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Under the Elon Musk administration, private investment might be the only way forward for intercity rail, but it's not as if such ventures have it easy.

By Blake Aued

12:12 AM EDT on April 3, 2025

The New York Times is holding up Florida's Brightline as the future of intercity rail. Photo: KJP via NEO-Trans.blog

The New York Times wonders if Elon Musk’s vision of privatized intercity rail, a la the Brightline in Florida, is the wave of the future. “Can they make money?” is the wrong question, though — no one except the staunchest libertarians ask if freeways or airports can make money, and no other developed country cares if transit turns a profit, because it’s a public service.
Such private projects also face their own challenges. For example, Texas Central has only been able to obtain a quarter of the land needed for a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, and it’s now seeking federal assistance. (Chron)
Sprawl keeps Americans out of shape by preventing us from walking or biking and encouraging us to go through the fast food drive-through. (Jalopnik)
The Urban Institute has a new website that details where and how money from the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act is being distributed. (Governing)
Data from the Congressional Budget Office shows that, even with the IIJA, Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan Act, federal infrastructure spending is trending downward relative to inflation, including on mass transit. (Brookings Institute)
Former Streetsblog editor Angie Schmitt fears a different, non-fiscal kind of doom loop where increasingly common antisocial behavior makes “normal” people uncomfortable walking, biking, taking transit or otherwise using public spaces. (Unpopular Opinions)
Salt Lake City is considering zoning changes that would put an end to standalone parking garages downtown. (KSL)
San Francisco transit agency Muni’s ridership hit a post-pandemic high of 150 million last year. (Chronicle)
More than half a million people rode Milwaukee’s streetcar last year, up 8 percent from 2023. (Journal Sentinel)
Portland approved an additional $250 million for the Rose Quarter I-5 expansion. (Mercury)
Transit advocates are pressing Detroit officials to double funding for transit over the next five years. (Bridge Detroit)
Fearing the Trump administration will cut funding for transit, Colorado is committing $100 million to bus rapid transit projects. (Colorado Public Radio)
South Florida’s Tri-Rail could shut down by 2028 unless counties up their contributions. (Mass Transit)
Some cold-weather transit agencies have raised concerns about electric buses, but in Juneau they’re performing “flawlessly.” (Empire)
Cornell University is using AI to help Chattanooga create “mobility zones” where residents have their choice of multiple transportation options. (Cornell Chronicle)
Tampa is extending the TECO streetcar’s operating hours for Final Four weekend. (WFLA)
This was an April Fool’s Day joke, but wouldn’t it be nice if big box stores really did charge for parking? (Pro Tools Review)

Blake Aued

Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.

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