Transportation

  • A man with brown hair and a blue suit speaks to a crowd of reporters.
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    Courtesy of Brightline West
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    $12B Vegas-to-California high-speed rail project breaks ground

    The privately led Brightline West passenger rail line will slash travel times between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.

    By Julie Strupp • April 23, 2024
  • A Kenworth electric truck.
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    Courtesy of Kenworth
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    California’s clean-truck rules: a fleet owner’s view

    Although the state’s rules face legal pushback from trucking interests and 19 states, one pioneering fleet owner found surprising benefits as he began buying heavy-duty electric trucks.

    By • April 23, 2024
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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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 in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • A head-on view of a Bay Area Rapid Transit, train pases residential and commercial building on an elevated track.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Transit riders with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area to see accessibility improvements

    The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District settled a lawsuit brought by disability rights advocates and agreed to repair, renovate and clean station elevators and escalators.

    By • April 22, 2024
  • Passengers board a Metro North train at Grand Central Terminal.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    How 5 commuter railroad leaders envision their future

    “The face of commuter rail is evolving,” one commuter railroad CEO told lawmakers during a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing.

    By • April 19, 2024
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    Mark Wilson via Getty Images
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    Maryland doubles fines in road work zones

    The legislation, which raises maximum fees for those caught speeding in construction areas, comes a year after six workers were killed in what police say was a speeding-related collision.

    By Matthew Thibault • April 19, 2024
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    Permission granted by Texas Central
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    Amtrak taking lead on Dallas-Houston high-speed rail project

    Bullet trains could be running by the 2030s, said Amtrak's head of high-speed rail development programs, but the company is still conducting due diligence.

    By • April 18, 2024
  • A Chicago Transit Authority electric bus stopped near the Navy Pier.
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    Courtesy of Regional Transportation Authority
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    Electric bus, railcar purchases sought by Chicago-based transit authority

    The region’s three major transit agencies are hoping $375 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds will usher along their transition to zero-emission fleets by 2040.

    By • April 17, 2024
  • A sparse amount of people linger on an underground platform, reachable by stairs, next to two sets of train tracks.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    LA Metro completes 5-year Purple Line tunneling project

    The agency referred to the tunnel as a feat of modern engineering. This milestone didn’t come without hurdles, however.

    By Matthew Thibault • Updated April 18, 2024
  • The train model of CRRC during the 5th China International Industrial Design Expo in Wuhan International Expo Center on August 5,2022 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
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    Getty Images/Stringer via Getty Images
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    Philadelphia transit agency cancels railcar contract with China-based supplier

    CRRC MA failed to deliver any of the 45 double-decker passenger cars ordered in a 2017 contract. Subway cars from CRRC MA for a Massachusetts transit agency have been plagued by defects.

    By • April 16, 2024
  • A New York City Bus driver wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic on May 27, 2020 in New York City
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    Cindy Ord via Getty Images
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    Transit worker safety the focus of FTA plan updates

    Meant to address bus collisions, assaults on transit workers and other risks, the updates to Federal Transit Administration rules would also give transit workers more say in workplace safety.

    By • April 15, 2024
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    Retrieved from FHWA.
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    80 transportation infrastructure resilience projects get $830M from USDOT

    The grants are the first of their kind dedicated to protecting surface transportation systems from climate change-driven extreme weather, the agency said.

    By Julie Strupp • April 15, 2024
  • An range and white Chevy Bolt EV robotaxi operated by Cruise crosses an intersection San Francisco.
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    Courtesy of Cruise LLC
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    Cruise robotaxis will return to Phoenix to collect mapping data

    It's the company's first deployment of vehicles on public roads since it recalled its robotaxis last fall.

    By Eric Walz • April 12, 2024
  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    5 ways cities can accelerate EV charger deployments equitably

    Seek community input, learn from other cities, reduce regulatory barriers and other ideas from participants in the DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities Program.

    By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 12, 2024
  • An illustration shows a white bullet train on a viaduct crossing over a road with several pickup trucks on it.
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    Courtesy of Texas Central
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    High-speed rail project in Texas gets high-level US, Japan support

    The Texas Central project would connect Dallas and Houston using Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train technology. Amtrak announced its involvement in August.

    By • April 12, 2024
  • A Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Elon Musk teases Tesla robotaxi

    The CEO’s announcement comes five years after he first told investors Tesla expected to put one million robotaxis on the road in 2020.

    By Haley Cawthon • April 11, 2024
  • A Las Vegas city articulated bus making a left turn onto South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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    sanfel via Getty Images
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    How transit agencies can succeed at outsourcing operations

    A new report from the Eno Center for Transportation delves into public transportation best practices for a successful relationship with the private sector.

    By • April 11, 2024
  • Northeast's Largest Public Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Station Opens At JFK Airport.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    How cities are building out public EV charging infrastructure

    As more electric vehicles hit the road, municipalities and property owners are working with contractors to deploy EV chargers at libraries, airports, parks and other sites.

    By Joe Burns • April 10, 2024
  • Keolis operates Boston-area commuter trains for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Transit ridership up 16% in 2023: APTA report

    While ridership on public transportation reached 79% of pre-pandemic levels last year, stark differences emerged across transit modes and cities.

    By • April 10, 2024
  • An above-ground train snakes through buildings in an urban downtown
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    AlbertPego via Getty Images
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    How to ease the path to transit-oriented housing development

    Public transportation agencies “just [don’t] have the land resources on hand to make it feasible,” said the author of a recent Urban Institute analysis on funding transit-oriented development.

    By Kalena Thomhave • April 9, 2024
  • An older and younger person kneel in a workshop as they examine a grey concrete tile on the ground.
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    Courtesy of Consensus Digital Media/Purdue University
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    Indiana DOT, Purdue collaborate on highway that charges EVs

    Researchers will embed coils in a quarter-mile stretch of concrete roadway to produce a magnetic field that can recharge vehicles while they drive.

    By Matthew Thibault • April 8, 2024
  • A person rides by on a Bird scooter as a pedestrian with headphones in walks in the other direction. Behind them is a waterway, benches and city buildings.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Bird reorganizes into new company as it emerges from bankruptcy

    An executive for the micromobility operator thanked city partners for maintaining trust through the process, which has resulted in a new private parent company for Bird and Spin, which Bird acquired last year.

    By • April 8, 2024
  • A man on a bike and a woman on a scooter ride past a coffee shop.
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    Courtesy of Lime
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    Lime’s total rides, gross bookings hit record in 2023

    As Lime increased fleet sizes and added new markets, its trips doubled in more than 42 cities globally from 2022 to 2023, the micromobility company said.

    By • April 8, 2024
  • Two people on a residential rooftop drilling solar panels in
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    These 8 nonprofits got $20B from the Biden administration for local clean energy financing. Now what?

    The “green bank” funds must be obligated by September 2024 amid efforts by Republican lawmakers to repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

    By • April 5, 2024
  • An older adult in a wheelchair exits a bus on a ramp.
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    ferrantraite via Getty Images
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    $20.5B in federal funds for public transit available in FY 2024

    The funding will support urban, rural and tribal communities with grants "to start new projects, fix old infrastructure, and ensure fast, safe, convenient service,” the acting Federal Transit Administrator said.

    By • April 5, 2024
  • Screen shots of Uber Eats app with Waymo delivery
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    Permission granted by Uber Eats
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    Uber Eats partners with Waymo for autonomous delivery in Phoenix

    Uber Eats has been expanding its network of autonomous delivery partners since 2022.

    By Julie Littman • April 4, 2024