May « 2010 « The Transport Politic

Charlotte's Northeast Corridor Light Rail Line Underfunded, Likely to be Shortened

May 25th, 2010 |

» Extension of the city’s successful first rail transit line, now years behind schedule, is to be further delayed.

Just weeks before the opening of their first light rail line in November 2007, Charlotte’s voters affirmed their commitment to the city’s transit expansion, voting by a large margin to continue the collection of a dedicated half-cent sales tax first approved in 1998. Their endorsement of the city’s public transportation was founded on the sense that Charlotte’s growth needed to be reconfigured around walkability and transit use. One place everyone in this New South city did not want to imitate was Atlanta, whose

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With New Government Settling into Power, U.K.'s HS2 Project Could be Radically Reworked

May 24th, 2010 |

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» New government, set on fiscal austerity, could limit transport expenditures in face of the recession. New minister declares an end to “the war on motorists.”

In power for thirteen years, the British Labour party had a mixed record when it came to transportation investments. While it greatly expanded funds committed to public transportation operations and maintenance, especially in London, it did so while pushing private ownership of bus lines and PPP control over construction programs. While it brought the nation’s railroads back from the abyss caused by John Major’s hugely problematic privatization of British Rail, it made few investments

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Weekend Links

May 22nd, 2010 |

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» This week’s big news. Open thread in the comments.

Follow my Twitter account (@ttpolitic) to get news in real time.

Fun

Washington, D.C. will abandon its Clear Channel-sponsored Smartbike bike share system (with 10 stations and 100 bikes) in favor of 1,100 Montréal Bixi bikes, which are now becoming the world standard, having been sold to Ottawa, Minneapolis, Boston, London, and Toronto. The system will spread across Washington and Arlington with over 100 stations.

On The Transport Politic:

Ottawa Closer than Ever to Replacing Bus Rapid Transit with Light Rail
Terminus or Through-Route for Madison’s Downtown Station?
U.S. FTA

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FRA Accepts Applications for State High-Speed Rail Planning

May 21st, 2010 |

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High-Speed Rail Planning Grant Applications

» Georgia introduces plan for rail loop; the Northeast finally makes an effort to introduce better service on the Boston-Washington mainline.

It was just four months ago that the Federal Railroad Administration rewarded huge high-speed rail construction grants to states across the country, but there’s plenty more to do — California, for instance, has assembled just a quarter of the more than $40 billion it needs to complete its San Francisco to Los Angeles corridor. This week, the FRA accepted applications for $50 million in planning grants, and several states put forward proposals to study rail lines that would substantially

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