A Richmond Times-Dispatch article details a pair of projects to add third tracks to Virginia Railway Express stations—one set to complete this month and one just getting ready for construction.
"Work on the 2.5-mile third track from the new Spotsylvania Virginia Railway Express station is in its final stages," reports Scott Shenk. "The $8.8-million third track is a companion project to the new station in the Crossroads Station development off the U.S. 17 Bypass," adds Shenk. The station opened in November.
Nearby in Fredericksburg, an even larger project, with a price tag of $74.8 million, "will add 11.4-miles of third track alongside existing tracks, starting from the area near the Widewater State Park in North Stafford and running into Prince William County."
The article includes details about delays in construction on the Spotsylvania project, and some project expectations for the Fredericksburg project.
Read the full story: Third track at new Spotsvylvania VRE station expected to open this month
Rail Stations Shortchanged as Homeland Security Focuses on Airports
Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.
USDOT abandons $8.8B DC Union Station expansion plan to seek private funding
The Trump administration is withdrawing a proposed redesign, offering $24 million to support efforts to bring in private investment.
New Penn Station design calls for ample public seating — a rare commodity in US public spaces
Amtrak's renderings show benches throughout the station.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority