CMT’s keynote speaker, Laura Aldrete, spoke about the impacts of Denver’s transit program on the local economy and development. Aldrete oversses the Denver office of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s PlaceMaking Group. Prior to her position at Parsons Brinckerhoff, she served as the assistant director of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, working to realize community revitilazation in blighted … Continued
Citizens for Modern Transit capped off the 28th Annual Meeting with the release of the FY12 Annual Report. Attendees received copies which highlight some of the successes of CMT in FY12: 1. Record membership levels for the organization 2. TOD Advocacy work including two Urban Land INstitute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panels at the Belleville and … Continued
Rail~Volution is a conference of passionate people who want to engage in thoughtful discussion about building livable communities with transit. This year, the event will take place in Los Angeles, CA from October 14-17; the conference will include over 75 workshops, networking events, and toolbox sessions. People from all perspectives, dedicated to transit, livability, and … Continued
Across the country, cities in the U.S. are putting dollars towards streetcar systems to revitalize their downtown neighborhoods. These projects are receiving major support, but also some skepticism. In Caroline Porter’s Wall Street Journal Article, she says, “Proponents say the streetcars would boost economic growth and catch the fancy of younger generations.” Most of the … Continued
Cities all across the U.S. have big plans for their individual train stations. So many of the rail depots across the country have rich history that is coming back to life with plans to revamp their existing structures. Union Stations in such cities as Denver, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. (as mentioned in … Continued
After only one month, the complimentary Wi-Fi service offered in six New York City subway stationsis proving a success with commuters. The introduction of Wi-Fi is part of a $200 million plan to provide cellphone and data connectivity services to all 277 underground stations in New York by 2017. The service, sponsored by Google Offers, … Continued
Send us pics of anything transit-related. Pictures on the MetroBus and MetroLink, stations, stops, trolleys, trains, bus, shuttles, etc. We want to see your transit pics! The winner of the month-long contest wins a monthly transit pass for September. You can email us pictures at info@cmt-stl.org or upload them straight to our Facebook event page. … Continued
The Federal Transit Administration’s MAP-21, or Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, was signed into law at the beginning of July by President Obama. This will extend SAFETEA-LU through September 30, 2012, and will go into full effect after through September 30, 2014. MAP-21 will provide a steady flow of funding for FTA … Continued
Out of 459 voters, 318 favored the transportation development district in downtown Kansas City. This district will be a special taxing district to help pay for a downtown Kansas City streetcar. This is a huge milestone for transit in the Kansas City region! “We won…with this vote, the city is very confident that the taxes … Continued
A Nevada-based group is looking to create an extension to the California bullet train that would stretch the Golden State’s rail network all the way to Las Vegas. The current $68 billion California-only line is overseen by the government’s High Speed Rail Authority, but the 200-mile Vegas line, XpressWest, would be supported by a group … Continued
As Denver moves forward with a $7.4 billion expansion of its rail system, the city is looking to rectify what some see as a flaw in the original concept. The flaw being how to encourage the development of dense, walkable villages around stations so people don’t have to drive to use the system. “After the … Continued
Updates to the track for Illinois’ high-speed route between Chicago and St. Louis are on schedule to be completed by the end of 2012. As such, Illinois Department of Transportation and Amtrak are planning to preview higher speed trains starting September 2012, from Dwight to Pontiac. Elsewhere in the country, there are speed increases to … Continued
Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville is taking steps to incorporate the College MetroLink Station more into the campus to create a more walkable, accessible environment for students and residents. The SWIC Green Campus Initiative is a joint effort between Southwestern Illinois College & the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) to integrate the College Metrolink station more fully … Continued
High-speed rail (HSR) is becoming more critical to America’s economic future as highway congestion continues, the U.S. population grows, and as the daily battle to keep the air clean goes on. Thirty-two states are currently moving forward with HSR projects, and the Obama administration has provided more than $10 billion for investment in HSR and … Continued
On June 15, the Sacramento Regional Transit District celebrated the grand opening of the Green Line light rail extension to the River District. The extension added 1.1 miles of track and two new stations. The grand opening of the 7th & Richards/Township 9 station was celebrated with the arrival of the inaugural train at the … Continued