Head-on train collisions can be avoided by simply keeping one train per track. There's a plan to make that happen, but it's years from implementation.
"Now, one year after the Metrolink catastrophe - and 152 years after the New York tragedy - laws have been passed, money has been allocated, and a few small changes have been made in operating procedures. But the one system that would have prevented this catastrophe, "positive train control," known as PTC, will not be fully implemented before 2012. That is three years earlier than the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which mandates PTC on all passenger rails in the United States.
Is it really that simple? Policymakers say so."
The National Transportation Safety Board has been pushing for the PTC system since 1990.
FULL STORY: Rail's 150-Year Wait for Safety
What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like
An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.
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.
Chicago Rail Extension Gains New Federal Funding
The Biden administration has committed over $700 million to the massive project which will bring rail to the Far South Side of the city.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.
Study: 4% of Truckers Lack a Valid Commercial License
Over 56% of inspected trucks had other violations.
Chicago Judge Orders Thousands of Accessible Ped Signals
Only 3% of the city's crossing signals are currently accessible to blind pedestrians.
Philadelphia Swaps Car Lanes for Bikeways in Unanimous Vote
The project will transform one of the handful of streets responsible for 80% of the city’s major crashes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)