Commuter Rail
Senate Approves Federal Funding for NJ Rail Tunnel
Despite cancelling the ARC Tunnel project last year, New Jersey may build an alternative tunnel using U.S. Senate funding.
TheCityFix.com
Taking the Subway in Shanghai Requires a Token and a Prayer
Recent crashes involving the subway in Shanghai has caused speculation that the rails are unsafe and poorly built.
Bloomberg
Back In Service! Most NY Rail Lines Resume Operation
While most of the city's 22 subway lines resumed service on a limited schedule on Monday, the region's commuter rail lines didn't fare as well due to fallen trees and flooded tracks affecting some branches of MetroNorth and LIRR.
The New York Times - N.Y. / Region
Controversial Commuter Rail's Surprising Backer
He's the most powerful congressman on transportation issues: none other than Florida's John Mica, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Mica is backing the 61-mile, $1.2 billion Orlando Sunrail Line.
The New York Times - Politics
Bike-Friendly Commuter RR Gets Bike-Friendlier
Mission Accomplished! Bike advocates had been lobbying Caltrain for a guaranteed two-bike car capacity ever since the first 'bike bump' occurred. The train San Francisco-San Jose has had a bike-friendly reputation since a 1992 pilot program.
San Francisco Examiner
Caltrain In Freefall
Service will be cut 44%, half the stations to close, elimination of mid-day and weekend service - that is the scenario laid for Caltrain, the West's oldest commuter rail, unless $30 million can be found - unlikely.
San Jose Mercury News
Can 'Friends' Help Save Caltrain?
Former Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto has formed "Friends of Caltrain" to help prevent the train from spiraling downhill due to lack of funds. The tri-county train faces a $30 million deficit, with a total budget of just under $100 million.
Streetsblog San Francisco
The Noisy, Quiet Car From/To Jersey
Can you talk to a fellow passenger, quietly, in the New Jersey Transit quiet car? On Jan. 3, NJ Transit designated the first and last cars on many peak hour trains 'quiet' - no cell phones and other restrictions, but arguments have erupted.
The New York Times - N.Y. / Region
Copenhagen's Bikes on Rails
Jonna McKone of TheCityFix looks at Copenhagen's recently added rail cars that are specifically for bicyclists and other passengers with special needs.
TheCityFix
With ARC Truly Dead, What’s Next for Jersey?
Yonah Freemark looks at how to increase rail ridership without adding trains.
the transport politic
No ARC without TOD
New Jersey wants billions in federal money for its ARC project, but NJ Transit's commuter rail service is too often just a subsidy to the rich and an excuse not to develop North Jersey, says Stephen Smith.
Market Urbanism
ARC Cancellation Signals Larger Woes
Paul Krugman bemoans the death of the Access to the Region's Core project. He says it is symptomatic of a national resistance to address critical infrastructure and economic challenges.
The New York Times
New York's Best Peforming Trains
The Times chose to investigate claims by transit agencies of high, on-time performance of LIRR, Metro-North, and NJ Transit by doing their own analysis and found major discrepancies. The article also indicates the infrastructure problems responsible.
The New York Times - N.Y. / Region
FRA Grants Electrification Waiver For Commuter Rail Line - A First
The Federal Railroad Administration does not allow for the mixing of train types for safety reasons, which proved a key obstacle for Caltrain's plan for electrification. As a pilot project,they are allowing the line to utilize electric multiple units
Mercury News via Palo Alto Daily News
The Demise of the Bar Car
The Metro North rail line out of Grand Central Terminal has one of the last bar cars in the U.S., but railroad officials are replacing the aging cars and the bar car may be a victim of the budget.
The New York Times
Mass Transit Wins Big in St. Louis County
A half-cent sales tax increase to fund transit passed handily yesterday in St. Louis County, Missouri.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Buffett and Beyond
This article takes a look at the past and future of rail in America, with an emphasis on one surprise success story.
BBC News
LA, Orange Counties Collide on Freeways
As traffic congestion has worsened, so has the philosophical divide between LA and Orange counties in terms of how to address it.
Los Angeles Times
England's Most Dreadful Railway Stations
As Transport Secretary Lord Adonis tours railway stations most in need of help, the BBC News Magazine asks, "what makes a bad railway station?"
BBC News Magazine
Minneapolis-St. Paul Residents Get A New Commute
$320 million dollars and 13 years after construction began, the Northstar commuter rail began running today between Big Lake and Minneapolis.
Star Tribune





















