Rail

A panel of experts weighs in. Is rebuilding rail transit the way of the future, or just reviving a system that should stay extinct?

This piece from The Washington Post looks at a formerly thriving streetcar neighborhood that has become a thriving Metro neighborhood -- despite decades of decline in between.

Federal officials have reversed their earlier decision and are now pushing for the extension of Washington D.C.-area metro rail to Dulles International Airport -- a plan that's been in the works for nearly 40 years.

As rail expands into East L.A., residents are both excited about economic opportunities and worried about gentrification and the possible loss of the area's distinct Latino character.

A feasibility study released last week shows that a 141 mile transit system could be built on existing right-of-ways in the Triangle for $1 billion, a fraction of the proposed budget for transit in the region through 2035.

In the Bay Area, where transit and cycling are encouraged and on the rise, cyclists are increasingly turning towards folding bikes to enjoy unrestricted access to the two major rail systems, BART and Caltrain, due to conventional bike limitations.

Officials in Honolulu recently approved a measure that will allow voters to decide whether to build a long-planned $4 billion rail system.

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle argues it's time for a national rail plan.

Writer Benjamin J. Turon argues that we aren't in an energy crisis as much as a transportation crisis, and that we already have all the technology we need.

In preparation for two major soccer tournaments -- the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2009 Confederations Cup -- South Africa is moving ahead on schedule in constructing major public transit systems in the events' host cities.

With ridership up nationwide, the next president should start getting serious about investing in passenger rail service, argues a recent column.

In the mid-1980s New Zealand sold its national rail assets to private industry in hopes of developing a profitable, efficient rail network. With deteriorating infrastructure and a desire for greener transit, the government has decided to buy it back.

After declaring the planned Metro extension through Northern Virginia unfit for federal funds, the Federal Transit Administration has given tentative approval for the project, provided local governments contribute additional funding.

Former Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced his intentions to propose that Russia and the United States move forward with plans from the early 20th century to build a 64-mile tunnel between the two countries.

After three decades of planning, a new commuter rail line has opened in the San Diego area.

A group of mechanical engineers is calling on planners and transportation officials to more aggressively pursue a modal shift from cars to rail to reduce carbon emissions in the UK.

This editorial from The Washington Post argues that re-planning the Washington D.C.-Dulles International Airport corridor for buses rather than trains is an idea that just won't work.

Suburban Torontonians will get a $6 billion light rail service, thanks to a newly-announced extension funded by the provincial and federal governments.

Plans are being floated to create better downtown linkage between three of L.A.'s rail lines -- an idea that some downtown residents are wary of.