Friday’s Headlines Are Getting Dim
Brightline looked like it might be the future of intercity rail. It hasn't quite worked out that way.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 5, 2026
- Can more investment save Brightline? The first privately owned intercity rail company in the U.S. since the formation of Amtrak in the 1970s looked like it would be a huge success, but is now on the verge of going bankrupt. It’s not quite fast enough, a bit too expensive, and because it uses existing at-grade rail lines, kills a lot of people. (Fast Company)
- Despite high gas prices, Americans were driving more than ever in April, according to new Federal Highway Administration statistics. (Wall Street Journal; paywall)
- Electric vehicle owners save money on gas and maintenance, but they pay an average of $1,000 extra for insurance because EVs cost more to fix after a crash. ()
- Planners have retreated from politics since the Jane Jacobs area and no longer lead community discussions about transportation or other issues, writes Billy Cooney. (Southern Urbanism)
- Commercial roads lined with aging strip malls could become transit-oriented boulevards with mixed-income housing instead. (Architect Magazine)
- Almost half the miles driven by California’s Waymo robotaxis are “deadheading,” without any passengers inside. (Findings)
- Texas is cracking down on immigrant school bus drivers, already in short supply. (Observer)
- Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s administration is treating the failure of a transportation funding referendum as a PR problem, not a policy one. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- Voters in two Bay Area counties overwhelmingly approved a sales tax measure to fund rail transit. (KQED)
- The Illinois legislature passed a bill allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize. (Capitol News)
- Transit advocates want to make sure addressing a funding shortfall is at the top of Pennsylvania legislators’ minds. (Capital-Star)
- As the Trump administration continues to make hay over a supposed crime wave on transit, the Federal Transit Administration is now investigating MARTA after a stabbing on an Atlanta train and another at a station. (WABE)
- Minneapolis bikeshare Nice Ride shut down in 2023, but could return with e-bikes. (MinnPost)
- Warsaw is turning a large parking lot in front of a government building into a park. (Pragmatika)
- Coach operator FlixBus restored the route number 666 to a bus connecting Krakow and the Polish seaside resort of Hel. (BBC)
- Walking and biking rather than driving made an Irish Times writer feel more connected to her city.
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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