Transit News

Congress should fully fund high-speed rail this year to help California build a high-speed rail system that can put thousands of people to work, while cutting congestion, oil use, and carbon emissions.

On March 16th, Angelenos celebrate Transportation Freedom Day, the date a typical area household has earned enough to cover its annual transportation costs.

Through the end of 2010, stimulus investments in public transportation have created almost twice as many jobs per dollar as highway spending – and the advantage is growing.

Statement from Erin Steva, Transportation Advocate, on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that California will receive $2.3 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to prepare for high speed rail in the state.

Stimulus money spent on public transportation projects created almost double the number of “job-months” as money spent on highway infrastructure projects.

A new high speed rail network will put people to work, clean our air, cut our energy-consumption, facilitate travel and assist in the resurgence of American manufacturing. And Senator Feinstein has an opportunity to make that a reality for California in a couple of weeks.

The nation has 73,000 crumbling bridges, but year after year startlingly few federal transportation dollars go to fixing them. Greasing the Wheels focused on campaign giving from the transportation sector in 2008 as well as transportation spending.

The court case victory halting the legislature's raid on public transit funds indicates how lost Californians' priorities become in Sacramento's budget mess. To cut traffic congestion and harmful pollution, California needs more public transportation.

Statement in Response to Chairman Oberstar's White Paper Release and Recent Bills for National Transportation Objectives

CALPIRG Calls on Governor Schwarzenegger to Pursue Funding; Make California a Success Story

As Governor Schwarzenegger, California leadership, and Caltrans prepare lists of transportation projects to be funded under the stimulus, CALPIRG today released a report showing the many ways the money can be used to address Californian’s transportation priorities and get the biggest bang for the buck.

In a bold and far-sighted move, Congress added $9.3 billion in the American Reinvestment and Economic Recovery Act for development of high speed rail and other intercity rail. This amount was large increase from the Senate version of the bill and came on top of $8.4 designated for other public transit agencies.

CALPIRG lauds today’s passage of H.R. 1, the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act by the United States House of Representatives.

Los Angeles, California. A new study of the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) wish list, recently submitted to Congress for funding under a new economic recovery package, suggests that California’s current project list would undermine efforts to repair and modernize our deteriorating infrastructure and reduce U.S. dependence on oil.

The legislature’s repeated raids of funding intended for public transportation are not only leading to an increase in the threat of global warming, harmful economic consequences, and a lack of options for Californians who depend on transit, they are illegal. That’s the argument made by public interest groups in their friend of the court brief filed today with the California Court of Appeal in Shaw vs. Chiang, which is challenging the diversion of more than $1 billion of transit funding.