An abandoned factory in Williamsburg becomes a public park. (2012 -> Today)

When you travel on the 0.028% of tracks in the USA capable of supporting 160 mph, it feels good to see what train travel was like in Japan in 1964.

What city or metropolitan area in the world is most hampered by its weather and climate? In other words, what city would be exponentially better if it had the weather of Southern California?

I am trying to find freight rail train movements for certain rail lines in Canada. Does anyone know where I can find that info? Thanks!

Lancaster, PA has the fifth most Amtrak riders per capita, and I believe its success is a model for what rail should look like in mid-sized cities everywhere. I talk about it in my latest piece, "What Amish Country Can Teach Us About the Future of Rail." thetransitguy.substack.com/p/what-amish...

Maybe I haven’t been paying attention but when did NEC trains starting terminating in Philly from Boston? Is this new?

So what are your predictions for what happens to slots/terminals that are Spirit’s?

HARD MODE: What transit station am I at? (If you get this wow)

Will be spending most of my summer in Providence while traveling to/from NYC intermittently. Hoping to see a lot of you beautiful people ❤️

That’s 82 years of Amtrak funding, but we don’t have money for trains!

The island of Lindau, Germany (pop. 3,000), sees 115 train departures per day. The entire state of Texas and all of its cities combined, by comparison, sees 56 daily Amtrak departures.

Objectively, the highest-impact use case for AI is automating code compliance and permitting. You should be able to propose a townhome development and find out if it’s code and zoning compliant within 60 seconds, with a human giving final approval.

Is anyone here an Ireland rail expert?

A casual reminder that the federal government in 1974 killed a plan to build a 75-mile, BART-like rapid transit rail system in Detroit, which called for 3–12 minute headways and a 150-mile BRT system feeder system, for being “too ambitious.”

A sentence I'd never think I'd read from a fellow American in 2026. Long live the people.

Abolish ICE

Hot take but transit vehicles should not have cloth seats.

What projects or trends do you hope to see with transit in 2026?

Ohio, an economy the size of Switzerland, sees just 48 trains a week and has no rail links between its major cities. Yet the state found $600M for a new Cleveland Browns stadium, 136× more than it plans to spend on rail projects over the next two years.

My family knows exactly what gift to get me. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 🎄❤️

Wishing you all a safe and Merry Christmas. 🎄❤️ (I’m logging off and you should too)

At max speeds of 110 mph, Michigan could provide rail service between Grand Rapids and Detroit in 95 minutes, 20% faster than driving. For fun, you could name it the "Polar Express," given Grand Rapids is where the movie takes place!

If I won the lottery I wouldn’t tell anyone but there would be signs. (NY Botanical)

At least the Hunger Games at high speed rail…

That could’ve been an email

A really tough weekend. Hug your loved ones close and log off.

Providence will always be home. If you live in the state and are able to donate blood, the Rhode Island Blood Center needs it, especially O-negative and B- blood types. Link below to find a place to donate.

Huh, wonder why this is happening?

Because the state of Connecticut doesn’t want to provide rail service to Norwich, they claim it would cost around $650 million to provide 13.6 miles of rail service. I propose it can be 3x the length and cost $140 million to do.

An older man I’ve become friends with from my alumni network told me tonight he’s giving me his childhood Lionel train sets from the ’60s as he downsizes. Proof that to be loved is to be seen, and tonight, I was.

What is a DMU train you’d use to run a hypothetical rural branch-line rail service in a place like Northern New England?

People from Vienna in the suburbs of Kansas City next year for the World Cup:

It would take 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel between Boston and Washington, D.C. at this speed. This country is so behind, it's laughable.

Mecklenburg County voted in November to raise taxes to fund the Red Line. To me, anything short of an electrified rail line would be a failure, and the Red Line should be seen as the foundation for a future 176-mile S-Bahn/Regional Rail network. Thoughts?

You don't say...

I’ve never seen a sexier way to use my taxpayer dollars

Say what you want, but Mayor-elect Mamdani's transportation transition committee is absolutely fantastic. Having a roster of people who have written reports on how to make subways cheaper, along with the biggest pedestrian and transit advocates in the city, makes me very happy.

What a year this week has been

NYC needs a Chili’s so badly

The Transit Guy, LLC is officially open! 🧵

Project 636 of Project 2025, btw.

Vanderbilt University’s new campus, its first outside of Nashville in the institution's 150-year history, is absolutely stunning, and it’s hidden in plain sight.

So we got 218 votes for a discharge petition to release the Epstein files for Congress to unanimously pass them? Why wasn’t there unanimous backing for the original discharge petition?

What if Providence had actually built its planned subway in 1914? thetransitguy.substack.com/p/what-if-th...

The transformation of Williamsburg’s Domino Park over the past decade has been insane.

Someone said Megyn R. Kelly 😂

Due to this country's lack of state capacity for projects like high-speed rail, experts were able to save fourteen billion dollars in project costs by altering designs that had been based on freight-rail standards. In-house capacity saves money!

When I watch a Godzilla, superhero, or Transformers film, I’m always thinking about the financial, logistical, and economic hurdles of the destruction. Who pays to rebuild Chicago after it’s been leveled in a Transformers movie?

What do you think is the smallest city/metro that could support one or two-line light rail system?

I’m really excited about the NYC Ferry route optimization plan announced today, which will go into effect next month. The new network (1st image) will provide direct connections from Queens to the Bronx and Staten Island to Brooklyn, and it will help alleviate crowding on the E. River. Thoughts?