The railroad Brightline today broke ground in Nevada on its new Brightline West project. Brightline will use trains traveling up to 200 miles per hour to cut the travel time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles in half. The company already operates successful trains...
Newsletter 2/16/24
Ohio Could Rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission
Ohio lawmakers are drafting legislation that, if passed, would allow the state to rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC). The state has not been a member of MIPRC since 2013, when Governor John Kasich turned down $400 million in federal grants for an intercity passenger rail line connecting Cleveland to Cincinnati.
This is an important step if Ohio plans to expand its limited passenger rail network. As it stands, Cincinnati only has three trains per week, and Cleveland’s two trains per day arrive and depart in the middle of the night. Columbus is the largest U.S. city without intercity train service. The status quo transportation system is not serving Ohio well, and it’s critical that they work to improve it. Ohio should have a thriving network of fast, frequent trains.
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The California High Speed Rail Authority Releases 2024 Draft Business Plan
The California High Speed Rail Authority has released their 2024 Draft Business Plan and are now accepting public comments. The plan lays out the progress made in 2023 and the steps the Authority plans to make towards high-speed rail service in 2024.
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“Is It Here Yet?” Why Frequency is Key to Building a National Passenger-Rail Network
Excellent passenger-rail service is about much more than where the trains go and how quickly they get there. The success of a rail service often hinges on frequency. When service is frequent enough to be convenient and useful for customers all through the day, the value of passenger rail multiplies—and a virtuous cycle develops.
As ridership grows, it becomes politically feasible to fund further improvements, which then motivates states and the federal government to keep building out the network. High-frequency trains are thus the foundation for building the nationwide rail system that our country deserves.
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Free Transit Activism Training: How to Make Your Transit Fantasies Reality
When: Wednesday, 2/21 at 12pm CT
Hosted by Carter Lavin
An American high-speed rail network; robust regional rail service throughout your state; reliable, abundant transit options in your town. They might feel like fantasies but all of these are possible. You can help make your transit fantasies a reality when you politically organize and fight for them.
Capitol Corridor’s “Tap2Ride” Program
When: Friday, 3/1 at 1pm CT
Capitol Corridor’s pilot test of “Tap2Ride” remains a pivotal test of contactless payment in a passenger rail environment (intercity passenger rail in this case). Jim Allison, CCJPA, will share key lessons learned and present a roadmap for this launch to become established in the overall California framework of the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP).
Colorado Front Range Passenger Rail
April 5, 2024
Front Range Passenger Rail is a developing transportation opportunity for Colorado’s Front Range with anticipated higher speed, intercity travel across Colorado’s Front Range from Fort Collins to Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Denver, South Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.
Climate Change Threatens Europe’s Trains, But Resilience Is Expensive (Bloomberg)
Increasing train travel is critical to decarbonizing transportation. As extreme heat, flooding and erosion pose risks to railways, investment in upgrades remains flat.
California Orders Six More Hydrogen-Powered Trainsets From Stadler
California’s Department of Transportation, Caltrans, announced a $127 million agreement with Stadler Rail on Wednesday to purchase six more hydrogen-powered passenger trainsets, bringing to 10 the number of the trainsets on order for use in the San Joaquin Valley.
Nine Maps Show How Britain Is on the Move (Bloomberg)
A new dataset allows anyone to explore almost 1 billion journeys from every one of its more than 2,500 train stations.
HS2 Contractors Carry Out M42 Bridge Demolition In Timelapse Footage of 52 Hours
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