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{ Monthly Archives } August 2010

Transit 101: Heavy Rail and Light Rail

Transit 101 is an occasional series that will focus on the history and technology of modern-day public transit systems. The current topic is a primer on the various modes of rail transit. Part I: Streetcars and Interurbans Part II: Heavy Rail and Light Rail Part III: Commuter Rail Part IV: Intercity Rail and High-Speed Rail […]

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COAST Doesn’t Get It: Transit-Oriented Development is Real

In their latest poorly-researched attack piece, the anti-rail group COAST claims that high speed rail will destroy our residential property values and that transit-oriented development is a myth.  However, the article is based purely on anecdotes and hearsay, and lacks any factual evidence. According to a Sky News article and video referenced by COAST, homeowners […]

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Friday News Roundup: Fake Trolleys in Utah, and A/C on the Tube

The Friday News Roundup is a weekly series featuring a few of the top transit, rail, and infrastructure-related news stories of the week. Be sure to follow @MetroCincy on Twitter to receive links to transit-related news articles and blog posts throughout the week. Harrah’s has been named as the operator of Cincinnati’s new casino at Broadway […]

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On the Air with Explore Cincinnati

Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining up with UrbanCincy writers Randy Simes and David Ben for a roundtable discussion on Travis Estell’s Explore Cincinnati podcast. Topics discussed include the $25M federal grant for the streetcar project, the renovation of Washington Park, the potential conversion of Taft Road and McMillan Avenue to two-way traffic, the […]

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The Health Benefits of Mass Transit

According to a recent report released by the American Public Transportation Association, public transit riders experience several health benefits including lower risk of being involved in an automobile accident as well as better fitness and less social isolation. The report concludes: That people living in transit-oriented “smart growth” communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen […]

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We Don’t Need a Wiremobile. We Need Leadership.

The past couple weeks have brought us a flurry of futuristic, fanciful-looking mass transit ideas in the popular press. First, there was that straddling bus proposed in China: Public transit in a metropolitan area is all about balance; if there aren’t enough public transit options, too many people choose to drive, clogging roadways and adding to […]

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Transit 101: Streetcars and Interurbans

Welcome to Transit 101. In this first article of the series, we will explore the history and technical aspects of one of the most basic forms of rail transit, the streetcar and interurban, and by the end of the week, we will have worked our way up to high-speed trains that can traverse hundreds of miles in a matter of minutes.

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Rail~Volution 2010 in Portland, Oregon

I saw this mentioned on The Overhead Wire, and thought I’d pass it along. I’ll be in grad school at that time and likely won’t be able to attend, but if somebody goes to this and does a write-up for Metro Cincinnati, I’ll definitely buy you a beer or two when you return. Rail~Volution: Building […]

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Friday News Roundup: Death by a Thousand Cuts, and Rat Man

Happy Friday the 13th! The Friday News Roundup is the first of a weekly series featuring a few of the top transit, rail, and infrastructure-related news stories of the week. Be sure to follow @MetroCincy on Twitter to receive links to transit-related news articles and blog posts throughout the week. The Cincinnati Enquirer, after throwing everything […]

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More Thoughts on the Eastern Corridor

Jake Mecklenborg has written an excellent piece for UrbanCincy that explains the various proposals for the Eastern Corridor commuter rail project, and proposes an alternate plan that would cost far less to operate and serve far more customers than the plan currently proposed. To summarize, the main problems with the Eastern Corridor project as planned […]

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