Today’s Headlines

  • EPA rolls out stronger new limits on smog, formed by a mixture of pollution from stationary and mobile sources (NYT)
  • A look at the green job-creation potential of the next federal transport bill (Apollo Alliance via Grist)
  • Oberstar cheers as Minnesota joins Safe Routes to School partnership (Review Messenger)
  • How to redraw a new, more sustainable American city (NRDC Mag)
  • Chicago mayor’s response to lawsuit claiming discrimination in transit funding: The system is unfair, but it’s not about race (Sun-Times)
  • $271m in contracts awarded for major NY-NJ rail tunnel project (NJBIZ)
  • D.C. Metro board delays vote on proposed rail and bus cuts (WaPo Blog)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

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 […]

Today’s Headlines

By Katie Pearce |
D.C. Mayor Lays Out Action Plan for Transportation (WaPo, GGW) Feds, MARTA Move Forward With Study of New 8.8-Mile Light Rail (Atlanta Biz Journal) Texans Get Their First Glimpse of Potential High-Speed Rail Routes (Dallas News) LA Times Thinks More Parking Is the Answer for City’s Rail Stations In the Southwest, Long-Term Plan Emerges for […]

What If “Commuter Rail” Was for Everyone, Not Just 9-to-5 Commuters?

By Angie Schmitt |
Rhode Island has been investing in commuter rail — long distance service connecting Providence to Boston and towns in between. But lackluster ridership at a new park-and-ride rail station at the end of the line (by a Walmart!) is sapping support for much more useful investments, reports Sandy Johnston at Itinerant Urbanist. Anti-rail critics are piling on. The libertarian Rhode Island Center […]

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 […]
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.