Trains

New Look MBTA Trains Debut in Boston
Boston residents got their first look earlier this week at the new trains that will grace the T tracks in 2019.
Train-sploitation
An interview with a photographer about his unflattering pictures of train riders in Tokyo's crowded subway.

Meet the New Generation of Trains Built for Florida's Brightline
Wired takes a tour of a Siemens factory in California tasked with the task of building the rolling stock for the forthcoming, privately-funded Brightline train line in Florida.

The Pop Culture Verdict: Transit Is Hip
Several decades ago, public transit was a distinctly low-quality way of getting around. Now, if we can believe TV and movies depicting the near future, all that has changed. Transit has become aspirational.
Friday Eye Candy: Google Streetview Tours the World's Largest Model Railway
After documenting places like the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and the vertical walls of El Capitan in Yosemite, the Google Streetview team thought small for its latest project.
Friday Eye Candy: Move a Train...With Your Mind
Have you ever wanted to make the trains run on time? Or maybe just make the trains run at all? We have just the thing for you.

Philadelphia's Overcrowded Commuter Rail in Need of New Trains
The newest members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's fleet of commuter trains, 120 Silverliner V trains that have arrived since 2010, have not been sufficient in alleviating crowded rail lines.
Map Shows the Transportation Agencies Buying Buses and Trains
Looking for a mapping tool that makes it easy to reference news about which agencies are buying what kind of rolling stock and when?
New Jersey Transit Announces Rolling Stock Investment Plans
New Jersey Transit recently announced plans to buy larger trains and buses to increase the capacity of commute infrastructure into and out of New York City.
British Transport Secretary Admits Current Train Commute "Drives Me Bloody Crackers"
With increasing fares, delays and an "awful" service on Sundays, the British Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin isn't the only commuter unhappy with the service and admits that the expediency of HS2 was exaggerated.

Trucks & Trains Turn Toward LNG to Lower Costs
Just as the power industry turned toward lower priced natural gas and away from dirtier coal, there are signs that trucks and trains are looking to lower priced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to replace diesel-powered vehicles, but there are challenges.
The Loud Debate Over Quiet Cars
Dirty looks, shushing, even brawls; the lengths that "vigilantes" take to policing the rules of railroad quiet-cars can be extreme. William Power and Brian Hershberg look at how different transit systems, and their passengers, enforce quiet rides.
New York Seeks to Revive its Freight Rail Industry
Winnie Hu reports on how the reopening of the 65th Street Rail Yard in Brooklyn last week is part of a wider, regional rail expansion effort that aims to revive the moribund industry in order to boost economic and environmental benefits.
Train Times to Accompany Motorists Stuck in Traffic
To encourage train ridership, Caltrans and Metrolink have teamed up to display train times on electronic signs along two oft-congested Southern California freeways.
Mag-Lev Project Meets Approval in Japan
Japanese officials recently approved plans to build a 320-mile magnetic levitation train system. The $114 billion project is expected to begin construction in 2014.
Take a Ride on Chicago's Elegant Electroliner
Writer J.J. Sedelmaier recalls riding the beautifully streamlined Electroliner trains, which ran on the same tracks as other Chicago rail transit but were a special event all to themselves.
The Bus and The Train Are Friends
Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.
Copenhagen's Bikes on Rails
Jonna McKone of TheCityFix looks at Copenhagen's recently added rail cars that are specifically for bicyclists and other passengers with special needs.
B.C. and Washington Seek High Speed Rail to California
Officials in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a high speed rail line that connects British Columbia with California.
Maglev: Dreaming the Impossible Dream?
The idea of a magnetic levitation train has been bubbling for decades, but has yet to materialize in the U.S. Some say the idea is a pipe dream, but this column from The Baltimore Sun says the idea just needs the right home.
Pagination
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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