Amtrak is presented with the potential for two futures: In one is a $25 billion expansion to update national intercity rail with contemporary patterns of settlement. In the other is fiscal crisis and continued service cuts.

Madalyn Mendoza reports on the diverging potential paths for Amtrak, as exemplified by the example of Texas, where the agency recently reduced Texas Eagle daily service from San Antonio to Chicago to three times a week.
That service reduction was made as Amtrak also makes news for a $25 billion plan to expand service around the country. "Amtrak is also hoping to tap into funds from potential national infrastructure bills such as the INVEST Act, which would provide $28.55 billion for Amtrack over five years," reports Mendoza.
Mendoza relays information presented by Ray Lang, Amtrak’s senior director for national state relations, on Amtrak's expansion plans in September, just a few weeks before the cuts to Texas Eagle service were implemented.
A series of Tweets by Politico reporter Sam Mintz shows the maps of Amtrak's planned expansion maps. Both Mintz and Mendoza suggests that Amtrak would fare well under a Biden presidency, in addition to an expected boon to the Gateway Project connecting New Jersey to New York via the Hudson River.
The Texas Eagle service might not be the last service to get cut as Amtrak deals with the fiscal consequences of the pandemic. As reported in a separate article by Pranshu Verma, Amtrak President and CEO William J. Flynn has been lobbying Congress for $4.9 billion in funding to stave off more cuts (that's $2 billion the rail agency's standard appropriation and $2.8 billion in emergency funding). According to Verma, projected revenue for Amtrak has declined by 53 percent in 2020.
FULL STORY: Amtrak has expansion within the San Antonio-Dallas-Houston triangle 'under review'

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.

Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.

Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland