According to an Economic Policy Institute Study, the federal government must start viewing intercity rail travel as a public service, not a failing business.
The fact is that no transportation mode in the United States pays foritself. All modes have always been subsidized. Highways do not pay forthemselves; they are financed by excise taxes on motor fuels, taxes notnecessarily related to use of highways. Air travel is subsidized as well.Hence the decision to reject subsidies for intercity passenger trains is arbitrary and inconsistent with public policy. The insistence on Amtrak showing a profit is an effort to impose a highly selective business model on what is really a public service.
Thanks to Michael Dudley
FULL STORY: Amtrak Privatization -- the Route to Failure

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

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater
The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest
The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

Is This Urbanism?
Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.
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