Tuesday’s Headlines Need Money

Transit agencies are struggling in the post-pandemic era as temporary COVID cash runs out, but one congressman has a solution.

By Blake Aued

12:22 AM EST on January 23, 2024

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

|U.S. Congress

A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) would provide much-needed federal operating funds for transit agencies that would not only close budget gaps, but allow agencies to increase service. (Clean Technica)
Amtrak is one step closer to getting new Acela trains that go slightly faster than their predecessors (New York Times).
Also from The Times: The new Acela trains are part of a trend in the U.S. and Europe toward travel by high-speed and overnight rail.
California transit officials are pushing back against a bill that would consolidate the Bay Area's 27 agencies. (Governing)
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell signed an extension of the city's Green and Complete Streets policy. (Scene)
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to extend a fare-free bus pilot and extend it citywide. (Commonwealth Beacon)
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's budget deficit is projected to rise to $1 billion in five years. (Boston Herald)
The cost estimate for Seattle's City Center Connector streetcar has risen to $410 million. (The Urbanist)
Maryland has committed $150 million to avoiding D.C. Metro service cuts. Will Virginia follow suit? (DCist)
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is cutting service on 23 bus routes. (Post-Gazette)
Kansas City's transit agency is considering restoring bus fares to fill a $15 million budget gap, but doing so would reduce ridership, and it would cost millions to install fare collection equipment on buses. (KCUR)
Tampa's Vision Zero program won national recognition for its use of federal infrastructure grants. (Free Press)
Parking is generally viewed as a problem in downtown Charleston, but a quarter of spaces are usually empty at any given time. (City Paper)
Streetsblog editor Gersh Kuntzman isn't the only vigilante out there. A self-proclaimed "ethical bike thief" in Toronto is stealing back stolen bike-share bikes and returning them to their designated location. (Momentum Mag)