Jedwin Mok
@jedwinmok.com
Transport Planner & Researcher
Creative Director | cityux.com
Research Lead | infrastoryinsights.com
https://youtu.be/vAygH6SZg28?si=lY-5xtbZl6yPv823
Creative Director | cityux.com
Research Lead | infrastoryinsights.com
https://youtu.be/vAygH6SZg28?si=lY-5xtbZl6yPv823
Pinned
Jedwin Mok
@jedwinmok.com
· Dec 5
NEW PUBLICATION: “Understanding the Drivers of Transit Construction Costs in Canada”
The first from me, Balthazar Crane, @chittimarco.bsky.social, and Amer Shalaby.
So why are transit projects so expensive in Canada? Here’s what we found: 1/🧵
stateofcitiessummit.ca/files/041224...
The first from me, Balthazar Crane, @chittimarco.bsky.social, and Amer Shalaby.
So why are transit projects so expensive in Canada? Here’s what we found: 1/🧵
stateofcitiessummit.ca/files/041224...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
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
Our three big new cases:
- NJT
- SEPTA
- METRA
The NYU-Marron report on electrification is out: It pairs electrification and other components to develop a high-throughput infrastructure design framework, which slashes time off of existing commuter and inter-city passenger rail services. We call it Momentum -- transitcosts.com/wp-content/u...
February 9, 2026 at 4:33 PM
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
Our three big new cases:
- NJT
- SEPTA
- METRA
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
I've been thinking about how to modify the at-grade portion of the #EglintonLRT so that the experience & operations are more like the underground portion. I've put some words and drawings together & I'm happy to hear your thoughts! #TOpoli #Transit #TTC
kevinrupasinghe.substack.com/p/improving-...
kevinrupasinghe.substack.com/p/improving-...
Improving the Eglinton LRT - Fewer Intersections
An ongoing question we'll need to answer: How do we modify the at-grade portion of the Eglinton LRT so that the experience and operations are more like the underground portion?
kevinrupasinghe.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:05 AM
I've been thinking about how to modify the at-grade portion of the #EglintonLRT so that the experience & operations are more like the underground portion. I've put some words and drawings together & I'm happy to hear your thoughts! #TOpoli #Transit #TTC
kevinrupasinghe.substack.com/p/improving-...
kevinrupasinghe.substack.com/p/improving-...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Between Keele and Yonge, the new Line 5 Eglinton is somehow slower than the Bloor subway even though it makes fewer stops and is entirely underground.
February 8, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Between Keele and Yonge, the new Line 5 Eglinton is somehow slower than the Bloor subway even though it makes fewer stops and is entirely underground.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
The most frustrating thing about the sanctimonious nature of a lot of the transit city and surface "light rail" talk in Toronto is that it is distinctly not *light rail* that we built, but the St. Clair streetcar with nicer stops.
February 5, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The most frustrating thing about the sanctimonious nature of a lot of the transit city and surface "light rail" talk in Toronto is that it is distinctly not *light rail* that we built, but the St. Clair streetcar with nicer stops.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Very happy to have collaborated with CSA Group on this report examining successes and challenges in transit project construction in Canada and the lessons we can learn for future projects.
www.csagroup.org/article/publ...
www.csagroup.org/article/publ...
Making the Grade: Recommendations for Addressing the High Cost of Canada’s Transit Infrastructure
Making the Grade examines why Canada’s rail and transit infrastructure costs are significantly higher than global benchmarks and offers recommendations to improve planning, decision-making, political ...
www.csagroup.org
February 6, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Very happy to have collaborated with CSA Group on this report examining successes and challenges in transit project construction in Canada and the lessons we can learn for future projects.
www.csagroup.org/article/publ...
www.csagroup.org/article/publ...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
"Maybe the city's full" says the man living in a 2.7 million dollar house on Palmerston, while sipping $170 scotch after defeating a multiplex proposal across the street.
www.pressreader.com/canada/toron...
www.pressreader.com/canada/toron...
February 2, 2026 at 5:59 PM
"Maybe the city's full" says the man living in a 2.7 million dollar house on Palmerston, while sipping $170 scotch after defeating a multiplex proposal across the street.
www.pressreader.com/canada/toron...
www.pressreader.com/canada/toron...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
From a pure operation expenditure efficiency perspective, making only the buses free means pushing users into a mode with higher marginal costs of production.
If really free transit should be, it's definetly better to have it mode-neutral.
If really free transit should be, it's definetly better to have it mode-neutral.
February 3, 2026 at 1:55 AM
From a pure operation expenditure efficiency perspective, making only the buses free means pushing users into a mode with higher marginal costs of production.
If really free transit should be, it's definetly better to have it mode-neutral.
If really free transit should be, it's definetly better to have it mode-neutral.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Doing the good work. We also are spinning up a little group to advocate for changes @fasttracktoronto.bsky.social
A pair of notable presentations set for next week’s TTC Board: @englishrail.bsky.social on speeding up streetcar/LRT lines, and Narayan Donaldson from @mobycon.bsky.social on better signal priority. They (with @rmtransit.bsky.social) wrote this Star op-ed last year: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
January 30, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Doing the good work. We also are spinning up a little group to advocate for changes @fasttracktoronto.bsky.social
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
I was in Shantou two days ago, the heart of arguably the largest metro region (with +10 million people) in China without urban rail. However, they are constructing a Regional S Bahn system connecting the region's airport, high speed railway stations and 3 major centers. A 🧵
January 30, 2026 at 10:16 AM
I was in Shantou two days ago, the heart of arguably the largest metro region (with +10 million people) in China without urban rail. However, they are constructing a Regional S Bahn system connecting the region's airport, high speed railway stations and 3 major centers. A 🧵
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
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...
See gift article for a New York Times writeup here:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead?
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:17 PM
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...
See gift article for a New York Times writeup here:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
41 miles of new subway for the cost of free buses. Here’s an audacious, expansive plan to expand the subway’s reach & catalyze housing to attack the affordability crisis. An incredible effort from NYU Marron team. Excited for this to be out in the world:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead?
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:37 PM
41 miles of new subway for the cost of free buses. Here’s an audacious, expansive plan to expand the subway’s reach & catalyze housing to attack the affordability crisis. An incredible effort from NYU Marron team. Excited for this to be out in the world:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
We have a consultation problem. I write about a Toronto rec centre that will have taken 14 years to plan, cost at least three times the original budget - and be a bad building.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
What is the cost of consultation?
Toronto recreation centre that started as $40-million project in 2016 has ballooned to nearly $113-million before construction even starts
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:41 PM
We have a consultation problem. I write about a Toronto rec centre that will have taken 14 years to plan, cost at least three times the original budget - and be a bad building.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
What if better cities require short-term sacrifices? 🤔
In our new #UMX video podcast, experts unpack why urban change often meets resistance and how it leads to healthier, more liveable cities.
▶️ Watch now & join the debate 👇
youtu.be/LQ_hg2LI1X4?...
In our new #UMX video podcast, experts unpack why urban change often meets resistance and how it leads to healthier, more liveable cities.
▶️ Watch now & join the debate 👇
youtu.be/LQ_hg2LI1X4?...
Can we transform our cities despite resistance to change? [Podcast]
YouTube video by Urban Mobility Explained
youtu.be
January 15, 2026 at 9:57 AM
What if better cities require short-term sacrifices? 🤔
In our new #UMX video podcast, experts unpack why urban change often meets resistance and how it leads to healthier, more liveable cities.
▶️ Watch now & join the debate 👇
youtu.be/LQ_hg2LI1X4?...
In our new #UMX video podcast, experts unpack why urban change often meets resistance and how it leads to healthier, more liveable cities.
▶️ Watch now & join the debate 👇
youtu.be/LQ_hg2LI1X4?...
Consultancies know the political environment and institutional processes inside and out. We’ve seen cases in Canada where consultants can negotiate for percentage kickbacks of project budget, which clearly is a perverse incentive
January 13, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Consultancies know the political environment and institutional processes inside and out. We’ve seen cases in Canada where consultants can negotiate for percentage kickbacks of project budget, which clearly is a perverse incentive
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
A ton of interesting stuff in here: The Lenox Ave and Broadway station structures look ~rightly sized. The box looks to be about 20% bigger than the platforms, which is a *huge improvement* from the SAS 1 and SAS 2 designs.
They're just massively expensive because they're 100+ feet deep.
BUT...
They're just massively expensive because they're 100+ feet deep.
BUT...
Preliminary data about NYC Subway's 125th St extension from report released yesterday from @mta.info: www.mta.info/document/196...
—Project would attract ~164,000 daily boardings
—Stations would be deep to get under existing lines
—Project estimated at $7.7 b (2027$)
—Earliest revenue service 2032
—Project would attract ~164,000 daily boardings
—Stations would be deep to get under existing lines
—Project estimated at $7.7 b (2027$)
—Earliest revenue service 2032
January 13, 2026 at 10:26 PM
A ton of interesting stuff in here: The Lenox Ave and Broadway station structures look ~rightly sized. The box looks to be about 20% bigger than the platforms, which is a *huge improvement* from the SAS 1 and SAS 2 designs.
They're just massively expensive because they're 100+ feet deep.
BUT...
They're just massively expensive because they're 100+ feet deep.
BUT...
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Good piece for people to think through. If you want housing prices to stay where they are now or (gasp) decrease further, we need to reduce construction costs and so you have to pick the pathways to push on. Your menu of options is here.
New piece! Governments have a choice: either lower construction costs today, or have homeprices spike tomorrow. As much as governments might like to, they can't ignore "Q".
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
Read here: www.missingmiddleini...
January 13, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Good piece for people to think through. If you want housing prices to stay where they are now or (gasp) decrease further, we need to reduce construction costs and so you have to pick the pathways to push on. Your menu of options is here.
I’ve just learned about state-issued baby kits and now extremely pissed off to learn that this is no longer a thing.
Inspired by programs in European countries like Finland, the City of Montreal now offers a “baby box” to new parents, distributed through libraries.
Inspirée par des programmes en Europe, Montréal offre maintenant aux nouveaux parents une “Boîte Bienvenue bébé”, distribuée dans les bibliothèques.
Inspirée par des programmes en Europe, Montréal offre maintenant aux nouveaux parents une “Boîte Bienvenue bébé”, distribuée dans les bibliothèques.
January 13, 2026 at 10:51 PM
I’ve just learned about state-issued baby kits and now extremely pissed off to learn that this is no longer a thing.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Update: the new mayor of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, has cut this program.
Inspired by programs in European countries like Finland, the City of Montreal now offers a “baby box” to new parents, distributed through libraries.
Inspirée par des programmes en Europe, Montréal offre maintenant aux nouveaux parents une “Boîte Bienvenue bébé”, distribuée dans les bibliothèques.
Inspirée par des programmes en Europe, Montréal offre maintenant aux nouveaux parents une “Boîte Bienvenue bébé”, distribuée dans les bibliothèques.
January 13, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Update: the new mayor of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, has cut this program.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Dear North American station designers, this (first two pics) is not how you deal effectively with vertical circulation on a 120-130 ft (35-40 meters) deep station.
It's either the Moscow way (long inclined escalators) or the Barcelona/E-M REM way (elevators-only).
It's either the Moscow way (long inclined escalators) or the Barcelona/E-M REM way (elevators-only).
January 13, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Dear North American station designers, this (first two pics) is not how you deal effectively with vertical circulation on a 120-130 ft (35-40 meters) deep station.
It's either the Moscow way (long inclined escalators) or the Barcelona/E-M REM way (elevators-only).
It's either the Moscow way (long inclined escalators) or the Barcelona/E-M REM way (elevators-only).
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
NEW VIDEO: North America’s Elevator’s Problem
Elevators are absolutely essential to modern cities..... and it turns out North America kind of sucks at them. We partnered with @sightline.org to look into the many issues plaguing our elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it.
Elevators are absolutely essential to modern cities..... and it turns out North America kind of sucks at them. We partnered with @sightline.org to look into the many issues plaguing our elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it.
The United States has the fewest elevators in the rich world, with Canada only a bit ahead. We teamed up with @uytaelee.bsky.social of About Here Videos to investigate why, exactly, North America sucks at elevators.
North America's Elevator Problem
YouTube video by About Here
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 11:02 PM
NEW VIDEO: North America’s Elevator’s Problem
Elevators are absolutely essential to modern cities..... and it turns out North America kind of sucks at them. We partnered with @sightline.org to look into the many issues plaguing our elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it.
Elevators are absolutely essential to modern cities..... and it turns out North America kind of sucks at them. We partnered with @sightline.org to look into the many issues plaguing our elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
Skinner "I'm I out of touch" meme .gif
Very rarely in the building codes/ standards world will you see a map with this stark of a contrast.
January 12, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Skinner "I'm I out of touch" meme .gif
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
The recently opened 19km long underground fully automated Xi'an Metro Line 15 Phase 1 costs less to build per km than the Toronto Finch West Tramway and the project is overall cheaper to build than the 19km long Phase 1 subway-surface Eglinton Crosstown tramway.
January 7, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The recently opened 19km long underground fully automated Xi'an Metro Line 15 Phase 1 costs less to build per km than the Toronto Finch West Tramway and the project is overall cheaper to build than the 19km long Phase 1 subway-surface Eglinton Crosstown tramway.
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
The Pfaffensteig tunnel to connect Stuttgart airport to the Gäubahn (railway to Zürich) has been approved.
Big problem is that it’s a single tracked railway with not much in between Stuttgart and Zürich. Do it hasn’t been upgraded and is now getting a billion euro tunnel that’ll be empty
Big problem is that it’s a single tracked railway with not much in between Stuttgart and Zürich. Do it hasn’t been upgraded and is now getting a billion euro tunnel that’ll be empty
#Pfaffensteigtunnel zur Anbindung der #Gäubahn an Flughafen #Stuttgart ist genehmigt. Folge von #Stuttgart21 -Murks.
👉 S 21 mit unzureichenden Kapazitäten
👉 Teurer Tunnel mit Auslastung von nur 45%
👉 Mischverkehrsvariante mit S-Bahn zum Flughafen vom Tisch (gut!)
www.swr.de/swraktuell/b...
👉 S 21 mit unzureichenden Kapazitäten
👉 Teurer Tunnel mit Auslastung von nur 45%
👉 Mischverkehrsvariante mit S-Bahn zum Flughafen vom Tisch (gut!)
www.swr.de/swraktuell/b...
S21 erhält milliardenteure Ergänzung: Jetzt kann der Pfaffensteigtunnel gebaut werden
Der Pfaffensteigtunnel zwischen Böblingen und dem Flughafen Stuttgart kann gebaut werden. Das Milliardenprojekt schließt direkt an S21 an. 2032 soll die Strecke fertig sein.
www.swr.de
January 10, 2026 at 12:12 PM
The Pfaffensteig tunnel to connect Stuttgart airport to the Gäubahn (railway to Zürich) has been approved.
Big problem is that it’s a single tracked railway with not much in between Stuttgart and Zürich. Do it hasn’t been upgraded and is now getting a billion euro tunnel that’ll be empty
Big problem is that it’s a single tracked railway with not much in between Stuttgart and Zürich. Do it hasn’t been upgraded and is now getting a billion euro tunnel that’ll be empty
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
love welcoming my best friends to toronto by making them suffer on our worst transit line 💜
January 11, 2026 at 2:55 AM
love welcoming my best friends to toronto by making them suffer on our worst transit line 💜
Reposted by Jedwin Mok
I know you've been thinking "we need way more podcasts".
Your prayers have been answered!
@chanface.bsky.social and I have a podcast about transit advocacy in Canada and around the world!
LISTEN TO IT
Your prayers have been answered!
@chanface.bsky.social and I have a podcast about transit advocacy in Canada and around the world!
LISTEN TO IT
My new podcast DWELL TIME IS OUT!
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
January 7, 2026 at 8:53 PM
I know you've been thinking "we need way more podcasts".
Your prayers have been answered!
@chanface.bsky.social and I have a podcast about transit advocacy in Canada and around the world!
LISTEN TO IT
Your prayers have been answered!
@chanface.bsky.social and I have a podcast about transit advocacy in Canada and around the world!
LISTEN TO IT