The St. Paul-to-Chicago train served more than 22,000 passengers in August.

Amtrak’s Borealis line, launched in May 2024, reached 100,000 riders this week, outpacing a prediction that it would serve between 125,000 and 135,000 passengers per year, reports Tim Harlow in The Minnesota Star Tribune.
The train, which runs between St. Paul and Chicago and serves multiple other cities, runs once a day each way and take roughly 7.5 hours for the entire trip. “Ridership started strong with 18,500 passengers hopping on board during its first month of service. Since then, numbers have remained strong with more than 22,000 riding in August followed by a slight dip to just under 18,800 in September, according to All Aboard Minnesota.”
FULL STORY: Amtrak’s Borealis train line hits 100K riders in five months

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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