Trains across the former Soviet Union have peculiar staff: kids. Wired's Autopia blog explains.
These train lines -- often only short stretches -- are intended as vocational training systems for kids thinking about a future in the rail industry.
"All of the work on a Children's Railway, from selling tickets to shunting trains, is performed by youngsters. They're usually between the ages of 10 and 14 and the work is usually unpaid. Still, it's not a flagrant violation of child labor laws. Kids actually compete for highly coveted spots running the railroad and they're excused from school for their work.
Begun as "Pioneer Railroads" in the 1930s and expanded in the 1950s, the narrow-gauge railways were a uniquely Soviet and Eastern-bloc phenomenon meant to prepare teenagers for future careers working as railroad engineers, ticket agents and car attendants."
Read the full story: Kids Are Workin’ On The Railroad
Amtrak unveils proposal to restructure, split into 3 divisions
Agency officials say the new structure would offer more transparency and accountability.
San Francisco cyclists push to allow bikes on Muni trains
The agency is one of few that bans bikes from its trains due to space constraints.
Amtrak makes over 160 stations fully accessible
Upgrades include new elevators, signage and accessible restrooms.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Study reveals best places in the U.S. for cycling, walking
New research from Streetlight Data examines bicycle and pedestrian miles per capita in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population.
DSA members accuse Mamdani of 'abandoning values' over housing redevelopment
New York City's mayor plans to replace about 2,000 units of public housing with private, mixed-income housing.
All sides of BRT debate unhappy with CDOT’s most recent move
The Colorado Department of Transportation is no longer considering center-running bus lanes for Colorado Boulevard.
Massachusetts bogs generate both power, and cranberries
Putting solar panels above farmland is one way Massachusetts is advancing toward its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello