Commuter Rail

The Noisy, Quiet Car From/To Jersey

Can you talk to a fellow passenger, quietly, in the New Jersey Transit quiet car? On Jan. 3, NJ Transit designated the first and last cars on many peak hour trains 'quiet' - no cell phones and other restrictions, but arguments have erupted.

January 23, 2011 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Copenhagen's Bikes on Rails

Jonna McKone of TheCityFix looks at Copenhagen's recently added rail cars that are specifically for bicyclists and other passengers with special needs.

January 7, 2011 - TheCityFix

With ARC Truly Dead, What’s Next for Jersey?

Yonah Freemark looks at how to increase rail ridership without adding trains.

October 29, 2010 - the transport politic

No ARC without TOD

New Jersey wants billions in federal money for its ARC project, but NJ Transit's commuter rail service is too often just a subsidy to the rich and an excuse not to develop North Jersey, says Stephen Smith.

October 11, 2010 - Market Urbanism

ARC Cancellation Signals Larger Woes

Paul Krugman bemoans the death of the Access to the Region's Core project. He says it is symptomatic of a national resistance to address critical infrastructure and economic challenges.

October 9, 2010 - The New York Times

New York's Best Peforming Trains

The Times chose to investigate claims by transit agencies of high, on-time performance of LIRR, Metro-North, and NJ Transit by doing their own analysis and found major discrepancies. The article also indicates the infrastructure problems responsible.

July 29, 2010 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

FRA Grants Electrification Waiver For Commuter Rail Line - A First

The Federal Railroad Administration does not allow for the mixing of train types for safety reasons, which proved a key obstacle for Caltrain's plan for electrification. As a pilot project,they are allowing the line to utilize electric multiple units

May 30, 2010 - Mercury News via Palo Alto Daily News

The Demise of the Bar Car

The Metro North rail line out of Grand Central Terminal has one of the last bar cars in the U.S., but railroad officials are replacing the aging cars and the bar car may be a victim of the budget.

April 22, 2010 - The New York Times

Mass Transit Wins Big in St. Louis County

A half-cent sales tax increase to fund transit passed handily yesterday in St. Louis County, Missouri.

April 7, 2010 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Buffett and Beyond

This article takes a look at the past and future of rail in America, with an emphasis on one surprise success story.

November 18, 2009 - BBC News

LA, Orange Counties Collide on Freeways

As traffic congestion has worsened, so has the philosophical divide between LA and Orange counties in terms of how to address it.

November 18, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

England's Most Dreadful Railway Stations

As Transport Secretary Lord Adonis tours railway stations most in need of help, the BBC News Magazine asks, "what makes a bad railway station?"

November 17, 2009 - BBC News Magazine

Minneapolis-St. Paul Residents Get A New Commute

$320 million dollars and 13 years after construction began, the Northstar commuter rail began running today between Big Lake and Minneapolis.

November 17, 2009 - Star Tribune

Honolulu $500 Million Short for Rail Project

The city of Honolulu is $500 million short of what it will need to fund the $5.3 billion commuter rail system voters approved last fall.

August 24, 2009 - The Honolulu Advertiser

Transit's Big Dig Begins In Jersey

New Jersey Transit has broken ground on what may be the nation's most costly transit project: a commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River to a new Penn Station Expansion that, to the chagrin of transit advocates, will not connect to Penn Station.

June 15, 2009 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Bleak Budget Forces Tri-Rail To Consider Termination By 2011

Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach counties are unable to sustain their financial contributions to Tri-Rail, so weekend service will end and major cuts made to daily service.

June 1, 2009 - The Miami Herald

BART Planning Huge Investment in New Cars

BART is set to embark on a $3.4 billion project to replace its existing trains with 700 new cars that will carry more people, move passengers through stations faster, and meet the needs of suburban and urban riders.

May 10, 2009 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Streetcars and Commuter Rail Get Official in Fort Worth

A streetcar system and commuter rail line are now officially part of a regional plan for the Fort Worth area.

April 13, 2009 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Boston Neighborhoods to See Rail-Related Upgrades

New stations for the Fairmount rail line in Boston has made its surrounding neighborhoods targets for redevelopment by community organizations, which may rebuild up to a dozen properties.

March 26, 2009 - The Boston Globe

What's A Rail Station Without Parking?

The New Jersey Transit's Secaucus commuter rail station is the topic of scorn by a New York Times editorial because it doesn't provide commuter parking - even though it was designed as a 'transfer station'.

December 4, 2008 - The New York Times

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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