Brooklyn N and R trains can now move at faster top speeds, but only when there aren’t stopped trains ahead.
New York’s Subway trains are among the slowest in the county, but that may be changing. “Over the weekend, the speed limit was raised on parts of two lines in Brooklyn — the N and R trains — from 15 miles per hour to as much as 30 miles per hour. Other lines will be sped up in coming months,” Emma G. Fitzsimmons reports for The New York Times. MTA CEO Andy Byford is changing the limits on certain stretches of New York subway lines in the hopes of improving service. These limits had been put in place after a series of crashes in the '90s, but now officials are confident they can speed up trains safely, by doing it strategically.
Beyond changing regulations, Byford is also improving some of the equipment. “Workers have also started to replace faulty signals that trigger a train’s emergency brakes at low speeds, a problem investigated by The New York Times and The Village Voice that has also led to slower service,” Fitzsimmons writes.
Still, observers point out, these speed gains will only be realized when trains are running smoothly. Breakdowns or stopped trains ahead will still bring N and R trains to a halt.
FULL STORY: Why Your Subway Train Might Start Moving Faster
$5.5 Billion Plan for More Elevators in the N.Y.C. Subway
The city’s subway system is lagging in station accessibility, but the MTA has a plan to add elevators to 70 stations.
Cincinnati Seeks to Repurpose Its Unused Subway Tunnel
City officials are looking for proposals to use Cincinnati's long-abandoned subway tunnels, but not for transit; they already tried that.
NYC Tests New Subway Gates to Limit Fare Evasion
The mayor has taken a strong interest in enforcing fare collection at the city’s transit stations.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Connecticut Just Cause Eviction Bill Dies in State House
The bill would have protected tenants from unfair evictions by requiring landlords to provide a reason for ending a lease.
San Francisco Muni Raises Fares a Second Time
A 10–cent fare hike for adults is part of the agency’s plan to chip away at a growing budget deficit.
Electric Grid Capacity Could Hamstring EV Growth
Industry leaders say the U.S. electric grid is unprepared for the increased demand for power created by electric cars, data centers, and electric homes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions