A draft Environmental Impact Report is now underway to study the proposed routes and power sources for rail extensions south of Boston. Considerations include ridership, wetlands, smart growth benefits, and future development around train stations.
"Colleen Corona, chairwoman of the Easton Board of Selectmen, said she has the same concerns she voiced during meetings with South Coast Rail officials. 'And I have huge concerns about downtown Easton,' she said. 'I can't imagine the noise implications, with trains coming to a screeching stop and then starting up again.'
Meanwhile, the chairman of Middleborough's Board of Selectmen, Patrick Rogers, was relieved to discover that a proposal to expand the rail down through Middleborough was taken off the list for further study.
'From my perspective, I'm very pleased,' Rogers said Monday. 'I think it would have been detrimental to the downtown.' While Middleborough Planner Ruth Geoffroy had argued the rail expansion through town center would help revitalize the downtown, Rogers had disagreed.
'We don't need revitalizing in Middleborough,' Rogers said. 'When the casino project goes forward, we'll be revitalized. Let the people in the downtown area have some peace and quiet.'"
Read the full story: Picking the best expansion option for commuters
MBTA Red Line Now Free of ‘Slow Zones’
Recent work on the Boston-area rail line is making service on the aging system faster and more reliable.
Two Years In, a Look at the Twin Cities Fare Discount Program
In 2017, Metro Transit in the Twin Cities raised fares but also started a program for low-income riders to help ease the burden of travel costs.
Ridership Down for Northern Virginia Public Transit
Metrorail has seen ridership improve in Northern Virginia, but not enough to balance out the losses to bus ridership.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight
While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.
Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US
Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
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 Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello