Perhaps the smartest #ClimateAction investment in cities is in public transit. While others make excuses, Paris is building a WHOLE NEW METRO NETWORK CONNECTING SUBURBS. “…the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.” #ActionStartsHere @mayors4climate.bsky.social

Today, on Black Friday, we’re launching our GivingTuesday Campaign that will help the Association keep fighting for passenger rail and transit. Donate today to help us raise $20,000 or more between now and midnight on Tuesday, December 2nd. www.railpassengers.o...

From all of us at Rail Passengers.

The momentum is coming back in Ohio for rail with public surveys showing 75+% and politicians warming up to the idea once more. Join our supporter list at allaboardohio.org!

Opinions are fine, but factually, there is no "obsession" with HSR in the U.S. because we don't have any. Also, 2/3 of the U.S. has cities ideally spaced for HSR with the travel density to make it successful. No one is seriously considering HSR in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, etc.

Trains are the answer

Now Uzbekistan is pulling ahead of the U.S. with high-speed rail. They are taking delivery of 6 high-speed train sets from Korea in addition to what you see in the picture: www.railjournal.com/regions/asia...

All Aboard Ohio hosted a tour of Columbus’ future convention center train station! @colsunderground.bsky.social was there and wrote a great summary of the event! columbusunderground.com/convention-c...

Everyone at All Aboard Washington wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels! We hope you can join us for our annual meeting on December 13. And don't forget that our fundraiser is still underway. Please donate now! aawa.us/support/

Iowa will be seeing high Amtrak ridership this holiday weekend.

Smart cities are transforming transportation, reducing emissions and public costs while adding more choice and improving quality of life. COMMON SENSE! Smart infrastructure for public transit, walking & biking is a GREAT INVESTMENT. Fund it accordingly. #ActionStartsHere @mayors4climate.bsky.social

Not a terrible month for on-time performance, with Iowa's routes seeing improvement and Amtrak meeting it's system-wide goal of 80% on-time. As always, still work to do on the long-distance routes.

The planner Jarrett Walker (@humantransit.bsky.social) talks about planning transportation networks with the goal of freedom (which apparently planners call "access"). He writes about public transit, but I think the approach works for any transportation network. humantransit.org/basics-acces...

SART supports buses as part of a transit solution, but this pic is just too good to not share.

While not a passenger rail issue, we have seen a number of stories where freight trains/tracks have cut entire neighborhoods off from public services - the RAIL Act hopes to solve at least one of them.

15 years after former WI Gov. Scott Walker killed a plan to return passenger rail to downtown Madison by refusing federal money for a high-speed line between MKE and the state's capital, the city's transpo officials have a station site in mind

AAWA has been following the issue of how tires are killing salmon since 2021 www.aawa.us/news/posts/s... and now there is some potential good news. westseattleblog.com/2025/11/foll...

ICYMI: Amtrak released a detailed infographic on Friday that highlights what went into their record-breaking FY25. media.amtrak.com/202...

In a holiday week edition of "Where in the World is Jim Mathews?" - our President & CEO is in Prague to give the keynote address, and to receive an award, at the global Rail Interiors Show. His presentation is on what passengers say they want, and what they can expect to get. 1/3

NJTransit is adding much needed capacity for what is sure to be a VERY busy holiday week.

Robust intra- and Intercity rail are part of transforming cities to drive the fight against the #climatecrisis.

From a story we covered a couple of days ago. Former Rail Passengers Intern Josh Hirschfeld was on the first ever revenue service run of the Reseau Express Metropolitan (REM) from Brossard to Deux-Montanges. Check out the trip here:

Brightline is piloting AI-powered LiDAR on two of their trains using Sotereon.AI’s Overwatch platform - which creates real-time “digital twins” of its Florida corridor aimed at improving rail inspection, safety, and maintenance with continuous monitoring.

Letter to the editor: "Invest in trains" www.seattletimes.com/opinion/lett...

Happy #HotlineFriday! Short & sweet for the pre-holiday week. We talk about the bargain that Amtrak coach tickets are, we continue with our volunteer program, close to wrapping up the Council election process, and news from around the country. www.railpassengers.o...

Charley Babb, opinion writer and Miami (OH) Univ. sophomore, asks the aged old question - what good is having a passenger rail stop if the service just isn't enough?

Americans love rail—and they deserve a rail network on par with our international counterparts. That starts with investments from Congress.

The Long Bridge project is the first in Virginia's ambitious plan to transform its rail infrastructure. States partnered with AMTRAK can make passenger rail great again.

The pleasures, camaraderie, and history of Texas passenger rail - with a longing for something better. (And a cameo by SART's own Bruce Ashton.) www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

News from our friends to the north. Montreal's Réseau Express Métropolitain officially opened their fully automated 33 km (20.5 miles) extension with 14 new stations from downtown to Deux-Montagnes

Local officials are mulling over assisting the current owners of the 120-year-old "Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Depot" apply for a $4.7M FRA grant to fund renovation efforts.

Iowa transit agencies have won $77 million in awards through a pair of FTA grant programs.

Officials from both the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) have backed a non-binding funding and regional coordination plan.

I thought they told us no one rides trains in America? www.metro-magazine.com/10250854/amt...

The Association was proud to have been invited to last week's ribbon cutting of the largest project opening to date for the CREATE Program's 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project. (Check our IG reels for a video from the event)

This is a great outline of the transit picture in the US.

The suburban transit agencies trying to secede from Dallas's DART are basing their plans on unrealistic visions of "microtransit." Nearby Arlington, Texas already shows the limits of that. Good @dallasobserver.com piece. www.dallasobserver.com/news/dart-co...

It's a tectonic shift when an agency like TexDOT calls for more public transit funding to improve mobility:

Breaking: Trump Admin Seeks To Decimate Federal Transit Funding - usa.streetsblog.org/2025/11/18/b... via @usa.streetsblog.org and @keawilson.bsky.social

It's not just a way to get around.

At a time support for transit is growing across the country, the administration wants to stifle it.

The 2025 elections saw more than 80% of public transit measures passed nationwide, with over $11.6B for buses and trains. That momentum matters for the Big Sky North Coast Corridor: communities across the country are voting for more, better #passengerrail. www.masstransitmag.com/management/a...

The site has been identified by city officials as the potential new home of a transportation hub.

Iowa City Transit is being featured in the New York Times for its fare-free bus program.

The Bay Area has some hardcore public transit fans - and the love is mutual. Former RailNation speaker Alfred Twu is featured in this piece on the "quirky" side of fandom.

Are you a current Association member? Consider joining our volunteer leadership and make a direct impact on our fight for more trains, to more places, for more people. Deadline to submit is Midnight Eastern on Dec. 1st. For more information: railpassengers.org/a...

SEPTA’s TWU Local 234 (bus, trolley, subway, and mechanic workers) has authorized a strike, pushing for better sick pay and a two‑year contract after being without an agreement since Nov 7 - raising the threat of shutdowns if talks falter.

VPRA, Amtrak, and VRE officials broke ground on the Arlington/Alexandria fourth track and bridge rebuild - part of Virginia’s Transforming Rail initiative. The project will support 13 daily Amtrak VA roundtrips & expanded VRE service.

MTA CEO Janno Lieber writes this AMNY op-ed on the effect the opening of Grand Central Madison, numerous station upgrades, the CityTicket discount program, among others has had on the accessibility & affordability for commuter rail riders in NYC

SEPTA has completed the federally ordered point-by-point inspection of their Silverliner IV fleet and is now installing thermal protection circuits to prevent overheating ahead of the Dec 5th deadline.