One SEPTA revenue generation strategy I haven't yet seen proposed: Updating parking rates at regional rail stations to target 85% occupancy at peak. Flat fees across the entire system don't make sense when there is varying demand, and $2 per day is far too low when lots fill.

Pairing containerization with universal corner daylighting which Council seems poised to adopt is a slam-dunk while also greatly increasing trash pickup efficiency and reducing bus delays

I don't know man, the numbers clearly say Lehigh Valley-Philly over New York! It's crazy that advocates would take their chances with Norfolk Southern and subpar service over fighting rail-trail advocates for a dedicated passenger corridor.

I wonder if Philly could mitigate its short block lengths by doing something like this for a small number of important bus routes. Some issues in turning cars around in narrow one way streets. So wouldn’t be an option everywhere

Metrolinx, Toronto's regional railway operator pushed back against abandoning large loco hauled 12 car infrequent American styled commuter rail operations as having more frequent shorter electric metro style trains and service would be too many trains for them to manage. :/

What an absolute disaster. From a plan for a transformational regional rail system in Toronto to nothing in just a few short years. Almost all from inertia and intransigence. www.thetrillium.ca/news/municip...

This is the most dramatic gas price increase in three decades, and oil prices in Asia are currently 60% higher in Asia and rising. Those prices will eventually come to the US. What is Philly’s plan for transit if gas hits $6-7 per gallon and demand spikes? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/u...

Also the Germantown Station development parcel mentioned in the article, that SEPTA wants to see happen, still isn't getting rezoned with the Mayor's bills! CM Bass has stalled it wwww.septa.org/initiatives/...

These bills are a welcome step toward more housing near transit, but their scope doesn't quite address our massive housing shortage. The entire Broad Street Line, Regional Rail, and trolley network aren't covered, and parking mandates near transit remain intact. 1/

Last month, SEPTA completed its CBTC project to improve safety on the D1 and D2 suburban trolley lines. But the tradeoff is trips take much longer now than in January. I attempt to estimate this tradeoff in my first Substack post! Heres the official thread. 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/adenyaco...

Yo, SEPTA, what the actual?!?!?!?!?

I can’t help but wonder about the potential urban land-use effects on Allentown if it kept its split rate land tax and became a regional rail hub with service to NYC, Philly, Reading and Scranton.

Philly is emptying out to get $30/h shoveling in NYC

You could probably get the gatearms back, with quiet zones, for not much arm-twisting at all, in the new Dark Blue Delco of today.

When are they installing CBTC for cars?

Are the SEPTA D routes permanently cooked?

A rail union bragging about killing improved and expanded rail service is peak American railway union.

The BLET, which is threatening to strike the LIRR, claims credit for shanking Metro-North going to Albany as a jobs protection measure for its members. Unmentioned, Amtrak's own deep hostility to the proposal and rear guard action to kill it — after agreeing to it: ble-t.org/news/blet-ef...

The projects I've been most interested in have gradually shifted from zoning and land-use reforms to transportation that enable land-use changes. Excited to see more work emerging in this field, from the Transit Costs Project to this excellent article from Greg

✨ introducing… ✨ 🌇 Transportation for the Abundant Society 🚅 "Abundance" says our problem is artificial scarcity—especially housing. But you can’t build your way out if transportation policy still treats traffic flow as sacred. Transportation is the binding constraint. ssrn.com/abstract=538...

A developer who sent me an elevator quote for my report a few years ago sent me a new one for another project nearby, and the increase in price is 2-3x the rate of general inflation over the past two years. We're now closing in on $200k for a mid-rise elevator installation :-/

Very excited to say that the stars have aligned and NYU Marron/Transit Costs Project have landed a grant that will fund a second edition of Momentum, which will apply the high-throughput framework to major regional rail networks beyond the NY area. Our three big new cases: - NJT - SEPTA - METRA

It’s come to my attention that there is a belief that SEPTA’s Bus Revolution network is not public. That is FALSE. You can find it here (highly recommend desktop btw): platform.remix.com/project/3adf...

Please God, let the Spring Garden location become an H Mart.

A pattern we've seen in some of the parts of JC with lower market rents is buildings being built at 6 stories, even when taller buildings are allowed, to save on construction costs. 212 Culver Ave is the latest to reapply at 6 stories (down from 8). Down from 365 apartments to 266.

This is why Philly is not an obvious candidate for full-cordon cong. pricing, as the region's existing job sprawl landscape could see induced reverse commuting instead. Instead, radial highway tolling on 76 and 95 gets the benefit of revenue source while moderating highway as opposed to local VMT

Excellent article on the snapshot of global metro expansion that you should give a read. The chart below from the article is the big takeaway.

Alto published a few more info in its website ahead of the first round of public consultations that will start next week, and we have an initial idea of the broader corridor they are identifying. en.consultation.altotrain.ca/reinventing-...

As promised, here is a great SEPTA Airport Line map and logo when the service first opened in 1985, and a poster from the 90's advertising the half-hourly service!

It'd be much more beneficial to those bus riders to integrate all rail fares within the city at $3. This would cost $50 million/year in 2018 which was before City Ticket cost $30 million of that. So about 50x cheaper than free buses and it'd shave multiple hours of many commutes.

The PHL-Reading Corridor ID program has apparently reached Step 3 (prelim engineering) of funding without even a publicly released service development plan. All that is known is 1) they really want a 1-seat ride to NYC no matter now unlikely, 2) Norristown TC might not even be served!

As far as regional connectivity goes, I wish they’d get dual modes and do a Reading to PHL airport route instead of insisting on a one seat ride to NYC. PHL gets 82k passengers a day, and a fast rail connection without braving I-76 traffic would be really attractive for Berks travelers.

I really hope some of the higher frequency intercity stat supported corridors (Empire service, Hartford line, and even Philly to Reading and Allentown) get considered. Also would be on the lookout for NJ transit electrification with Gateway soon to be finished. Raritan Valley Line?

SEPTA is spending $20M installing fencing and a concrete barrier to stop people from entering the regional rail ROW at Fern Rock, instead of building a pedestrian bridge so neighborhoods to the east access the transit center. It's a 21 minute walk to access the transit center today.

What was likely possible was to upzone Mr. Storage for apartments, entice a developer to buy them out and extract a free waterfront easement, but Councilmember Jones and the RCO would be staunchly opposed, so a pound of taxpayer flesh it is

So Mr. Storage gets a near $1M bribe to allow a simple trail easement that was undevelopable to begin with...we need a full trail here but painful to see

Good lord Amtrak, part 2: “‘Facility planning has lagged behind its fleet planning by about 15 years even though the two efforts are closely interconnected,” Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General said in a report.” — apple.news/AVEZFEasvRD2...

It's a huge limitation that the River & Glassboro/Camden Lines require a PATCO transfer to get to Philly. However this could be greatly improved if NJT did one thing in its Walter Rand TC rebuild: realign the light rail platform to sit on top of Broadway with a direct platform-platform transfer!

I think Philly has a strong interest in seeing the GCL through run onto PATCO. In the short term it could double frequency between Philly and Camden, making the urban service vastly more useful. Long term it strengthens the case for university city expansion. Sadness about US construction costs

Isn't this basically the opposite of Canadian transit advocates advice to ALTO: Start with the easiest stretch from Montreal to Ottawa and build incremental improvements?

Will be really interesting to see what the details of the TOD bill is here. Hoping it's actually allows significant density (at least 5 stories and hopefully no parking minimums), and that the radius is large enough (1000 ft, not just parcels on major streets)

So glad (and grateful for advocates) that PA bypassed this insanity and is now snowballing towards automated speed enforcement on all major crash hotspots

Just realized that the 50km end to end travel time of the Montreal REM is the same as the 10km end to end travel time of Toronto's Finch W Tramway (55 min).

By god, that's Momentum's music! transitcosts.com/momentum/

This seems... ambitious

Guangzhou Metro invited media to tour high speed metro Line 22 North section, opening at the end of this month. Line 22 will provide an express overlay of Line 1 and 2 shrinking old Guangzhou to Guangzhou S HSR Station travel times from 40 mins to 17 mins... Picture🧵

Friends, Philadelphians, countrymen - The time has come where I ask you to help me compile my annual list of the 10 weirdest stories in the Philly region this year for @inquirer.com. I have about 30 ideas in my 2025 file, but what do you remember as the weirdest story or stories of this year?

Shenzhen Metro has officially confirmed Line 5 West, Line 8 Phase 3, the final section of Line 11 Phase 2 and Line 13 Phase 1 North will open at the end of this year. These extensions will push the Shenzhen Metro to 635km in length. I have not reviewed...

Oh my god. If I'm reading this correctly the TSP basically does nothing at all. It seems the TSP only allows the green to be extended by 5 seconds. I really hope I'm misreading this. But it seems to indicate the green time for the bus phase (8) is minimum 82s (normal), maximum 87s (TSP)

I wish that even a tiny fraction of the attention market east is getting was redirected towards broader structural reforms and investments in Philly. If we fixed business taxes and invested in optimizing regional rail, market east would have the demand to grow without huge targeted subsidies.