We could fund a year of free buses with these. Run it back when the Mets win 11 in a row and expedite the containerization program.

Very excited to be talking transportation and abundance at @nyulaw.bsky.social this Thursday. Many thanks to Profs. Clay Gillette (Law) and @egoldwyn.bsky.social (Marron) for moderating and to the NYU Law Real Estate & Urban Policy Forum for bringing us all together!

anyone know how much Caltrain paid for dual level doors on its rolling stock order? I found other bilevel EMU rolling stock orders, without dual doors, but wondered if anyone ever came across something either definitive or suggestive re: costs cc: @adinalevin.bsky.social & @calelectricrail.org

excellent, comprehensive examination into Japan's railway successes by @borners.bsky.social ky.social and @carto-graph.bsky.social. was flattered they linked to a couple of my Japan railway history posts on Substack to reinforce their many good points worksinprogress.co/issue/why-ja...

Talking A Better Billion at NYU law school tomorrow at 1pm. I hear there will be cookies, in addition to @27a01.bsky.social, @ndhapple.bsky.social, and @eensari.bsky.social. Info here: www.law.nyu.edu/events/bette...

My article with @carto-graph.bsky.social on Japanese private railways is out. Rule of thumb, only privatise railways as much as you privatise parking. worksinprogress.co/issue/why-ja...

“...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...

New Yorkers, join us in the first ever Mayor’s Municipal Madness: a competition of city fixes where everyone wins. Pick your fix and vote here: nyc.gov/madness

the top list of most searched words at Merriam-Webster.com really explains the Internet

The @claireforny.bsky.social quote is the star of this NYT article about Queenslink. We need imagination and vision: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/n...

The MTA outlined plans Monday to keep the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway to East Harlem on track — even as it battles the Trump administration in federal court over funding for the $7 billion project. NEW in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/23/m...

going to really commit to this this year but here's 2026 book thread 1) Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu / James Robinson. Given my pro pro-democratic institutions bias, this was good. the title's a bit misleading but a very compelling book and avoid a lot of traps that similar books fall into

this further illustrates the @egoldwyn.bsky.social & @ndhapple.bsky.social thesis behind the Better Billion subway extension plan that going from car->transit has a significantly greater affordability benefit than going from $3 fare->free fare

UCLA professor Brian Taylor will be speaking at NYU Marron tomorrow about his research on fare free transit. Come check it out! luma.com/p0sd5ou2

“The idea that really caught fire was the construction of a monorail around the island of Manhattan with attaching spurs originating in the boroughs.”

This is the penultimate reminder about Professor Brian Taylor’s upcoming talk at NYU Marron re: fare free transit. Cookies, coffee, tea, oh my! luma.com/p0sd5ou2

Today is probably the first time I feel this thing is not that far away from being ready for prime time. Still a lot of work, but I hope we can have this online by the end of April 🤞🤞🤞

“He had come into the toughest playground in America looking for action and partially counting on acceptance because he owned a shiny bat and ball.”

We are hosting a talk with UCLA professor Brian Taylor about fare transit, determinants of transit ridership, and fare free trade offs at NYU Marron next week. Should be illuminating. Please join us at 370 Jay Street: luma.com/p0sd5ou2

"In 1885 the owners of 811, 813, 814, 815, 816, and 817 Fifth Avenue tried to persuade the Board of Estimate to remove the zoo from Central Park, saying the animals 'pollute the soil, thus rendering it offensive and unwholesome.' The zoo won the argument."

"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...

If one wanted to drive transformative modal shift in New York or anywhere, one would combine congestion pricing, street parking pricing, and employer/government transit fare subsidy. The latter is a ways away, but making progress on the first two, apparently: nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/05/m...

“It was said that whole mansions in Westchester County were built with materials stolen from Co-op City.”

​Greetings from the Northwestern University Transportation Library, where Rachel just showed me the original!

“People used to tell me that explaining jokes ruins them. But I enjoy it. Telling people why things are funny can be funny too.”

We are talking A Better Billion at NYU Marron next week. Housing + Subway Expansion is catnip for New Yorkers. Definite cameos from @27a01.bsky.social, @vanshnookenraggen.com, @eensari.bsky.social, and @ndhapple.bsky.social. We will have food and beverages. Please join us! luma.com/ub7q20a6

“The highway’s final cost came to $238 million, about six times the 1946 estimate, of almost $2 billion in today’s dollars, for 6.5 miles of highway.”

For everyone who asks us to do roads: “At first, planners estimated the Cross Bronx’s projected total cost at $38,670,000. When work had been underway for about a year, the estimate went up to $60 million.”

A BETTER BILLION, AMA: This is the latest report from the Transit Costs Project. It sought to take all the work we've done on subway construction and push it forward into a vision of what could/should be possible in NYC with a steady source of funding -- 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

LISTEN: ‘The Master Plan of New York is the Subway’ www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/18/b...

Happy our project is getting some local news love. @egoldwyn.bsky.social @ndhapple.bsky.social @27a01.bsky.social ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...

Look how much Canadians hate the United States now www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

“Canadians were the most likely — among respondents in Canada, Germany, France and the U.K. — to say the U.S. is not a reliable ally (58 percent).” www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

@galvinalmanza.bsky.social I read your op-ed, congrats! I wanted to ask if the person you defended was a bus or subway rider? The set up suggested a bus rider, but the precise phrase you used was “public transit.” Thank you

Seamless Bay Area on Service-Led Planning and how it can help regional network management in the Bay, including: 1. Better transfers; 2. Incremental upgrades to speed, reliability and frequency; 3. More cost effective capital project selection and development. www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2026/2/...

✨ 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...

Let’s go!

Since we're crayoning: Here's a challenge. Pick a metro area. You can build 10 miles subway, 20 miles elevated rail, or 40 miles at grade (street, freeway, rail ROW) rail (or any suitably weighted combination.) Where do you put it for max ridership? How do you adjust the bus network to work with it?

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

“But having read more non-fiction about whaling after my “Moby Dick” re-read, I now know this is not true.”

There’s more

It is amazing what gets into the public domain:

And @ndhapple.bsky.social. This was his idea!!!!

Our A Better Billion report is up on our site. It’s a great site. @27a01.bsky.social, @eensari.bsky.social, @vanshnookenraggen.com, and @alonlevy.bsky.social did a great job: transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...

Citylab and @benschneider.bsky.social covered A Better Billion, too. They also had the wisdom to include the killer gif @27a01.bsky.social made showing how the system expands over time. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“The public kept expecting Necker’s brilliance to save the country, and he kept not saving it and being reappointed and refired.”

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...

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...

We're proud to present A Better Billion: how New York should be spending an extra $1b a year on subway expansion, in lieu of Zohran Mamdani's free bus proposal. transitcosts.com/a-better-bil... See gift article for a New York Times writeup here: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...