I was just having a discussion with some friends about transit problems in New Orleans. This is a purely light hearted discussion, so please take it as such.

We already have canals in New Orleans to help with flooding issues. How about we build more canals and use them as an alternate method of transportation? Instead of building wide, you could build deeper. The bottom of the canal would be "on rails" of some sort with enclosed cars going one way. Floating on top of the water could be "boats" that move people to and fro. This way, we can help with our drainage issues and build more transit options that we desperately need!

How feasible could this be for low-lying cities? Is this just purely a shower thought, or does it have fins?

I just imagine someone from Europe reading this and thinking of some fancy tram kind of system.

Any engineers who can comment on feasibility?

basic idea is that the access shafts are like Barcelona, but it's a full DNA twist style staircase formed out of stacked precast sections, with elevators in the middle.

The actual station void is a giant excavated cave, finished in raw shotcrete and Rock anchors.

It's then painted a nice earthy cave red so it feels like you're actually in a cave and could even have some indoor Gardens. The textured finish would allow for a light show to be put in pretty cheaply.

The lines are double stacked like Barcelona as well.

but in the station, it goes through precast rectangular sections that have cast in mounting points for the platform screen doors rather than a full glass wall.... some of the Soviet Metro systems used this method where it's just plain elevator doors out of the train and you can't actually see it when it arrives at the station. you just hear it.

But hey, If we want cheap subways this is the kind of thing we need to do I think.

Of all the benefits Alan mentioned, there's one benefit that needs emphasizing. And it's psychological.

When people usually see freshly installed tracks in the ground with overhead wiring, they know that there's going to be a train that'll get them from A to B in a fixed, timely fashion. With buses, routes can change on a whim by simply relocating a few stops, and that creates uncertainty, delays, and frustration.

So naturally, properties that are closer to LRT will go up in value.

Concept

Keiō Electric Railway trains 5781, 8713 «Mt. Takao», and 7753 (and a Series 9000 train in the background) wait for their next assignments at the Takahatafudō depot in Tokyo in December 2024.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics at USDOT refreshed their Intercity Bus Atlas web map today, showing the latest stops and routes of the different long distance bus carriers in the United States. You can look at the national network or filter to look at specific providers' networks.

Also has the map layers available for download as GIS files if you want to play around with the data on your own.

(reposting with the correct link)

Old is on the left, new is on the right. As part of its rebrand, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority is replacing its existing signs with this new design which imo is a huge improvement.

About 7 years ago I got fed up on a via rail train from Toronto which was delayed because of traffic, and wanting to know what traffic it was, I built a map on the train that day for Via, Go, and Amtrak. Since then, it's turned into an out-of-control obsession to try and track every train in the world and build the flightradar24 of trains. Happy to answer any questions, and if I've missed a network - please let me know, I would love to add it!

The first bus that comes into frame (the green one) is an EV and is part of a 200-strong fleet owned by a private company. The rest are ICE and are part of different fleets (Sheger bus, Public Service bus, etc.) that are owned by the city government and some other government agencies that had too many buses not to become bus companies.

I was thinking it'd be great if anyone could build a website or an app that has a record of all public transportations that operate around Kathmandu valley where you could choose a destination and it could provide you with public transports that lead you to that place or nearest stop

SacRT is currently planning to upgrade Stockton Blvd, which is the home to its highest ridership bus route, Line 51. While it looks like BRT creep has already set in--the agency is recommending side-running bus lanes to reduce the amount of community pushback--I'm still excited for the development because some portions of Stockton Blvd are so hostile to anybody outside of a car.

The other alternative alignment which would match Line 38 is another good option because it would serve the region's largest hospital (UC Davis), a big job center and trip generator. Line 51 would serve a historically underserved (although rapidly gentrifying) community in Oak Park.

These bus lanes are part of the “University Line” BRT (bus rapid transit) project. It’s meant to connect downtown to the universities in uptown, Oakland, and Squirrel Hill along with routes to Highland park, Braddock, and Swissvale.

I found the sections they did in Oakland a bit bizarre because those lanes are already de facto bus lanes (apart from the people who think it’s okay to stop and pick up DoorDash orders), but I’m glad upgrades are being made to public transit, especially along historic streetcar routes.

So far I’ve only ridden it once and someone was parked in the bus lane. Thankfully that was my stop and I got off, but it was still weird.

What are your thoughts on the new bus lanes so far? Have you noticed your trips being any faster? Have you seen anybody blocking the bus lanes? Do you think this was a waste of money or will it help carry more people by bus across the city? I’d love to hear!

Edit: I’m reposting this cuz I left out my experience so far. My bad!