A 25 percent tariff on steel imports could eventually be passed to transit riders in the form of higher fares.
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese products are driving up the price of a project to replace about half of the Chicago Transit Authority's rail fleet, reports Mary Wisniewski.
"The transit agency and the manufacturer of the new cars disagree about who will bear the additional costs," according to Wisniewski. "If the CTA has to pay more, riders could eventually end up footing the bill through higher fares."
CRRC Sifang America, a subsidiary of a Chinese rail car company, has a $1.3 billion, 10-year contract "to produce up to 846 rail cars for the CTA at a manufacturing facility in Hegewisch." Though the cars are being assembled in Chicago, "about 15% of the parts, including stainless steel rail car shells, are imported from China and subject to a 25% tariff on imported Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration."
FULL STORY: Trump’s tariffs could drive up the cost of new 'L' cars the CTA ordered
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
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A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
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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.
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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