Today’s Headlines

  • House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-CT) backs new push for infrastructure spending to surmount high unemployment rates (The Hill)
  • The Obama administration’s high-speed rail plans are sparking a rift between traditional transport groups and those who fear the usual suspects are taking a go-slow approach (GreenWire)
  • Is newly minted rail kingpin Warren Buffett this century’s version of Cornelius Vanderbilt? (WSJ)
  • America’s convoluted, car-clogged interchanges are crying out for rebuilding, but a few have become unlikely landmarks (NYT)
  • In the Miami area, voters may get a chance to repudiate sprawl at the ballot box (Bisc. Times)
  • Study finds that enough clean power is available for an electric-car boom — in British Columbia (News 1130)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Republican Response to USDOT’s High-Speed Rail Grantees

By Tanya Snyder |
In my last story about the allocation of high-speed rail funds, I said House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) must be pleased to finally see the Northeast Corridor get its due. In a statement hot off the GOP’s presses, Mica didn’t sound exactly pleased. Once again, the Administration has scattered funding to numerous slower-speed […]

LaHood: High Speed Rail Will Be Our Generation’s Legacy

By Tanya Snyder |
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood published an op-ed in the Sunday edition of the Orlando Sentinel, arguing for a vigorous campaign of high speed rail building. He said, “If we work together, a national high-speed-rail network can and will be our generation’s legacy.” Why run the op-ed in the Sentinel and not a national paper like […]
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.