Newsletter 5/31/24: California HSR Approaches Full Environmental Clearance

California High-Speed Rail Authority Releases Palmdale to Burbank EIS

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Palmdale to Burbank segment. This is the last segment of the San Francisco-Los Angeles route that is awaiting environmental clearance.

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An Italian high-speed train is passing in the countryside.

Electric Trains are the Powerhouse Electric Vehicles

Lawmakers and business leaders alike are touting electric cars as a game-changer for climate change. And it’s true that cutting carbon pollution from vehicles is critical. The transportation sector accounts for about 29 percent of greenhouse-gas pollution in the US.

But the hype around electric cars is misplaced. Electric trains are the true powerhouse EV in the fight against climate change. And it’s not even close.

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Why Amtrak’s New Borealis Train Matters

On May 21, Amtrak launched a new train called Borealis, serving the corridor between the Twin Cities and Chicago. The train has broader significance than its once-a-day frequency and 79 mph speed limit might suggest.

Lakeshore Rail Summit: Creating Transportation Oases

When: Thursday, June 13 at 1pm ET

Where: Blasco Memorial Library – Hirt Auditorium, 160 E Front St , Erie, PA 16507

Why: Billions of dollars in federal funding for rail transportation will transform cities like Erie with a transportation desert into a transportation oasis in the next decade. The rail corridor between Chicago and the East Coast is at risk of missing out. Learn how regional passenger rail projects can create a transportation oasis in Erie.

High-Speed Rail and the Construction of Space in 1960s Japan

When: Friday, June 28 at 12pm CT on Zoom

This talk will consider the bullet train in terms of the social construction of space—the ways in which people think about and use physical spaces—comparing government plans with public reactions to highlight the interaction between ideas and the built environment.

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The Economic Engine of the Rio Grande Plan

The Economic Engine of the Rio Grande Plan

Guest blog by Taylor Larsen Since its creation by Christian Lenhart and Cameron Blakely in 2020, the citizen-driven Rio Grande Plan has shared a vision: to remove railroad crossings, revitalize a neighborhood, and reuse the historic Rio Grande Depot as Salt Lake...

Tell Springfield: Invest in Metra’s Growth

Tell Springfield: Invest in Metra’s Growth

Transit Funding is Coming Down to the Wire Metra is a critical foundation of the State’s economy.  Chicago and its suburbs cannot grow and adapt to a rapidly changing world without a growing regional rail network. And, a modernized Metra is the foundation for great...

Alliance Members Show Up for Illinois Railway Investment

Alliance Members Show Up for Illinois Railway Investment

If you’ve followed the Alliance for a while, you know that we often focus on Illinois. That’s because of Chicago. Investment in the Windy City’s railway hub benefits a huge region, with hundreds of communities on rail lines that radiate out of Chicago. State lawmakers...