High-Speed Rail
Intermountain West: Off the Map for HSR Plans
Planners from Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno met this week to discuss plans for high-speed rail between their cities, since they've been left off the map of potential corridors to be funded by the stimulus package.
The Arizona Republic
Russia Rolls Out New High Speed Rail
Siemens has retrofitted trains for cold Russian winters; they are being rolled out now between Moscow and St. Petersburg and could be a model for American HSR.
New York Times
High-Speed Rail, By The Numbers
America 2050 recently released a report ranking the best intercity corridors for high speed rail investment.
The Infrastructurist
Kenyan High-Speed Rail On Track
Kenya's national railway operator is planning a high speed rail line to transport freight and passengers and could pose a challenge to the South African consortium that currently runs rail services between Kenya and Uganda.
Business Daily
Linking UK Centres with High-Speed Rail
Eleven major cities in the UK, including council leaders representing all three major political parties, have begun a campaign for a high-speed rail network linking them together to serve the entire country.
The Guardian
Rail Riders Discover that Going the Extra Mile is the Hardest Part
Many would-be train riders are frustrated by poor transit options at their destination city.
National Public Radio
A Region-by-Region Look at "Shovel-Readiness"
NPR looks at a few of the areas that have submitted proposals for high-speed rail funding.
National Public Radio
Union Pacific Proposal Causes Controversy in Illinois
Union Pacific has proposed an increase in its freight and high-speed rail traffic in Springfield, including a route running through the heart of the city. It calls for nine overpasses, which would cost millions and block homes and landmarks.
The State Journal-Register
Results Of California Court Ruling On High-Speed Rail Debated
A California judge rules that the California High Speed Rail Authority's environmental impact report was inadequate. Plaintiffs celebrate ruling as a victory, but the Authority doesn't see it as a setback.
Streetsblog Los Angeles
Railroads of Yore Built During Times of Turmoil, Too
In considering the daunting task of building high-speed rail in the midst of an economic crisis, CBS Sunday Morning looks back and finds that the Transcontinental Railroad was built during similarly tough times.
CBS Sunday Morning
Life with a High-Speed Rail System
Spaniards are quickly adapting to life with a high-speed rail network. Air travel between Barecelona and Madrid is down 46% because of it.
The Guardian U.K.
TOD vs. Parking for High-Speed Rail Stations
Secretary Ray LaHood is promoting livable communities, but the Wisconsin Department of Transportation insists that Madison's new Amtrak station should be located on the edge of town next to a big parking lot at the airport.
The Capital Times
High-Speed Rail to The Happiest Place on Earth
LA's Metro board is getting on board with high-speed rail, announcing Thursday that a Los Angeles-to-Anaheim (home of Disneyland) train could be a reality in less than 10 years.
LAist
Denver to El Paso High-Speed Rail?
Colorado, Arizona and Texas have come together to apply for a $5m grant to research a possible high-speed rail link connecting Denver, Albuquerque, and El Paso.
Transport Politic
Why High Speed Rail Makes Sense for Alberta
This op-ed piece in the Globe and Mail argues that plans for a high-speed rail link between the Albertan cities of Calgary and Edmonton makes eminent sense -- at least, according to the thinking of Richard Florida and colleagues.
The Globe and Mail
Kunstler Says "Too Late" For High-Speed Rail
Returning from CNU, James Howard Kunstler reacts to a NY Times article about California's high-speed rail plans, and reflects on New Urbanism's shift away from traditional-neighborhood developments and into preparing for the 'long emergency'.
Kunstler.com
Proactive Vs. Reactive Transportation Planning
Alex Marshall takes a look at Spain's recent record of proactive transportation planning, connecting cities to direct development rather than to connect already successful areas.
Governing Magazine
Follow the Money: Funding High-Speed Rail
California's proposed high-speed rail line is to be funded by a patchwork of federal, state, and local funding mechanisms. Reporter Dierdre Newman sorts through the morass.
spot.us
Going Backwards on the Tracks
Author Tom Vanderbilt suggests that train service has been headed in the wrong direction for the better part of a century.
Slate.com
George Will Slams LaHood
George Will, fresh from denouncing denim as 'the infantile uniform of a nation', is disturbed to find that Ray LaHood has bought the Obama administration's beliefs in regards to mass transit, bicycling, and 'transformation'.
Newsweek




















