Thursday’s Headlines’ Future Looks Bright

Amtrak Joe's administration is making big strides on rail, although it's lagging behind on EV chargers.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on December 7, 2023

Brightline’s link between Miami and Orlando was one of the many transit projects completed in 2023.

|Phillip Pessar

The Biden administration made several announcements on major transit projects: $3 billion each for high-speed rail in California's Central Valley and the Brightline West between Las Vegas and Los Angeles (CBS News), and $1 billion for a more direct rail connection between Richmond and Raleigh, creating a faster line from Charlotte up to Washington, D.C. and the Northeast Corridor (The Hill).
A former Tesla employee told the BBC he blew the whistle on the company's "Autopilot" function's failings because his concerns were ignored internally.
The federal government has yet to build a single electric vehicle charger despite $7.5 billion in the 2021 infrastructure package. (Politico)
Transit Center details how advocates were able to convince Washington state legislators to cap-and-trade carbon and shift funds from highways to transit, bikes and complete streets.
Denver's fare-free transit pilot program reduced driving by an estimated 9 million miles, but that's just a drop in the bucket after decades of favoring investment in highways. (Colorado Public Radio)
Local officials and state legislators are irate at Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's proposed $3.3 billion in transportation cuts, including reductions for bus and commuter rail service. (Maryland Matters)
Eight years after voters approved it, Atlanta is finally breaking ground on a complete streets makeover for busy Howell Mill Road. (Urbanize Atlanta)
Oklahoma City buses, including the new bus rapid transit line, will be fare-free through December. (The Oklahoman)
Phoenix's Valley Metro has begun testing the new Northwest light rail extension. (Fox 10)
The Paris Metro is expanding with four new suburb-to-suburb lines totaling 120 miles and 68 new stations. (CNN)
Amsterdam is cutting the speed limit on most of its streets from 50 kilometers per hour to 30, or less than 19 miles per hour. The change is expected to reduce serious crashes by a third and cut road noise in half. (CityLab)
Electric-assist pedal cabs are Dublin's newest mode of transportation. (Momentum)