Transportation

  • The front of a silver railroad cab car alongside a station platform with a sign reading, "Freetown."
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    Courtesy of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
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    New commuter rail service to open in southeastern Massachusetts

    The $1 billion South Coast Rail project will return passenger train service to the area for the first time in 65 years.

    By • Feb. 27, 2025
  • View from inside a vehicle without a driver approaching an intersection with cars and bicycles.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    The unseen environmental costs of autonomous cars

    Robotaxis and self-driving cars could be a big step backwards in sustainability, cautions the CEO of an advanced transportation firm.

    By Jeral Poskey • Feb. 26, 2025
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • An aerial view of a rendering of a residential development.
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    Courtesy of Terra
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    Miami developer breaks ground on $1B transit-oriented project

    Upland Park, located near a bus terminal facility, will feature 2,000 apartments and retail and commercial space at full buildout.

    By Zachary Phillips • Feb. 26, 2025
  • People board a bus at a with a yellow taxi driving by.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Labor, emissions top public transit leader concerns: Optibus report

    Transit driver retention and safety, zero-emission fleets, AI and other technologies are among the top issues identified by North American public transportation leaders. 

    By • Feb. 26, 2025
  • Two men in suits and a woman in the background.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    DOT funding priorities benefit Whiter, wealthier communities: Urban Institute

    A plan to tie funding to marriage and birth rates would leave behind historically underserved communities, according to an Urban Institute analysis.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Feb. 25, 2025
  • A Boston elevated train pulls into a station on a cloudy day.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    FTA postpones enforcement of state safety oversight rule for rail transit

    Though the rule was effective Jan. 1, the Federal Transit Administration is  postponing enforcement to March 20 in line with a Jan. 20 executive order.

    By • Feb. 25, 2025
  • A white transit bus with advertising is seen from the rear as it makes a stop in a bus lane next to a bus shelter on a city street.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    AI offers benefits, risks to public transit: Urban Institute researcher

    Transit agencies must balance potential safety and efficiency improvements against hacking, data privacy and equity concerns, Senior Research Associate Lindiwe Rennert says.

    By • Feb. 24, 2025
  • A woman in a blue jacket at a podium holding up a letter surrounded by several people.
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    (2025). [Video]. Retrieved from New York State.
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    NY takes on Trump in battle over congestion pricing

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy terminated approval of New York's program for tolling vehicles that enter Manhattan's central business district. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to fight.

    By • Feb. 20, 2025
  • A Serve Robotics robot in front of some buildings in the Miami area.
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    Courtesy of Serve Robotics
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    Serve Robotics is coming to Miami

    Serve will offer delivery through Uber Eats from Shake Shack and a local pizza chain in Brickell and Miami Beach, Florida. 

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 20, 2025
  • Trucks sit in heavy traffic on Interstate 90 in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2006.
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    Tim Boyle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Rebuilt Chicago traffic bottleneck boosts truck speeds by 25%: ATRI

    But the rebuilt Jane Byrne Interchange has yet to make the full traffic improvement predicted when it opened in 2022.

    By Colin Campbell • Feb. 19, 2025
  • A man seated in the rear of a black car holding the door open on a busy street with yellow taxis and other vehicles.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Uber, Lyft riders choose ride-hailing over transit to save time: study

    The convenience of ride-hailing services comes with greater greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, traffic congestion and noise, however, a University of Michigan study finds.

    By • Feb. 19, 2025
  • People seated at a long desk with others in four rows of seats behind them.
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    (2025). "America Builds: A Review of Programs to Address Roadway Safety" [Video]. Retrieved from T&I Committee Republicans/YouTube.
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    Roadway safety requires traffic enforcement, infrastructure investments: House hearing

    Safety advocates and local government officials joined members of Congress in calling for action to reduce traffic deaths in a House subcommittee hearing.

    By • Feb. 18, 2025
  • People wait for cars in the Lyft pick-up area at JFK Airport on April 28, 2023 in New York City.
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    Michael M. Santiago / Staff via Getty Images
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    Lyft offers assistance for drivers, premium options to fuel growth

    CEO David Risher credited the company’s “customer obsession” for a strong quarter, but it's focusing on its drivers, too.  

    By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 13, 2025
  • People with backpacks and luggage walk along a red tile floor toward buses seen though glass doors and windows.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Intercity bus service on the upswing

    Long distance and regional bus lines are buying more motor coaches as they see growing ridership.

    By • Feb. 13, 2025
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    Provided by Hyundai Motor America

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    Ionna moves forward with EV charging network

    The automaker-led joint venture remains committed to rolling out public charging infrastructure, despite the suspension of government funding.

    By Larry Avila • Feb. 12, 2025
  • The skyline of Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood at sunset.
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    chrisp0 via Getty Images
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    New York loans Revel $60M to expand NYC public EV charging

    The financial arrangement is “an important and replicable precedent” to accelerate electric vehicle charging, NY Green Bank President Andrew Kessler said.

    By Robert Walton • Feb. 11, 2025
  • Silhouette of a man crossing a dark street.
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    timnewman via Getty Images
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    Pedestrian deaths highest on dark city roads at night: AAA report

    Crashes involving pedestrians were also disproportionately higher in socially and economically disadvantaged communities in the cities it studied, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found.

    By • Feb. 11, 2025
  • White vans pass a sign that reads, "Begin Toll Zone" and "Road Narrows."
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    DOT rescinds approval of New York congestion pricing plan

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the plan "a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners."

    By • Updated Feb. 19, 2025
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    Hal Bergman via Getty Images
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    DOT suspends Biden’s $5B electric vehicle charging network effort

    Most of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funds have already been awarded to states, however, and some observers say the Trump administration cannot end the program with just a memo.

    By Robert Walton • Feb. 10, 2025
  • Six construction workers stand on rebar along a viaduct.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    California high-speed rail project faces $6.5B shortfall, possible federal investigation

    The California Office of the Inspector General warned that work on the initial segment could slip behind schedule.

    By • Feb. 7, 2025
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    Tristan Fewings via Getty Images
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    Uber CEO outlines robotaxi fleet plan

    Customers in Austin, Texas, can now sign up to be one of the first riders of Uber’s autonomous vehicles when they become available in the city in March.

    By • Feb. 6, 2025
  • An electric bike is locked to a street sign in front of a red fire truck, with caution type surrounding it
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    E-bike fire crisis won’t be tamed without federal support

    Lithium-ion battery fires are causing deadly incidents across the country. Attorney Michael Mezzacappa points to New York as an example of how cities can respond but calls for Congress to take greater action on safety standards.

    By Michael Mezzacappa • Feb. 6, 2025
  • Overhead view of a modern commuter train at a station with a large crowed on the platform.
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    Courtesy of MARTA
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    Atlanta gets the first of 56 new electric train sets

    The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority unveiled its new trains last week. It also plans to redesign more than 100 bus routes, it said.

    By • Feb. 4, 2025
  • Three people stand by U.S. flags as one raises his hand, the other on a bible.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    US DOT says it will tie funding to birth, marriage rates

    The agency issued a memo after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took the reins this week and authorized a series of actions to advance President Trump’s agenda.

    By Zachary Phillips • Jan. 31, 2025
  • View of the White House with flowers and fountain in front.
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    OlegAlbinsky via Getty Images
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    The Smart Cities Outlook for 2025: Change is coming

    From new federal policies to growing technologies like AI and robotaxis, cities will encounter many changes while they continue to tackle housing, homelessness, climate and equity issues.

    By Smart Cities Dive Staff • Jan. 31, 2025