An injection of federal funding could help make train travel a key component of the U.S. transportation network.
Rail advocates have good reason to hope that passenger rail is seeing a resurgence in the United States, writes Daniel C. Vock in Route Fifty.
According to Joseph Aiello of the Rail Passengers Association, “2023 was a perfect storm” of efforts aimed at reviving the nation’s struggling train system and building new conventional and high-speed rail lines. “Going into a reelection campaign, President Joe Biden placed big bets on a few massive rail expansion efforts—particularly in the Northeast and California—while stoking interest in dozens of other potential projects in nearly every state.”
“Amtrak notched a significant victory as it fought freight railroads to better accommodate passenger trains,” and New York officials celebrated the groundbreaking on the long-awaited Gateway Project. California’s high-speed rail project, which has had a dramatic series of ups and downs, garnered over $3 billion in federal funding, while Brightline secured key approvals and $3 billion of its own for its Southern California-to-Las Vegas HSR line.
Read the full story: Why 2023 emerged as a banner year for passenger rail
Federal Grants for Passenger Rail Top $8 Billion
The Federal Railroad Administration announced the grants to dozens of projects for expanding or building new rail corridors.
‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford to Oversee Amtrak’s High-Speed Rail Efforts
Byford, who formerly ran NYC Transit and Transport for London, could bring renewed vigor to the agency’s plans to expand regional rail in the United States.
Texas DOT report outlines options for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio
Amtrak currently operates just one trip per day between the two cities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority