Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 The great American way of getting around
• 00:43 Theme song jam
• 01:13 The development of cars ^{[2] [3] [5]}
• 03:00 Cars today & negative side effects
• 03:57 Urban "renewal" ^{[9] [10]}
  • 05:26 Detroit
  • 06:01 Racism & poverty
• 07:05 The destruction of downtown ^[1]
  • 07:47 Detroit again
  • 08:31 Motor industry lobby
  • 08:54 Downtown is made for commuters
  • 09:57 Parking
  • 11:21 More commuters; office buildings
• 12:31 The American suburb
  • 13:05 A radical experiment
  • 14:00 Commuters in cars getting coffee
  • 14:32 The planned community
  • 15:47 It's weird
  • 17:07 Car requirement
  • 18:13 People are completely atomized
  • 19:09 Suburbs haven't stopped
• 19:58 Car-centric infrastructure ^{[4] [6]}
  • 20:42 Pavement statistics
  • 21:30 Parking spaces
  • 22:53 Downtown should be a center of LIFE
• 23:55 Cars are horribly inefficient ^{[7] [8] [11]}
  • 25:09 Car bad
  • 25:20 Traffic
  • 26:26 Driving alone
  • 27:20 Induced demand
  • 28:53 Recap; gadget-bon solutions
• 30:27 Solutions: public transportation!
• 30:50 The Red Line Podcast
• 31:27 Social, YouTube, and Patreon plugs
• 32:22 Outro

References

1. [1]Financial Times: The road to ruin — how the car drove US cities to the brink (archive.ph)
2. [2]Rails and Trails: Facts and Figures of the Automobile Industry, 1920-1930
3. [3]Classic Car History: Cars of the Fifties
4. [4]Grist: Pavement is replacing the world's croplands
5. [5]FinancesOnline: The Number of Cars in the US in 2021/2022: Market Share, Distribution, and Trends
6. [6]The National Academies Press: Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads, p. 41
7. [7]Engineering World: The myth of the efficient car
8. [8]Bloomberg CityLab University: Induced Demand
9. [9]Wikipedia: Urban renewal
10. [10]Bloomberg CityLab University: The Who’s Who of Urbanism (Robert A. Moses)
11. [11]Vox: Cars take up way too much space in cities. New technology could change that.

Further reading

• The Atlantic: Why Everything Is Getting Louder

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:30 The News: Kyiv metro resumes full service
• 00:45 Theme song
• 01:18 So, what is a gadgetbahn?
• 02:19 "Gadget" + "bahn" (German for railway)
• 03:03 The hyperloop
• 03:21 Musk's Las Vegas loop (a.k.a. the car hole) ^{[1] [2] [11]}
  • 05:00 Tunnel boring cost reduction
  • 05:34 Safety, or the lack thereof^[12]
  • 06:45 Speed, or the lack thereof
  • 07:09 Throughput, or the lack thereof
  • 07:51 Las Vegas-wide transit solution?
  • 09:56 Fleet of Teslas
  • 11:13 It's the biggest U.S. gadgetbahn
• 11:42 Monorails! ^{[6] [7]}
  • 12:32 All sorts of them, good and bad
  • 13:34 The Seattle monorail
  • 14:28 Almost became the Seattle metro
  • 14:47 Built cheap! (good job Seattle)
• 15:17 PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) ^{[3] [4] [14]}
  • 15:42 The trouble with PRT
  • 17:05 The Morgantown PRT
  • 18:56 Government funding phases
  • 19:59 Upgrades & extensions in the works
  • 20:33 West Virginia University is served by the PRT^[13]
  • 22:13 Summer trip?
  • 22:43 Abysmal operating hours for an automated system^[15]
• 23:41 The Wuppertal Schwebebahn^[5]
• 25:31 The Miami Metromover^[8]
• 26:47 The Transit Elevated Bus ^[9]
  • 27:51 Investment fraud arrest
  • 28:31 Would this even work?
  • 29:54 It almost happened
• 30:34 The automated...people...car...thing...shuttle
  • 31:28 Little autonomous car...pod...things
  • 31:46 "The Point" "TOD" project (Salt Lake County)^[16]
  • 32:51 We look at pictures
  • 33:28 UTA's trial^[10]
  • 35:25 It's a bad idea
• 36:01 Progress for its own sake
• 37:12 Stop please, build trains instead
• 38:19 Conclusions
• 40:46 Bye!

References & notes

1. [1]The Boring Company: Vegas Loop
2. [2]Adam Something: HE FIXED TRAFFIC
3. [3]Wikipedia: Personal rapid transit
4. [4]Wikipedia: Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
5. [5]Wikipedia: Wuppertal Schwebebahn
6. [6]Wikipedia: Monorail
7. [7]Wikipedia: Seattle Center Monorail
8. [8]Wikipedia: Metromover
9. [9]Wikipedia: Transit Elevated Bus
10. [10]UDOT: Automated Shuttle Pilot Project
11. [11]The Boring Company: Loop
12. [12] The Boring company claims^[11] that there are mechanisms for ventilation, fire protection, and evacuation, but it has not been shown that these meet any regulatory standards.
13. [13] Seea ride on the PRT
14. [14]Tom Scott: Pod Cars of the Past and Future: The Morgantown PRT
15. [15] Summer is open with limited hours; still closed Sundays and university breaks
16. [16]The Point Framework Plan Final Report

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: UTA celebrates opening of South Jordan Downtown Station
2. [2]Mass Transit: MTA updates subway map as part of system modernization efforts
3. [3]Ray Kukulski and Bill Gallagher: Washington's Trolley System
4. [4]Wikipedia: Capital Traction Company
5. [5]Wikipedia: Streetcars in Washington, D.C.
6. [6]DC Streetcar: Learn more about DC Streetcar.
7. [7]WETA's Boundary Stones: The Demise of DC's Streetcars
8. [8]National Capital Trolley Museum: Our Story
9. [9]WETA's Boundary Stones: DC's Once Grand Streetcar System
10. [10]Yale Climate Connections: What's the carbon footprint of a wind turbine?
11. [11]Joint Transit Association: Mapping NYC Subway Capacity
12. [12]Streetsblog New York City: "congestion pricing" Archives

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 12:58 service hours increase (starting with website quote)
• 14:57 New route in the south valley - 126
• 19:54 Modified - 871
• 22:05 New route on Redwood Rd. - 219
• 24:35 Frequency restored - 39
• 25:22 "Other Salt Lake County things" incl. ski buses
• 29:50 Headcanon map of "downtown"
• 32:09 Another new route on Redwood Rd. 417
• 37:41 Route 823 in Utah County
• 40:32 Route 628
• 41:14 Route West Orem / Provo on demand
• 46:35 On Demand complaining sesh

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: KCATA to reduce route frequency, reinstate fares to help reduce costs
2. [2]KCUR: Kansas City would avoid massive bus cuts for now with a new plan. But it would end free fares
3. [3]KSHB 41 Kansas City: Kansas City passes $2.5B budget, future of KCATA buses still up in the air
4. [4]Utah Transit Authority: April 2025 Change Day
5. [5]Utah Transit Authority: April 2025 Change Day Flyer
6. [6]FTA: 2023 Annual Agency Profile - Utah Transit Authority
7. [7]Utah Transit Authority: 126 - 12600 South Map (effective April 2025)
8. [8]Utah Transit Authority: 871 - Draper Town Center/Lehi Station (effective April 2025)
9. [9]Utah Transit Authority: 219 - South Redwood Rd (effective April 2025)
10. [10]Utah Transit Authority: 417 - Redwood Rd Intercounty (effective April 2025)
11. [11]Utah Transit Authority: 823 - Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo Station (effective April 2025)
12. [12]Utah Transit Authority: 821 - South Utah County/Provo Central Station (effective April 2025)
13. [13]Utah Transit Authority: 628 - Layton Westside (effective August 2024)
14. [14]Utah Transit Authority: 628 - Layton Westside (effective April 2025)
15. [15]Utah Transit Authority: UTA On Demand

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Bay Area Transit agencies report ridership increases in the first quarter of 2025
2. [2]Mass Transit: FRA rescinds MTA's project leadership in New York Penn Station overhaul
3. [3]The Herald Journal: 2 groups hold peaceful protests Saturday in Logan
4. [4]Construction Physics: How Washington DC Got Its Metro
5. [5]Zachary M. Schrag: Building the Washington Metro
6. [6]WMATA: Milestones & History
7. [7]Wikipedia: Washington Metro
8. [8]Wikipedia: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
9. [9]Zachary M. Schrag: The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro
10. [10]Ghosts of DC: Metro's 17-Foot Long "Experimental Station" in 1968
11. [11]Wikipedia: Track gauge in the United States
12. [12]The Washington Post: The story behind the carpeting in Metro's rail cars? It stinks.
13. [13]Wikipedia: Washington Metro rolling stock § 1000-series
14. [14]The Future of Transport: Disney's Magic Highway - 1958
15. [15]WMATA: Photo Gallery - Mock-up Metro Car
16. [16]JFK Library: Meeting with C. Darwin Stolzenbach, Administrator of the National Capital Transportation Agency, 12:13PM

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 11:03 Subway Magazine, late 70s expansions
• 17:41 1981 blue/orange line routing, derailments
• 25:49 1983 yellow line opening, Shady Grove, snowstorm
• 31:29 1990 red, yellow, blue, and green extended, Clinton's inauguration
• 35:47 1997 green line split in half
• 39:47 1999 green line completion, SmarTrip, ATO, and beyond
• 45:08 viaducts: are they evil?

References & notes

1. [1]CBC News: Canada federal election 2025 live results
2. [2]CBC News: Head of mayors' group pushes back on Poilievre, says Canadian cities 'not gatekeepers'
3. [3]Wikipedia: Washington Metro § Accidents and incidents
4. [4]WMATA: Regional Transit System Plan (RTSP) 2040
5. [5]WMATA: Metro History
6. [6]Greater Greater Washington: Happy birthday, Metro! Watch Metro's evolution since 1976 in this slideshow
7. [7]Construction Physics: How Washington DC Got Its Metro
8. [8]Zachary M. Schrag: Operation: The Passengers
9. [9]Wikipedia: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
10. [10]Zachary M. Schrag: The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (Creating the North American Landscape)
11. [11]Wikipedia: Washington Metro rolling stock § 1000-series
12. [12]Bill Cannan & Company: DC Metro Maps
13. [13]Vanishing Underground: Washington DC's Metro Network Evolution
14. [14]Zachary M. Schrag: Subway Magazine
15. [15]Greater Greater Washington: What was up with the one-way Orange-Blue?
16. [16]Washington, DC Tourism: Navigating Washington, DC's Metro System

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 19:11 DC begins! (news is over)
• 21:33 DC Streetcar - 1997 plan
• 24:21 DC Streetcar - 2001 plan
• 26:00 DC Streetcar - 2005/2008/2010 plans
• 28:15 Attempts to build a streetcar
• 32:43 H Street Line
• 39:10 DC Circulator
• 45:24 Metro rolling stock
• 47:54 Metrobar
• 52:56 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: L.A. Metro to open LAX/Metro Transit Center Station June 6
2. [2]Wikipedia: DC Streetcar
3. [3]Wikipedia: Anacostia Line
4. [4]Greater Greater Washington: A history of streetcar planning in the District
5. [5]WAMU: Amid Funding Fight, D.C. Cuts Streetcar System From 22 To 8 Miles
6. [6]DDOT: District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis (2008)
7. [7]DDOT: District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis (2005)
8. [8]Wikipedia: DC Circulator
9. [9]Washingtonian: The DC Circulator Bus Is Probably Going to Die
10. [10]DC Circulator Map and Information Guide

Thumbnail Photo Credits: Jason Lawrence, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit Downtown Redmond Link Extension begins passenger service
2. [2]Wikipedia: Trolleybus § History
3. [3]Marcin Połom & Mikołaj Bartłomiejczyk: Charging on the Move: A Systematic Review of Trolleybus In-Motion Charging and Emerging Research Directions
4. [4]eCity powered by Solaris: In-motion charging (IMC)
5. [5]UITP: How in motion charging trolleybuses are advancing our cities
6. [6]UITP: In motion charging: Innovative trolleybus
7. [7]Urban Transport Magazine: Bus Electrification: A comparison of capital costs
8. [8]Utah State University Power Electronics Lab: EVR Facility

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: FRA compliance review report determines CHSRA in default of federal grant terms
2. [2]Wikipedia: Metrorrey
3. [3]Wikipedia: TransMetro (Monterrey)
4. [4]Wikipedia: Monterrey
5. [5]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 4
6. [6]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 5
7. [7]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 6
8. [8]Wikipedia: Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit
9. [9]UrbanRail.Net: North America > Mexico > Monterrey Metro
10. [10]CNBC: How an autonomous train-bus hybrid could transform city transit
11. [11]Metrorrey: Mapa de Red
12. [12]Movilidad Monterrey: Ecovía
13. [13]Reddit: Map from the Integrated public transportation system of Monterrey city in México.
14. [14]Google My Maps: Líneas Metro Monterrey - Draft 02a (rutas circulares)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: WMATA begins automatic train operation on entire rail system
2. [2]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: May 21, 1966: The end of the line for streetcars in St. Louis
3. [3]Wikipedia: Streetcars in St. Louis
4. [4]The Wellston Loop: Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis, Part 1
5. [5]STLPR: TRANSITion: From horses to high speed, the history of the region's mass transit
6. [6]Metro: Inside MetroLink
7. [7]OneSTL: Transit Ridership
8. [8]Wikipedia: MetroLink (St. Louis)
9. [9]Wikipedia: Transportation in St. Louis § Bus
10. [10]Wikipedia: MetroBus (St. Louis)
11. [11]STLPR: St. Louis weighs north-south MetroLink expansion
12. [12]East-West Gateway Council of Governments: Northside-Southside Light Rail Project Executive Summary
13. [13]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bi-State board agrees to take over, restart Loop Trolley
14. [14]STL Loop Trolley
15. [15]Wikipedia: Loop Trolley
16. [16]City of St. Louis, MO: A Preservation Plan for St. Louis
17. [17]Wikipedia: Eads Bridge
18. [18]Wikipedia: Downtown Tunnel (St. Louis)
19. [19]Railway Age: TriMet sells heritage trolleys to St. Louis
20. [20]Wikipedia: Green Line (St. Louis MetroLink)
21. [21]STLPR: Transit agency pauses MetroLink expansion at request of mayor

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: WMATA, MTA launch Better Bus Network redesigns
2. [2]Congestion Pricing - CSS Analysis
3. [3]SEPTA: SEPTA Board Approves FY26 Budget with Devastating Service Cuts & Fare Increases
4. [4]Wikipedia: South Yorkshire Supertram
5. [5]Wikipedia: Sheffield Tramway
6. [6]TheTrams.co.uk: Sheffield Supertram
7. [7]BBC News: Sheffield Supertram marks 20-year journey
8. [8]Wikipedia: Sheffield § History
9. [9]BBC News: South Yorkshire's Supertram back in public control
10. [10]Wikipedia: Transport Act 1985

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: VPRA awards $1 billion contract to Skanska to build Long Bridge North Project
2. [2]Mass Transit: New York City’s congestion pricing reducing traffic, increasing transit ridership in first six months
3. [3]BBC News: Washington locals react to Tyne and Wear Metro extension
4. [4]Wikipedia: Tyne and Wear Metro § Planned extension to Washington
5. [5]Wikipedia: Nexus (transport executive)
6. [6]Wikipedia: Tyneside Electrics § History
7. [7]Wikipedia: Newcastle Corporation Tramways
8. [8]nexus.org.uk: How Metro was built
9. [9]nexus.org.uk: What is Nexus?
10. [10]nexus.org.uk: Tyne and Wear Metro
11. [11]nexus.org.uk: My new Metro
12. [12]BBC News: Funds to upgrade Tyne and Wear Metro signal system confirmed
13. [13]CIHT North Eastern Branch: Building the Tyne and Wear Metro
14. [14]Views of Tyneside: History of Tyne and Wear Metro - Documentary - The Way Ahead
15. [15]Wikipedia: Tyne and Wear § Demography
16. [16]Wikipedia: Newcastle upon Tyne § Population
17. [17]DirectionNorth: Evolution of the Tyne and Wear Metro
18. [18]Wikipedia: Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, River Tyne

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro: Microtransit (thanks, Silicon Valley)
• 00:24 The News
  • 00:24 Crossrail (Elizabeth line) opening^[1]
  • 00:42 Tempe, Arizona streetcar opening^[2]
• 01:03 Theme song
• 01:34 Editor's note: industry obfuscation
• 02:24 A consultant's "definition" of microtransit^[3]
• 03:12 Microtransit: state-subsidized Uber Pool
• 03:33 The trouble with point-to-point
• 04:50 As run by a transit agency
• 05:32 Vehicles
• 05:55 Origins: dollar vans & jitneys; NYC subway strikes
  • 06:45 Manila's "Jeepneys"
  • 07:20 Helsinki's Kutsuplus route-deviated buses
• 08:00 Meet the startups: Via, Bridj, Chariot, and Split
• 09:17 Transit agency branding
• 09:47 Arguments for microtransit
  • 10:13 Equity
  • 10:40 Accessibility: similar to paratransit
  • 11:36 Speed & wait times
  • 12:13 Convenience: automobility & walking
  • 12:56 First- & last-mile (or more) connections
  • 14:02 Lower cost (BS)
  • 14:17 Covid safety nonsense; train/bus ACH
• 16:55 Microtransit in the real world
  • 17:11 Chariot went out of business
  • 17:50 KCMTA's pilot failure
  • 18:41 Rarely netting above 5 rides per vehicle per hour
  • 19:50 Operating costs & rideshare
• 21:54 Arguments dismantled ^{[4] [5]}
  • 22:16 Equity (it's worse than a regular bus)
    • 23:09 Point-to-point is unnecessary
    • 23:41 Bikes & bike infra please
    • 24:29 KCMTA should've spent the money on a bus
  • 25:02 Accessibility: good point. Paratransit should be better.
  • 25:54 Speed & wait times: both are way worse than fixed-route
  • 27:00 Convenience: irrelevant (see wait times)
  • 28:05 Contributes to road congestion
  • 29:33 First- & last-mile: walk, bike, roll
  • 30:32 Lower costs: literally false
• 30:42 Microtransit is a bad idea (grand conclusion)
  • 31:05 The Kutsuplus is a route-deviation bus done better
  • 31:36 Cop-out to avoid fighting to improve service
• 32:35 Bike infra please
• 33:13 Opportunity cost^[4]
• 33:51 Don't let your transit agency do this
• 34:33 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]TfL: All aboard the transformational Elizabeth line
2. [2]Valley Metro: Streetcar is now open in Tempe
3. [3]FTA: Shared Mobility Definitions
4. [4]TransitCenter: The Limits of Microtransit
5. [5]Human Transit: What is "Microtransit" For?
6. [6]Bloomberg CityLab: How the Microtransit Movement Is Changing Urban Mobility
7. [7]2020 Annual Agency Profile: LA Metro
8. [8]2020 Annual Agency Profile: Utah Transit Authority
9. [9]Vox: These startups want to do for buses what Uber did for taxi rides
10. [10]Smart Circle: The rise of the Microtransit movement
11. [11]Utah Transit Authority Quarterly Microtransit Pilot Project Evaluation
12. [12]Yann Leriche: Microtransit: The Next Mobility Revolution or Much Ado About Nothing?
13. [13]Streetsblog USA: The Story of "Micro Transit" Is Consistent, Dismal Failure

References with conflict of interest

14. [14]Mass Transit: The Role of Microtransit for Better Equity and Inclusion
15. [15]Strong Towns: Transportation's Missing Middle
16. [16]Via: What is microtransit?
17. [17]SUMC MLC: Microtransit Service Expands Operating Hours to Weekends in Jersey City, New Jersey, 2021

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: FRA rescinds $4 billion in unspent federal funding to CHSRA
2. [2]Miami Herald: Why Florida's Brightline passenger train is deadliest in US
3. [3]Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours: History of our Tramway
4. [4]Wikipedia: Blackpool Tramway § Fares and ticketing
5. [5]Wikipedia: Blackpool
6. [6]Wikipedia: Blackpool Tower
7. [7]Wikipedia: Blackpool Heritage Trams

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit's Federal Way Link Extension opening moved up to winter 2025
2. [2]Mass Transit: KC Streetcar Main Street Extension set to open Oct. 24
3. [3]Wikipedia: West Midlands Metro § Further development
4. [4]Wikipedia: Birmingham Corporation Tramways
5. [5]Wikipedia: Birmingham
6. [6]West Midlands Metro: Welcome to West Midlands Metro
7. [7]BBC News: Business case approved for Birmingham tram extension
8. [8]Midland Metro Alliance: East Birmingham to Solihull Metro Extension
9. [9]Narrow Boat Info: Canal Map
10. [10]Wikipedia: List of primary urban areas in England by population
11. [11]Ashley Rabot: The West Midlands Metro EXPLAINED

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: TriMet closing Skidmore Fountain MAX Station
2. [2]Wikipedia: Glasgow
3. [3]Glasgow Live: The plans for 50 new Glasgow subway stations and where they were going to be
4. [4]Strathclyde Partnership for Transport: Celebrating 125 years of Subway
5. [5]Summerlee Transport Group: The Clockwork Orange - The Story of the Glasgow Underground
6. [6]Glasgow Sub Crawl: The history of the Glasgow Subway
7. [7]Curbside Classic: Trackside Classic: 1896 Glasgow Subway Car No. 1 – Simply Different
8. [8]nycsubway.org: Glasgow, Scotland
9. [9]Wikipedia: Glasgow Subway rolling stock
10. [10]Wikipedia: Glasgow Subway
11. [11]Foulger Rail Photos via Wikipedia: A train on the Glasgow Subway in 2024
12. [12]David Arthur and RaviC via Wikipedia: Proposed alignment for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MTA advances Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 with awarding tunnel boring contract
2. [2]MTA: Second Avenue Subway FEIS - Chapter 8 - Displacement and Relocation
3. [3]CBS New York: As 2nd Avenue subway advances, eminent domain will force dozens to move
4. [4]Mass Transit: MTA advances Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 with awarding tunnel boring contract
5. [5]Wikipedia: Nottingham § Education
6. [6]Wikipedia: Nottingham Express Transit
7. [7]Nottingham City Transport: History
8. [8]Nottinghamshire Live: The birth of Nottingham's NET tram system and how it has evolved
9. [9]Wikipedia: Nottingham Corporation Tramways
10. [10]NET Support: Full tram timetable
11. [11]topographic-map.com: Nottingham topographic map

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: BART expands fare collection process to accept contactless payments
2. [2]LendingTree: The Cost of Accepting Credit Card Payments: NA vs. EU
3. [3]Wikipedia: Edinburgh Trams § Rolling stock
4. [4]Wikipedia: Haymarket railway station § Services
5. [5]Edinburgh Live: Recalling Edinburgh's original tram system which was scrapped 67 years ago tonight
6. [6]BBC News: Edinburgh trams: Public to be consulted over extension
7. [7]Wikipedia: Trams in Edinburgh § Edinburgh Corporation Transport (1928-1956)
8. [8]Ben Hopkinson: "Hell on wheels": the Edinburgh Trams Story
9. [9]BBC News: Going off the rails: The Edinburgh trams saga
10. [10]Granton History: Edinburgh tram routes 1950
11. [11]Wikipedia: Edinburgh
12. [12]Edinburgh Trams: Timetables
13. [13]Bank of England: Inflation calculator

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: CA: High-speed rail project slated to receive billions in state funding
2. [2]California High-Speed Rail Authority: Pacheco Pass factsheet
3. [3]Inquisitr News: Trump Scraps Trail And Bike-Lane Grants Deemed 'Hostile' to Cars
4. [4]Wikipedia: Runcorn Busway
5. [5]TCRP Report 90, Volume 1, BRT Case Studies: Runcorn, United Kingdom - Brief: Runcorn Busway
6. [6]Freewheeling: Why don't we talk more about Runcorn?
7. [7]BBC Archive: 1971: Nationwide: Runcorn 'Busway'
8. [8]Wikipedia: Runcorn
9. [9]Google Maps: Runcorn
10. [10]Bank of England: Inflation calculator
11. [11]BusAndTrainUser: R is for Runcorn
12. [12]Wikipedia: Runcorn § Demography
13. [13]David Peace: Elevated busway at Runcorn Shopping City

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: BART sustainability report reveals nearly all its contracted energy is greenhouse gas-free
2. [2]The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: A Message From The Frog Resistance
3. [3]Google Maps: Memphis, TN
4. [4]Wikipedia: MATA Trolley
5. [5]Wikipedia: Memphis Area Transit Authority
6. [6]Wikipedia: Memphis, Tennessee § Demographics
7. [7]Wikipedia: Memphis Street Railway Company
8. [8]WMC Memphis: 5 Star Stories: Memphis' beloved vintage trolley cars a worthy labor of love
9. [9]Commercial Appeal: MATA hopes trolleys can return this summer; Memphis City Council skeptical of more funding
10. [10]Memphis Travel: Ride the Downtown Memphis Trolley
11. [11]Nicolas Henderson: Bass Pro Shop, Memphis, TN
12. [12]McGraw Electric Railway Manual Maps (1913): Lines of the Memphis Street Railway Co.
13. [13]Memphis Area Transit Authority: MATA Trolley Map (Mar. 19, 2021)
14. [14]Memphis Area Transit Authority: MATA Trolley Map - Main Street Line

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Wikipedia: Staten Island Railway
2. [2]MTA: Staten Island West Shore Expressway Proposal
3. [3]Wikipedia: History of the Staten Island Railway
4. [4]MTA: Staten Island West Shore Alternatives - Korean War Veterans Parkway + Richmond Avenue
5. [5]Staten Island Media Group: Then and Now: Railroad tracks that carried life around Staten Island
6. [6]Railfanning.org: How the Staten Island Railway Went from Three Lines to One
7. [7]MTA: Staten Island Railway timetable
8. [8]Wikipedia: Staten Island
9. [9]Google Maps: Stapleton
10. [10]International Railway Journal: Ferromex owner to acquire Florida East Coast Railway
11. [11]nycsubway.org: Retired Fleet
12. [12]Wikipedia: List of The Pink Panther characters § The Little Man
13. [13]Mass Transit: Honolulu's Skyline Segment 2 begins passenger service
14. [14]Mass Transit: Santa Clara VTA confirms single bore as preferred tunnel configuration for BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project
15. [15]Car Free Keith: Honolulu's Driverless Metro Line Just Got a Lot Better
16. [16]NYPL: Ferry Terminal, St. George, Staten Island, N.Y. (buildings with trains and r.r. tracks) (NYPL b15279351-104684)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: REM's Deux-Montagnes branch begins passenger service
2. [2]Curbed Chicago: When Chicago's Yellow Line was the future of urban transportation
3. [3]Wikipedia: Yellow Line (CTA) § History
4. [4]CTA: CTA, Skokie Celebrate 50 years of Swift 'L' Service
5. [5]JFK Library: Legislative Summary: Housing
6. [6]The Trolley Dodger: Skokie Swift: The "True Gen"
7. [7]The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal: Skokie Swift: "The Commuter's Friend"
8. [8]CTA: CTA CONVERTING SKOKIE SWIFT TO THIRD RAIL POWER
9. [9]Wikipedia: Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
10. [10]UtahRails.net: The Golden Pass: Parleys Canyon, Utah
11. [11]Jameslwoodward: Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad coach #700.
12. [12]Roger Puta: The Skokie Swift's rolling stock was dedicated of four 5000-series trainsets, seen here in April 1966.
13. [13]Jonathan Lee: A rare four-car Yellow Line / Skokie Swift train of Bombardier-built 5000-series 'L' cars sweeps through Oakton Curve in Skokie.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Library of Congress: Speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt, New York (Transcript)
2. [2]Rice University: John F. Kennedy Speech
3. [3]Mass Transit: Ontario government extends One Fare free transfer program for another two years
4. [4]Mass Transit: MARTA to launch NextGen Bus Network April 2026
5. [5]u/luxusbuerg: Piss car VS c*m car
6. [6]Reddit: r/BenGarrisonC*mEdits (which managed to get banned between recording and publication)
7. [7]Reddit: (post lost to the winds of time)
8. [8]Reddit: (post lost to the winds of time)
9. [9]The Texas Tribune: What's next after a court blocked Texas' gerrymandered maps
10. [10]Wikipedia: Panama Metro § Lines 6, 7, and 8 (tram)
11. [11]Bus Ex: El Metro de Panama: The first of its kind in Central America
12. [12]El Metro de Panamá
13. [13]El Metro de Panamá: Project Ramal Airport
14. [14]International Railway Journal: Panama City's first metro line nears completion
15. [15]Sisgeo: Panama City metro project
16. [16]Wikipedia: Panama City § Economy
17. [17]Wikipedia: Panama
18. [18]Wikipedia: Panama Canal
19. [19]Google Maps: Bridge of the Americas & southwest of Panama City
20. [20]US Inflation Calculator: Inflation Calculator
21. [21]Dronepicr: Panama Papers (photo)
22. [22]u/Talgoporta: Panama City Metro accordingly to masterplan network by 2040

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro: transit hubs
• 00:24 The News
• 00:29 Trivia time!: Stations named "Union"^{[1] [2] [3]}
• 02:04 Theme song (abruptly)
• 02:37 What is a transit hub?^{[4] [5]}
• 03:38 Types of transit hubs (part 1: big, part 2: small)
• 04:46 Buildings, plazas, transit malls
• 05:12 "Intermodal" hubs
• 06:02 Salesforce Transit Center (SF)^[6]
• 07:01 Why are transit hubs so important?
  • 07:10 #1: High connectivity
  • 08:04 #2: Cooperation between operators; balkanization
  • 08:59 Apps & quality of service
  • 09:40 #3: Public face of the transit system
  • 10:40 #3.5: Improved status of transit riders
  • 12:09 #4: _Transit_ _Oriented_ _Development_^{[17] [18]}
    • 13:13 Denver Union Station^{[12] [13] [14]}
• 15:19 Let's talk Salt Lake & bad hubs
  • 15:51 Salt Lake "Central" "Station" (or the lack thereof)
  • 18:07 Penn Station
  • 23:08 Ribbon cutting vs. real improvements
  • 24:27 Equity: rail vs. bus passengers
• 26:17 How can we make good transit hubs?
  • 26:30 #1: Connectivity (most important)
  • 27:30 #2: Proximity to the city core
  • 29:39 #3: Accessibility (wayfinding, ped/bike friendliness)^[15]
• 31:02 WeRateTransitHubs
  • 31:09 Penn Station
  • 31:44 Salt Lake Central Station
  • 32:41 Portland Transit Mall^{[9] [10] [11]}
• 34:09 The Rio Grande Plan
• 39:11 The climate or whatever
• 41:17 Outro, part 2, & corruption

References & notes

1. [1]Smithsonian Magazine: Why Do So Many Train Stations Have the Same Name?
2. [2]The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Hartsfield-Jackson's passenger counts up 76% in 2021
3. [3]WorldAtlas: The 10 Busiest Railway Stations In North America
4. [4]Exploring Links Between Transit Hubs and Built Environment in Asian Cities
5. [5]Idaho Statesman: Boise's new Downtown transit center is open. Here’s how to use it.
6. [6]Wikipedia: Transbay Transit Center
7. [7]TripSavvy: Penn Station in New York: The Complete Guide
8. [8]Wikipedia: Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
9. [9]TriMet: History of the Portland Mall
10. [10]Wikipedia: Portland Transit Mall
11. [11]TriMet: The Portland Transit Mall
12. [12]RTD: Union Station TOD Project
13. [13]Wikipedia: Denver Union Station
14. [14]Denver Union Station: A True Public-Private Partnership
15. [15]METRO Magazine: Mass Transit Hubs Made More Adaptable, Efficient by Top-Quality Digital Signage
16. [16]Bloomberg CityLab: Planning the Transit Hubs of the Future
17. [17]NYT: Transit Hubs: A Growing Lure for Developers
18. [18]WSP: Blank Canvas Development Around Transport Hubs

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 0:00 cold open & realizing we've already done this one (Episode 95)
• 3:31 The trans flag in Sofi's flag display is in the drawer instead of on the wall
• 4:31Episcopilled
• 5:30 BILL: H.B. 183 (2026)^[1]
• 7:15 A nuclear bomb for trans people
• 11:32 LEA = "local education agency" not "law enforcement agency" – to Sofi's credit the definition of this is buried so far in state code it took me a good 5-10 minutes to find
• 14:16^[2]
• 20:15 artillery side plot
• 23:06 BILL: H.B. 152 (2026)^[3]
• 24:48 state boundaries
• 28:29 HUC-10 map
• 30:32 BILL: H.B. 196 (2026)^[5]
• 33:13 Trevor Lee's district map
• 33:59 BILL: H.B. 96 (2026)^[7]
• 36:00 OTC Ivermectin [8]
• 37:35 BILL: H.B. 84 (2026)^[9]
• 39:07 state boundaries cont.
• 39:12 HUC-2 map
• 39:46 HUC-4 map
• 41:36 HUC-8 map
• 43:59 HUC-14 map
• 45:59 HUC-12 map
• 47:30 HUC-8 map again
• 48:29 statewide canal map
• 50:47 Trump-stapo
• 1:03:51 Sofi's bill tracker (hopefully will post soon, don't be afraid to make your own!)
• 1:08:01 outro

References & notes

1. [1]Utah State Legislature: HB0183
2. [2]Erin In The Morning: Over 400,000 Transgender People Have Moved States Since Trump's Election
3. [3]Utah State Legislature: HB0152
4. [4]U.S. Geological Survey: How can I find the HUC (Hydrologic Unit Code) for a stream? How can I find the name/location of a stream using the HUC?
5. [5]Utah State Legislature: HB0196
6. [6]The National Map: 3D Viewer
7. [7]Utah State Legislature: HB0096
8. [8]MedPage Today: These States Now Allow OTC Ivermectin, and More May Follow
9. [9]Utah State Legislature: HB0084

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: CHSRA issues request for qualifications for co-development agreement to speed up completion of high-speed rail project
2. [2]Wikipedia: Château Frontenac
3. [3]Wikipedia: Quebec City Tramway
4. [4]Wikipedia: Quebec City tramway (1865–1948)
5. [5]CDPQ Infra: TramCité
6. [6]TramCité: Un tramway sur mesure pour Québec
7. [7]CDPQ Infra: Carte QC complet
8. [8]CBC News: Quebec unveils new details about future Quebec City tramway
9. [9]Railway News: SYSTRA Canada Chosen to Design Quebec Tramway
10. [10]Railway Technology: Quebec City Tramway Network, Canada
11. [11]Visit Québec City: Public Transportation in Québec City
12. [12]Wikipedia: Réseau de transport de la Capitale
13. [13]RTC: Réseau de transport de la Capitale
14. [14]Wikipedia: Quebec Bridge
15. [15]Bank of Canada: Inflation Calculator
16. [16]Woke 2

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit Crosslake Connection to open March 28
2. [2]Mass Transit: L.A. Metro selects underground heavy rail as locally preferred alternative for Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project
3. [3]Wikipedia: Water taxi
4. [4]Wikipedia: Ferry
5. [5]Yachting: Onboard the Venice Water Taxi
6. [6]New York Water Taxi: The History of New York Water Taxi
7. [7]ACTV: Linee di navigazione \ Waterborne routes
8. [8]Dolphin Water Taxi: Personal Water Taxi Vs. Public Ferry; Which One is Right For You?
9. [9]Wikipedia: Vaporetto
10. [10]Wikipedia: Venice
11. [11]Wikipedia: New York Water Taxi
12. [12]electrive: Stockholm welcomes the world’s first electric-powered hydrofoil ferry
13. [13]Tom Scott: This electric ferry uses a very long extension cord
14. [14]Tom Scott: The Vengabus Timetable
15. [15]Lars Petrus: The IKEA Dictionary
16. [16]Project Britain: Understanding old British money - pounds, shillings and pence
17. [17]WFRC: Oquirrh Connection Feasibility Study Report
18. [18]William England - Ferry boats in the bay, New York

Patreon-exclusive companion episode coming out soon!

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Wasatch Backcountry Alliance: Mill Creek Canyon Winter Pilot Shuttle!
2. [2]Erin In The Morning
3. [3]Utah State Legislature: SB0242
4. [4]The Salt Lake Tribune: Proposed Power District road upgrades could be illegal under Utah traffic-calming bill
5. [5]Wikipedia: Rack railway
6. [6]Wikipedia: Quincy and Torch Lake Cog Railway
7. [7]The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway: Cog History
8. [8]Wikipedia: Pikes Peak Cog Railway
9. [9]Wikipedia: Pikes Peak § Recorded discovery
10. [10]Wikipedia: Pike Expedition
11. [11]Wikipedia: Mount Washington Cog Railway
12. [12]ASCE: Mount Washington Cog Railway
13. [13]Wikipedia: Rack railway
14. [14]Wikipedia: List of the highest major summits of the United States
15. [15]Building Salt Lake: UDOT’s choice for rail expansion at Point of the Mountain wilts under analysis [Opinion]
16. [16]American Battlefield Trust: Civil War Casualties
17. [17]Wikipedia: COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country
18. [18]Wikipedia: Demographic history of the United States
19. [19]The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway: FAQ
20. [20]WFRC: Oquirrh Connection Feasibility Study Report
21. [21]SLCo Parks & Rec: Butterfield, Rose, and Yellow Fork Canyons Open Space and Trails Master Plan
22. [22]ACLU Utah: HB517 (Sensitive Materials)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: L.A. Metro sees drop in most crime rates in 2025 while expanding security presence
2. [2]Wikipedia: New Mexico Rail Runner Express
3. [3]Trains Magazine: New Mexico Rail Runner Express
4. [4]Rio Metro: Rail Anniversary
5. [5]El Palacio: Tracks Through Time
6. [6]Rio Metro: Weekday Schedule
7. [7]Wikipedia: Albuquerque, New Mexico
8. [8]Rio Metro: Sandoval County Bus Schedules
9. [9]Wikipedia: List of states and territories of the United States
10. [10]STB: UP-NS Merger Resources
11. [11]Jacob Geller: Indiana Jones and the Objective Existence of God
12. [12]American Red Cross: Mission Red Talking Points
13. [13]Online Etymology Dictionary: phlebotomy
14. [14]Rio Metro: Wi-Fi
15. [15]Rio Metro: Rail Runner System Map

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit begins passenger service on Line 2 Crosslake Connection
2. [2]Wikipedia: Railroad chapel car
3. [3]Chapel Cars of America
4. [4]JSTOR Daily: Railroad Chapel Cars Brought God to the People
5. [5]Pullman History Site: The Pullman Company - Chapel Cars
6. [6]This Train Is Bound For Glory - Chapter Two
7. [7]Heroes, Heroines, and History: Chapel Cars
8. [8]Accidentally Wes Anderson: Chapel Car "Grace"
9. [9]Orthodox History: Churches on wheels: then and now
10. [10]Catholic Stand: A Catholic Holy Roller: The Story of the St. Anthony Chapel Car
11. [11]Fargo History: Gethsemane Cathedral

(Sofi didn't write any news, but not to worry, WE [humans] WENT TO THE MOON!!!!)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Hank Green: Explaining the Most Important Artemis II Photos
2. [2]Wikipedia: Angels Flight
3. [3]Wikipedia: Bunker Hill, Los Angeles § Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project
4. [4]Angels Flight (r) Railway: History of Angels Flight (r)
5. [5]Discover Los Angeles: Angels Flight: The Story of an L.A. Icon
6. [6]California Historic Route 66 Association: Angels Flight Railway
7. [7]American Ghost Walks: Angels Flight: LA's Haunted Railway & Its Mysterious History
8. [8]Angels Flight (r) Railway: The Story of an L.A. Icon
9. [9]Wikipedia: 3rd Street (Los Angeles)
10. [10]Water and Power Associates: Third Street Tunnel
11. [11]MonServicePublic: How to get about on foot in the Principality
12. [12]The Tim Traveller and Matt Gray: In Monaco, Elevators Are A Form Of Public Transport. So We Raced Them.

In the news: the Kansas City Streetcar will reach its full length starting in May (6.4 miles).

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension to open for passenger service May 18
2. [2]KSL NewsRadio 102.7 FM: S-Line extension aims to provide easier access to businesses, housing in Sugar House
3. [3]City of Kansas City: KC Streetcar Starts Rolling to the River on May 18
4. [4]Wikipedia: Puerto Rico
5. [5]Wikipedia: Tren Urbano § Rolling stock
6. [6]Wikipedia: Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority
7. [7]U.S. Department of Transportation: Tren Urbano
8. [8]Robert Schwandl's Urban Rail Blog: SAN JUAN Tren Urbano
9. [9]Metro Magazine: Tren Urbano represents historic landmark for Puerto Rico
10. [10]Yo Soy Borinquen: Tren Urbano (Urban Train)
11. [11]Greater Greater Washington: Metro has a twin in San Juan, Puerto Rico
12. [12]Wikipedia: Rail transport in Puerto Rico
13. [13]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI Inflation Calculator
14. [14]Sistema de Metro de Puerto Rico (Map from TUSCA, 1972)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: UTA's Midvalley Express BRT begins passenger service
2. [2]KSL News Utah: Proposed Data Center in Box Elder County
3. [3]@AnalytiKroll: Video of the driver flooring it into the wall.
4. [4]Wikipedia: Ion rapid transit
5. [5]Grand River Transit: Performance measures
6. [6]CTV News: Timeline: Looking back at a 17-year journey to ION
7. [7]Green Municipal Fund: Case study: Region of Waterloo, ON, develops LRT to connect its urban centres
8. [8]Region of Waterloo: Stage 2 ION
9. [9]Region of Waterloo: The ION Story

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Utah Transit Authority: UTA launches into summer construction schedule with S-Line streetcar extension and grade crossing
2. [2]Wikipedia: Union Pearson Express
3. [3]Transit Toronto: The Union-Pearson Express
4. [4]UP Express: 10 Years of UP Express
5. [5]Neptis Foundation: Union Pearson (UP) Express
6. [6]u/Spellbinder_Iria: UP Express photos overlaid with layout diagrams
7. [7]Wikipedia: Toronto
8. [8]Wikipedia: Toronto Pearson International Airport
9. [9]Atlas Obscura: D.C.'s Underground Bald Cypress Fossils
10. [10]The Holy See: Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026)
11. [11]Wikipedia: WES Commuter Rail

Utah Transit Riders Union:https://utru.org/

Follow@RideUTRU

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Cities Skylines
• 00:41 Intro: Curtis Haring, Executive Director of UTRU
• 01:07 The News
  • 01:26 Montreal REM delays
  • 02:16 Double-tracking on Indiana's South Shore line
• 02:52 Curtis's background
• 04:07 Transit in Bountiful, UT
• 05:30 Lifelong transit rider
• 06:57 Background in advocacy
• 09:09 UTRU & UTA: adversarial ally
• 10:42 Other transit systems in Utah
• 11:28 Curtis's routes
• 12:18 August 2022 Change Day & Rose Park
• 13:17 Brief history of UTRU
  • 14:23 The seven-day challenge
  • 15:05 UTRU post-pandemic
  • 16:28 Transit is at a crossroads
  • 18:13 The climate crisis
  • 18:50 Successes of UTRU
• 20:15 Community councils
  • 20:50 The Avenues
  • 23:56 Everything's local
• 25:12 UTRU outreach & awareness
• 28:13 The future rider
• 28:56 Representatives & bus stops
• 30:42 Biggest issues along the Wasatch Front
  • 31:01 Rubber-stamping roads projects, transit eh
  • 31:27 UDOT taking over rail building
  • 33:18 Utah grew up when cars became a thing
  • 34:01 Lack of transit education
• 37:46 Free Fare February & barriers
  • 41:14 UVX
  • 42:34 Free Fare Forever?
  • 45:15 Why car?
• 46:42 Advice for people who want to get involved
  • 48:42 Building communities around people
  • 49:37 Utah's future
• 50:30 Blathering on
  • 50:41 Cities Skylines
  • 51:44 Complaining about microtransit
  • 56:06 30 minute minimum frequency
• 58:37 Engage with policymakers
• 59:55 Transit is an issue of economics
• 1:01:23 Ribbon-cutting
• 1:03:03 Outro: follow UTRU

References & notes

1. [1]CBC: Opening of most REM light rail stations pushed back to end of 2024
2. [2]Mass Transit: Construction begins for 'game changing' South Shore Line Double Track project
3. [3]The Salt Lake Tribune Archive: UTA says committee meetings are no longer public, which may violate Utah law

See also

4. [4]Transit Riders of the United States Together (TRUST)
5. [5]Wikipedia: List of urban transit advocacy organisations

Graphic we look at (36:15): (PDF)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro: neighborhood hubs
• 00:41 The News
  • 00:41 MBTA incompetence^[1]
  • 03:44 CT Transit bus caught fire^[2]
  • 04:40 Subway wireless service^[3]
  • 05:15 UTA opens 600 South station
  • 06:19 S-Line ridership
• 07:43 Last week, we focused on large transit hubs
• 08:08 Greyhound no longer operates out of Salt Lake Central
• 08:55 Intro: neighborhood mobility hubs
• 10:14 Lower-density centers
• 11:01 9th & 9th in SLC
• 12:36 Placemaking is key
• 13:20 Mobility hubs usually form around rapid transit stations
• 15:20 Benefits
  • 15:20 Nodes of connectivity
  • 15:48 Safer transfer points
  • 16:33 Convenience: a conspicuous place
  • 17:28 Centralized parking for e-scooters
  • 18:03 Development & character of a neighborhood
  • 20:15 Property taxes
  • 21:10 Urbanism
• 21:40 What makes a good mobility hub?
  • 21:48 Connectivity & enabling freedom from cars
  • 23:13 Connect to surrounding neighborhoods
  • 25:13 As many modes as possible
  • 26:28 Connect to nearby neighborhoods
  • 26:55 Proximity: centers of everything
  • 28:00 Getting home safe, multimodally
  • 31:28 Typologies of how people move around
  • 33:22 WiFi
  • 34:15 Public art
  • 35:27 Libraries
• 36:15 We look atthis graphic
• 38:25 Alex rides the 209
• 38:45 Noticing a lot more while on transit
• 40:03 Self-reinforcing placemaking
• 40:45 Neighborhood identity
• 44:17 Salt Lake development
• 45:46 Growth & water use
• 47:30 Pioneer Park development
• 48:39 Accessibility
• 50:30 Road diets: design for people
• 51:39 Mobility hub good
• 52:04 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MA: 'Frightening' Orange Line fire was sparked by metal siding coming into contact with electrified rail, MBTA says
2. [2]Mass Transit: CT: CTtransit takes electric bus fleet off road after bus catches fire
3. [3]Mass Transit: MTA announces universal subway wireless connectivity plan
4. [4]Transportation Solutions: Mobility Hubs
5. [5]Actionfigure: How mobility hubs are changing city transit
6. [6]Metro: Mass Transit Hubs Made More Adaptable, Efficient by Top-Quality Digital Signage
7. [7]Wikipedia: Transport hub
8. [8]Reimagining Transit Hubs and Transfer Points
9. [9]Transit Forward RI: Mobility Hubs
10. [10]Urban Design Studio: Mobility Hubs
11. [11]Urbanism Next: Mobility Hubs

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:36 The News
  • 00:36 Amtrak Cascades returns to Vancouver^[1]
  • 02:11 HART begins testing^[2]
• 04:05 Portland's population and geography
• 07:17 Fun facts about Portland
• 08:43 Homelessness
• 10:16 History ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [19]}
  • 10:25 The streetcar (of course)
  • 12:19 Bridges
  • 14:42 Electric streetcars
  • 16:33 The Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
  • 17:33 Gas tax
  • 18:09 Fall of the streetcar
  • 19:36 Streetcar ridership
  • 20:15 Trolleybuses
  • 20:42 Bus route naming
  • 22:31 WWII
  • 23:25 Robert Moses
  • 24:50 Freeway construction
  • 26:03 Highway removal on the Willamette
  • 27:50 Mount Hood freeway
  • 29:09 Transit-oriented thinking
  • 30:23 Freeway opposition
  • 33:50 TriMet
  • 35:47 Improving service
  • 38:05 The downtown transit mall^[7]
  • 39:06 Troubles in the '70s and '80s
  • 39:39 The MAX
  • 42:10 Westside MAX
  • 43:45 Airport & Interstate MAX
  • 45:25 Portland Streetcar & beyond
• 47:33 Today ^{[14] [15] [17]}
  • 47:58 MAX Yellow Line
  • 48:50 MAX Orange Line
  • 49:46 MAX Green Line
  • 51:28 The Steel Bridge
  • 52:00 MAX Red Line
  • 52:32 MAX Blue Line
  • 53:28 The Streetcar
  • 53:56 It goes everywhere
  • 54:58 Ridership & modeshare^[3]
  • 56:11 FX2-Division^[3]
  • 58:44 Bus service
  • 59:03 The Streetcar
• 1:00:44 A will to do better
• 1:02:06 Challenges
  • 1:02:21 Ridership because of the pandemic
  • 1:02:31 Crippling operator shortage
  • 1:03:11 Safety for operators
  • 1:04:45 Pay for operators
  • 1:06:05 Steel Bridge capacity
  • 1:08:14 Speed downtown^[3]
  • 1:09:33 Coverage in outlying areas
  • 1:10:12 Connections to the north
• 1:11:01 The future ^{[4] [6]}
  • 1:11:18 Southwest Corridor light rail^[5]
  • 1:12:26 Red Line improvement project
  • 1:12:42 MAX tunnel^[18]
  • 1:15:27 Light rail plans
  • 1:16:28 Streetcar extension
  • 1:16:56 I-5 bridge
  • 1:18:06 The future is bright
• 1:20:05 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Amtrak Cascades resumes service to Vancouver, BC
2. [2] Mass Transit: HART begins trial running on Honolulu rail line
3. [3]PBOT: Enhanced Transit Corridors Plan
4. [4]BikePortland: In bid for federal funding, Metro shares list of regional transit project priorities
5. [5]TriMet: Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project
6. [6]TriMet: Unified Service Enhancement Plan
7. [7]American Planning Association: 5th and 6th Avenues – Portland Transit Mall: Portland, Oregon
8. [8]TriMet: History
9. [9]TriMet: Making History (interactive)
10. [10]TriMet: Making History (PDF)
11. [11]The TriMet Story
12. [12]Oregon Encyclopedia: Portland streetcar system
13. [13]Portland Streetcar: Streetcar History
14. [14]Wikipedia: MAX Light Rail
15. [15]Wikipedia: Portland Streetcar
16. [16]Wikipedia: C-Tran (Washington)
17. [17]WES Commuter Rail
18. [18]Metro: The MAX Tunnel Study
19. [19]Wikipedia: TriMet
20. [20]C-Tran
21. [21]C-Tran: The Vine Schedules

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:24 Theme song (no news today)
• 00:56 A big project for Honolulu's size
• 02:41 Oahu's geography^[7]
• 04:21 History of public transit in Honolulu ^[5]
  • 07:40 Mayor Fasi
  • 09:54 TheBus
  • 10:37 Success & ridership
• 12:11 No space to expand H1
• 12:29 How HART got its start
  • 12:55 High-capacity transit attempted since early on
  • 13:45 Reagan
  • 14:48 Cheese
  • 15:57 Light rail not suited
  • 16:33 Fasi returns
  • 17:44 The HART project of today
  • 18:29 EIS purgatory
  • 20:24 2008 recession
• 21:49 The project finally starts
  • 23:18 Fully elevated
  • 24:40 Tourism & surfboard racks
  • 25:31 Light metro features
  • 27:10 Ridership
• 28:14 Cost overruns, delays, et cetera
  • 28:33 Cost overruns
  • 28:46 Huge delays
  • 29:45 The American cost snake
  • 31:48 Initial cost estimate
  • 33:01 Protected wilderness
  • 33:43 Human remains
  • 39:12 Usual NIMBY nonsense
  • 39:45 Cost of total elevation
• 41:59 Moral of the story
• 43:00 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]Wikipedia: Honolulu Rail Transit § Previous projects
2. [2]Hawai'i Real Estate and Living: Honolulu Rail Transit Status
3. [3]Wikipedia: Honolulu
4. [4]Hawaii Business Magazine: How Rail Got to $12.45 Billion and 11 Years Late
5. [5]Wikipedia: TheBus (Honolulu)
6. [6]Honolulu Rail Transit: International lessons from Barcelona in linking urban form, design, and transportation
7. [7] There are other freeways on Oahu, but H1 is the principal freeway, covering the main urbanized area. H2 and H3 connect through the mountains to outlying suburbs.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:46 The News
  • 00:46 MBTA Orange Line shutdown progress
• 04:47 What is a trolleybus?
  • 06:25 Switches
  • 07:30 Two wires
  • 07:52 Charging-in-motion
• 08:25 Trolleybuses in former Eastern Bloc countries
• 10:17 Trolleybuses in North America ^[2]
  • 11:02 Boston
  • 12:23 Dayton, Ohio^[13]
• 13:06 History ^[1]
  • 14:30 Streetcar replacement
  • 15:25 Survivors
  • 16:18 Interurban trolleybuses^[14]
• 17:35 The battery-electric bus ^[9]
  • 18:12 Off-wire useful for some routes
  • 19:30 Electrification good
  • 20:37 Huge batteries bad
  • 22:35 Metra and BNSF's battery locomotives^{[16] [17] [18]}
  • 24:19 Charging means more vehicles are needed
  • 26:13 Cost of charging infrastructure
  • 26:49 Catching fire^{[11] [21]}
  • 30:20 The University of Utah's one BEB
• 31:15 BEBs work, but trolleys are better
• 32:12 Smaller, safer batteries
• 32:41 Long lifespan
• 33:17 Battery mining bad
• 34:30 Cost^[5]
• 36:34 MBTA^{[7] [22]}
• 37:10 Limitations of trolleys
  • 37:22 Infrastructure costs
  • 39:20 Weather
  • 40:32 NIMBYs
• 42:41 The best solution
• 43:09 Salt Lake City: 200 South^[24]
• 45:34 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]Wikipedia: Trolleybus § History
2. [2]Wikipedia: Trolleybus usage by country § North America
3. [3]Low-Tech Magazine: Get wired (again): Trolleybuses and Trolleytrucks
4. [4]Siemens: On the road with electric power
5. [5]Urban Transport Magazine: Bus Electrification: A comparison of capital costs
6. [6]King County Metro: King County Trolley Bus Evaluation
7. [7]Streetsblog MASS: Batteries, Or Overhead Wires? The Debate Over Zero-Emission Bus Technology
8. [8]WHYY: SEPTA's cracking battery buses raise questions about the future of electric transit
9. [9]Wikipedia: Battery electric bus
10. [10]Albuquerque Journal: ABQ's electric bus trial run
11. [11]CT Insider: NTSB joins probe of CT’s 'rare' electric bus fire; only 18 verified incidents globally since 2010
12. [12]The Guardian: Could trolleybuses be the incredible solution for greener public transit?
13. [13]Wikipedia: Trolleybuses in Dayton
14. [14]The Onion: Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan
15. [15]Bus lane enforcement cameras
16. [16]Trains: Metra board approves deal for up to six battery locomotives
17. [17]METRO Magazine: Metra to Create Battery-Powered Locomotives
18. [18]BNSF: BNSF leads the charge on testing battery-electric locomotive
19. [19]USAID-NREL: Electrifying transit: A guidebook for implementing battery electric buses § 3.3 Charging
20. [20]NEMA: Charging Infrastructure for Battery-Electric Buses
21. [21]Brock Archer: High Voltage Vehicle Firefighting § 5:45 Extinguishing agents
22. [22]Watertown News: MBTA's Electric "Trolley" Buses to be Removed from Service Due to Road Projects
23. [23]MBTA: Invitation for bids - 4/0 grooved bronze trolley wire
24. [24]SLC.gov: 200 South Reconstruction - Transit Priority Corridor & Complete Street

Links and stuffs

Timestamps & visuals

• 00:00 Vignelli and his map -image
• 00:24 Theme song
• 00:56 Intro & meet our guest
• 01:50 The News
  • 01:50 FX2-Division^[1]
  • 03:24 BART motorcycle crash^[2]
  • 05:04 Daytona 500 relocated
• 05:45 Early geographic transit maps
  • 06:10 New NJT map -PDF
  • 06:21 Amtrak map -PDF
  • 06:59 Bus maps
  • 07:08 Digital transit maps
• 07:50 Panoramic view maps
  • 07:57 Old UTA map -Transit Maps
  • 08:17 Ski resort map -image of Brighton (Utah)
  • 08:36 San Jose -Transit Maps
  • 08:54 45 degree station
• 09:17 Diagrammatic maps
  • 10:51 District line in 1908
  • 11:10 Strip maps -District line andUTA TRAX
  • 12:26 Map pull-down
  • 12:42 UTA bus map -PDF
  • 12:52 Diagrammatic maps are now the standard
• 13:13 Evolution of the Tube map ^[3]
  • 13:48 The first Tube map, 1908 -image
  • 15:31 Enormous map -image
  • 16:11 Fred Stingemore's 1926 map -image
  • 17:25 Harry Beck's 1931 map -image
  • 18:16 Beck's map published in 1933 -image
  • 20:15 Mucked-up 1935 map -image
  • 21:55 1940 hexilinear map -image
  • 23:34 Modern TfL map -PDF
• 24:51 What makes a good transit map?
  • 25:31 Communication first
  • 25:53 Typography
  • 26:09 Clear interchanges
  • 26:54 Compactedness
  • 27:33 Functionality specifically for transit
  • 28:07 Navigating underground
  • 29:10 Do one thing and do it well
• 29:42 New York Subway -current [PDF] andVignelli
• 31:57 UTA -old [Transit Maps] andcurrent [PDF]
• 40:04 TTC 2030 map -Twitter @augustAP12
• 40:29 Paris -image
• 42:48 Moscow Metro -PDF
• 45:48 Singapore MRT & LRT -image
• 47:47 Park City, UT -PDF
• 52:05 Will's Park City map -image
• 53:32 Accursed Park City maps
• 54:46 TransMilenio -Transit Maps
• 57:37 Thanks, Will!; crayoning; and goodbye

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: TriMet's FX bus service begins on a transformed Division Street Corridor
2. [2]DanvilleSanRamon: Details emerge about deadly motorcycle crash that shut down BART through Oakland for hours during Friday evening commute
3. [3]Londonist: The History Of The Tube Map
4. [4]Wikipedia: Transit map
5. [5]Wikipedia: Harry Beck
6. [6]A Tale of Two Maps: Analysis of the London Underground "Diagram"
7. [7]Wikipedia: Tube map
8. [8]BBC: The London Underground map: The design that shaped a city
9. [9]Transit Maps (Will's favourite site)
10. [10]Glantz Design: The World's Best Designed Metro Maps
11. [11]Transit Maps: Tutorial: How To Design a Transit Diagram
12. [12]Wikipedia: Massimo Vignelli

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted soon

References & notes

1. [1]Victoria Transport Policy Institute: Safer Than You Think!
2. [2]BikePortland: How can we improve safety on public transit?
3. [3]The Intercept: NYPD Was Powerless to Stop Brooklyn Shooting — Yet Mayor Calls for Doubling Cops in Subway
4. [4]Mass Transit: GCRTA launches transit ambassador program
5. [5]Mass Transit: St. Louis Metro Transit and partners see additional progress on creating safer transit system

CORRECTION: LRVs are in fact manufactured in the U.S., at the Siemens plant in Sacramento!

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Light rail vs. bus rapid transit, or should it even be a battle?
• 03:03 Theme song
• 03:33 Welcome & what we're talking about
• 04:24 Light rail transit (LRT) ^{[3] [5] [6]}
  • 05:24 History of passenger rail
  • 06:16 Modern light rail^[4]
  • 08:12 Success of light rail
  • 09:04 Light rail vs. streetcar^[10]
  • 10:36 Ridership
  • 11:14 Flexibility of light rail
  • 12:48 Metro, if only
  • 14:09 Characteristics of light rail
    • 15:06 Capacity
    • 15:52 Frequency
    • 16:27 Stations & length
• 17:21 Bus rapid transit (BRT) ^[12]
  • 17:59 What is BRT?^[9]
  • 19:08 Origins
  • 20:00 Failures in ridership
  • 20:42 Modern BRT (Brazil)
  • 22:05 BRT enters the United States
  • 23:06 Interests pushing for BRT^[7]
  • 24:07 South America loves BRT: TransMilenio
  • 25:10 New York subway
  • 25:50 Explosion of BRT, nothing wrong with excellent bus service
  • 27:45 Flexibility of BRT
  • 28:12 Iconic stations
  • 28:58 Bendy buses, double-decker buses
  • 29:53 Branded as different and faster than normal buses
• 31:06 LRT vs. BRT ^{[8] [14] [16] [17] [22] [26]}
  • 31:26 Cost to build ^[25]
    • 31:59 Vehicle cost, Made in America tax
    • 32:52 Cost per mile
    • 33:54 MBTA Silver Line^[15]
    • 34:50 Tracks aren't that expensive
    link
  • 36:20 Long-term costs
    • 37:20 Real-world operating costs^{[13] [23]}
    • 38:48 Vehicle replacement
  • 40:59 Light rail is cheaper overall
  • 41:29 Attracting development
  link studies
  • 42:48 Real BRT isn't what's getting built ^{[11] [19] [20] [21] [24]}
    • 43:57 BRT creep
    • 44:39 Not a substitute for light rail
  • 45:50 BRT in the U. S. is slow
  • 47:05 Attracting ridership ^{[1] [2] [18]}
    • 48:16 People want trains, qualitative factors
    • 49:56 Meeting people from a fancy hotel
  • 50:54 Car dependency
• 52:34 We are pro-improved bus service
• 54:02 Summary
• 54:18 Spotify, YouTube, website, Twitter, and Patreon plugs
• 54:53 Bye!

References

1. [1]Light Rail Now: Light Rail's Stunning Track Record in Meeting – and Exceeding – Ridership Projections
2. [2]Light Rail Now: Light Rail's Besieged With Riders! This is a Problem?
3. [3]USDOT Nat'l Transportation Library: Light rail transit systems : a definition and evaluation
4. [4]Bloomberg CityLab: Out of Darkness, Light Rail!
5. [5]Wikipedia: List of United States light rail systems by ridership
6. [6]Wikipedia: Light rail § Revival
7. [7]Dissent: Big Philanthropy Takes the Bus
8. [8]Reason Foundation: Surface Transportation Innovations #97
9. [9]ITDP: What is BRT?
10. [10]Greater Greater Washington: How to tell the difference between streetcars and light rail
11. [11]Wikipedia: Bus rapid transit creep
12. [12]Wikipedia: Bus rapid transit
13. [13]The National Transit Database
14. [14]Breakthrough Technologies Institute: Bus Rapid Transit and Transit Oriented Development
15. [15]The Boston Globe: 'Little Dig' in danger
16. [16]The Transport Politic: The Silly Argument Over BRT and Rail
17. [17]Light Rail Now: Top "Bus Rapid Transit" Lobbyist Lobs Barrage of Baloney Against Rail
18. [18]Light Rail Now: "BRT" - You Can Build it ... But Will They Come?
19. [19]Greater Greater Washington: "BRT creep" makes bus rapid transit inferior to rail
20. [20]ITDP: BRT Rankings
21. [21]Greater Greater Washington: The US has only 5 true BRT systems, and none are "gold"
22. [22]The Journalist's Resource: Bus versus rail: Costs, capacities and impacts
23. [23]Calculations
24. [24]"BRT creep" makes bus rapid transit inferior to rail
25. [25]ITDP: BRT Planning Guide: Why BRT?: Costs
26. [26]National Transit Database: National Transit Summaries & Trends

Further reading

• Urban Review St. Louis: Metro’s New Battery Electric 60-Foot Articulated Buses Coming Soon To #70 (Grand) Route

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted soon.

References & notes

1. [1]The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia: PATCO
2. [2]Wikipedia: List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
3. [3]Wikipedia: PATCO Speedline
4. [4]phillynrhs: The PATCO Hi-Speedline
5. [5]Port Authority Transit Corporation: About PATCO
6. [6]New Jersey Monthly: Celebrating 50 Years of the PATCO Speedline
7. [7]Wikipedia: Baltimore Metro SubwayLink
8. [8]Transit Porn: Subways that never were: Baltimore
9. [9]UrbanRail.Net: Baltimore
10. [10]Bloomberg CityLab: It’s Time to Celebrate Baltimore's Much-Maligned Metro
11. [11]Roads to the Future: Baltimore Metro Subway
12. [12]Wikipedia: Metrorail (Miami-Dade County)
13. [13]Metro Jacksonville: Miami Metrorail
14. [14]Wikipedia: Red Line (RTA Rapid Transit)
15. [15]Jon Bell: Cleveland, Ohio: Red Line
16. [16]Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority: Red Line 50th Anniversary
17. [17]Alchetron: Red Line (Cleveland)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Metrolink's new Arrow Line opens between San Bernardino and Redlands
2. [2]Mass Transit: MA: Don't drive to Salem for Halloween, take the T instead, mayor says
3. [3]Metrolink: Metrolink Arrow Service
4. [4]Railway Age: Standoff Amputates REM Eastern Leg
5. [5]International Railway Journal: Montreal takes on REM Eastern Leg
6. [6]Wikipedia: Réseau express métropolitain
7. [7]Wikipedia: Mount Royal Tunnel
8. [8]CDPQ Infra: A new line that transports Greater Montréal
9. [9]Daily Hive: All the details you need to know about Montreal's $6B light-rail train network
10. [10]Montreal Gazette: Caisse revs up for new role as infrastructure provider
11. [11]Montreal Gazette: Tunnel problems and labour shortage delay opening of most REM stations
12. [12]CTV News: Delivery of most REM stations delayed until late 2024
13. [13]CTV News: Century-old explosives in Mount Royal Tunnel helped push REM a year behind schedule
14. [14]Réseau express métropolitain: The REM
15. [15]Réseau express métropolitain: Light metro
16. [16]Wikipedia: Public-private partnership
17. [17]Wikipedia: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

Mentioned: How to remove a freeway in your city (by the Duluth Waterfront Collective)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: WMATA says "We're Ready" to open Silver Line on Nov. 15
2. [2]Wikipedia: Freeway removal
3. [3]NYT: Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?
4. [4]Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: How Urban Highway Removal Is Changing Our Cities
5. [5]Planetizen: 'Freeways Without Futures' Spotlights Freeway Removal Efforts
6. [6]Reuters: Neighborhoods united: Highway removal gains steam in U.S. cities
7. [7]Governing: Highway Removal a High Hurdle, Even With New Funding
8. [8]Duluth Waterfront Collective: How to remove a freeway in your city.
9. [9]Streetsblog USA: These 15 Urban Highways Have Got to Go
10. [10]ITDP: Leapfrogging Past the Urban Highway
11. [11]Wikipedia: Inner Loop (Rochester)
12. [12]Wikipedia: Alaskan Way Viaduct
13. [13]Wikipedia: Big Dig
14. [14]Wikipedia: Highway revolt
15. [15]Wikipedia: California State Route 480
16. [16]CNU: Freeways Without Futures

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: CA: Metrolink resumes limited weekend service to as far as San Clemente Pier
2. [2]Mass Transit: WMATA reopens stations south of Reagan National Airport
3. [3]Streetsblog USA: How Salt Lake City Became a Leader in Transit-Oriented Development
4. [4]Wikipedia: Transit-oriented development § TOD in cities
5. [5]FTA: Transit-Oriented Development § Overview
6. [6]Salt Lake Chamber: Transit-Oriented Development: Four Birds, One Stone
7. [7]ITDP: What is TOD?
8. [8]Salt Lake City: Transit Station Area Development Guidelines
9. [9]Transit Oriented Development's Ridership Bonus: A Product of Self-Selection and Public Policies
10. [10]Planetizen: Making TODs Work: Lessons from Portland's Orenco Station
11. [11]Wikipedia: Orenco station (TriMet)
12. [12]Trip and Parking Generation Study of Orenco Station TOD, Portland Region
13. [13]Optimizing Land Use Allocation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to Generate Maximum Ridership
14. [14]New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Success Stories

Correction: We conflated the Sunset Limited and theSouthwest Chief. The Sunset Limited, not theSouthwest Chief, runs "along the part of Mexico that America bought so it could run trains" (45:12). The Sunset Limited is also the one that serves Maricopa, about 25 miles south of Phoenix (45:25), while theSunset Limited serves Flagstaff. Thank you, Martin from Patreon for pointing this out on the early access!

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]MTA surpasses previous pandemic-era Sunday ridership record on New York City subway
2. [2]TX: Astros parade surges Metro rail ridership to third-highest one day total ever
3. [3]Wikipedia: Alaska Railroad
4. [4]Wikipedia: Rail transportation in the United States § Passenger railroads
5. [5]Amtrak: FY 2019 Company Profile
6. [6]Wikimedia Commons: File:Amtrak System Map.svg
7. [7]Wikipedia: List of Amtrak routes
8. [8]Wikipedia: Amtrak
9. [9]Britannica: Amtrak
10. [10]Amtrak: How Amtrak Started in 1971
11. [11]Wikipedia: Auto Train
12. [12]Wikipedia: Acela
13. [13]Amtrak: Historic Timeline
14. [14]Trains: Amtrak's creation story: A nitty-gritty narrative about the origins of the National Passenger Railroad Corp.
15. [15]American-Rails.com: Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation
16. [16]Amtrak's Long-Distance Trains: Brief History, Benefits, Infrastructure Challenges
17. [17]Business Insider: The rise and fall of Amtrak, which has been losing money since 1971
18. [18]Illinois Passenger Rail: Illinois & Amtrak

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: First phase of trackway construction for TriMet's A Better Red MAX reliability and extension project on schedule to finish on time
2. [2]Railfan & Railroad Magazine: Amtrak, Freight Railroads Strike a Deal on the Gulf Coast
3. [3]Wikipedia: Alaska Railroad
4. [4]Wikipedia: Rail transportation in the United States § Passenger railroads
5. [5]Amtrak: FY 2019 Company Profile
6. [6]Wikipedia: File:Amtrak System Map.svg
7. [7]Wikipedia: List of Amtrak routes
8. [8]Wikipedia: Amtrak
9. [9]Britannica: Amtrak
10. [10]Amtrak: How Amtrak Started in 1971
11. [11]Wikipedia: Auto Train
12. [12]Wikipedia: Acela
13. [13]Amtrak: Historic Timeline
14. [14]Trains: Amtrak's creation story: A nitty-gritty narrative about the origins of the National Passenger Railroad Corp.
15. [15]American-Rails.com: Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation
16. [16]Amtrak's Long-Distance Trains: Brief History, Benefits, Infrastructure Challenges
17. [17]Business Insider: The rise and fall of Amtrak, which has been losing money since 1971
18. [18]Illinois Passenger Rail: Illinois & Amtrak
19. [19]Wikipedia: High-speed rail in the United States
20. [20]Wikipedia: High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965
21. [21]Wikipedia: Metroliner (train)
22. [22]Wikipedia: Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: RTD Denver restores full service on R Line
2. [2]Mass Transit: Second Broadway Subway TBM prepares for launch
3. [3]CPR News: RTD R Line derailment: Turn makes drivers nervous. But a transit expert says it's safe
4. [4]Railfan & Railroad Magazine: 'Absolute Gridlock:' Shippers, Labor Blame Precision Scheduled Railroading For Service Woes
5. [5]The Gazette: America's highways are nationalized; why not its rail?
6. [6]Wikipedia: Railway nationalization § United States
7. [7]Logistics Management: Nationalize the railroads?
8. [8]Independent Institute: "Open Access" Competition Can Improve Intercity Rail
9. [9]Open Access for Rail Passenger Services in Europe: Lesson Learnt from Forerunner Countries
10. [10]Wikipedia: High-speed rail in the United States
11. [11]Vox: Gen Z's high-speed rail meme dream, explained
12. [12]Wikipedia: California High-Speed Rail
13. [13]Wikipedia: Higher-speed rail

The bus-only crayon for Boise; maybe the author will be happy with the rail one someday and share it. here

The Treasure Valley study: PDF

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.
• 1:17:26 Correction: electric cars don't produce much brake dust -- just the tire rubber. Our point about them still being polluting cars stands.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Santa Clara VTA receives authority to pursue federal funding for up to 50 percent of the cost of Phase II of the BART Silicon Valley Extension Project
2. [2]Mass Transit: PA: Rechargeable trains might link West Chester to Philly
3. [3]Wikipedia: Silicon Valley BART extension
4. [4]KTVB: Is the Treasure Valley ready for the massive population growth expected by 2040?
5. [5]Wikipedia: Boise metropolitan area
6. [6]FTA: Valley Regional Transit Agency Profile
7. [7]COMPASS: Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study - 2020 Update
8. [8]Valley Regional Transit: Transportation Development Plan 2021-2025 (draft)
9. [9]KTVB: ValleyRide bus service in Nampa/Caldwell moves to on-demand
10. [10]Wikipedia: Valley Regional Transit
11. [11]Idaho Press: History of Valley Regional Transit
12. [12]Valley Regional Transit: Service Change Archives
13. [13]Boise State University: Trolley Town
14. [14]Boise Valley Streetcars and Interurbans
15. [15]VRT System Map
16. [16]OpenRailwayMap
17. [17]BoiseDev: McLean not high on rail dream for Downtown Boise circulator
18. [18]BoiseDev: "T" for transit: Decision made on Boise streetcar; inside the push to make it a reality

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MBTA opens Medford Branch of Green Line Extension
2. [2]Austin's Streetcar Era
3. [3]Wikipedia: Capital MetroRail
4. [4]Wikipedia: Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority § History
5. [5]Wikipedia: Austin, Texas
6. [6]Trolley Folly: A Critical Analysis of the Austin Light Rail Proposal
7. [7]Wikipedia: Project Connect § MetroRail Gold Line
8. [8]Reporting Texas: Project Connect and Austin's Past Light Rail Fails
9. [9]Austin Rail Now: Austin’s 2000 light rail plan — Key documents detail costs, ridership of Lamar-Guadalupe-SoCo route
10. [10]Light Rail Now: Campaign Continues for Austin Light Rail
11. [11]The Austin Chronicle: Light Rail Never?
12. [12]FTA: Capital Metro 2019 Annual Agency Profile
13. [13]Smart Cities Dive: Behind the controversial $7.1B plan to transform transit in Austin, TX
14. [14]KXAN Austin: Austin weighing street-level light rail in new Project Connect considerations
15. [15]KXAN Austin: Project Connect light rails will likely cost $10.3B, twice as much as first planned
16. [16]KXAN Austin: $10B Project Connect scope might change to combat inflation costs
17. [17]Reuters: Car-centric Austin is building transit. Will anyone ride it?
18. [18]Project Connect: Downtown Austin Transit Subway
19. [19]Project Connect System Plan Overview
20. [20]2014 Austin Strategic Mobility Plan
21. [21]Austin Rail Now

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: CA: Bay Area storm caused disruptions for BART, Muni. Here's how long it will take them to recover
2. [2]Gothamist: A Brief History Of The Long-Awaited Second Avenue Subway
3. [3]Wikipedia: Second Avenue Subway § Phase 1
4. [4]MTA: Second Avenue Subway, phase 2
5. [5]Railway Age: Now Advancing: New York's Second Avenue Subway Phase 2
6. [6]Metro Wiki: Second Avenue Subway
7. [7]NYT: The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth
8. [8]Marketplace: Why does transit infrastructure cost so much in the U.S.?
9. [9]New York Magazine: Why Is Infrastructure So Expensive to Build in New York?
10. [10]Metro Wiki: Interborough Rapid Transit Company
11. [11]Metro Wiki: Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation
12. [12]Metro Wiki: Independent Subway System
13. [13]Wikipedia: IRT Lexington Avenue Line
14. [14]Curbed NY: How New York City's subway construction costs got so high

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome! Alex is talking streetcars
• 00:37 Theme song
• 01:09 What is a streetcar?
• 02:11 History of streetcars ^[19]
  • 02:50 Horse-drawn vehicle on rails
  • 03:35 Spread of the streetcar idea
  • 04:49 Electrification^[11]
  • 05:51 LA's streetcar network^[12]
  • 06:46 Salt Lake City's streetcars^{[13] [14]}
  • 08:45 Streetcar vs. interurban
  • 09:40 Rebuilding on old right-of-way
  • 10:48 How did the streetcars die?
    • 11:55 Declining ridership
  • 12:59 What if we'd held on to our streetcars?
    • 14:06 The car was the future
    • 15:28 Hindsight's 20/20
• 16:32 Streetcars are back, baby! ^{[6] [8] [10] [16] [19]}
  • 16:54 Heritage streetcars
    • 17:42 The Great Falls Historic Trolley^[1]
  • 18:40 The Portland streetcar ^{[7] [15] [17]}
    • 19:41 Mostly downtown
    • 20:16 Local vs. long-range service
    • 20:57 Generating development
  • 21:54 Other cities: Salt Lake City ^[14]
    • 23:15 Streetcars to along busy bus routes^[2]
  • 23:51 Are the new streetcars any good? ^[9]
    • 24:43 Some are abysmal failures
    • 25:30 Don't build only to attract development
  • 26:52 Washington, D.C. plans^[5]
• 28:00 People like riding trains (bus stigma)
  • 29:33 Trains can get people on buses
  • 30:01 Toronto & transit for everyone^[18]
  • 30:55 Attract riders—existing bus routes^[4]
• 31:30 Buses are expensive to operate ^[3]
• 32:35 Streetcars are the future?
• 33:15 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]The Great Falls Historic Trolley
2. [2] The Bus 21 does have higher ridership than the S-Line; it's also much longer.2019 data;2021 data. (To my surprise, the S-Line actually covers the same distance as the Bus 21 in less time. I would love to see an extension—either as streetcar or LRT—along the rest of the Bus 21 route.)
3. [3]Figures from 2019 summary data for UTA
4. [4] Related, UTA isdoing a lot to revamp their bus (and rail, too) stop signage, making them more useful and more attractive to potential riders.
5. [5]Wikipedia: DC Streetcar
6. [6]Vox: Everything you need to know about the streetcar craze
7. [7]Travel Portland: Portland Streetcar
8. [8]Railway Age: Rebirth of the Streetcar
9. [9]streets.mn: When is a Modern Streetcar not a Modern Streetcar?
10. [10]Curbed: 10 new streetcar lines taking shape across the U.S.
11. [11]Wikipedia: Streetcars in Lost Angeles § Electric streetcar systems (1887–1969)
12. [12]Los Angeles Streetcar: Streetcar History
13. [13]If Trolley Cars Could Talk
14. [14]Wikipedia: Salt Lake City § Public transportation
15. [15]nycsubway.org: Portland Streetcar
16. [16]Wikipedia: List of United States light rail systems by ridership
17. [17]Wikipedia: Portland Streetcar
18. [18]Wikipedia: Toronto streetcar system
19. [19]Wikipedia: Streetcars in North America

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: SFMTA T-Third opens in new Central Subway
2. [2]The Gondola Works
3. [3]UDOT: Little Cottonwood EIS - Draft Alternatives
4. [4]UDOT: Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS - Project Overview and Draft Alternatives Addendum Summary
5. [5]FOX 13: Here's what it might cost to ride the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola
6. [6]Salt Lake Magazine: Little Cottonwood Canyon Gondola: Still Time For Public To Weigh In
7. [7]Silver Mountain: Scenic Gondola Rides
8. [8]UDOT: UDOT releases transportation alternatives for I-15 from Farmington to Salt Lake City
9. [9]UDOT: I-15 Environmental Impact Statement - Farmington to Salt Lake City - Alternatives Phase Info and Exhibits
10. [10]SLTrib: West-siders are pushing back against I-15 expansion plans
11. [11]Building Salt Lake: UDOT unveils details on new $1.6B widening of I-15 through SLC
12. [12]SLTrib: The 'audacious' train plan that could remake a key part of Salt Lake City
13. [13]The Rio Grande Plan
14. [14]LTK Engineering Services: Future of FrontRunner Final Report
15. [15]SLTrib: Should it be free to ride Utah’s public transit? Gov. Spencer Cox wants to make it happen.
16. [16]UTA: Free Fare February
17. [17]UTA: Free Fare February Final Report
18. [18]SR 224 BRT Project
19. [19]S.R. 224 Bus Rapid Transit Project History
20. [20]UTA: Ogden Express (OGX)
21. [21]Wikipedia: Ogden Express
22. [22]BoiseDev: Boise, Salt Lake City partnering to request rail service between cities

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• Timestamps to be posted.

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: UTA bus operator surpasses four million accident-free miles driven
2. [2]KSLTV: Salt Lake Bees announce move to Daybreak, plans for new stadium in 2025
3. [3]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: May 21, 1966: The end of the line for streetcars in St. Louis
4. [4]Wikipedia: Streetcars in St. Louis
5. [5]The Wellston Loop: Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis, Part 1
6. [6]STLPR: TRANSITion: From horses to high speed, the history of the region's mass transit
7. [7]Metro: Inside MetroLink
8. [8]OneSTL: Transit Ridership
9. [9]Wikipedia: MetroLink (St. Louis)
10. [10]Wikipedia: Transportation in St. Louis § Bus
11. [11]MetroBus (St. Louis)
12. [12]STLPR: St. Louis eyes MetroLink expansion even as bus service contracts
13. [13]Northside-Southside Light Rail Project
14. [14]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bi-State board agrees to take over, restart Loop Trolley
15. [15]The Loop Trolley
16. [16]Wikipedia: Loop Trolley
17. [17]City of St. Louis, MO: A Preservation Plan for St. Louis Part I: Historic Contexts
18. [18]Wikipedia: Eads Bridge
19. [19]Wikipedia: St. Louis Freight Tunnel
20. [20]Railway Age: TriMet sells heritage trolleys to St. Louis

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Service to MTA's Grand Central Madison to begin Jan. 25
2. [2]Mass Transit: PA: Pittsburgh light-rail service temporarily shut down following fire beneath rail bridge
3. [3]Experience New Orleans!: New Orleans Streetcars
4. [4]Official New Orleans Tourism Website: Streetcars in New Orleans
5. [5]New Orleans Local News and Events: Why The St. Charles Streetcar Isn't Just For Tourists
6. [6]Free Tours by Foot: New Orleans Streetcars | How to Ride the Trolleys
7. [7]Where Y'at New Orleans: History of New Orleans Streetcars
8. [8]Wikipedia: St. Charles Streetcar Line
9. [9]Wikipedia: Hurricane Katrina
10. [10]Wikipedia: New Orleans § Public transportation
11. [11]Wikipedia: Rampart–St. Claude Streetcar Line
12. [12]Wikipedia: Canal Streetcar Line
13. [13]Wikipedia: Riverfront Streetcar Line

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: CA: BART service restored between Oakland and S.F. after unexpected closure
2. [2]Vox: Why does it cost so much to build things in America?
3. [3]The Eno Center for Transportation: Five Takeaways from Eno's Transit Capital Construction Database
4. [4]Transit Costs Project:What the data is telling us
5. [5]Vice: A $100 Billion Lesson In Why Building Public Transportation Is So Expensive in the US
6. [6]Vice: Here's How the US Can Stop Wasting Billions of Dollars on Each Transit Project
7. [7]The Seattle Times: Why building rail transit in U.S., Seattle costs so much and takes so long
8. [8]Pedestrian Observations: US Rail Construction Costs
9. [9]Marketplace: Why does transit infrastructure cost so much in the U.S.?
10. [10]Bloomberg: Why U.S. Infrastructure Costs So Much
11. [11]Governing: Why Are U.S. Transit Projects So Costly? This Group Is on the Case.
12. [12]The Boston Case: The Story of the Green Line Extension
13. [13]Wikipedia: California Environmental Quality Act
14. [14]US EPA: National Environmental Policy Act
15. [15]Wikipedia: National Environmental Policy Act

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MTA unveils first R211 open gangway subway trains
2. [2]amNewYork: Woman takes fatal fall while walking between subway cars on Upper West Side: NYPD
3. [3]Mass Transit: UK: British rail strikes could last until 2026, union boss warns
4. [4]Wikipedia: CTrain
5. [5]Wikipedia: List of North American light rail systems by ridership
6. [6]Wikipedia: Calgary Transit
7. [7]Calgary Transit: History
8. [8]The Gauntlet: The City of Calgary's Transit History
9. [9]David A. Wyatt: All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems
10. [10]Wikipedia: Green Line (Calgary)
11. [11]The City of Calgary: Public Transit plan and budget
12. [12]Calgary Transit: LRT Station, Bus Terminal and System Maps
13. [13]Calgary Herald: Calgary Transit sees staff shortages, service reductions amid Omicron wave
14. [14]Globalnews.ca: Calgary Transit to focus on frequency over coverage in proposed strategy update
15. [15]Wikipedia: Calgary
16. [16]Google Maps Satellite: Calgary
17. [17]Green Line LRT

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Edmonton bus ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels
2. [2]Wikipedia: Hotchkiss Bicycle Railroad
3. [3]Wikipedia: Suspension railway
4. [4]Wikipedia: Memphis Suspension Railway
5. [5]Wikipedia: Wuppertal Schwebebahn
6. [6]Wikipedia: Shweeb
7. [7]Wikipedia: Trampe bicycle lift
8. [8]Wikipedia: History of monorail § Suspended and bicycle railways
9. [9]Shweeb: What is Shweeb Racer
10. [10]NZ Herald: Shweeb: How New Zealand's Hyperloop contender became a theme park attraction
11. [11]Bloomberg CityLab: Whatever Happened to The Shweeb?
12. [12]NextBigFuture.com: Shweeb, bike sharing and compact bike parking would be 20 times cheaper for an urban commuting network
13. [13]CNN: Why did Google bet $1 million on Shweeb?
14. [14]The Left-handed Cyclist: Pedaling Along the Skyway
15. [15]Stuff.co.nz: Businessman wants 'Superman' monorail ride to go with Christchurch's new stadium
16. [16]Tom Scott: Google gave the Shweeb $1,000,000.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Metro Magazine: Stadler, Utah State Team to Bring Battery-Powered Train to U.S.
2. [2]Metro Magazine: Cincinnati's Metro Hits 1M Riders for First Time Since Pandemic
3. [3]90.5 WESA: How Pittsburgh Transit Evolved From Horse-Drawn Streetcars To The Modern T
4. [4]Wikipedia: Pittsburgh Regional Transit
5. [5]Wikipedia: Pittsburgh Light Rail
6. [6]Wikipedia: Transit Expressway Revenue Line
7. [7]Pittsburgh Transit History: Port Authority, A Brief History Lesson
8. [8]Pittsburgh Transit History: Pittsburgh's Busways... East, South, & West
9. [9]Port Authority Transit strategy
10. [10]The History of Transit in Allegheny County
11. [11]Brookline Connection: The Port Authority's "T" Light Rail System
12. [12]Wikipedia: Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway
13. [13]Wikipedia: South Busway
14. [14]Wikipedia: Monongahela Incline
15. [15]Wikipedia: Duquesne Incline
16. [16]The Monongahela Incline: A Pittsburgh Icon
17. [17]Wikipedia: Pittsburgh

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Full service begins on MTA's Grand Central Madison
2. [2]WSDOT: Washington State Ferries
3. [3]Britannica: Ferry (watercraft)
4. [4]Wikipedia: Ferry
5. [5]Wikipedia: Washington State Ferries
6. [6]HistoryLink.org: Turning Point 9: The Sound and the Ferry: The Birth of Washington State Ferries
7. [7]U-S-History.com: Washington State Ferries
8. [8]KING-TV: Pride of the PNW: Washington State Ferries an iconic part of Puget Sound life
9. [9]Wikipedia: BC Ferries
10. [10]Wikipedia: List of ferry operators
11. [11]Wikipedia: Staten Island Ferry
12. [12]Wikipedia: Alaska Marine Highway
13. [13]National Park Service: UPDATE: Halls Crossing to Bullfrog Ferry Schedule
14. [14]Plugboats: World's busiest ferry systems going electric hybrid
15. [15]Wikipedia: Star Ferry
16. [16]Wikipedia: MV Glenachulish
17. [17]NTD Transit Agency Profile: Washington State Ferries (2019)
18. [18]NTD Transit Agency Profile: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (2019)
19. [19]UDOT: Lake Powell Ferry Crossing

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: PANYNJ recommended to move forward with improving existing MTA Q70 LaGuardia Link service
2. [2]Wikipedia: Urban growth boundary
3. [3]Wikipedia: Lexington, Kentucky
4. [4]Wikipedia: Town and Country Planning Act 1947
5. [5]Wikipedia: CPRE
6. [6]Department for Communities and Local Government: Planning Policy Guidance 2: Green belts
7. [7]Metro: Urban growth boundary
8. [8]Metro: Urban Growth Boundary Expansion History
9. [9]Greenbelt Alliance: What Are Urban Growth Boundaries and Why Do We Need Them?
10. [10]Oregon Encyclopedia: Urban Growth Boundary
11. [11]Smart Cities Dive: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Work to Prevent Sprawl?
12. [12]OPB: Tag - Urban Growth Boundary
13. [13]City Observatory: Bursting Portland's urban growth boundary won't make housing more affordable
14. [14]SCDHEC: Model ordinance: Urban Growth Boundary
15. [15]Reason Foundation: Urban-growth Boundaries
16. [16]Reason Foundation: The Economic Problems of Constrained Urban Growth
17. [17]Montana.gov: Growth Management - Urban Growth Boundaries
18. [18]Planetizen: What Is an Urban Growth Boundary?
19. [19]Nicki Sitko: Urban Growth Boundaries: Economic Development Tool or Unwanted Interference?
20. [20]Forbes: Portland's Urban Growth Boundary: A Driver of Suburban Sprawl
21. [21]The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology: Is Smart Growth Fair Growth: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Keep Out Racial Minorities?
22. [22]Daniel Buhl: Evaluating Urban Growth Boundaries: A Case Study of Pierce County, WA'S State Route 410

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: SEPTA has paused KOP rail project citing 'lack of flexibility' in its capital budget
2. [2]California Transit Association: Caltrain at 150
3. [3]Wikipedia: Caltrain
4. [4]Wikipedia: Peninsula Commute
5. [5]Mark Duncan: The San Francisco Peninsula Railroad Passenger Service
6. [6]nycsubway.org: Caltrain and Altamont Commuter Express
7. [7]Caltrain
8. [8]Mass Transit: Modernization: Electrifying the Bay Area's Silicon Valley Rail Corridor
9. [9]Caltrain: Caltrain 150
10. [10]Caltrain: Joint Powers Agreement - Peninsula Corridor Project
11. [11]BayRail Alliance: Peninsula Commuter Rail History
12. [12]Santa Cruz Sentinel: Caltrain electrification project kicks off with groundbreaking
13. [13]Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce: Caltrain Debuts New Electric Trains
14. [14]The Transport Politic: Transit Overload
15. [15]Wikipedia: Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area

UPDATE: Shortly after recording, Utah Transit Authority (our local transit agency) announced Free Fare February for all services across their entire system.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro—free fare in Utah
• 00:56 Theme song
• 01:31 History ^{[10] [11] [12] [14] [16] [17]}
  • 01:31 Transit used to be for-profit
  • 02:06 Light rail with free fare downtown
  • 02:42 Free fare cities and programs^{[15] [18]}
  • 04:11 LA Metro & the pandemic^[1]
  • 04:55 Utah Transit Authority & pandemic recovery^{[2] [3] [4] [13]}
  • 06:07 Free fare around the world
  • 06:45 Free fare is becoming a hot topic real fast—MBTA
• 07:23 Benefits ^{[10] [11] [12] [14] [16] [17]}
  • 07:23 Big ridership gains
  • 09:34 More for your money
  • 10:47 Underprivileged communities
  • 11:22 Save on fare collection^{[5] [6]}
  • 11:51 Easier to try for the first time
    • 12:52 Immediate cost—psychological barrier
• 13:51 Downsides & criticism ^[10]
  • 13:51 Does free fare get people out of cars?
  TODO: Find breakdown of UTA fare revenue
  • 14:30 Bulk fare from institutions—the free fare experience
  • 16:05 SLC airport promotion
  • 17:11 Some agencies need fare revenue—MTA and the "transit cities"^{[7] [8]}
  • 19:06 Homeless individuals staying on transit vehicles
  • 19:29 Fare dodging & enforcement^[9]
• 20:41 Do the free fare thing!
• 21:12 Thanks & please argue with us

References & notes

1. [1]Curbed: L.A. Just Ran (and Ended) the Biggest Free-Transit Experiment in the U.S.
<li id="ref-1">[1] LA Metro has resumed fare collection as of Jan. 10, 2022. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220114045521/https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/">banner on their website (archive.org)</a></li>
2. [2]UTA ridership dashboard, illustrating post-pandemic recovery
3. [3] UTA's S-Line added 15 minute service in the evenings (past 7:20) and extended Sunday operating hours (last train at 11:30ish rather than 8ish).Old schedule vs.current schedule
4. [4] Correction: FrontRunner ridership used to be around 20,000 on a weekday (see the "Commuter Rail" slide in[2]
5. [5] UTA's PCI compliance spending ($7.8m during 2020-2024) is line item 23 on page 10 ofthis document (plus $5m for electronic fare collection—line item 16)
6. [6] Savings used to be 20% on rail and 40% on bus (now 20% on both).Source and further reading.
7. [7]MTA operating budget
8. [8]Wikipedia: Farebox recovery ratio
9. [9]VISOR: Why the honesty system in public transportation makes sense
10. [10]Wikipedia: Free public transport
11. [11]The New York Times: Should Public Transit Be Free? More Cities Say, Why Not? (archived)
12. [12]CNBC: Americans spend over 15% of their budgets on transportation costs—these US cities are trying to make it free
13. [13]FOX 13: Bill would offer free fare on any Utah public transit system
14. [14]Inverse: These cities made public transportation free. Here's what happened next.
15. [15]Curbed: Kansas City becomes first major U.S. city to make public transit free
16. [16]Westword: Could Free Service Solve Denver’s Transit Problems?
17. [17]Quartz: American cities are experimenting with free public transit
18. [18]The Salt Lake Tribune: Ride UTA for free Thursday and Friday as part of 'Free Fares for Clean Air'

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Planetizen: 'Train Daddy' Andy Byford to Oversee Amtrak's High-Speed Rail Efforts
2. [2]Mass Transit: Gov. Healey appoints Phillip Eng to be MBTA GM
3. [3]Market Street Railway: The people's road: Muni 1912-1941
4. [4]Market Street Railway: How Muni was born: 1900-1912
5. [5]Market Street Railway: Muni at war: crushloads & consolidation 1941-1945
6. [6]Market Street Railway: Rails to rubber: Muni 1946-1962
7. [7]SFMTA: How Muni's Streetcar Lines Got Their Letters
8. [8]Wikipedia: San Francisco
9. [9]SFMTA: Muni Routes & Stops
10. [10]SFMTA: History of the SFMTA
11. [11]SFMTA: Muni History
12. [12]Western Railway Museum: San Francisco Municipal Railway
13. [13]Wikipedia: San Francisco cable car system
14. [14]Wikipedia: List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines
15. [15]Wikipedia: Central Subway (San Francisco)
16. [16]Wikipedia: Embarcadero (San Francisco)
17. [17]Wikipedia: Twin Peaks Tunnel
18. [18]Wikipedia: Market Street subway
19. [19]Wikipedia: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
20. [20]Cable Car Museum: The 1947 Fight to Save the Cable Cars
21. [21]SFMTA: 75 Years After the Battle to Save the Cable Cars
22. [22]Market Street Railway: 1947: Cable car war
23. [23]Alex Lash: SF Tries to Get a Grip as Officials Throw Shade on Cable Cars' Return
24. [24]Wikipedia: San Francisco Municipal Railway § History
25. [25]Wikipedia: Market Street Railway (transit operator)
26. [26]Market Street Railway: Our History
27. [27]Market Street Railway: Completing a century: Muni 1983-2012
28. [28]Market Street Railway: Modernizing Muni: 1963-1982

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 21:55Muni Rapid map

References & notes

1. [1]Metro Magazine: BROOKVILLE Delivers First Liberty NXT Streetcar
2. [2]Market Street Railway: The people's road: Muni 1912-1941
3. [3]Market Street Railway: How Muni was born: 1900-1912
4. [4]Market Street Railway: Muni at war: crushloads & consolidation 1941-1945
5. [5]Market Street Railway: Rails to rubber: Muni 1946-1962
6. [6]SFMTA: How Muni's Streetcar Lines Got Their Letters
7. [7]Wikipedia: San Francisco
8. [8]SFMTA: Muni Routes & Stops
9. [9]SFMTA: History of the SFMTA
10. [10]SFMTA: Muni History
11. [11]Western Railway Museum: San Francisco Municipal Railway
12. [12]Wikipedia: San Francisco cable car system
13. [13]Wikipedia: List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines
14. [14]Wikipedia: Central Subway (San Francisco)
15. [15]Wikipedia: Embarcadero (San Francisco)
16. [16]Wikipedia: Twin Peaks Tunnel
17. [17]Wikipedia: Market Street subway
18. [18]Wikipedia: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
19. [19]Cable Car Museum: The 1947 Fight to Save the Cable Cars
20. [20]SFMTA: 75 Years After the Battle to Save the Cable Cars
21. [21]Market Street Railway: 1947: Cable car war
22. [22]The Frisc: SF Tries to Get a Grip as Officials Throw Shade on Cable Cars' Return
23. [23]Wikipedia: San Francisco Municipal Railway § History
24. [24]Wikipedia: Market Street Railway (transit operator)
25. [25]Market Street Railway: Our History
26. [26]Market Street Railway: Completing a century: Muni 1983-2012
27. [27]Market Street Railway: Modernizing Muni: 1963-1982
28. [28]Market Street Railway: Market Street subway dreams
29. [29]Muni Rapid map
30. [30]SFMTA: Muni Transit Recovery

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: PA: Fewer millennials and Gen Zers are driving, citing cost, safety, and the environment
2. [2]Mass Transit: All trains to return to tracks in Orange and San Diego counties following slope stabilization
3. [3]The Rio Grande Plan
4. [4]The Rio Grande Plan - A plan for urban growth on Salt Lake City’s west side based on restored rail service to the Rio Grande Depot
5. [5]Deseret News: Opinion: Why the Rio Grande Plan could solve Salt Lake traffic
6. [6]FHWA: Project Profile: Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor (ReTRAC)
7. [7]Denver Union Station Master Plan
8. [8]CDOT: CDOT Closes Burnham Yard Deal, Securing Critical Right of Way for Future Transportation Needs
9. [9]Visit Salt Lake: Rio Grande Depot / Utah State Historical Society
10. [10]Clio: The Rio Grande Depot In Salt Lake City
11. [11]Salt Lake County Assessor Parcel Viewer
12. [12]Utah State Legislature: Budget Summary - 2023 General Session

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

Missing news sources
1. [1]BART: A History of BART: The Concept is Born
2. [2]BART: A History of BART: The Project Begins
3. [3]BART: A History of BART: The Project is Rescued
4. [4]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI Inflation Calculator
5. [5]FoundSF: Key System and March of Progress
6. [6]CBS San Francisco: Plan for 2nd Transbay Tube rail crossing scaled back over cost concerns
7. [7]Western Railway Museum: Key System
8. [8]ABC7 San Francisco: The birth of BART 50 Years Ago: A bold, challenging vision to entice commuters out of their cars
9. [9]Wikipedia: Transbay Tube
10. [10]Wikipedia: General Motors streetcar conspiracy
11. [11]Wikipedia: Key System
12. [12]San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
13. [13]Wikipedia: Bay Area Rapid Transit § History
14. [14]7x7 Bay Area: Secret San Francisco: The Key System

Links and stuffs

References & notes

1. [1]BART: A History of BART: The Concept is Born
2. [2]BART: A History of BART: The Project Begins
3. [3]BART: A History of BART: The Project is Rescued
4. [4]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI Inflation Calculator
5. [5]FoundSF: Key System and March of Progress
6. [6]CBS San Francisco: Plan for 2nd Transbay Tube rail crossing scaled back over cost concerns
7. [7]Western Railway Museum: Key System
8. [8]ABC7 San Francisco: The birth of BART 50 Years Ago: A bold, challenging vision to entice commuters out of their cars
9. [9]Wikipedia: Transbay Tube
10. [10]Wikipedia: General Motors streetcar conspiracy
11. [11]Wikipedia: Key System
12. [12]San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
13. [13]Wikipedia: Bay Area Rapid Transit § History
14. [14]7x7 Bay Area: Secret San Francisco: The Key System
15. [15]FOX 13 Utah and Salt Lake City: Driver critically injured after being struck by TRAX train
16. [16]SFGATE: The 1979 BART tunnel fire nightmare: 5 minutes from 'catastrophe'

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]SLTrib: Four GOP lawmakers pushed UTA to remove pride-themed bus, records show
2. [2]SLC.gov: Salt Lake City Green Loop
3. [3]Hawai'i Public Radio: Ready or not, the Honolulu rail system 'Skyline' is coming down the tracks

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: L.A. Metro celebrates opening of Regional Connector
2. [2]Mass Transit: CA: Downtown Regional Connector train opens after 10 years and $1.8 billion
3. [3]Wikipedia: Utah Valley Express
4. [4]Weber County Heritage Foundation: Discovering Ogden's Streetcar History
5. [5]Deseret News: Utah Transit Authority has long, winding road of history
6. [6]Map of Ogden City, annotated with U.R.T. Co. rail lines
7. [7]UtahRails.net: Utah Idaho Central Railroad
8. [8]Wikipedia: Ogden, Utah § Sports and recreation
9. [9]KUER: New Weber State shuttle is just the first in expanded transit in Ogden
10. [10]Standard-Examiner: Relic of Ogden's past transit system unearthed by BRT construction
11. [11]Construction Equipment Guide, Utah State Edition, June 21, 2020
12. [12]Ogden-WSU Project Overview
13. [13]Wikipedia: Ogden Express
14. [14]UTA: Ogden BRT info sheet, Sept. 2021
15. [15]UTA: Ogden BRT FAQ
16. [16]UTA: Ogden Express (OGX)
17. [17]UTA: OGX Name Announced
18. [18]UTA Ogden-WSU Transit Project Draft EA - Appendix A: Alternatives Analysis Update Report

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: NY: Amtrak suspends north country train service just months after reinstating Adirondack Line
2. [2]Wikipedia: Link light rail
3. [3]Sound Transit: History of voter-approved plans
4. [4]Wikipedia: Forward Thrust
5. [5]Wikipedia: Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel
6. [6]nycsubway.org: Seattle LINK Light Rail
7. [7]Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest: James Ellis and the Forward Thrust Campaign
8. [8]The Urbanist: Forward Thrust Part 1: No City is an Island
9. [9]Town Hall Seattle: Looking Back at Forward Thrust
10. [10]HistoryLink.org: Seattle's light-rail era begins as Sound Transit's Central Link line carries its first passengers on July 18, 2009.
11. [11]WSDOT: Link light rail
12. [12]CPTDB Wiki: Sound Transit Central Link
13. [13]HistoryLink.org: Boeing Bust (1969-1971)
14. [14]Seattle Monorail
15. [15]Wikipedia: Seattle Center Monorail § ETC and Seattle Monorail Project
16. [16]Wikipedia: History of Seattle § The Boeing Bust

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Honolulu's Skyline opens for service
2. [2]SLTrib: Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola is one step closer. But not before 2043, per regional council.
3. [3]UDOT: UDOT identifies Gondola B as the preferred alternative in Little Cottonwood Canyon
4. [4]Wikipedia: Gondola lift
5. [5]Wikipedia: Aerial lift
6. [6]Save Our Canyons: No Gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon
7. [7]The Gondola Works
8. [8]Wikipedia: Little Cottonwood Canyon
9. [9]Wikipedia: Alta Ski Area
10. [10]Wikipedia: Snowbird, Utah
11. [11]Perisher: What is Perisher Skitube?
12. [12]Wikipedia: Skitube Alpine Railway
13. [13]Railfan & Railroad Magazine: Cog Railways
14. [14]U.S. National Park Service: Zion Canyon Shuttle System
15. [15]Ski Utah: Ski Utah Resort Histories | Alta Ski Area
16. [16]Snowbird: Snowbird's History
17. [17]UDOT: Final EIS - Little Cottonwood EIS

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MTA to begin fare free bus pilot on five routes in September
2. [2]Mass Transit: Balanced budget through 2027 pulls MTA back from fiscal cliff
3. [3]TVO Today: Ottawa's colossal LRT debacle: A brief-ish history
4. [4]Wikipedia: Confederation Line § History
5. [5]Wikipedia: O-Train § Other possibilities
6. [6]CityNews Ottawa: OC Transpo targets July 31 for a 'gradual, safe resumption' of LRT service
7. [7]Toronto Star: Ottawa's troubled light-rail train service remains closed after yet another shutdown
8. [8]Transport Wiki: Ottawa O-Train
9. [9]Rail Fans Canada: The History - O-Train
10. [10]OC Transpo: Rapid route network
11. [11]OC Transpo: Rapid route map [PDF]
12. [12]OC Transpo: Alstom Citadis Spirit trains
13. [13]Wikipedia: Alstom Citadis Spirit § Vehicle issues
14. [14]Wikipedia: Ottawa Electric Railway § Ottawa Electric Railway Company
15. [15]Société de transport de l'Outaouais
16. [16]Wikipedia: Société de transport de l'Outaouais
17. [17]Wikipedia: Ottawa
18. [18]OC Transpo: O-Train Line 2
19. [19]Wikipedia: Trillium Line § Stage 2 expansion
20. [20]Wikipedia: Transitway (Ottawa)
21. [21]Wikipedia: OC Transpo

Huge thanks to our new (and only) patron Mike Christensen! Mike, we'll give you a shoutout on air next episode. The support is much appreciated.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:35 Theme song ♪
• 01:04 Cache Valley Transit District (Logan, UT) ^{[1] [2] [3] [20]}
  • 02:02 Original service (1992)
  • 02:47 Service expansions (1992-1997); 1 million riders a year
  • 03:32 Merger with Cache Valley Transit District (2007); 2 million riders a year^[4]
  • 04:34 Remarkably cost-effective^{[4] [5] [6]}
  • 05:17 What's Cache Valley doing right?
    • 05:23 Frequency & Saturday service^[7]
    • 06:04 Service spread out, not hub and spoke^[8]
    • 06:37 Did we mention it's free?^[9]
• 08:01 Great Falls Transit District (Great Falls, MT) ^{[19] [21]}
  • 08:16 Pretty unchanged since starting in 1982^[10]
  • 08:50 Innovative timed transfer system
  • 09:36 They don't have bus stops
  • 09:57 30 min. typical frequency
  • 10:34 Two-seat ride to anywhere
  • 10:52 Ridership growth
  • 11:48 Comparison to Boise's bus system^{[11] [12] [13]}
  • 13:01 Review of what Great Falls does right
  • 13:53 It's colddddddd
• 14:59 Conclusions?
  • 15:07 No one-size-fits-all solution
  • 15:58 It's not big city transit, but it can still be good
• 16:43 What we think small cities could improve
  • 16:54 Streetcars!^{[14] [15] [16]}
    • 18:14 The government likes paying for streetcars right now
    • 18:46 Trunk rail routes
    • 19:26 Run it like a trolley—no stations!
  • 20:05 Get that 15-minute frequency
  • 21:19 Internet integration, tracking^{[17] [18] [21]}
  • 22:32 Ridership would get better
  • 23:08 Help out tourists; Great Falls airport service
  • 24:41 Recap
• 24:54 Transit can serve any size town
• 26:22 Outro

References & notes

1. [1] Logan, UT population:52,778 (in 2020)
2. [2] Cache County, UT population:133,154 (in 2020)
3. [3]Cache Valley Transit District: History
4. [4]Federal Transit Administration: Cache Valley Transit District 2019 Annual Agency Profile
5. [5]Federal Transit Administration: Utah Transit Authority 2019 Annual Agency Profile
6. [6] CVTD's service area is about 100,000 (not 150,000); see[4]
7. [7]Cache Valley Transit District: Routes & Schedules
8. [8]CVTD: System Map
9. [9]CVTD: Zero Fare
10. [10] Cache County population growth:Wikipedia: Cache County, Utah § Demographics
11. [11]FTA: Great Falls Transit District 2019 Annual Agency Profile
12. [12]FTA: Valley Regional Transit 2019 Annual Agency Profile
13. [13] More accurately: Great Falls gets a third of the rides with about one sixth the population, compared to Boise (see[11] [12] )
14. [14]Siemens: Cutting-edge hybrid S700 streetcar is game-changer for Charlotte Area Transit System
15. [15]YouTube: Detroit QLine Streetcar - Battery Powered!
16. [16] Article with a picture of a FrontRunner train's yellow striped snowplow:Deseret News
17. [17]TransitWiki: General Transit Feed Specification
18. [18]Transit App
19. [19]Wikipedia: Great Falls Transit
20. [20]National Transit Database: Cache Valley Transit District
21. [21]Great Falls Transit District website

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: UTA holds ceremony to mark completion of Ogden Express
2. [2]Mass Transit: TriMet moves to new headquarters in downtown Portland
3. [3]KSL.com: President Joe Biden arrives in Salt Lake City, urges unity among leaders
4. [4]UTA: August 2023 Change Day
5. [5]UTA: Route F525 map for August 2023
6. [6]UTA: Route F202 map for August 2023
7. [7]UTA: Route F94 map and schedule

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: OC Transpo Line 1 returns to full service following month long shutdown
2. [2]Axios Seattle: Lawmakers seek $200M for high-speed rail connecting Seattle, Portland and Vancouver
3. [3]University of Toronto School of Cities: Downtown Recovery Rankings
4. [4]University of Toronto School of Cities: Downtown Recovery
5. [5]University of Toronto School of Cities: Downtown Recovery Patterns
6. [6]University of Toronto School of Cities: Downtown Recovery Correlations
7. [7]University of Toronto School of Cities: Research Brief - The Death of Downtown?
8. [8]Axios: Which American downtowns are thriving — and which are struggling
9. [9]ABC4 Utah: Downtown Salt Lake City best recovered from pandemic: study
10. [10]Brookings: To recover from COVID-19, downtowns must adapt
11. [11]The Urbanist: Good Urbanism, not Event Surges and Quick Fixes Will Spur Downtown Recovery
12. [12]Brookings: Myths about converting offices into housing—and what can really revitalize downtowns
13. [13]NPR: Turning unused office space into housing could solve 2 problems, but it's tricky

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 16:18 Map of the Buffalo subway^[3b]
• 23:30 Another map of the Buffalo subway^[4]
• 28:42 OnTrack map^[13]

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MCTS temporarily removes all Nova Bus LFSe+ battery electric buses from CONNECT 1 BRT due to manufacturing recall
2. [2]Mass Transit: Sound Transit's T Line Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension to begin service Sept. 16
3. [3a]Wikipedia: Buffalo Metro Rail § Urban rail transit in Buffalo before 1950
4. [3b]Wikipedia: Buffalo Metro Rail § Plans for expansion
5. [4]Forgotten Buffalo featuring Buffalo Metro Rail 1973
6. [5]WIVB News 4: Metro Rail expansion to Amherst moves forward
7. [6]Wikipedia: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
8. [7]NFTA-Metro: History of Metro
9. [8]nycsubway.org: Buffalo, New York
10. [9]Buffalo's Light Rail Vehicle
11. [10]Wikipedia: Buffalo, New York § Infrastructure
12. [11]The History of Buffalo, New York: Streetcars
13. [12]Wikipedia: International Railway (New York–Ontario)
14. [13]Wikipedia: OnTrack
15. [14]The Urban Phoenix: OnTrack Syracuse: An Odd Transit Experiment That Almost Worked
16. [15]Wikipedia: Rochester subway

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 30:30 UTA Light Rail Strategic Plan (Jan. 2023)^[4]

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: TTC increasing services beginning in September
2. [2]Point of the Mountain Draft Transit Study Update
3. [3]Building Salt Lake: How a TRAX extension on 400 West could connect crucial parts of Salt Lake City
4. [4]Hatch: UTA Light Rail Strategic Plan
5. [5]UTA: Future of Light Rail Study
6. [6]Wikipedia: TRAX (light rail)
7. [7]UTA Ridership Dashboard: Systemwide Average Weekday Boardings

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 32:00 See^[3]

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: DART installs EV charging stations at Glenn Heights Park & Ride and Illinois Stations
2. [2]San Diego Metropolitan Transit System: History
3. [3]Vanishing Underground: San Diego's Trolley & Rapid Network Evolution
4. [4]Wikipedia: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
5. [5]UT Austin Center for Transportation Research: The Decision Process for Implementing Fixed-Guideway Systems
6. [6]Wikipedia: San Diego Trolley
7. [7]The San Diego Union-Tribune: From the Archives: Hello Trolley! The San Diego Trolley hit the rails 40 years ago
8. [8]nycsubway.org: San Diego, California
9. [9]Light Rail Transit in San Diego: The Past as Prelude to the Future
10. [10]Metro Jacksonville: San Diego Trolley 30 Years Later: Special Report
11. [11]Metro Wiki: San Diego Trolley
12. [12]PolitiFact: The 50 largest cities in the United States
13. [13]FTA: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System 2019 Annual Agency Profile
14. [14]FTA: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
15. [15]Wikipedia: San Diego
16. [16]South Bay Historical Society: The Great Flood of 1916
17. [17]US Inflation Calculator
18. [18]Wikipedia: Coaster (rail service)

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Brightline's Miami-Orlando service to begin Sept. 22
2. [2]Mass Transit: Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners agree to $75.3 million in funding for METRO Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project
3. [3]Wikipedia: All Nighter (bus service)
4. [4]Wikipedia: Night service (public transport) § United States
5. [5]TTC Blue Night Network Map
6. [6]Wikipedia: Blue Night Network
7. [7]MTA Late Night Subway Service
8. [8]Wikipedia: List of New York City Subway services
9. [9]FHWA: The Importance of Public Transportation
10. [10]Pedestrian Observations: 24/7 Rapid Transit
11. [11]Bloomberg CityLab: Inside the Debate Over NYC's 24/7 Subway Service
12. [12]Financial Times: 24-hour transit: cities that try to travel all the time
13. [13]NHTSA: Drunk Driving
14. [14]511 SF Bay: All Nighter Service
15. [15]All Nighter map

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Brightline service between Miami and Orlando opens
2. [2]International Railway Journal: Virgin sues Brightline for $US 251.3m over naming contract
3. [3]Wikipedia: Florida High-Speed Corridor
4. [4]Wikipedia: Brightline
5. [5]Florida YIMBY: Brightline Celebrates Completion Of Construction For Orlando Expansion
6. [6]WESH Channel 2: Timeline: History of Florida's Brightline high-speed train service
7. [7]High Speed Rail Alliance: Brightline Florida: A Model for Fast, Successful Trains
8. [8]WKMG News 6: Timeline: History of Florida's Brightline high-speed train service
9. [9]CNBC: How Brightline is changing passenger rail in the U.S.
10. [10]Railway Age: Keeping Vehicles and People Off Brightline Tracks
11. [11]CBS Miami: Two killed in Brightline train collision in Delray Beach
12. [12]The Palm Beach Post: Virgin Trains no more: Brightline severs ties with Richard Branson empire
13. [13]Wikipedia: Metropolitan statistical area

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Clipper Fare Payment System to roll out Next Generation model in August 2024
2. [2]Wikipedia: Proof-of-payment
3. [3]Wikipedia: Paid area
4. [4]Wikipedia: Turnstile
5. [5]DCist: Metro Will Retrofit Faregates To Cut Down On Fare Evasion
6. [6]The Boston Globe: 'Terrible,' 'inconvenient,' 'aggravating': Some commuters use 'all the bad words' for North Station's new fare gates
7. [7]The Transport Politic: Are Turnstiles Worth Their Cost?
8. [8]WAMU: Why Do People Jump Metro Fare Gates? Because They Can
9. [9]Metro Transit - Saint Louis: Secure Platform Plan Project
10. [10]BART: New Fare Gates & Station Hardening

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: PA: Roosevelt Boulevard subway talk has moved from 'impossible' to how to pay for it
2. [2]Wikipedia: Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit § North of Santa Rosa
3. [3]SMART: Stations
4. [4]Wikipedia: A-train (Texas) § Rolling stock
5. [5]DCTA: A-train
6. [6]Wikipedia: South Shore Line
7. [7]South Shore Line
8. [8]NICTD: Double Track NWI
9. [9]NJ Transit: Princeton Dinky
10. [10]Wikipedia: Princeton Branch
11. [11]TriMet: WES Commuter Rail
12. [12]Portland Radio Project: Greater Greater Portland: WES, America's Most Obscure Commuter Train
13. [13]Wikipedia: WES Commuter Rail
14. [14]NTD Transit Agency Profiles: Denton County Transportation Authority
15. [15]NCTD: SPRINTER Hybrid Rail
16. [16]Wikipedia: Sprinter (rail service) § Future service plans
17. [17]The San Diego Union-Tribune: Sprinter gets $7 million to increase speed and frequency of commuter trains

Thanks to our patron Mike Christensen for supporting the show!

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:37 We sing the theme song a cappella
• 01:05 The OG Utah streetcars ^{[1] [3] [5]}
  • 01:05 1872: Brigham Young & the Salt Lake City Railroad Co.
  • 02:08 1889: Electrification!^[2]
  • 02:44 Competition from the Rapid Transit Company
  • 03:22 1893: Over 73 miles of track^[4]
  • 04:15 1901: Alfred W. McCune the traction magnate^[6]
  • 04:55 Expansion, 1914: The Utah Light and Traction Company, over 38 MILLION paying passengers^[7]
  • 05:41 The golden age of trolleys (> 140 mi. of track!), then the downfall
    • 06:13 Go watchHow the Car Destroyed America: Episode 1 for the whole story
  • 06:50 1928: Trolleybus!
  • 08:12 Still doin' alright: 15 million riders a year (1935-1940)
  • 08:35 1939: Forced split of trolley & bus lines
  • 09:49 World War II, ridership drops, service cuts
  • 11:01 The failure of privately-owned transit in Salt Lake City
    • 11:22If Trolley Cars Could Talk
• 11:38 Salt Lake City lines failed
• 12:11 1970: Utah Transit Authority was created
• 12:49 UTA's early start: old buses, $1.87 fare ^{[8] [9] [10]}
  • 13:40 Brief mention ofThe Case for Free Transit: Episode 4
  • 13:57 Booze money then sales tax money
  • 14:23 1974: Acquisition of some bus lines; the Golden Spike Express
  • 15:18 Mid-70s: 600,000 riders a year (rip)
  • 15:49 Late 70s: Ski bus service!
  • 16:04 1984: Utah County joins
  • 16:14 Free Fare zone (est. 1988)
• 16:29 TRAX & the age of expansion ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [15]}
  • 17:17 1999: Sandy/Salt Lake (now Blue) Line; very popular
  • 18:22 2001: University of Utah expansion
  • 18:55 2002 Winter Olympics^[13]
  • 20:02 175 mile right-of-way acquisition; rail expansions
  • 21:25 FrontLines "2015"—many more rail expansions^{[4] [14]}
  • 22:24 Stagnation & some service cuts (FrontLines was expensive)
  • 23:41 2019: UVX (Utah Valley Express)
• 24:29 The UTA of today^[16]
• 25:15Free Fare February dashboard (no, we never get back to talking about this)
• 25:25 The future!
• 25:25 Mountain View Corridor, should just build rail^[17]
• 26:08 OGX (Ogden Express)^[18]
• 26:32 Plans to restore pre-FrontLines bus service
• 27:07 The climate crisis^[19]
• 28:34 Parking space licenses
• 29:57 Economic knobs & more transit
• 30:24 Outro (thanks Mike Christensen!)
  • 31:12 Patreon extras are up!
  • 31:29 List of sources
  • 31:50Go Go Go UTA

References & notes

1. [1]From Mules to TRAX : A Brief History of Salt Lake City's Mass Transit
2. [2] The S Line is a 2-mile long light-rail-line-disguised-as-a-streetcar operated by UTA. We talk about this one a lot.
3. [3]If Trolley Cars Could Talk
4. [4] TRAX and FrontRunner system length:UTA: FrontLines 2015 homepage
5. [5]UtahRails.net: Mass Transit In The Salt Lake Valley: 1872 To 1960
6. [6] The Utah Light andPower company merged with Consolidated Railway and Power to create the Utah Light and Railway Company.
7. [7] UTA did 46.7 million rides with a service area of ~1.8 million:2015 Annual Agency Profile
8. [8]Deseret News: Utah Transit Authority has long, winding road of history
9. [9]UTA: History
10. [10]Wikipedia: Utah Transit Authority § History
11. [11]Wikipedia: TRAX (light rail) § History
12. [12]UTA: 50 Years Forward: the Olympics Sparks Transit
13. [13]UTA Remembers the 2002 Winter Olympics
14. [14]Railway Technology: Utah Frontlines 2015
15. [15]Lessons Learned From the Utah Transit Authority System Expansion
16. [16]Utah Transit Authority Ridership Dashboard
17. [17]Some Mountain View Corridor transit plan info
18. [18]OGX info sheet
19. [19] It's 12% renewables (and 9% nuclear!).lol.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Caltrain's Board of Directors unveils proposed electrified service plan
2. [2]Wikipedia: Maricopa County METRO Light Rail Map
3. [3]Wikipedia: Valley Metro
4. [4]Wikipedia: Tempe Streetcar
5. [5]Wikipedia: Phoenix Street Railway
6. [6]Downtown Phoenix AZ: Then and Now: From Downtown's Mule-Drawn Trolley To Light Rail
7. [7]Axios Phoenix: 23 years and $20 million later, the Capitol light rail plan is dead
8. [8]Valley Metro: Rail System Fact Sheet
9. [9]azcentral.com: 10 years and $2B later, what is the future of light rail in metro Phoenix?
10. [10]Valley Metro: History and Funding
11. [11]Arizona Capitol Times: Phoenix's First Light Rail System
12. [12]Jewish News: One former transportation planner looks back (and ahead) at light rail in Arizona
13. [13]Insider: Phoenix has all the tools to break its car dependency, and a 35-year public transit plan aims to turn it into a commuter paradise
14. [14]Axios Phoenix: ValTrans was "the one that got away"
15. [15]North Phoenix Blog: ValTrans: An Idea Ahead of Its Time
16. [16]Valley Metro: System Map
17. [17]Valley Metro System Map [PDF]

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Caltrans signs $80 million contract with Stadler to deliver first zero-emission, hydrogen intercity passenger trains in North America
2. [2]Eric Rosenberg: VTA Overview
3. [3]Wikipedia: VTA light rail
4. [4]Wikipedia: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
5. [5]SPUR: Transit in the Valley
6. [6]VTA: ICYMI! VTA Looks Toward the Future of Light Rail
7. [7]Wikipedia: 2021 San Jose shooting
8. [8]KTVU FOX 2: Remembering the San Jose VTA shooting victims
9. [9]ABC7 San Francisco: Valley Transportation Authority officials give update on independent investigation into 2021 mass shooting at San Jose rail yard
10. [10]San José Spotlight: Silicon Valley transit agency's future may be falling off the rails
11. [11]Wikipedia: Purple Line (VTA)
12. [12]Wikipedia: San Jose, California
13. [13]VTA: VTA's BART Silicon Valley Phase II
14. [14]VTA: Next Network Viewer
15. [15]The Mercury News: San Jose BART extension will be further delayed and cost more
16. [16]The Thoreau Institute: San Jose Case Study: Light Rail
17. [17]VTA: East San Jose Light Rail Extension is Fully Funded

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]University of Toronto School of Cities: Downtown Recovery Rankings
2. [2]TriMet Passenger Census - Spring 2023

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Wikipedia: Pacific Electric
2. [2]Wikipedia: Los Angeles Railway
3. [3]PBS SoCal: The History and Rebirth of L.A.'s Public Transit
4. [4]USC Libraries: The Red Cars and L.A.'s Transportation Past
5. [5]Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society
6. [6]The Guardian: Story of cities #29: Los Angeles and the 'great American streetcar scandal'
7. [7]The Santa Clarita Valley Signal: The History of Los Angeles Freeways
8. [8]Wikipedia: Southern California freeways
9. [9]PBS SoCal: L.A.'s First Freeways
10. [10]Southern California Railway Museum: Pacific Electric
11. [11]Vox: The real story behind the demise of America's once-mighty streetcars
12. [12]MotorTrend: America's First Freeway: The Arroyo Seco Parkway, aka, the 110
13. [13]Smithsonian Magazine: Nobody Walks in L.A.: The Rise of Cars and the Monorails That Never Were
14. [14]Wikipedia: General Motors streetcar conspiracy

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: City of Edmonton begins service on Valley Line Southeast LRT
2. [2]LA Metro's The Source: L.A. Olympics and Paralympics: what our transit system will look like in 2028
3. [3]Metro's Primary Resources: History of Monorail Proposals in Los Angeles and Southern California
4. [4]MiceChat: Why the Monorail Failed in Los Angeles
5. [5]US Inflation Calculator
6. [6]ABC7 Los Angeles: Violent crime is higher than pre-pandemic levels on LA metro; officials work to find best solutions
7. [7]Curbed: Los Angeles's Metro Is Using Classical Music as a Weapon
8. [8]Transportation History: 1990: The Los Angeles Metro Rail Goes Into Service
9. [9]UrbanRail.Net: Los Angeles
10. [10]PBS SoCal: The History and Rebirth of L.A.'s Public Transit
11. [11]UCLA: A look at the history and future of rail transit in L.A.
12. [12]Streetsblog Los Angeles: Ten Reasons to Ditch the Sepulveda Monorail Proposal Now
13. [13]Wikipedia: Los Angeles Metro Rail
14. [14]Wikipedia: History of the LACMTA
15. [15]Wikipedia: Southern California Rapid Transit District
16. [16]Wikipedia: Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
17. [17]Wikipedia: History of Los Angeles Metro Rail and Busway
18. [18]Wikipedia: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Volvo wins bid to acquire Proterra's Powered business line
2. [2]Mass Transit: City of Albuquerque's zero-fare program becomes permanent
3. [3]Metrolink: History of Metrolink
4. [4]Wikipedia: Metrolink (California)
5. [5]Wikipedia: Antelope Valley Line
6. [6]Wikipedia: Surf Line
7. [7]The San Diego Union-Tribune: State declares emergency as work begins to stabilize railroad tracks; Amtrak, Metrolink remain unavailable
8. [8]Wikipedia: Orange County Line
9. [9]Metrolink: 30th Anniversary
10. [10]Wikipedia: CalTrain (Los Angeles)
11. [11]Metro's Primary Resources: October 26: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: MBTA determines capital needs exceed $24 billion
2. [2]Wikipedia: SeaBus
3. [3]CPTDB Wiki: West Coast Express
4. [4]Wikipedia: West Coast Express
5. [5]Wikipedia: Expo 86
6. [6]Wikipedia: Millennium Line
7. [7]Wikipedia: SkyTrain (Vancouver)
8. [8]Railway Technology: Vancouver SkyTrain
9. [9]Wikipedia: History of the SkyTrain
10. [10]The Canadian Encyclopedia: SkyTrain
11. [11]Wikipedia: Trolley buses in Vancouver
12. [12]CPTDB Wiki: Trolleybuses in Vancouver
13. [13]Wikipedia: TransLink (British Columbia)
14. [14]Wikipedia: Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway
15. [15]Railway Preservation: Canadian Streetcar Systems - Vancouver
16. [16]CBC News: 8 years later, this Vancouver Olympic legacy gathers weeds
17. [17]Wikipedia: Vancouver
18. [18]Wikipedia: Vancouverism
19. [19]Slow Streets: Why TOD is an incomplete idea in Metro Vancouver
20. [20]Daily Hive: "Pivotal turning point": Reactions to BC's new transit-oriented development policy
21. [21]TransLink: Transit-Oriented Communities
22. [22]Broadway Subway Project

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Progress made on MidAmerica St. Louis Airport MetroLink extension project
2. [2]Wikipedia: KC Streetcar
3. [3]Vox: Everything you need to know about the streetcar craze
4. [4]Wikipedia: Streetcars in North America
5. [5]Railway Age: Rebirth of the Streetcar
6. [6]Wikipedia: Sun Link
7. [7]Greater Greater Washington: See America's streetcar systems at the same scale
8. [8]Wikipedia: Portland Streetcar § History
9. [9]POLITICO: A streetcar not desired?
10. [10]Wikipedia: Connector (Cincinnati) § Ridership

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 28:24Miles in Transit visits Norfolk

References & notes

1. [1]NBC News: Feds grant $6 billion for high-speed rail projects
2. [2]Wikipedia: The Tide (light rail network) § Chesapeake
3. [3]Wikipedia: Norfolk, Virginia § Top employers
4. [4]Wikipedia: Hampton Roads Transit § Route list
5. [5]Greater Greater Washington: Ride The Tide of light rail, Virginia Beach
6. [6]Light Rail Now: Norfolk, Virginia Opens The Tide - America's Latest Light Rail
7. [7]The Virginian-Pilot: The Tide turns 10: A timeline of the light rail's highs and lows

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Phase 1 of city of Edmonton's Metro Line Northwest LRT extension completed under budget and a year ahead of schedule
2. [2]Wikipedia: METRORail
3. [3]Wikipedia: Houston Metro
4. [4]Wikipedia: METRORapid Silver Line
5. [5]Wikipedia: Transportation in Houston § Map Showing Lines of the Houston Electric Company c 1907
6. [6]The Houston Review: Streetcars and the Growth of Houston
7. [7]Axios Houston: Houston light rail turns 20
8. [8]Houston History, Vol. 5 No. 2: The Streetcar in Houston
9. [9]Governing: Houston's Longest Transit Line Moves Forward Despite Objections
10. [10]Wikipedia: Trailblazer (monorail)
11. [11]City of Houston eGovernment Center: Exploring Houston - Light Rail
12. [12]Wikipedia: List of United States cities by population
13. [13]Wikipedia: Greater Houston § Demographics
14. [14]METRO: Transit Services
15. [15]METRO: Transit System Map

Links and stuffs

Mike Christensen's Link Utah report

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro: special guest Mike Christensen
• 00:30 Theme song
• 01:01 The Utah Rail Passengers Association &Link Utah
• 02:04 State-sponsored Amtrak model
• 02:24 The 3am California Zephyr
• 03:19 Intercity bus options in Utah: Salt Lake Express, Greyhound, etc.
  • 04:05 Lack of offboard infrastructure
  • 05:20 State-sponsored Amtrak would include proper stations (heated shelters, restrooms, convenience stores)
• 05:49 Amtrak vs. FrontRunner to Logan & siloed transit districts
  • 08:10 FrontRunner construction is difficult, but we should have it eventually
  • 08:47 Technical challenges (a.k.a. mountains)
  • 09:27 Shortcut on the Union Pacific route
• 11:10 Population, growth, and demand
  • 11:55 Comparison to the Chicago, Illinois metro area
  • 13:33 Ridership patterns & tourism
• 14:40 St. George lacks rail; there would initially be a bus connection
  • 15:58 Modeshift, industry, and cost: delivering by freight train
• 16:53 Moab & Grand Junction, Colorado
• 17:39 Tourism, national parks, and whole-system integration: filling in statewide transportation gaps
• 20:10 Funding (why does UDOT get so much of the money for roads?)
• 20:44 Shiny high-speed rail doesn't make sense in Utah
• 24:07 How does state-sponsored Amtrak work? (proposal with capital, operations and maintenance costs)
  • 25:19 Track, siding, & switch upgrades
  • 26:00 Jointed rail to be replaced with continuous welded rail
  • 26:35 Positive train control
  • 27:07 79 MPH and beyond
• 28:09 Connecting bus service & Colorado (CDOT)
  • 30:10 "Bustang" is the name of CDOT's intercity bus service; subsidized 100%
• 31:33 Restoring the Amtrak Pioneer for long-distance
  • 33:38 State-sponsored, shorter routes in the Northwest
• 34:09 What can we do to make Link Utah a reality?
  • 35:07 The nonprofit Utah Rail Passengers Association
  • 35:32 Looking for larger (corporate?) sponsors
  • 36:21 Working on an interim committee with the state legislature
  • 37:03 Gotta have a plan to get infrastructure money
• 37:44 Thanks Mike!
• 38:28 Smash that like button!
• 38:44 Know anybody with deep pockets? Point them to theUtah RPA!

References & notes

1. Mike Christensen and his Link Utah report:"An Intrastate Passenger Rail System for Utah Operated by Amtrak Using Existing Union Pacific Tracks"

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Pace, Broward County Transit debut electric buses
2. [2]Utah Transit Authority Data Portal
3. [3]Utah Transit Authority Data Portal: Bus and Rail - Routes and Stops with ridership
4. [4]Utah Transit Authority Data Portal: Ridership Dashboard
5. [5]KSL.com: UDOT wants to build a $945M light rail system for Point of the Mountain transit project
6. [6]KSL.com: Redevelopment plans announced for first phase of The Point at former state prison site
7. [7]Utah Transit Authority: Point of the Mountain Transit Study - Archive
8. [8]UDOT Public Input: Point of the Mountain Transit
9. [9]UDOT Public Input: Point of the Mountain Transit Study Update - Transit Alternatives
10. [10]UDOT Public Input: Future Phases of Point of the Mountain Transit
11. [11]Mountainland Association of Governments: 2019-2050 Regional Transportation Plan for the Provo/Orem Urban Area
12. [12]oregonlive.com: TriMet says third day of MAX closures likely new record; when will service be restored?
13. [13]The Mercury News: Liccardo: San Jose BART needs to be scaled down, cites huge costs
14. [14]KSLTV.com: Plans announced for 200 South Reconstruction Project
15. [15]Building Salt Lake: Utah is Missing 'The Point' on Transit Planning At the Former Prison Site
16. [16]The Point Utah: Studies
17. [17]The Point Framework Plan

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 24:50 SeeDART rail map
• 38:28 SeeDART system map

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Valley Metro celebrates opening of Northwest Phase II extension
2. [2]WHYY: Shapiro to propose multi-million dollar plan to save SEPTA
3. [3]Regulations.gov: Proposed Nonavailability Waiver of Buy America Requirements: Nevada Department of Transportation to Purchase Certain High-Speed Rail Components
4. [4]Alan Fisher Extras: Brightline West HSR is Potentially Delayed if this Waiver is Blocked
5. [5]Wikipedia: Dallas Streetcar
6. [6]Wikipedia: DART Light Rail § History
7. [7]Wikipedia: Dallas Area Rapid Transit
8. [8]Wikipedia: Trinity Metro
9. [9]Wikipedia: TEXRail
10. [10]Wikipedia: Trinity Railway Express
11. [11]Wikipedia: A-train (Texas)
12. [12]Wikipedia: Denton County Transportation Authority
13. [13]Wikipedia: Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
14. [14]Wikipedia: M-Line Trolley
15. [15]Wikipedia: Knox–Henderson station
16. [16]Wikipedia: D2 Subway
17. [17]Wikipedia: Silver Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)
18. [18]Wikipedia: Cityplace/Uptown station
19. [19]Trinity Metro: System Map (Sept. 2023)
20. [20]Trinity Metro: Routes & Schedules
21. [21]Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Streetcar operators once thrived in Fort Worth. And then buses and cars came along.
22. [22]Dallas Area Rapid Transit - 2019 Annual Agency Profile
23. [23]American Public Transportation Association: Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2019
24. [24]McKinney Avenue Transit Authority: History Corner: End of the Original Dallas Streetcars
25. [25]DCTA: A-train
26. [26]DART: Silver Line Project
27. [27]CBS Texas: North Texans seeing more DART Silver Line construction as completion date nears
28. [28]D Magazine: Dallas Public Transit Was Better in 1919 Than It Is in 2019
29. [29]DART: DART History - 40 Years Going Strong
30. [30]DART: DART Rail Lines Map and Schedule
31. [31]DART: Schedules and Maps
32. [32]Vanishing Underground: Dallas' Light Rail & Commuter Rail Network Evolution
33. [33]OpenRailwayMap

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 6:51Follow along on the WeGo system map
• 33:50Read about 'the 435' and what they're doing for Utahns

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: New York Gov. Hochul, MTA roll out R211T open gangway subway cars on C Line
2. [2]KC Streetcar: Welcome KC Streetcar #807
3. [3]In These Times: What Uber and the Koch Brothers Have in Common: A Plan to Destroy Public Transit
4. [4]The New York Times: How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country
5. [5]The Guardian: Why are Koch-funded activists trying to derail a US city's public transit?
6. [6]Americans for Prosperity
7. [7]WZTV Nashville: Report: Nashville ranked worst city for commuting
8. [8]Wikipedia: Nashville metropolitan area
9. [9]Wikipedia: Nashville, Tennessee
10. [10]Wikipedia: Americans for Prosperity
11. [11]WeGo Public Transit
12. [12]Wikipedia: WeGo Star § Ridership
13. [13]Wikipedia: Let's Move Nashville
14. [14]WKRN News 2, Nashville: WeGo Central Station renamed to honor Nashville, TN's first female bus driver
15. [15]Wikipedia: Spokane, Washington

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 13:25 SeeCATS System Map

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit Jobs: Chief Financial Officer for BART
2. [2]Mass Transit: PRT'S Monongahela Incline reopens after state inspection
3. [3]Charlotte Business Journal: CityNerd's Ray Delahanty on Charlotte: 'World Capital of Sprawl'
4. [4]Charlotte on Google Maps
5. [5]American Public Transportation Association: Public Transportation Ridership Report, Third Quarter 2023
6. [6]Charlotte Area Transit System: Silver Line
7. [7]Charlotte Area Transit System: Red Line Commuter Rail
8. [8]Charlotte Area Transit System: Gold Line Extension
9. [9]WCNC Charlotte: Charlotte city leaders hope to revive Red Line project
10. [10]Wikipedia: Lynx Silver Line
11. [11]Charlotte Area Transit System
12. [12]Wikipedia: Charlotte, North Carolina
13. [13]Wikipedia: Charlotte Area Transit System
14. [14]Wikipedia: CityLynx Gold Line
15. [15]Wikipedia: Lynx Blue Line
16. [16]CATS System Map
17. [17]Wikipedia: List of tallest buildings in Charlotte

CW: very busy audio with train noise, announcements, and many people having a fun time

Links and stuffs

Watch with pictures on YouTube

Thank you to our Patreon supporters for equipping us for this episode, and thank you to participants in the inaugural SLURM event for helping us hash out the tour.

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 0:00 Intro banter
• 1:16 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral
• 4:56 Defining "apostolic Christian"
• 8:53 Japanese Church of Christ
• 9:23 Magisterial Protestants
• 10:37 Pentecostals & Evangelicals
• 17:40 Heretics
• 18:14 Temple Square - Assembly Hall
• 20:35 Salt Lake City Temple construction
• 22:08 Churches are build the way they are for a reason
• 31:36 Who builds big stone churches?
• 33:36 Versus populum vs. ad orientem
• 38:19 Cathedral of the Madeleine
• 48:42 First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City
• 55:44 Types of crosses (Latin, Canterbury, etc.)
• 59:26 St. Mark's Cathedral
• 1:09:42 Thanks to our Patrons!

See the slide deck and footage from San Francisco on ourYouTube channel

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 4:05 The News (including a lengthy segment about UTA Change Day)
• 23:09 The Show

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: New five-point plan to address safety concerns of New York subways
2. [2]Utah Transit Authority: August Change Day 2024
3. [3]FTA Agency Profile: City of South Portland (2022)
4. [4]FTA Agency Profile: Greater Portland Transit District (2022)
5. [5]FTA Agency Profile: Casco Bay Island Transit District (2022)

Follow along with the before and after maps of the VRT bus system:

before

after

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]BoiseDev: Caldwell decides not to fund added VRT bus route
2. [2]BoiseDev: McLean not high on rail dream for Downtown Boise circulator
3. [3]COMPASS: Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study, 2020 Update
4. [4]Valley Regional Transit: Better Bus 2024
5. [5]Valley Regional Transit: Redesigned bus route map
6. [6]Valley Regional Transit: May 2023 system map
7. [7]FTA: Valley Regional Transit 2022 Annual Agency Profile
8. [8]Mass Transit: PA: Multiyear $150M light rail upgrades begin this week

Follow along with the slides if you're not on YouTube:slides

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 4:17 The News
• 9:27 Portland
• 16:36 Cornish Nationalism

References & notes

1. [1]Mass Transit: Caltrain completes integrated testing between San Francisco and San Jose for electric train service
2. [2]KTNV Las Vegas: Brightline West holds Las Vegas groundbreaking
3. [3]Mass Transit: WA: Riders can hop on a Spokane-area bus for free during weekends from May 4 to June 30
4. [4]Cornish Nationalism Sources

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

References & notes

1. [1]The Urbanist: Sunday Video: The 2 Line (East Link) Is Officially Open (Partially)
2. [2]Rails to Trails Conservancy: History of RTC and the Trails Movement
3. [3]Rails to Trails Conservancy: Great American Rail-Trail Route
4. [4]Rails to Trails Conservancy: New USDOT Report Provides 25 Years of Lessons Learned for Rails-with-Trails
5. [5]Rails to Trails Conservancy: About RTC
6. [6]Wikipedia: Rail trail
7. [7]ROW Adventures: The History of America's Rails-to-Trails
8. [8]Pedestrian Observations: The Rail-Trail Scam
9. [9]Wikipedia: Rails with trails
10. [10]Park City Magazine: Featured Trail: The Historic Rail Trail
11. [11]East Coast Greenway

Streetsblog USA: What American Commuter Rail Can Learn From Paris

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 The News—MTA trialing platform screen doors^[1]
• 01:29 Theme song
• 01:59 The history of commuter rail ^[2]
  • 02:14 The Long Island Rail Road^[3]
  • 03:02 Pre-WWII commuter rail^[4]
  • 04:17 As usual, the car ruined everything^[6]
  • 05:17 Ridership crashed^[5]
  • 05:44 The modern era; subsidized service
  • 06:40 Amtrak, Conrail, and municipal takeover (Northeast Corridor)
  • 08:16 The rest of the country (like California)
  • 09:01 The PATH train & the Port Authority^[7]
  • 10:49 Canada & GO Transit, RTM
  • 11:25 New commuter rail movement (in response to highway congestion)
• 12:57 "New Start" commuter rail ^{[2] [9]}
  • 13:47 Many systems only ran rush-hour commuter service
  • 14:53 Massive park-and-rides^{[10] [17]}
  • 15:50 2000-2017: America was all over new commuter rail
  • 16:39 FrontRunner's (Utah) all day service: regional rail
• 17:11 Commuter rail today ^{[2] [9]}
  • 17:19 Lacking service frequency :(
  • 18:14 Radial layout, lacking ring and inter-suburban connections
  • 18:31 The Long Island Rail Road runs 24/7/365
  • 19:41 Low ridership^[11]
• 20:52 Building true regional rail
  • 21:15 Comparison of transit to roads (tiers)
  • 22:33 How can we turn our commuter rail into regional rail?
  • 22:44 The Paris RER^{[12] [13] [14] [16]}
  • 24:08 Berlin S-Bahn, London Overground, etc.
  • 24:41 GO Transit electrifying and tripling service^[15]
  • 25:45 Taking steps toward all-day regional rail
• 26:51 Outro

References & notes

1. [1]TimeOut: The MTA will trial platform doors at three subway stations
2. [2]The National Academies Press: History of Commuter Rail
3. [3]Wikipedia: Long Island Rail Road
4. [4]History to Go: The Bamberger Electric Railway
5. [5]streets.mn: Chart of the Day: US Transit Ridership over Time
6. [6]EDSITEment: Building Suburbia: Highways and Housing in Postwar America
7. [7]Wikipedia: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
8. [9]Wikipedia: Commuter rail in North America
9. [10]Not Just Bikes: The Trains that Subsidize Suburbia - GO Transit Commuter Rail
10. [11]streets.mn: Chart of the Day: US Rail Transit Ridership per Mile
11. [12]Wikipedia: Réseau Express Régional
12. [13]Paris by Train: Paris RER
13. [14]Paris by Train: Paris Metro
14. [15]GO Transit: Our Vision
15. [16]Streetsblog USA: What American Commuter Rail Can Learn From Paris
16. [17]Toronto bus & rail map

Links and stuffs