Today’s Headlines

  • California releases its detailed plans for statewide high-speed rail (SMC Times)
  • Massachusetts governor fires back at Oberstar’s critique of how fast/well the state is spending its stimulus money (Globe)
  • Mysterious fires on transit buses attract attention in Atlanta (AJC)
  • Louisiana Republican joins Democrats in urging Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) to reconsider his change-of-heart on high-speed rail — here’s the first chapter in the story (Nola.com)
  • Lagging transportation construction helps drag down economic indicators in manufacturing (Bloomberg)
  • European Commission to get behind a small, but perhaps groundbreaking, carbon tax (WSJ)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

APTA: How to Talk to a Detractor of High-Speed Rail

By Ben Goldman |
Stop me if you’ve heard these before: “Most Americans don’t use railroads, they use cars.” “There’s no better example of excessive government spending than the $53 billion President Obama allocated for high-speed rail in his 2012 budget.” “Would you pay $1,000 so that someone — probably not you — can ride high-speed trains 58 miles […]

New Report Maps a High-Speed Rail Link For Every Major U.S. City

By Elana Schor |
(Image: U.S. PIRG) Now that the Obama administration has awarded $8 billion in high-speed rail grants to more than two dozen states, with $2.5 billion more coming soon, why not keep thinking big when it comes to bullet-train expansion? That’s the ethos of a new report released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group […]
Lyon HSR station

How France Makes High-Speed Rail Stations Meld With Cities

By Jeff Wood |
As France develops its high-speed rail network, the areas around stations are treated not just as transportation initiatives but as city-building projects. This discussion centers on how public agencies plan high-speed rail station areas in France, integration of the stations into districts as a whole, and the importance of a comprehensive vision for integrating transportation and land use in the station district.

Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor |
Proposed change to unionization rules that would make it easier for rail and airline workers to unionize is drawing fire (WSJ) Development debate now raging in Tysons Corner, Virginia, offers an opening to try out the "value capture" method of transportation funding (TNR’s Avenue) Streetcar construction is on the ballot in Idaho this Election Day; […]

General Electric Inks High-Speed Rail Deal With Chinese Government

By Elana Schor |
While President Obama grappled with political concerns during his trip to China this week, General Electric was busy signing technology-sharing agreements with Beijing partners — including a high-speed rail pact that positions GE to leap ahead of its competitors in the race for business from the Obama administration’s bullet train rollout. One of China’s high-speed […]