More Americans than ever rode the rails last year, also bringing the agency its highest ticket revenue.

Amtrak saw its highest ridership in fiscal year 2024, reflecting, according to Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia, “not only the need for train travel in America but also the impact of strategic investments” in passenger rail.
“With the help of massive funding from the 2021 infrastructure law, the railroad launched one new train service, expanded four other routes and invested billions in infrastructure upgrades last year,” explains Dan Zukowski in Smart Cities Dive. The agency recorded 32.8 million trips in FY 2024, a growth of 15 percent over FY 2023, and made $2.5 billion in ticket revenue, a growth of 7 percent over FY 2023.
Unsurprisingly, Amtrak’s most successful routes are in the Northeast Corridor, where frequent service lets many commute long distances regularly by train. Amtrak is upgrading many of those trains to faster models that run at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour.
FULL STORY: Amtrak sets ridership, ticket revenue records in FY24

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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research