Newsletter 4/10/26: California High-Speed Rail and Mardi Gras Service Results

California High-Speed Rail is a Necessity

It’s time to end California’s car culture.

Stop the presses. California high-speed rail is behind schedule and over budget.

But California high-speed rail is a project that California and the nation need, and once trains are running, people will wonder how they ever got along without it.

A report on 60 Minutes on Sunday, while factually correct as far as it goes, gave voice to naysayers who cannot envision a future better than the congestion, pollution, expense, and dreadful land-use decisions that come from car supremacy.

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A conceptual drawing of a high-speed train station in Palmdale, CA.

National Passenger Rail Policy Left to Local Volunteers

The 18 members of the Southern Rail Commission are volunteers. Yet this group of everyday citizens, some with political or government experience, pulled together and restored passenger rail service between Mobile, AL and New Orleans last year, which had been suspended 20 years prior in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

It takes a tremendous grassroots effort and dedicated individuals to establish a baseline level of train service in this country. It doesn’t have to be that way though.

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Funds for North Carolina S-Line Released

Funds for North Carolina S-Line Released

How Virginia and North Carolina are Building a Publicly Owned Railroad The Federal Railroad Administration has released $550 million for the S-Line, a passenger-rail project in North Carolina and Virginia. The money is part of a $1.09 billion grant awarded in 2023 to...

Corridor ID Program at Risk

Corridor ID Program at Risk

Corridors to be removed and funding reduced Recently, we’ve been running stories about big infrastructure projects that are making real progress. Northeast Corridor projects—including the Portal North Bridge, Frederick Douglass Tunnel, and the Susquehanna bridge—are...

Help Shape the 2027 Illinois State Rail Plan

Help Shape the 2027 Illinois State Rail Plan

You can provide feedback to IDOT through October 2026. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is working to update the 2023 State Rail Plan, with a final draft expected July 2027. State rail plans set future goals for freight and passenger rail. They can be...