Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
Rail Transit
New passenger rail improvements for the Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak are on the way in 2020.
WTOP
The new Larkspur Station on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) system brings commuters much closer to a ferry across the bay.
San Francisco Chronicle
New rail lines are operational in seven cities in China.
International Railway Journal
A South Side Chicago neighborhood with a history of neglect and disinvestment will soon be adding a new train station on the regional commuter system.
Chicago Tribune
A new proposal for building high-speed rail in California would refocus funding to the urban ends of the complete, state route, by funding rail improvements first in Southern California.
Los Angeles Times
Alliance 90/The Greens, a political party in Germany, wants the country's domestic travel to shift completely to rail. Achieving that goal will require making air travel more expensive and rail travel cheaper and easier.
Euractiv
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor could offer tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters an alternative to the infamously congested I-405 freeway, if local officials can find the funding.
Los Angeles Times
Three major public transit projects in the western United States received a major infusion of funding from the federal government this week.
Progressive Railroading
The California High Speed Rail Project is a political pawn in a contentious back and forth between the Golden State and the Trump administration.
San Francisco Chronicle
The state of Indiana didn't have $3 million to spare to keep the Hoosier State Amtrak passenger rail line operational.
Chicago Tribune
A new commuter line is open today in Denver, after facing challenges and delays that continue to plague other previously opened rail lines in the region.
The Denver Post
A new station evaluation policy, expected for adoption by the Metra Board of Directors in May, would make it easier to shut down "underperforming" stations.
Streetsblog Chicago
D.C.'s ridership is down even as density around stations is up. More residents are choosing to drive or bike.
The Washington Post
Toronto Mayor John Tory is intervening in transit plans with a call to speed up spending and the construction timeline for the relief line, designed to relieve crowding on the city's subway system in the urban core.
The Star
Trinity Metro ended up delaying the opening of the new TexRail line for five days—from Saturday, January 5, until Thursday, January 10.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The agency hopes that allowing more bikes on trains will boost ridership for both.
Streetsblog USA
A Reddit user created a transit map of the San Francisco Bay Area that connects Taco Bell locations, which, unlike rail public transit, have reached every corner of the region.
Reddit
The general manager of D.C. Metro wants to extend limited late night rail service, in place for two years, into 2019 and beyond. Metro board members have had enough.
DCist
Goodbye, Blue Line. Welcome, A Line. Goodbye, Red Line. Welcome, B Line.
LAist
A key ring route in Tokyo's massive collection of rail lines, the JR Yamanote Line is a public transit aficionado's wildest dream. Reece Martin offers a guided tour of the line, available from the comfort of any YouTube-enabled screen.
YouTube
