Transit construction costs in the US keep rising, and projects keep taking longer and longer to build. One possible explanation? Ineffective, inefficient community engagement processes, we argue @urbaninstitute.bsky.social ⏬

The event is accessible by subway from the W 4th St-Wash Sq station. Come chat and enjoy some cookies : D

I'm beyond thrilled to see Watermelon Truck in the @chicagotribune.com. Thanks @ninametz.bsky.social for highlighting this really special part of our collection. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/t...

“...Reinvent Albany, the Partnership for New York, the Regional Plan Association, the Citizens Budget Commission, the Effective Transit Alliance and NYU’s Marron Institute voiced their opposition to a pair of bills working their way through Albany." www.nydailynews.com/2026/04/01/g...

Happy Open Data Week! Our latest report was built on Open Data, and the data says NYC has WAYYY too much to lose if QueensWay is built. Tell Mayor Mamdani, Listen to the Data: NO WAY to QueensWAY! actionnetwork.org/letters/it-a...

Thank you, Janno, for the recognition of QueensLink's Initial Business Case and Ridership Report! We look forward to the MTA's review of our findings on this transformative project. #BuildtheQueensLink

QueensWay should not come at the expense of QueensLink. For those who haven't been following this years-long debate, a translation: A linear park is great — but not if it blocks future public transit on a rare existing right-of-way. Queens needs both rails and trails!

QueensLink Fast Facts 🚈💨 - 75,000 daily riders, or nearly double the ridership-per-mile of IBX - 50% more service on Queens Boulevard and 165% more through-service to the Rockaways - 60-70% faster travel through Queens and into Brooklyn resulting in $4.9 billion in time savings for New Yorkers

"Since the goal is to deliver housing as soon as possible, the city should start with something smaller, faster, and more achievable, built literally on more solid ground." citylimits.org/opinion-turn...

Reposting for the weekend crowds :7

This is not serious stuff. We haven’t had an infrastructure bill with a pay-for in ~50 years.

LMAO The Portal Bridge going out as a total dumpster fire. You gotta salute it. 🫡

If you are interested in learning more about the technics and behind the scenes on how we have produced our transit housing expansion report, A Better Billion, then I have an event that might interest you very soon. 1/🧵

The proofs are in and the publication date is set! “Transportation and the Shape of Cities” will be available this August from @islandpress.bsky.social, an imprint of . @princetonupress.bsky.social. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...

US-based researcher: does a study, use some obscure US place as a study case, generalizes the finding as universally relevant. Reviewers: ✅️ -- Non US researcher: does a study, use non US place as a study case, present findings as context-bound. Reviewers: HoW iS tHis RelEVaNT for tHE DeBATe?

50+ TTC streetcars sitting unused in a yard each day seems like a huge missed opportunity. (And should probably really annoy the federal and provincial govs who helped pay for them?) stevemunro.ca/2026/03/06/t...

"When this is built, I want New Yorkers to take it for granted” Thank you to @thecity.nyc @amysohn.bsky.social and Harry Siegel for having my on the podcast to discuss QueensLink! www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/07/q...

We've posted the slides and a printer-friendly version of our subway expansion report, A Better Billion! Slides: transitcosts.com/ABB_Presenta... Printer-friendly PDF: transitcosts.com/A_Better_Bil... NYT write-up: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n... The OG interactive: transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...

We at the Transit Cost Project are hosting an event on our most recent report, "A Better Billion", at 370 Jay St in Brooklyn on March 4th. If you are interested in hearing about the planning proposal in person and ask your burning questions on the report, RSVP on Luma here: luma.com/ub7q20a6

Now I want a (12) train shirt to go with this.

✨ 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...

Some questions I ask whenever I see a crayon like this:

I don't think we wrote it to be synergistic in the first place.

Hi Zohran, we at the Transit Cost Project just published a report planning for how the New York City can build affordable housing and good transit together - all year long, for 40 years. Let's plan a city that plans for the future, together. transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...

No notes. Love the header image @davecolon.bsky.social nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/02/02/f...

I am now off the clock, so I am officially, formally, incredibly thrilled that 'A Better Billion' is now in the world. And it's absolutely surreal to help with something that ends up with a feature in The New York Times. -- transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...

It has been fun working on the A Better Billion project over the last couple of months. You can check out the full StoryMap here: transitcosts.com/a-better-bil... Also the gift article link to the NYT coverage of our plan; www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...

This "beigeness"accompanied me through high school 🙃

Line 5 and 6 can be the prime examples of Jumping-out-hole-we-dug-for-oursevles-ism. I still remember the time when I saw the TTC getting award for best transit system in NA (2017-ish). H(C)opium: maybe Line 3 can avoid these pitfalls and try to build a REM-esque service in Toronto.

I wrote a thing. Build trams, but build them well. Understanding what tramways are, what they do best and how to employ them. open.substack.com/pub/marcochi...

Bill C-15 for Toronto-Quebec City High-Speed Rail (TQHSR) has been tabled for first reading in the Canadian Parliament. www.parl.ca/DocumentView...

An update:

It's an honor and pleasure to be named to City & State's "2025" Unsung Heroes" list. I have to also shout out the amazing volunteers at QueensLink who make it look easy when it's not. www.cityandstateny.com/power-lists/...

New Marron survey of 400+ subway lines across the world from London to Paris to Shanghai finds just 6% still use two-person train operation, which would be required by a TWU-backed bill. “It doesn’t really matter to us what the data shows,” says TWU boss Samuelsen www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/n...

We dropped a new report re: train operations, everyone’s favorite topic. There’s some backstory that we will get too. But, the basic takeaway is modern train systems have moved away from two-person train ops. New York should, too! transitcosts.com/Train_Operat...

↓Mood for the rest of the day

@ndhapple.bsky.social Hey look they are looking to make the descendant of the traincar in our acceleration curves tables

If only we have some land-based alternative that can move a lot more people on a dedicated alignment... You know, to compensate for the loss in flying capacity...especially for this route, too.

Scared about kill switches in buses Norway bought from China? How about trains in Poland with something similar but even more malevolent 👇 jonworth.eu/newags-digit... Ah no, not China, so doesn't generate the same fuss 🤷‍♂️

I've done something that I don't do very often. I wrote a short, quick polemic post. It was prompted by a discussion in here. It's about why I'm still skeptical about ALTO's HSR project and why there is no way around transparency in public projects. open.substack.com/pub/marcochi...

The Canadian 2025 budget tabled by the Carney administration, describes the Alto HSR project in a very specific, defined goal. The full budget can be found here budget.canada.ca/2025/home-ac... 1/thread

You know what? A better city is possible.

I finally completed my second long form post dedicated to the problem of High Speed Rail and the city, or "who goes with whom in the puzzle of traffic separation around large urban areas?" I hope you enjoy. open.substack.com/pub/marcochi...

The NEW, interactive website for our NEC report (by @alonlevy.bsky.social) is ready! nec.transitcosts.com

We will discuss free buses for at least the next year! Free buses are okay. Faster, more frequent buses and a more expansive fair fares is better. Let’s translate @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s enthusiasm for buses into real change in the next administration: www.npr.org/2025/10/16/n...

“Massive NY tunnel and subway projects still alive,“ “DOT has no plans to end the multibillion-dollar Gateway tunnel and Second Ave Subway projects, an administration official told POLITICO a day after the president said they had been ‘terminated.’” subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

Meanwhile in New York City...

I just can't get over the differences in scale between Ballard Link's Westlake Station as proposed and the original Westlake Station, off to the left.

What's the incentive for politicians when they get reflected even if Metrolinx's leadership set money on fire in Dundas Square. Ontarians deserve that because they voted for that.

🚌 Strategies used to turnaround Akron’s bus system: 1. CEO used to be a bus driver, now rides the bus with customers 2. Run buses every 15 minutes, 7 days a week 3. Concentrate on most needed services 4. Reduce job requirements “If we’re not using our product, why should anybody else use it?”