Christof Spieler
@christofspieler.bsky.social
Director of Transportation, Madison, WI; Author of “Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit,” Island Press, 2021. (he/him) PE/AICP/LEED AP
Olympia's been doing more to help on that front than Ottawa...
December 1, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Olympia's been doing more to help on that front than Ottawa...
When I rode it westbound it definitely did what the Via map shows (crossing the Fraser in Surrey.)
December 1, 2025 at 3:28 AM
When I rode it westbound it definitely did what the Via map shows (crossing the Fraser in Surrey.)
That's the "might" -- these networks are not created equal. But also conversion might come with a new tunnel into the CBD, or as the extension of an existing subway line. (And of course that's already been done once on the LIRR.)
December 1, 2025 at 12:58 AM
That's the "might" -- these networks are not created equal. But also conversion might come with a new tunnel into the CBD, or as the extension of an existing subway line. (And of course that's already been done once on the LIRR.)
But: Toronto region has twice the transit ridership of LA Chicago DC or San Francisco. Toronto has a history of botched project planning and construction, but it also a lot of frequent transit and a well connected network. Toronto should be better in many ways, bur also everyone should envy Toronto.
November 30, 2025 at 11:58 PM
But: Toronto region has twice the transit ridership of LA Chicago DC or San Francisco. Toronto has a history of botched project planning and construction, but it also a lot of frequent transit and a well connected network. Toronto should be better in many ways, bur also everyone should envy Toronto.
And while we can look at that as a technology question, we also need to consider it as an alignment question. Are those existing rail corridors where the people are? If not, neither metro nor regional rail is a good investment. Montreal was smart, but we also have to recognize they were lucky.
November 30, 2025 at 11:31 PM
And while we can look at that as a technology question, we also need to consider it as an alignment question. Are those existing rail corridors where the people are? If not, neither metro nor regional rail is a good investment. Montreal was smart, but we also have to recognize they were lucky.
It's important to remember that converting a commuter rail line to a different non-compatible technology is not a new idea. It was one of the predominant planning philosophies of 1960s-1980s era US rail transit, and it's always been a big part of light rail. We've done this a lot.
November 30, 2025 at 11:28 PM
It's important to remember that converting a commuter rail line to a different non-compatible technology is not a new idea. It was one of the predominant planning philosophies of 1960s-1980s era US rail transit, and it's always been a big part of light rail. We've done this a lot.
That's one of the big wins of Metro/ALRT conversion -- shorter trains that can handle tighter curves make it far easier to deviate from existing ROW to get to key destinations. That can be done with regional rail (some examples on German S-Bahns) but if it's cheaper you tend to do it more.
November 30, 2025 at 11:25 PM
That's one of the big wins of Metro/ALRT conversion -- shorter trains that can handle tighter curves make it far easier to deviate from existing ROW to get to key destinations. That can be done with regional rail (some examples on German S-Bahns) but if it's cheaper you tend to do it more.
SRT could have been expanded along other rail ROWs just like BART, WMATA, MARTA, and MBTA were. There just clearly wasn't the political desire to do it.
November 30, 2025 at 11:22 PM
SRT could have been expanded along other rail ROWs just like BART, WMATA, MARTA, and MBTA were. There just clearly wasn't the political desire to do it.
Some (which is why it's worth doing) but not all. For example, with air brake tests and PTC reset FRA-compliant trains require much layovers at the end of line than an automated metro does.
November 30, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Some (which is why it's worth doing) but not all. For example, with air brake tests and PTC reset FRA-compliant trains require much layovers at the end of line than an automated metro does.
If you have a wide corridor, you can do what MBTA did and have 2 metro tracks plus 1 or 2 freight/intercity/regional rail tracks.
November 30, 2025 at 10:56 PM
If you have a wide corridor, you can do what MBTA did and have 2 metro tracks plus 1 or 2 freight/intercity/regional rail tracks.
Yes, and Metro-North, LIRR, NJT, and SEPTA (some of the other systems that have enough ridership demand to really benefit from frequent service) are in similar situations, but they might have individual lines that could be converted.
November 30, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Yes, and Metro-North, LIRR, NJT, and SEPTA (some of the other systems that have enough ridership demand to really benefit from frequent service) are in similar situations, but they might have individual lines that could be converted.
If your line does not share tracks with intercity or freight rail (or share tracks with other lines that do) regional rail technology likely doesn't make sense. There's a reason such standalone lines historically tended to evolve into either light rail or metros.
November 30, 2025 at 10:22 PM
If your line does not share tracks with intercity or freight rail (or share tracks with other lines that do) regional rail technology likely doesn't make sense. There's a reason such standalone lines historically tended to evolve into either light rail or metros.
They know enough about hurricanes to not want to live anywhere near them.
November 28, 2025 at 7:52 PM
They know enough about hurricanes to not want to live anywhere near them.
And transporting it --whether it's a staff member driving to the bank or an armored truck. (And that cost doesn't go down much as the amount of cash collected goes down. Transit agencies are seeing that now.)
November 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
And transporting it --whether it's a staff member driving to the bank or an armored truck. (And that cost doesn't go down much as the amount of cash collected goes down. Transit agencies are seeing that now.)
And every man knew, as the captain did too
'Twas the deep state weather engineering
'Twas the deep state weather engineering
November 28, 2025 at 2:12 AM
And every man knew, as the captain did too
'Twas the deep state weather engineering
'Twas the deep state weather engineering
O'Hare and Union Station. www.coachusa.com/airport-tran...
Coach USA | Airport Transportation | Van Galder | Bus Schedule
Coach USA Van Galder Chicago Airport Bus Schedule
www.coachusa.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:07 PM
O'Hare and Union Station. www.coachusa.com/airport-tran...
When the question is "would this station be more efficient if it operated like Penn Station" you know there's lots of room for improvement.
November 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
When the question is "would this station be more efficient if it operated like Penn Station" you know there's lots of room for improvement.
The current fleet in Tacoma is 3 older Skodas and 5 newer Brookvilles. So this would mean they end up with 8 Brookvilles. The fleet would be more uniform and newer than today.
November 27, 2025 at 3:25 AM
The current fleet in Tacoma is 3 older Skodas and 5 newer Brookvilles. So this would mean they end up with 8 Brookvilles. The fleet would be more uniform and newer than today.
I believe you're still supposed to tap off. Wilmington does have Key readers -- you can see one on the platform at the left. (It's Amtrak owned.)
November 26, 2025 at 3:50 AM
I believe you're still supposed to tap off. Wilmington does have Key readers -- you can see one on the platform at the left. (It's Amtrak owned.)
Sometimes the major issue in a public agency is "who has the authority to approve this?" and when there's no clear answer that's enough to stop something.
November 25, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Sometimes the major issue in a public agency is "who has the authority to approve this?" and when there's no clear answer that's enough to stop something.