Transportation

  • People stand in line to board a green bus seen through a glass partition.
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Boston downtown bus terminal expansion opens

    With a 60% increase in bus docks and better connections with the train station, the South Station bus terminal will enable growth for the bus carriers, its general manager said.

    By • Nov. 5, 2025
  • People walking on a station platform as a silver trains lettered "CTA" has its doors open.
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    Brian Kersey via Getty Images
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    Illinois legislature passes transit-friendly bill

    The legislation averts proposed service cuts and fare hikes with $1.5 billion in funding for Chicago’s public transit network.

    By • Nov. 3, 2025
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • The U.S. Capitol stands in the distance as morning traffic moves along North Capitol Street Northwest on October 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal.
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    Chip Somodevilla / Staff via Getty Images
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    Commuters lost nearly 8 work days in 2024 to record-high traffic levels, report finds

    Cities need to make monitoring technologies more efficient, improve road emergency response and diversify development patterns to help relieve congestion, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute says.

    By Ryan Golden • Nov. 3, 2025
  • A white car with roof and side mounted sensors drives through an intersetion by a red building with a white facade and sign reading "pizza."
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    Eric Thayer via Getty Images
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    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    Uber announced plans to develop and manufacture 100,000 robotaxis in partnership with leading technology companies.

    Oct. 31, 2025
  • Yellow sign with graphic of a traffic signal reads "Red light photo enforced" over another yellow sign depicting pedestrians against a blurred backround of a city street.
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    New York City will expand its automated red-light camera program

    Verra Mobility will add 450 more signalized intersections as part of an expanded agreement with the city's transportation department.

    By • Oct. 30, 2025
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    Q&A

    California high-speed rail CEO has a plan to get the project back on track

    A construction engineer by trade, Ian Choudri hired a new team, reworked the project plan and says it’s time to “build more and go forward.”

    By • Oct. 29, 2025
  • A traffic signal mounted horizontally on an overhead arm next to a camera.
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    How local governments are tackling traffic deaths with technology

    AI, automated traffic enforcement and connected vehicle technology are some of what cities and counties are trying to make their streets safer.

    By • Oct. 28, 2025
  • Low angle view of people on a train platform under a canopy with a red and white self-propelled passenger train alongside marked Caltrain.
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    Permission granted by Caltrain
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    Caltrain ridership up 47% after electrification

    A $2.72 billion project to replace diesel trains with electric trains on the San Francisco Bay Area commuter railroad increased train service, attracting more riders.

    By • Oct. 27, 2025
  • Two people in the foreground and more further back stand along a platform next to an Amtrak train.
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    saddek hamlaoui via Getty Images
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    What Amtrak won’t do, NY transit agency will

    Additional passenger rail service will help alleviate sold-out Amtrak trains and reduce fares while tunnel repairs limit operations in New York City.

    By • Oct. 24, 2025
  • View down a two-lane street with a red-painted bike line on the right and parked cars on both side of the street, which is lined with small shops.
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    San Francisco speeding declines at locations with automated cameras

    Six months into the city’s speed camera program, drivers are operating below the speed limit at 15 measured sites.

    By • Oct. 22, 2025
  • Vehicles and a bus on a multilane street lined with trees and tall buildings. The sun flares on the left behind the trees.
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    Getty Images
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    Can AI detect road hazards?

    San José, California, is testing AI and cameras to identify and quickly alert the city to potholes and other dangerous street issues.

    By • Oct. 21, 2025
  • A train at a station.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Steep insurance cost increases loom for commuter rail

    With liability insurance costs expected to rise nearly 24% next year, a bipartisan bill would give Amtrak, Brightline and commuter rail operators more time to obtain it.

    By • Oct. 20, 2025
  • A crowd of people gather on the front steps of an older multistory building decorated with blue banners.
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    Bill Pugliano via Getty Images
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    Detroit to build new multimodal transportation hub

    The proposed intercity bus and Amtrak station next to the restored Michigan Central Station “will grow our regional economy,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • Two people sit on a swing on the left of the photo with a wooden boardwalk down the middle and large blue and white buildings in the background on a sunny day.
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    eurobanks via Getty Images
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    How Southwest DC helped residents and visitors get around the neighborhood

    Businesses and the Washington, D.C., government formed a Mobility Innovation District to launch a pilot shuttle service.

    By • Oct. 16, 2025
  • Metra train traveling rails near downtown Chicago, Illinois
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Chicago transit agencies propose fare hikes, restate 2026 budgets

    Hope now rides with the Illinois General Assembly to provide state funding that could prevent rail and bus service cuts.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
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    Courtesy of CNW Group/Polara
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    Chicago suburb debuts electric paratransit fleet

    Schaumburg, Illinois, joins transit agencies in New York City and San Francisco in providing zero-emission transportation for older adults and people with disabilities.

    By • Oct. 14, 2025
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Public transportation ‘experiencing unprecedented momentum’: APTA CEO Paul Skoutelas

    Federal Transit Administrator Marcus Molinaro spoke to 3,200 transit leaders at the American Public Transportation Association’s 2025 TRANSform conference in Boston.

    By • Oct. 10, 2025
  • People hunched over a stand with dividers at a voting place.
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    Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
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    Transit measures are on the November ballot in these local elections

    Voters in four states are being asked to approve taxes to support roads and public transit and form a new transportation authority.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • An illustration shows an overhead view of a city intersections with imaginary lines extending from each vehicle to other nearby vehicles.
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    Getty Images
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    Roadway safety can benefit from vehicles that talk to each other

    Connected vehicles can help avoid accidents and alert authorities to dangerous situations, says an AT&T executive.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
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    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Trump blocks Chicago funding as Illinois moves forward with $50.6B infrastructure plan

    The White House froze $2.1 billion in funding for a transit rail line and a viaduct project as federal and local officials battle over diversity and inclusion.

    By Sebastian Obando • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Four men in sutis and a woman on a stage with audience members in the foreground.
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    How Boston transit leaders fixed a failing transit system

    The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recovered from safety lapses that prompted the Federal Transit Administration to oversee the agency’s transit rail system in 2022.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
  • Two men in suits standing in front of the White House. The man on the left is speaking and pointing with both hands.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Trump administration freezes $18B for NY-NJ region transportation projects

    The Transportation Department said a review of the projects would take more time because of the government shutdown.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
  • Man is a suit at a podium in front of a sign that reads "NLC - National League of Cities"
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Top smart city conferences in 2026

    Technology, housing, climate action, transportation, public safety and more take center stage at events for local government leaders in 2026.

    By Smart Cities Dive Staff • Oct. 1, 2025
  • A white transit bus with advertising is seen from the rear as it makes a stop in a bus lane next to a bus shelter on a city street.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Free and low-fare transit programs fail to reach many in need: report

    More outreach programs and automatic enrollment could make these programs accessible to more people, says a report from the Regional Plan Association, a New York nonprofit.

    By • Sept. 29, 2025
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    Lyft and Waymo to bring robotaxi service to Nashville

    The announcement comes shortly after the ride-hailing service rolled out its first robotaxi pilot in Atlanta.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Sept. 26, 2025