Taras Grescoe 🚇

Travel slowly, fix things.

Author of Straphanger. Next book: riding every passenger train in Canada (House of Anansi) 🚆

Words: NYTimes, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian, L'actualité, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal.

Weekly dispatches on trains, transit & cities 👇
https://www.highspeed.blog

IG: https://www.instagram.com/taras.rides.trains/

Website: https://www.taras-grescoe.com/
Ghost Blog: https://@index@highspeed.blog
HIGH SPEED Blog: https://www.highspeed.blog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taras.rides.trains/

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Last Notes

2026-10-30 20:16:34 UTC

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...and meditative travel experiences I've ever had.
And guess what? Over great meals, and drinks in the Park Car, I had unhurried conversations with fellow passengers—none of them distracted by texts or calls.
The full story in this week's HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/trans-continental-time-travel/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/531/698/076/544/634/original/446584b1377d5811.png

2026-10-30 20:14:44 UTC

Would you give up Wi-Fi and cellphones for four days of this?
I rode Via Rail's The Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto, a 4,406-kilometre odyssey over Rockies, prairies, and muskeg.
For most of the ride, we were off the grid, in 70-year-old railcars.
It was one of the most peaceful... 🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/531/690/575/175/177/original/c696d73967268cc9.mp4

2026-10-30 17:23:07 UTC

I took a ride on Via Rail's Canadian!
I travelled 4,406 kilometers in 3 days, 19 hours. And it was wonderful...
This year, I'm riding the rails across Canada, from Halifax, NS, to Carcross, YT.
The full story in this week’s HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/trans-continental-time-travel/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/531/016/032/411/238/original/f8dc6b1084b1327f.mp4

2026-10-30 14:17:46 UTC

It's spooky discount time! 🚇🎃
Until Nov. 5, my round-the-world public transport travelogue STRAPHANGER is on sale at Kobo and Amazon (Canada, UK, Australia) for just 99 cents/pence.
https://www.amazon.ca/Straphanger-Saving-Cities-Ourselves-Automobile/dp/B0HMFBXBWN/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/530/285/638/230/555/original/f57acc4354afb43e.png

2026-10-30 13:05:31 UTC

You can read about my latest rail adventure—from Jasper, AB to Prince Rupert, BC—the old-fashioned way: in a glossy magazine!
RIDING THE RUPERT ROCKET is in the Nov/Dec issue of Canadian Geographic. Love the photography by my travel companion Guillaume Nolet!
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/530/002/312/874/125/original/5dd26901b5429136.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/530/002/404/292/597/original/d3526b69585ab592.jpeg
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2026-10-28 14:30:15 UTC

Thoughts and hopes for those affected by the high-speed rail tragedy in #Spain.
Such crashes are rare—passenger rail is an incredibly safe form of transport—but that doesn't diminish how traumatising they are when they do occur.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/28/spain-train-crash-toledo-europe-latest-news-updates

2026-10-27 14:11:42 UTC

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It made a LOT of stops along the way. Definitely not an express service.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/513/276/503/554/064/original/70e2502aebb5d6d8.png

2026-10-27 14:09:47 UTC

On this day, Oct. 27, in 1856, a wood-fed locomotive with a huge sparkcatcher hauled 7 yellow passenger coaches at 50 km/h between Montreal and Toronto. It made 64 stops along the way.
Five months later, sleeping cars were introduced.
The Grand Trunk was Canada’s first mainline railway.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/513/267/530/064/584/original/5b35f61004f71dc6.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/513/267/719/002/939/original/127c49d591c7b982.jpeg

2026-10-26 13:28:54 UTC

This is one of the most spectacular train rides in North America.
I was one of the only passengers on the last train of the year out of Carcross on the White Pass & #Yukon Route.
Why does this isolated route exist (and continue to thrive)?
Full story here -> https://www.highspeed.blog/last-train-out-of-carcross/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/507/445/943/898/444/original/5ac33b521d052647.mp4

2026-10-24 03:23:10 UTC

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There’s a station in Whitehorse, but only standard gauge tracks are left (for the old municipal tramway). Fraser was the last stop on my northbound trip (the Carcross service stopped the day before). We de-trained and Customs officials boarded the bus that took us the rest of the way to Whitehorse.

2026-10-23 17:16:52 UTC

Here's the last southbound train of the season, rolling into Carcross, #Yukon. Just six of us got on. A mother grizzly was wandering the village, so the stationmaster lent me bear spray.
This week’s High Speed dispatch, on riding the White Pass & Yukon:
https://www.highspeed.blog/last-train-out-of-carcross/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/491/352/530/872/293/original/d27cdfa013a3868f.mp4

2026-10-22 13:17:41 UTC

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Cities should think twice about letting tech companies test driverless cars on their streets. And commentators need to stop treating the arrival as inevitable.
Since I wrote this post earlier this year, the troubling incidents have continued to accumulate:
https://www.highspeed.blog/waymo-trouble/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/484/751/741/774/746/original/1f53b5d097fe9bdb.png

2026-10-22 13:17:02 UTC

Waymo is planning to deploy 20,000 robotaxis in cities by 2027. Including Tokyo, London, Madrid, + Toronto.
In the US, Waymos have caused city-wide gridlock, been involved in 3 fatalities, blocked streetcars, buses, + secret service motorcades (+ killed at least one bodega cat).
That's not all 👇 🧵
https://gizmodo.com/waymo-reportedly-plans-to-put-20000-robotaxis-on-the-road-by-the-end-of-2027-2000828211

2026-10-21 17:52:34 UTC

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If you're a Canadian citizen, you can help out by signing the petition to restore regular passenger service (in the form of "The Bear Train") on the old Algoma Central line here:
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7001
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/480/171/069/683/818/original/0bf789ca7420a21d.png

2026-10-21 17:51:42 UTC

You can still ride the railway in Stompin’ Tom Connors’ classic song Algoma Central 69!
I took the Agawa Canyon Tour Train north out of the Soo (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), and man, was it a gorgeous ride.
🧵
Full story here: https://www.highspeed.blog/an-autumn-ride-on-the-algoma-central-railway/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/480/163/882/497/884/original/d5111fab9c3b5784.mp4

2026-10-20 19:07:44 UTC

Make way for the new "Mayor Pete," Hizzoner Pete Fry.
#Vancouver 's new mayor is the first in any major Canadian city to belong to the Green Party.
He might also be the first mayor to come out of the punk rock scene...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pete-fry-ken-sim-vancouver-mayoral-election-analysis-9.7385707
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/474/803/231/390/953/original/d52f5174dbc2a2aa.jpg

2026-10-20 15:26:14 UTC

GOLDEN AGE OF RAIL!
That's how Sean Duffy is spinning Dept. of Transportation's investment in railroads.
Guess how much they're spending?
$2.3 billion.
These days, that might get you 2 miles of urban rail. Of course, almost all of the $ are going to basic upkeep of long-neglected infrastructure.
Pathetic.
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/golden-age-rail-trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-invests-over-23-billion
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/473/926/493/312/703/original/56138ea4ee3745e8.png

2026-10-18 18:17:34 UTC

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Thanks, Pete! Glad you liked it. (You may well be my first customer on Kobo.)

2026-10-16 20:52:35 UTC

Waymo is threatening to bring its “magic” to the streets of #Canada ‘s cities.
Some #Toronto commentators are spinning its arrival as inevitable—and a net gain for the city.
I believe driverless robo-taxis are the opposite: a slow-motion disaster.
I explain why … 🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/452/564/399/115/853/original/c5596bcc700d6aae.jpeg

2026-10-16 20:52:35 UTC

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…in this HIGH SPEED dispatch. (RIP Kit Kat of SF)
www.highspeed.blog/waymo-trouble/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/452/567/519/564/700/original/c965bdc1f102b5ba.png

2026-10-16 17:14:15 UTC

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The only way into the canyon is by rail, and the train runs just a few months a year. Photos, videos and first impressions from the ride, made possible by new High Speed subscribers (thank you!):
https://www.highspeed.blog/an-autumn-ride-on-the-algoma-central-railway/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/451/708/801/853/457/original/0b0603cd94dfeba6.png

2026-10-16 17:13:41 UTC

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A century ago, Group of Seven artists bunked in a railcar on Algoma Central sidings and painted this country. The landscapes they painted here still shape what we think “Canadian wilderness” looks like.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/451/706/318/263/375/original/c012a06c6c0ea957.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/451/706/372/325/544/original/31470b6af5b66fe7.jpeg

2026-10-16 17:13:13 UTC

I'm just back from riding the Agawa Canyon Tour Train: 183 km north from Sault Ste. Marie on the old Algoma Central line, into one of the most magical places in Canada.
Peak leaf-peeping season, with the maples blazing red and the birches a blinding yellow. 🚂🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/451/703/968/006/831/original/edf4361f0a323500.mp4

2026-10-15 16:43:53 UTC

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(After the celebration: let’s talk about replacing the 1960s rolling stock, and doing much-deferred maintenance on many, many stations.)

2026-10-15 16:36:43 UTC

Bonne fête, #Montreal métro! You’re wearing your 60 years well. (I was out of town yesterday, but I’ll be riding the yellow and orange lines today.)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stm-montreal-metro-9.7379506

2026-10-09 18:45:46 UTC

To celebrate Godzilla Day (Nov. 3), Tokyo Metro has announced it's making "Godzilla's Theme," from the 1954 movie, the official jingle of Hibiya Station.
(Stations have their own distinctive songs, played on the platform when trains depart.)
https://soranews24.com/2026/10/08/tokyo-train-station-will-play-godzilla-theme-song-as-new-departure-melody/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/412/432/600/562/501/original/451db2ebd65f3363.png
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2026-10-09 14:32:58 UTC

Démanteler le Canada, en encourageant l’Alberta et le Québec à faire sécession, c’est exactement ce que veulent les pires personnages qui soient : Trump et Musk.
Une vieille stratégie : diviser pour régner.
Pas question de jouer leur maudit jeu.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/elon-musk-loves-canadian-separatism-he-could-help-further-unite-our-country/article_684a96a8-7f37-401f-962b-3b63449c4bc7.html

2026-10-08 18:55:15 UTC

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All true, but none of these are actual LGVs.

2026-10-08 18:13:25 UTC

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Will their cynical strategy work? What does this mean if you live in #Quebec? I take a look in the latest HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/what-does-quebecs-new-government-have-against-trains/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/406/643/077/129/868/original/953e3bd9907e342c.png

2026-10-08 18:11:57 UTC

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So why is the PQ against it? Because it comes from #Ottawa. PSPP wants the federal billions sent to Quebec with no strings attached. And with sovereignty stuck around 30%, they need to pick a fight to stir up support for a referendum to break up confederation.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/406/637/282/386/506/original/1878831a141551e9.png

2026-10-08 18:10:25 UTC

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Alto is popular: roughly two-thirds of Canadians support it, including 58% of Conservative voters and 65% of Quebecers. (More than support the PQ.) It would take a big bite out of the up to 94 short-haul flights a day in the Corridor, significantly reducing emissions.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/406/628/893/991/695/original/944482f7bc75f8fa.png

2026-10-08 18:09:27 UTC

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Alto would be North America's first LGV: a dedicated high-speed line, rather than trains contending with freight traffic on CN + CP tracks.
Trains going 300 km/h, up to 72 a day, linking Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.
Something to be proud of.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/406/626/350/510/979/original/6987ad2fa17c1596.webp

2026-10-08 18:08:24 UTC

#Quebec’s incoming Parti Québécois government says it will fight Alto, North America’s first true high-speed rail line.
Yes, the province with the most to gain from the all-electric train wants to stop this project dead in its tracks.
What's behind their stance? 🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/406/622/778/513/329/original/d0cb1a5b011825ea.jpg

2026-10-06 14:41:40 UTC

If you want to live in a congested and irrelevant city 10 years from now—keep on building freeways to the suburbs.
If you want to live in a prosperous and livable city 10 years from now—invest in the best transit you can today.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/394/484/885/758/628/original/7837333c39c32222.png
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/394/485/478/639/437/original/9b63895b708822ef.png

2026-10-06 14:09:18 UTC

#Quebec's new minority government: We want more highways, not green electric trains.
"PQ says it would block Quebec component of proposed Alto high-speed rail system.
"The dollars Ottawa has earmarked for train should instead be given to Quebec with no strings attached, to be used on roads..."
https://montrealgazette.com/quebec-elections/pq-st-pierre-plamondon-quebec-election-promises/

2026-10-06 13:23:12 UTC

Run it, and we will ride.
Amtrak's Borealis, running daily between St. Paul and #Chicago, has become so popular they have to make the trains longer: a fourth passenger car will be added to trains starting this week.
https://www.startribune.com/borealis-train-hits-ridership-milestone-here-is-how-amtrak-is-responding/601895364
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/394/177/046/560/429/original/7e620b0ef9153f14.png

2026-10-05 17:07:03 UTC

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The PQ won’t build anything, except more highways. They will also spend hundreds of millions on a referendum, which less than 30 percent of Quebecers want. If you really care about social justice and the environment, vote Québec Solidaire or Parti Vert.

2026-10-05 14:57:29 UTC

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Still ahead: the Tshiuetin to Schefferville, Via Rail's train from Winnipeg to Churchill, the Algoma Central out of Sault Ste. Marie, and more.
But my book advance barely covers two months of living expenses. And this is an awfully big country…
So here's my ask: if 100 readers become paid subscribers to my newsletter, High Speed, I figure I can get to the end of steel.
Details here 👇
https://www.highspeed.blog/i-need-your-help-to-get-to-the-end-of-steel/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/388/885/608/946/879/original/0b8daff008ff84c8.png

2026-10-05 14:56:27 UTC

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Why do it? I'm writing a book for House of Anansi, tentatively subtitled "Twelve Trains that Explain Canada."
The more I ride, the more I see how railways shaped this country: its frontiers, its art, its character, and lately, the survival of remote First Nations communities.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/388/878/993/199/376/original/108a66fd7665c15a.png

2026-10-05 14:54:44 UTC

This year I pledged to ride every passenger train in Canada, from the White Pass & Yukon out of Carcross to The Ocean, calling at Halifax.
I'm about 60% of the way there! But the research money is about to run out.
A thread on how you can help me reach the end of steel 🧵🚆
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/388/870/447/727/843/original/f51929aba661103e.jpeg

2026-10-05 14:11:36 UTC

Election day in #Quebec !
It's a weird time in #Canada. Federal Liberals are pushing through major projects in the name of national security.
The only one that will reduce fossil fuels is the electric Alto high-speed rail
Remember: the Parti Québécois wants to kill it.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/high-speed-train-pq-toronto-quebec-city-9.7228219

2026-10-02 15:22:35 UTC

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Railways, by their nature, are more fuel-efficient than almost any other form of transport.
But North America is way behind Europe and Asia in what really works: electrification.
More on what really works in the latest HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/when-the-railway-isnt-the-green-way/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/371/997/279/390/714/original/ed2cea03ab65f730.png

2026-10-02 15:20:20 UTC

The side of this Via Rail locomotive says "Un choix vert": the green choice.
On the Montreal–Toronto run, it is: 55 kg of CO₂ per passenger by train, vs. 186 by plane.
But ride The Canadian to Vancouver and you emit 1.6× more than if you'd flown.
Here's why 👇
https://www.highspeed.blog/when-the-railway-isnt-the-green-way/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/371/981/319/076/363/original/e43dca6fd19e8571.mp4

2026-10-01 13:23:09 UTC

Danielle Smith, the premier of #Alberta, has gotten support from #Canada 's federal government for a #Calgary - #Edmonton high-speed railway.
In fact, she seems to be a real-life railfan.
With her husband, she ran a restaurant in a retired railcar in High River.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/danielle-smith-restaurant-selling-1.6877048
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/365/865/353/791/477/original/7b998f2f0145cd1d.png
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2026-09-30 20:20:32 UTC

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Found this quote in Donald MacKay's authoritative The People's Railway: A History of Canadian National.
(MacKay wrote it in the past tense—I've shifted it to the present, because it's as true of the 1990s as it is today.)
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/361/844/432/678/152/original/e88e07f5d72f17f0.png

2026-09-30 20:18:19 UTC

"Compared with cars, railways are relatively non-polluting. They are safer, for there are years when highways claim thousands of lives, and there are no fatalities on railways at all. They are efficient users of land, and demonstrably the most efficient movers of masses of people."
🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/361/835/646/049/300/original/a2d8b98f18de88c4.png

2026-09-30 13:09:04 UTC

THIS JUST IN: At this rate, #Alberta might get high-speed rail before central Canada!
Mark Carney announces his government is adding a rail link between Edmonton and Calgary to his list of Major Projects to be fast-tracked (so to speak).
https://www.trains.com/pro/passenger/high-speed/ottawa-and-alberta-announce-collaboration-on-calgary-edmonton-high-speed-plan/
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2026-09-28 13:13:44 UTC

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We're definitely overdue for a revival!
I chase down #Alberta's passenger rail ghosts in this week's HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/the-twilight-zones-of-passenger-rail/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/348/840/761/874/427/original/e9dfacf6069bb67e.png

2026-09-28 13:12:59 UTC

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...including the Via Rail station at the foot of the Calgary Tower.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/348/838/654/538/668/original/7609201f66675f00.png

2026-09-28 13:11:57 UTC

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Until 1985, the two cities were linked by Via Rail's Dayliner RDC, which could do the run in 3 hours.
In 1990, Brian Mulroney killed off VIA Rail service to #Calgary.
But the stations are still there...
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/348/834/117/901/635/original/85633024a2598c23.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/348/834/520/447/185/original/9acf4569daadb745.jpg

2026-09-28 13:10:33 UTC

#Alberta used to be a great place to take a train!
The country's fastest steam locomotive, CPR's Jubilee, topped out at 112.5 mph. That's 181 km/h—still faster than any train in #Canada in 2026.
Jubilee locomotives were used on the Chinook route, to link #Edmonton and #Calgary.
🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/348/828/116/439/197/original/f2266dd34be39219.png
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2026-09-23 13:33:35 UTC

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#Alberta genuinely needs passenger rail—most urgently to link Edmonton and Calgary.
But most of the schemes that make headlines are about enriching entrepreneurs.
When what is really needed is affordable, efficient, and sustainable transportation for Albertans.

2026-09-23 13:32:52 UTC

"When the Guardian sent a reporter on the bus on a June morning, it was stationary for 40 out of 108 minutes it took to reach Oxford Circus."
Transit in #London should be getting more efficient. Instead, automobile traffic, + lack of priority, is slowing everyone down.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/23/london-buses-in-terminal-decline-why-public-transport-in-global-cities-is-slowing-to-a-crawl-visualised
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/320/604/288/251/233/original/38b8a6853c0a8e01.webp
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2026-09-22 14:29:52 UTC

Could passenger trains come back to #Alberta?
Proposal for a train from the Calgary airport to #Banff.
I like the sound of a "Grand Central Station" on #Calgary's 9th Ave. S.E.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-passenger-rail-backers-file-calgary-to-banff-proposal-with-alberta/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/315/166/613/020/228/original/614bb24f513b51f9.png

2026-09-16 01:37:50 UTC

The view out my window right now. Happily sidelined in the heart of Canadian railway history in Field, British Columbia. (That’s Mount Stephen in the background.) #trains #railway
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/278/157/115/076/204/original/27425ea8bb1e7089.jpeg

2026-09-09 17:27:47 UTC

Railway corridor, or bike path?
I was torn about the best use of this old Canadian Pacific line, which I rode between Wakefield and Chelsea, in rural #Quebec.
But don't get me wrong—I love cycling these old railway lines!
The question is, can rails and trails co-exist? I take a look in this week's HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/do-we-have-to-choose-between-rails-and-trails/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/242/254/354/523/100/original/c6a8699b73d8ac20.png

2026-09-09 13:53:44 UTC

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Limiting speeds is a great move in a country that was already knocking it out of the park when it comes to taming car traffic in cities.
How does #Japan do it? (The answer is hidden in plain sight.) I dig deeper in this HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/whats-missing-from-this-picture/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/241/414/942/417/653/original/f068e934a17454eb.png

2026-09-09 13:16:53 UTC

#Japan decided to do something about the 300 children and elderly people killed on streets where the speed limit was 60 km/h (37 mph).
As of Sep. 1, 2026, speeds are cut to 30 km/h on 870,000 km of road—70 percent of the standard road network.
#backtoschool
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/02/japan-new-speed-limit-30kmh-narrow-city-streets
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/241/270/102/399/706/original/dad6982651984b9c.webp

2026-09-05 13:09:29 UTC

“We assume that car use is an incompressible liquid that must be routed somewhere. But it’s more more like a gas that fills whatever space it is given.”
—Ian Lockwood, Harvard Loeb Fellow, transport planner.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/218/591/588/819/857/original/89e248aa6d825eb0.jpeg

2026-08-31 19:36:03 UTC

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Here's the study, full of shocking stats (1.67M deaths—1 in 34—a year globally now caused by motor vehicles) from Journal of Transport Geography:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692324000267
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/191/799/144/772/899/original/451dcbe1a02c274a.png

2026-08-31 19:34:08 UTC

Since their invention, cars + automobility have killed 60–80 million people worldwide, + injured at least 2 billion.
(All deaths in WW2: 78 million)
There are now 1.6B motor vehicles in the world.
Why that's way too many:
https://www.highspeed.blog/there-are-too-many-damn-cars/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/191/792/351/632/915/original/88c51af7b5a2e034.png

2026-08-31 14:24:17 UTC

If you're on a bus in #Berlin, you're probably in the west. If you're on a tram, you're likely in the east.
Why?
It all goes back to the Cold War.
I ride the newest-born tram line, the M-10, to untangle a great transit metropolis's tangled history in this High Speed blog:
https://www.highspeed.blog/straphangers-in-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/190/573/729/709/282/original/5a86ab5cda02f667.mp4

2026-08-29 19:11:54 UTC

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“Massively overpotent” being a good thing for the transit-users of #Berlin.

2026-08-28 20:11:20 UTC

I noticed something weird about rail transit in #Berlin.
I almost always found a seat on the U- + S-Bahn. Trains often run under capacity.
As one scholar put it, the system is "massively overpotent."
My notes on being a straphanger in this transit metropolis:
https://www.highspeed.blog/straphangers-in-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/174/951/228/397/049/original/9d13cbb53f30f9a0.mp4

2026-08-28 13:01:35 UTC

"If there are trains, Americans will ride them."
In FY2026, 23.9 million people rode Amtrak trains, 6% more than one year ago.
Gas is expensive, commuting by car is dangerous and tedious. People love trains—when they get a chance to try them.
https://frontiergroup.org/articles/americans-want-more-trains-amtrak-sees-record-ridership/

2026-08-26 18:50:59 UTC

There’s something weird about rail transit in #Berlin.
I almost always found a seat on the U- and S-Bahn.
Compared to #London #Paris #NYC , trains here still run under capacity—even at rush hour.
Here are my notes on being a straphanger in this great transit metropolis:
https://www.highspeed.blog/straphangers-in-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/163/309/284/285/316/original/86d3d20445cb21dd.mp4

2026-08-26 15:23:29 UTC

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Good point, changed to "requires"; of course, water is never permanently "consumed"

2026-08-26 15:08:05 UTC

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Apparently the issue is whether you count all the retail space in the Berlin station, which is half mall, half terminus

2026-08-26 15:06:52 UTC

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Not talking about the water to cool servers, but the water needed to power electricity generation, which has increased massively b/c of demands of AI data centers

2026-08-26 14:32:05 UTC

I've heard Ezra Klein, other commentators saying, correctly, that data centers don't use inordinate amounts of water to cool servers.
But AI centers indirectly drive water use—the electricity they need consumes water.
How much? A shocking 3.4 *trillion* gallons of freshwater across 7 states.
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/data-centers-hidden-water-footprint-is-linked-to-the-grid/

2026-08-26 13:10:17 UTC

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As I say in the newsletter, it was the largest when it was completed in 2006; it seems the Leipzig station expansion, from 2013 and 2018, made that station larger...

2026-08-25 20:39:36 UTC

I walked into #Berlin ‘s Hauptbahnhof, and my jaw dropped.
A lot has changed since I last spent any time riding the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram network.
I bought a 72-hour Berlin WelcomeCard, and here’s what I saw:
https://www.highspeed.blog/straphangers-in-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/158/076/251/424/840/original/54025f147e9f234a.mp4

2026-08-20 13:32:28 UTC

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How does Waymo, and the whole idea of autonomous vehicles taking over the streets of our cities, stink?
Let me count the ways...
Here's my HIGH SPEED newsletter post:
https://www.highspeed.blog/waymo-trouble/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/128/085/099/924/916/original/4d1282f67e5dc4c1.png

2026-08-20 13:04:20 UTC

San Francisco Should Not Give Free Curb Space to Waymo -OpEd
I agree.
Public street space is precious. Why should one private, for-profit company be allotted free curb space used by public transit vehicles and tax-paying citizens?
https://sf.streetsblog.org/2026/08/18/op-ed-san-francisco-should-not-give-free-curb-space-to-waymo
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/127/974/397/478/515/original/591bfb52f80a9da7.jpeg

2026-08-19 14:02:41 UTC

Love this!
In Tilburg, #Holland, local residents have installed a hand-cranked ferry so they can get their bicycles across an historic canal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDm3itmrrgk&time_continue=3&source_ve_path=NzY3NTg&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.core77.com%2F
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/122/541/278/032/768/original/827f9c62e0b78240.png
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2026-08-18 13:10:11 UTC

Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Drake have blood on their hands.
The US is so auto-dependent (and distracted) that the day a big album drops, traffic fatalities go up 15% nationwide.
Yup: drivers are fumbling to stream, rather than paying attention to the road.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/17/health/album-streaming-traffic-deaths

2026-08-17 13:25:15 UTC

Ride it while you can!
VIA Rail is gradually replacing the glorious stainless-steel Budd cars it runs on The Canadian.
I rode 2,737 miles, from Vancouver to Toronto, and fell in love with the smooth-riding mid-century streamliners.
Read more in my Nat Geo feature:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/disconnect-on-this-nostalgic-canadian-train-trip
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/111/068/857/588/601/original/f065ba40a74d814d.mp4

2026-08-14 14:09:19 UTC

I rode VIA Rail’s Canadian 2,737 miles, from #Vancouver to #Toronto. It was like time travel: no wi-fi, very little cell service, 1950s rolling stock, and a soothing return to the lost art of conversation with strangers.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/disconnect-on-this-nostalgic-canadian-train-trip

2026-08-13 22:28:39 UTC

Can’t come soon enough! Getting to the airport in Canada’s 2nd largest city is a time- and money-wasting slog.
This week the first trains are being tested on the REM light-metro line to #Montréal ‘s Trudeau airport. Should be in full revenue service by 2027.
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2026-08-13/rem/les-essais-debutent-sur-la-branche-vers-l-aeroport-montreal-trudeau.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=threads&utm_campaign=accueil

2026-08-12 03:42:23 UTC

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A model—so no passengers aboard.

2026-08-11 21:00:29 UTC

0 to 799 km/h in 5.3 seconds!
A 2,447-pound magnetic levitation vehicle has accelerated from rest to 497 miles per hour in only 5.3 seconds on a 0.62 miles (one kilometer) test track at Donghu Laboratory in China’s Hubei province.
https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/china-maglev-speed-record

2026-08-05 18:09:15 UTC

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We got a compartment for 6 for the price of 4 tickets last month

2026-08-05 15:07:36 UTC

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...Nightjet and European Sleeper, there's been a real revival.
Our family of 4 bought tickets on the Nightjet to #Berlin last month.
Here's how it went:
https://www.highspeed.blog/all-aboard-the-nightjet-to-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/043/494/942/695/659/original/fb184aba7ff325e3.mp4

2026-08-05 14:56:25 UTC

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Now that you mention it, I remember there being no power in the Park Car! Do you know when the Cavalier left Toronto? And when did it stop running for good?

2026-08-05 14:54:39 UTC

This is astonishing!
Here's a map of all the overnight (sleeper) trains you can now take in Europe. So many in eastern and central Europe. (Few, however, out of #France and none in #Spain, #Portugal.)
https://back-on-track.eu/night-train-map/
Before 2020, routes were disappearing. Thanks to...
🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/043/472/667/481/649/original/f9f75e2b66abebc5.png

2026-08-05 13:07:20 UTC

Taking an overnight train means you save money on a hotel room, and your carbon emissions are a fraction of doing the same trip by car or plane.
But are sleeper trains practical for a family of 4?
We gave the Nightjet to #Berlin a test.
The whole story here: https://www.highspeed.blog/all-aboard-the-nightjet-to-berlin/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/043/051/552/706/652/original/19e4a420061fefff.mp4

2026-07-30 19:06:40 UTC

Deutsche Bahn in the black, for the first time in 7 years; profit improves by €650 million to €415 million in 2026.
Now maybe they can get to work on running their trains on time...
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-deutsche-bahn-returns-to-profit/live-78168639

2026-07-29 15:22:52 UTC

THIS JUST IN: In #Canada, federal government announces almost $2B for 45 new battery-diesel Via Rail passenger locomotives
The hybrid locos, first in North America, will be built by #Switzerland 's Stadler.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/via-rail-newbattery-diesel-locomotives-9.7288814

2026-07-29 13:16:02 UTC

Cable cars: Not just for ski vacations.
In La Paz, Medellín, and a half dozen cities in #France, they're being used as robust forms of urban transit.
I gave #Paris 's C1, Europe's newest (and longest) aerial tram, a test drive, and here's what I discovered:
https://www.highspeed.blog/up-where-the-air-is-clear/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/003/449/342/856/398/original/ba9a9e4b9951a4ad.mp4

2026-07-28 13:57:43 UTC

Can a cable car be a legit form of urban transit?
I took a ride on Europe's newest, and longest, aerial tramway, the C1 in #Paris, to find out.
(In the video: we're overflying both a national highway and a high-speed rail line, and heading for a métro station.)
More in this week's HIGH SPEED dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/up-where-the-air-is-clear/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/997/950/732/478/748/original/0e16d4b64db102c5.mp4

2026-07-27 17:36:25 UTC

I took a ride on #Paris 's Ligne C1, Europe’s newest, and longest, urban cable car line.
I was impressed!
I write about the downsides and (multiple) upsides of aerial tramways as public transport in this week's HIGH SPEED dispatch
#transit #france🇫🇷
https://www.highspeed.blog/up-where-the-air-is-clear/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/993/148/676/447/871/original/b1af83fd47901301.mp4

2026-07-15 17:20:06 UTC

I reveal where you can crash in retired (and beautifully renovated) railcars across #Canada in my latest Globe and Mail travel feature.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/travel/article-overnight-stay-railway-museum-smiths-falls/

2026-06-24 18:11:30 UTC

"They come with heated floors, onboard digital display screens, air conditioning and improved accessibility."
#Calgary is getting new CTrain light-rail vehicles, replacing U2 trains that date to...1980s.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-transit-trains-lrt-9.7246467

2026-06-23 13:02:37 UTC

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Interesting: a combined VIA Rail-Alto station for #Kingston Ontario is on the table.
To be clear, the actual alignment won't be announced until fall 2026.

2026-06-22 14:24:06 UTC

THIS JUST IN: Transport Minister announces #Canada 's Alto High-Speed Rail route, still in planning, may now dip south to stop in Kingston, #Ontario.
Kingston region (pop. 172,000) is on the current VIA Rail line between #Montreal and #Toronto.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alto-route-change-kingston-9.7244054kingston-9.7244054
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/794/209/466/439/312/original/752bd670fb61889f.jpg
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2026-06-19 13:36:54 UTC

NEW STUDY reveals innate human tendency to veer left + walk counterclockwise, defying previous theories on handedness.
"Within mere seconds of initiating movement, an astonishing 80 percent of crowd was actively moving in a counterclockwise rotation."
https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/counterclockwise-bias-new-study-reveals-why-humans-veer-left-walking
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/777/039/291/493/813/original/ba93e8aa13fe8750.jpg

2026-06-17 13:24:29 UTC

"The Wilshire subway took 46 years. Future projects should skip decades of objections."
Los Angeles subway extension cost $900 million a mile. Pro-transit, low-NIMBY #Spain built #Madrid metro extension for $110M/mile.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2026-06-16/wilshire-subway-california-transit-construction-delays#:~:text=took%2046%20years.-,Future%20projects%20should%20skip%20the%20decades%20of%20objections,at%20Wilshire%20and%20Fairfax%2C%20above

2026-06-15 12:54:08 UTC

Ever seen one of these on a railway bridge, and wondered why there was a narrower track inside the standard gauge track?
Funny story. The "Jordan Rail" was invented in Canada, by Oswald F. Jordan. If a train derails over a river, the inner rail catches the wheel flanges, preventing a deadly plunge.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/754/221/356/115/751/original/866154ac43ae1c2e.png

2026-06-12 21:11:31 UTC

Then it's not a priority, is it?
"The Martinez Ferrada administration intends to make improving safety on Parc Ave. a priority — just not yet."
More foot-dragging—typical of Ensemble #Montréal, who achieve nothing, slowly.
https://montrealgazette.com/news/parc-ave-overall-will-come-after-public-consultation-mayor-says/

2026-06-12 13:30:40 UTC

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The service was suspended in 2025, but, good news: this year, it's back, running from June to November. #Quebec #trains
You can read more in my High Speed dispatch:
https://www.highspeed.blog/a-ride-on-a-tortillard-from-quebec-city-to-la-malbaie/
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/737/378/615/479/191/original/a4a638f4c743c606.png