Today’s Headlines

  • As Congress works on its new, likely infrastructure-tinged jobs bill, it’s avoiding the "S" word (The Hill)
  • Speaking of stimulus, federal dollars aren’t making much of an economic splash in California — yet (C.C. Times)
  • California’s senators join Schwarzenegger for a White House letter on high-speed rail (SFGate Blog)
  • Questions over safety testing of new D.C. rail extension prompt a U.S. DOT investigation (WashPost)
  • Oberstar: "Send Larry Summers back to Harvard" (MinnPost)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

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.

U.S. DOT Holding Five Public Meetings on Its National Rail Plan

By Elana Schor |
As it works to finalize a National Rail Plan that could prove pivotal in securing dedicated long-term funding for high-speed rail, the U.S. DOT is soliciting public feedback at five meetings in the coming weeks. The first public meeting will be held Wednesday in Kansas City, followed by a Thursday meeting in Atlanta, according to […]

A High-Speed Rail Reality Check for Texas

By Elana Schor |
Despite data backing up the White House’s assertion that politics played no role in high-speed rail decision-making, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) — waging a re-election bid against a GOP primary challenger as well as the Democratic mayor of Houston — wasn’t shy about complaining after his state received less than one-hundredth of the $1.8 […]

How Will a New FRA Rule Affect Commuter Rail?

By Angie Schmitt |
Misguided safety rules from the Federal Railroad Administration are cited as the cause for all sorts of problems, from high-construction costs to pedestrian hazards to, ironically, worse safety outcomes. Which helps explain why Jarret Walker at Network blog Human Transit is alarmed about a new rule “requiring two-person train crews… for most main line freight and […]