosting additional trainings to ensure the whole workforce is on the same page. Finnern further discusses considerations for implementing these technologies safely, protecting both employees and passengers, and how to ensure that agencies are choosing the correct alternative fuel for their regions and their unique resiliency concerns. Read Finnern’s full article to get up to speed on all the considerations for a zero-emissions transition.
Op-Ed: How Transit agencies are resisting fiscal cliffs and doom spirals
Coming in at number three is an op-ed courtesy of Commuter Rail Coalition CEO KellyAnne Gallagher discussing the issue of the year: funding public transit. Gallagher explains how the situation became so critical, citing examples of outdated funding formulas that didn’t keep up with inflation or how agencies are navigating COVID-19 relief dollars drying up. She encouraged readers to look for structural solutions that can carry systems and agencies on through decades, not just to find short-term solutions that curb the current bleeding. Gallagher advocated for agencies to work in a local fashion, figuring out what they can do at the city and state level without waiting for federal funding or solutions to come save them. Read her piece to dive into her specific examples and learn how agencies are working to fix the crisis.
Transit agencies rollout customer experience programs to attract riders, boost satisfaction
In the penultimate spot is a piece from Customer Experience Executive Consultant Aaron Weinstein, who gives an update on 10 of the nearly 70 customer experience programs that were being rolled out across the U.S. and Canada at the time of its June publication. Weinstein advocated for the programs, noting that the projects improve customer satisfaction, attract riders and boost morale in the systems they’re implemented in. Covering everything from cleanliness and comfort to safety and security, these programs are working to make the transit experience better for both riders and transportation workers. Weinstein also offered tips for agencies still embarking on their customer experience program journey, offering that it’s not just a box to check off, but a cultural and mindset shift to be made by agencies if they want to improve. Read Weinstein’s piece to get all the updates from across the country and learn how to get started on a customer experience plan.
How to Better Support Frontline Transit Workers, Prioritize their Mental Health and Build for a Better Future
Coming in as our most viewed contributed content of 2025 is a Best Practices piece from Foursquare ITP Vice President Sandy Brennan. Her piece explains how to better prioritize and support frontline transit workers’ mental health. Brennan highlights an American Public Transportation Association study that found that 96% of transit agencies were experiencing a workforce shortage, 84% of which said impacted their ability to provide service—a factor Brennan points to when looking at attrition rates. She says the causes are clear, noting inflexible, demanding schedules, isolation in the field from short staffing and a lack of training and support to do the job safely. She offers advice to agencies to adjust benefits, provide field support and rebuild trust with operators through collaborative problem solving. Read her piece to get her full insights on how to fix a burgeoning workforce problem.
The Mass Transit mag editorial team wants to thank all our readers who engage with our content throughout the year—whether through the website, newsletters, magazines (print or digital) or social media. We look forward to another year of being your go-to, trusted source on the latest happenings in the North American public transit industry.
About the Author
Noah Kolenda
Associate Editor
Noah Kolenda is a recent graduate from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism with a master’s degree in health and science reporting. Kolenda also specialized in data journalism, harnessing the power of Open Data projects to cover green transportation in major U.S. cities. Currently, he is an associate editor for Mass Transit magazine, where he aims to fuse his skills in data reporting with his experience covering national policymaking and political money to deliver engaging, future-focused transit content.
Prior to his position with Mass Transit, Kolenda interned with multiple Washington, D.C.-based publications, where he delivered data-driven reporting on once-in-a-generation political moments, runaway corporate lobbying spending and unnoticed election records.