Planners are working quickly to refine a proposal for a $1.8 billion project connecting the 680 corridor in the East Bay Area to bedroom communities in the Central Valley.
"A newly-formed transit authority is moving at a lightning pace to design and build a rail link between the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station and Lathrop in the Central Valley," reports Erin Baldassari. The newly formed rail authority is known as the Tri-Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
"The authority’s governing board last month released its vision for the Valley Link: a 10-station commuter line, with BART-like service in the Tri-Valley, that could start carrying passengers in five to seven years."
According to Baldassari, the new rail link could come as welcome relief to super commuters traveling between the far East Bay and the Central Valley, which is an increasingly common practice in what officials are calling the "megaregion."
The article includes a lot more details on what the new rail line could deliver in terms of service, and what to expect from next steps in the planning process.
FULL STORY: Meet the Valley Link: Your ticket out of mega-commuting hell
B Line Commuter Rail Extension Gets a Green Light in Colorado
The Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation District has given a preliminary green light to accelerate planning work on the B Line extension from Denver to Boulder and Longmont.
Political Pressure Reinvigorates B Line Extension Plans in Colorado
The CEO of the Regional Transportation District speculated recently about whether a planned extension of the B Line to Boulder was necessary or desirable. The governor doesn't think the speculation was necessary or desirable.
San Diego High-Speed Rail Plan Counts on Future Density
Despite slowing population growth statewide, officials believe the region will "grow into" the new rail system if cities promote dense development around transit stations.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association