Newsletter 12/12/25: Canada Chooses Initial HSR Route and the Revived MARK Passenger Rail Effort

December 12, 2025

 • Newsletter

Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha Route to Chicago Now Back on Drawing Board

The Wisconsin cities of Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine have revived an effort to initiate passenger rail service among the three cities. This is an opportunity to create a high-quality regional rail line between Chicago and Milwaukee.

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Canada High-Speed Rail Project Shifts to Higher Gear, Aims to Bust Through Bureaucracy

Canada is moving to smooth the way for a roughly 600-mile high-speed line that will connect Toronto and Quebec City with trains running at top speeds of at least 186 mph. Canada’s Transport Minister, Steven Mackinnon, announced this week that work is expected to begin on the line’s first, 125-mile segment—running from Montreal to Ottawa—in 2029.

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A black and white image of a man sitting at a bus stop

If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective High-Speed Rail Advocacy

When: Friday, December 19 at 12pm CT

Speaker: Carter Lavin, author and activist

Whether you’re pushing for high-speed rail, better buses, or safer streets, transportation advocate Carter Lavin has the roadmap to turn your ideas into impact.

Join us for a conversation inspired by his new book, If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. With insights from over 100 campaigns, Carter will share practical tools and strategies to help you build power and win real change.

California High Speed Rail Authority releases draft EIR for L.A.-to-Anaheim segment

High-Speed Rail Battle: California’s Legal Victory Against Federal Grant Cuts

Amtrak, LIRR Update Work on East River Tunnel Project (Trains)

How Much Will New Yorkers Pay For Trump’s Penn Station Redevelopment Scheme?

Amtrak’s Gulf Coast Route Doubles Ridership Expectations

Diesel Trains to Run on New £144m Electric Line

Electro-diesel Stadler Flirt Trains Selected to Renew Dublin – Belfast Enterprise Fleet

Branding and Logo for Great British Railways Unveiled

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Why not here? In 1962, two years before Japan began running its Shinkansen high-speed trains and launched the modern era of high-speed rail, the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke predicted that railways were in their “final chapter.” The runaway success of...