The growth in transit rips in the United States over the course of the second and third quarters of 2019 can be traced to growth in two key cities.

Laura Bliss shares news of new data from the National Transit Database that reveals the first evidence of a turnaround for transit ridership in the United States.
Ridership across U.S. public transit agencies rose 2.2 percent compared to the same time period in 2018, the American Public Transportation Association reported last month. This was the second consecutive quarter to mark an increase, and the first consecutive quarter to post an increase since the end of 2014, when ridership hit a 50-year peak. The uptick in ridership between Q3 2019 and Q3 2018 amounted to about 54 million more trips.
According to the article, the overall increase in transit riders can be credited to massive improvements in two regions: New York City and Washington, D.C. After years of reliability and maintenance crises, writes Bliss, "both have since made substantial improvements, including a year of 24/7 track maintenance in D.C. and nearly $800 million of signal upgrades, drain clearing, and employee overtime payouts in New York."
As noted by Bliss, the two systems have a ways still to go to reach previous peaks of ridership. Meanwhile, ridership continues to decline elsewhere in the country, including in major cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority celebrated Metrorail's ridership recovery with a press released published a few days after Bliss's article.
FULL STORY: Behind the Gains in U.S. Public Transit Ridership

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie