A new report states : " With freight volumes projected to surge by 58 percent by 2050, the nation’s economic and environmental future depends on how effectively it can accommodate this growth while maintaining supply chain reliability, reducing emissions, and mitigating the strain on public infrastructure." https://enotrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Eno-Freight-Rail-Report-Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf
According to latest Highway Boondoggles analysis by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, America is spending more than one-quarter of a trillion dollars each year on our highway system — roughly half of which comes from general tax revenues sourced from all U.S. residents, whether they drive or not.
A stunning amount of that money, meanwhile, funds highway expansion projects that the report authors argue are a total waste of public dollars, because they're based on the myth that adding or widening lanes will solve congestion and save lives in car crashes, neither of which are true.
Read the whole article: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2025/10/09/america-has-a-golden-opportunity-to-end-the-highway-boondoggle-crisis
From HSRA:
Houston’s project is far more expensive and delay-plagued than California high-speed rail. It will cost an estimated $13 billion for the 25 miles of work, or nearly $500 million per mile. The projected cost of the high-speed line from San Francisco to LA is $128 billion, or a little over $200 million per mile.
But costs aren’t the only or even most relevant way to compare the projects. Consider the value they’ll deliver (or not) when they’re finished.
Read the whole article at
While Maine isn't ready yet for HSR - we need to start the demand. This article discusses what advantages for the East Coast Corridor to develop HSR (ultimately to Portland) but what forces are stopping it from occurring. https://sf.streetsblog.org/2025/08/28/commentary-the-real-reason-trump-opposes-high-speed-rail-isnt-about-trains-its-about-power
Bring back our freight rail lines and save Maine roads! Virginia is leading the way.
The nation’s passenger railroad is adapting to White House priorities, such as by dropping high-speed rail projects. However, overall Cuts not as bad as some feared. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/amtrak-trump-duffy-next-four-years/752487/
Boston Mayor Wu’s Administration Forces Chelsea, Charlestown Transit Riders to Wait In More Traffic. The change comes just weeks before the MBTA rolls out a new bus lane enforcement system, which is expected to improve bus service considerably – at least on the dwindling number of streets where dedicated bus lanes still exist. (maybe trains are the better option?) https://mass.streetsblog.org/2025/07/08/another-bus-lane-bites-the-dust-wu-administration-forces-chelsea-charlestown-transit-riders-to-wait-in-more-traffic.
The Train’s Fare Box Doesn’t Pay for Itself — And That’s Okay
In his keynote address, John Robert Smith, Chairman of Transportation for America, acknowledged that most rail services are not profitable based solely on farebox revenue. Noting that this is also true for other modes of transportation, he stressed the need to dismantle the myth that passenger rail should be financially self-sustaining in this way.
https://railway-news.com/the-economic-case-for-rail-investment-in-the-us/
Key highlights from the 2024 Public Transportation Fact Book and Ridership Policy Brief include:
Ditching cars for rail Wisconsin Amtrak passengers find accessibility
“I’ll take this any day,” says one traveler who found solace on the train from Milwaukee to Chicago — a key route for the state’s Amtrak expansion.
Proponents see passenger expansion as a practical and necessary investment that would share the opportunity for economic development that rail delivers with more rural parts of Maine. At the same time, it would provide sustainable mass transportation for residents, workers, commuters, tourists heading for Acadia National Park or waterfront concerts in Bangor and students attending colleges in Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and Orono.
Read the article at: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/04/rail-advocates-renew-push-for-passenger-service-to-bangor/
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