When the Illinois General Assembly passed its $1.5 billion transit package, it did something more profound than stabilize budgets or prevent service cuts. It fundamentally reconceived the role of passenger rail and public transportation in the state's economic and...
Newsletter 6/20/25: Illinois Transit Overhaul Could Be a Game-Changer
Illinois Transit Overhaul Could Be a Game-Changer
Just minutes before the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session ended on Saturday, May 31, the Senate passed a sweeping transit reform bill that has quietly set the stage for a potential revolution in U.S. transportation policy.
While its primary focus is restructuring transit governance and stabilizing funding for northeastern Illinois agencies like Metra, this bill includes a historic breakthrough: a dedicated funding stream for intercity passenger rail. For the Midwest—long overdue for serious investment in rail infrastructure—this is a big deal. This major development in Illinois could ripple far beyond the Midwest—reshaping how America thinks about high-speed and intercity rail.
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How Railways Will Fix the Future
Speaker: Gareth Dennis, engineer and author of How the Railways Will Fix the Future
Engineer and writer Gareth Dennis will join us from the UK to discuss his new book How the Railways Will Fix the Future. In it, he looks at the history of railways (including the role they have played in extraction and exploitation) but focuses on their power to tackle issues facing us today and to shape a better future. Topics for discussion include lessons to learn from global railway operations on what works best long-term, and what this might mean in the United States.
How New York Can Implement Through-Running at Penn Station in the First Half of the 21st Century
When: Friday, July 25 at 11am Central / 12 pm Eastern on Zoom
Speakers: Karim Ahmed, Senior Technical Advisor to ReThinkNYC; Dr. Robert Paaswell, Director Emeritus of the University Transportation Research Center at the City College of New York; and Samuel Turvey, Chairperson of ReThinkNYC
Implementing through-running trains via Penn Station represents a once-in-a-century opportunity to transform connectivity in the New York region, just as the subway did. It will benefit the region’s economy, environment, and quality of life. ReThinkNYC has put forward a detailed plan to do it cost effectively by mid-century. You can learn more in this talk.
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Will the Ohio Senate Listen to the People on Passenger Rail?
Rolling Short: The Equipment Crisis Facing US Passenger Rail
Hard Things: How Slow but Tenacious Work Brought Faster Passenger Trains to Illinois
Hard Things: Could 220 Mph Passenger Rail Service Be Next?
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“Fund the 15!” Building Out a True National Network
Czech Republic Completes Environmental Review for Future HSR
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The Brand-New High-Speed Train Connecting Two Major Middle Eastern Cities
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