Top Ten Epic Fails in Mass Transit

Photo essay reviews some of history's most notable failed mass transit projects.

1 minute read

August 26, 2013, 2:00 PM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


Hindenburg Disaster

Wikipedia / Wikipedia

The Hindenburg tragedy put an end to the flourishing era of transatlantic passenger flights by airships. History is littered with mass transit ideas both great and small that failed because they were either too crazy or succumbed to the realities of financing and technical challenges.

Can you imagine a recumbent cycle crossed with a monorail? A bus which allows cars to drive under it? A propeller plane zipping along on a rail? What about a bike railway? Someone did.

Friday, August 23, 2013 in Wired

courses user

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

Seattle Legalizes Co-Living

A new state law requires all Washington cities to allow co-living facilities in areas zoned for multifamily housing.

December 1, 2024 - Smart Cities Dive

Times Square in New York City empty during the Covid-19 pandemic.

NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project

Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.

December 1, 2024 - StreetsBlog NYC

Broken, uneven sidewalk being damaged by large tree roots in Los Angeles, California.

The City of Broken Sidewalks

Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?

December 5, 2024 - Donald Shoup

Yellow San Diego Unified School District school bus.

San Diego School District Could Accelerate Workforce Housing Program

A proposal to build housing on five district-owned properties could yield 1,000 housing units for low- and moderate-income district employees.

30 minutes ago - Governing

Red bus parked at transit station in Denver, Colorado with CO state capitol dome in background.

Denver Transit Board Approves $1.2 Billion Budget

The 2025 budget for the Regional Transportation District is the largest in the agency’s 55-year history.

1 hour ago - The Denver Post

Public stairs in Los Angeles, California painted with rainbow and red hearts.

A Framework for Inclusive Tree Planting in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective has developed an equity-centered tree-planting framework and toolkit to address historic underinvestment and mitigate extreme heat in vulnerable neighborhoods.

2 hours ago - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation