Planetizen

After over 20 years of planning, Sacramento Regional Transit opened the new Dos Rios light rail station to the public on Sept. 28. Trains will arrive every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak periods. SaRT began construction in November 2024 and completed the Dos Rio light rail station this month, roughly four months ahead of schedule.

The 1,700-ton tunnel-boring machine that will carve the first new Hudson River rail tunnel in over a hundred years broke ground on Sept. 28, kicking off project that has been years in the making. The Trump administration briefly pulled funding for the Gateway Project last October, citing "’unconstitutional’ diversity, equity and inclusion principles,” Jose Martinez writes for The City Reporter.

Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets debuted today, bringing the first new Amtrak trains to Oregon and Washington in decades. The trains feature panoramic windows, complementary Wi-Fi and adjustable headrests, Brandon Lewis writes for Mass Transit. Amtrak intends to eventually fully replace the existing Amtrak Cascades fleet with Airo trainsets.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill funding repairs for levees in the California Delta region, and protections for them and other vital water infrastructure from flooding, “even with an El Niño winter looming and memories of flooding still fresh,” Rachel Becker writes for Cal Matters.

The Trump administration revoked a $20 million grant from Boston because less than 1% of the grant money would go to electric vehicle charging infrastructure: now, the city is suing, David Smith writes for the Guardian. Former President Joe Biden’s administration awarded Boston the grant under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program.

New York City is looking to redevelop a city-owned property that currently houses city agencies into a new community of NYC residents, with 4,000 new homes, a fitness center and 40,000 feet of neighborhood amenities planned. New Yorkers will get to attend a public hearing in October regarding the mega-development. A quarter of the units in the proposed development will be rent-stabilized and permanently affordable, Willow Higgins writes for Gothamist.

The New York City Department of Transportation has completed the Bronx’s first busway. The project aims to bring faster service to the 39,000 daily commuters who ride on the Bx36 route, where buses have traditionally traveled as slowly as 5 miles per hour, Noah Kolenda writes for Mass Transit. The communities along the Bx36 are transit-dependent, with 72% of households not owning a private car.

Pittsburg is introducing several modernization efforts aimed at speeding up the city’s permitting process. Completed initiatives include virtual inspections for low-risk projects, and a pilot “fast lane” for routine permits titled "EZ Permits." Smart Cites Drive reports: “This first phase of improvements will help applicants spend less time waiting and more time getting projects done,” [Pittsburg Mayor Corey O’Connor] said in a news release.

Singapore bus passengers may be fined hundreds of Singapore dollars for playing music out loud or having conversations on speakerphones as part of a crackdown on “disruptive” behavior, Lex Harvey writes for CNN Travel. Eating, drinking, putting one's feet up on the seats or littering are also fineable behaviors, costing riders up to 500 Singapore dollars, or $390.

Residents stood against the back walls of Amber’s small community center to make room as the last few landowners trickled in for a meeting with a data center developer in August. The international developer Aligned Data Centers quietly bought roughly 850 acres of land just half a mile outside of Amber city limits for $17 million in late July. About 45 minutes southwest of Oklahoma City, the more than 400 people who live in Amber are surrounded by cattle pastures and agricultural fields.