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.
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.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
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
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association