Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Reason Rundown With Peter Suderman
    • The Soho Forum Debates
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Print/Digital Subscriptions
    • Gift Subscriptions

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Light Rail

a picture of a streetcar with a headline over it next to the words 'worst transit project?'

Mass Transit

Is This Atlanta Streetcar 'The Worst Transit Project of All Time'?

Transit ridership, especially rail, has collapsed post-pandemic, but the Atlanta BeltLine Coalition says now is the time to take federal dollars and build a $2.5 billion streetcar.

Zach Weissmueller and Danielle Thompson | 9.22.2022 9:22 AM

reason-looptrolley

Public transportation

St. Louis Thought Hiring a Comedian Would Boost Trolley Ridership?!

It didn't, and now the Loop Trolley needs a $700,000 bailout to stay afloat.

Christian Britschgi | 10.15.2019 4:30 PM

reason-labus

Public transportation

L.A.'s Bus Riders Are Suffering. Rail Spending Is to Blame.

L.A. politicians' continued preference for rail projects is screwing over the bus riders who depend on transit the most.

Christian Britschgi | 6.28.2019 3:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Oops! Construction of Overbudget, Overdue Light Rail Project Accidentally Destroys Historical Site

Is this the world's sloppiest light rail project?

Christian Britschgi | 3.29.2019 11:40 AM

Large image on homepages

Reasontv

California's High-Speed Rail Disaster Is a 'Shot Across the Bow for the Green New Deal'

"The real battle in the Democratic Party is between reality and fantasy," says Chapman University's Joel Kotkin.

Paul Detrick | 3.1.2019 5:19 PM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Australian State Government Accuses Light Rail Contractor of Incompetence, Then Gives it Another Multi-Million-Dollar Contract

Sydney's light rail extension is a year behind schedule and almost $500 million over budget.

Christian Britschgi | 11.26.2018 3:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Australia

In 2012 Analysts Warned Australian Light Rail Line Would Be a Huge Boondoggle. The Government Buried the Report. Now Taxpayers Are Paying the Price.

Sydney's new light rail line is over budget, overdue, and the target of multiple lawsuits.

Christian Britschgi | 9.13.2018 1:55 PM

Large image on homepages

Public transportation

D.C.'s Metro Has Warned Riders Against Taking the Metro. I Did it Anyway.

Washington D.C.'s rail transit system is increasingly irrelevant to the city it's supposed to serve.

Christian Britschgi | 8.6.2018 5:10 PM

Large image on homepages

Brickbats

Brickbat: Too Big

Charles Oliver | 8.2.2018 4:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Mass Transit

Miami Politicians Do Their Level Best to Spend as Much as Humanly Possible on Transit

Politicians reject a plan to expand bus service on a bus-only road, demanding instead that a light rail line be built alongside it.

Christian Britschgi | 7.10.2018 9:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Critics of Corporate Campaign Cash Silent When Donors to Light Rail Initiatives Ink Light Rail Contracts

Complaints about corporate influence in elections are almost never actually about the corporate influence.

Christian Britschgi | 7.3.2018 2:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Phoenix's Government Might Shut Down Over High Stakes Light Rail Fight

Local business owners say a new light rail line will kill their livelihood.

Christian Britschgi | 6.22.2018 3:30 PM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

New York Times Goes Off the Rails With Claims About Secret Koch Plot to Kill Public Transit

A failed ballot initiative in Nashville had much more to do with hum-drum local factors than shadowy billionaire-backed conspiracies.

Christian Britschgi | 6.19.2018 5:20 PM

Large image on homepages

California

Sacramento Wants to Boost Rail Ridership By Banning Drive-Throughs and Gas Stations Near Transit

The logic of the policy is perplexing.

Christian Britschgi | 5.14.2018 3:45 PM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Australians Want Light Rail Contractor to Quit Climate Crusade, Get Back to Building Overbudget, Overdue Light Rail Line

The Spanish firm Acciona greenwashes a troubled light rail extension.

Christian Britschgi | 5.7.2018 1:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Public transportation

Fire, Earth, and Water Visit Apocalyptic Delays on Nation's Rail Lines

Are the endtimes nigh for public transit?

Christian Britschgi | 4.17.2018 12:15 PM

Large image on homepages

Atlanta

Built for Tourists, the $98 Million Atlanta Streetcar Will Be Closed in Advance of Monday's College Football Championship

The worst streetcar in America earns its title once more.

Eric Boehm | 1.8.2018 11:16 AM

Large image on homepages

Light Rail

Trump Tells New York, New Jersey to Pay for Their Own Damn Rail Project

In the waning days of 2017, the Trump administration pulled its support for the $13 billion Hudson Tunnel project.

Christian Britschgi | 1.2.2018 3:50 PM

Large image on homepages

Public transportation

Will More Federal Spending Fix D.C.'s Metro System?

Rep. Barbara Comstock Metro reform bill offers good ideas but comes at a hefty price.

Christian Britschgi | 12.5.2017 3:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Transportation Policy

How Bad Do Streetcar Predictions Have to Be to Get Politicians to Ask Questions?

Turns out, pretty bad.

Christian Britschgi | 9.26.2017 5:00 PM

Large image on homepages

Washington State

Seattle's Light Rail Extension Sees $500 Million in Cost Overruns

Never trust the sticker price on billion dollar rail projects.

Christian Britschgi | 8.28.2017 4:40 PM

Large image on homepages

Mass Transit

Seattle Light Rail Breaks Ridership Record; Still Shy of 2010 Projections

Sound Transit is using the numbers to sell voters on $54 billion in new light rail spending.

Christian Britschgi | 10.13.2016 1:50 PM

Large image on homepages

Mass Transit

Atlanta Plans To Blow More Money On Failed Streetcar Line

City leaders also want to build "glorified sidewalk" that will cost $4.8 billion.

Eric Boehm | 9.13.2016 11:15 AM

Light Rail

Portland's Light Rail System Can't Take the Heat

High temperatures disrupt service, exposing problems with the system's design.

Christian Britschgi | 9.9.2016 9:30 AM

Large image on homepages

Reasontv

Washington, D.C. Streetcar Nightmare: Then and Now

D.C. residents breathed a sigh of relief when streetcars disappeared in 1962. Now they're back.

Jim Epstein | 2.18.2016 10:28 AM

Large image on homepages

Mass Transit

Southern Californians Prefer Driving, Not Trains—News at Eleven

Mass transit use steadily dropping in greater Los Angeles area.

Scott Shackford | 1.27.2016 12:35 PM

Large image on homepages

Policy

Washington, D.C.'s Streetcar Is Delayed Again After an Engineering Report Raises Safety Concerns

Another chapter in the saga of this 2.4-mile rail boondoggle in the nation's capital.

Jim Epstein | 7.11.2015 7:00 PM

Large image on homepages

Policy

Why Does This Detroit Man Have to Walk 21 Miles to Get Back and Forth from Work Every Day? Because the Government Runs the Buses.

A blockbuster story in the Detroit Free Press highlights the failures of government transportation policy.

Jim Epstein | 2.11.2015 4:54 PM

Policy

Is Detroit's New Light Rail Line America's Greatest Boondoggle?

A $137 million three-mile train is coming to a nearly deserted avenue in a bankrupt city.

Jim Epstein | 7.24.2014 4:31 PM

Science & Technology

Nobody Was in Control of Train Responsible for Chicago Crash

Surveillance video shows nobody operating out-of-service passenger train

Reason Staff | 9.30.2013 7:20 PM

http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/35917C/d2h6a3ly6ooodw.cloudfront.net/reasontv_video_208868.m4v

Politics

Sharif Matar Talks Hawaii's Light-Rail Boondoggle On The Blaze Radio's "Pat and Stu Show"

Sharif Matar | 8.6.2013 4:26 PM

Politics

Rail to Nowhere: Honolulu, Hawaii's Train Boondoggle

Sharif Matar | 8.1.2013 2:00 PM

Policy

Commuter Trains Collide in Connecticut

20 or more injured

Reason Staff | 5.17.2013 8:14 PM

Politics

Rail Fans like New Transportation Secretary Pick

In favor of expanding rail transit

Reason Staff | 4.29.2013 7:10 PM

Policy

LA Plans Light Rail Connection to Airport

That might actually be useful

Reason Staff | 12.18.2012 12:08 PM

Policy

Slate: L.A. Transit So Good It's Losing 8,000 Riders a Year

Tim Cavanaugh | 9.18.2012 3:22 PM

Policy

Lawsuit Stops Big Hawaii Rail Project

Archeological concerns stall the controversial scheme

Reason Staff | 8.28.2012 6:10 PM

Policy

U.S. Taxpayers Get Gouged on Mass Transit Costs

We've been saying.

Reason Staff | 8.27.2012 8:30 PM

Politics

L.A. Expo Line Opens Two More Rail Stations; Ridership Still Very Low

Scott Shackford | 6.21.2012 4:15 PM

Politics

New Light Rail Ridership Falls Short by More Than Half

L.A. Expo Line running almost empty with "brief" 30-minute delays.

Tim Cavanaugh and Scott Shackford | 5.5.2012 4:00 PM

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason FacebookReason TwitterReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeReason ItunesReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2022 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use