America's oldest subway system is experiencing a renaissance. After facing system-wide speed restrictions and a severe deficit of public trust in early 2023, Boston's MBTA has engineered a remarkable turnaround that's transforming how people move throughout the city and beyond.

Andrew Cassidy, MBTA’s Senior Director of Digital Strategy, joins us to share how transparency, leadership changes, and creative rider engagement (including their podcast Spilling the Tea) are driving a remarkable turnaround. From new tap-to-pay fares to expanded commuter rail and ferry service, MBTA is rewriting the playbook on how legacy transit systems can modernize.

Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at Boston’s transit—and what it means for the future of American public transportation.

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Boston proves its rank as one of America's premier transit cities through our comprehensive exploration of its historic first subway, vintage trolleys, modern rail lines, and extensive bike infrastructure.

• Visit to the Mattapan Trolley line featuring 1940s streetcars in regular daily service
• Interview with Andrew Cassidy from MBTA about America's first subway, built in 1897
• Exploration of how Boston's transit-oriented development shapes neighborhoods like Back Bay
• Experience with Fenway Park as a model urban stadium without massive parking requirements
• Testing of Boston's outstanding Blue Bikes system
• Observation of how Boston's transit feels like traveling through different decades simultaneously
• Comparison with other cities revealing where Boston ranks on our top cities list

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Chris and Louis respond to viewer requests by ranking the eight city tours they've featured on the show. The rankings are based on the quality of public transit, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each system, as well as their experiences in each city. 

The cities being ranked: 

• Austin, TX
• Dallas, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Houston, TX
• New Orleans, LA
• Washington, D.C.
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Kansas City, MO

Let us know how you would rank these cities. 

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Columbus, Ohio is undertaking an ambitious $8 billion transit plan known as LinkUS that will transform mobility across the region through 2050. We explore this voter-approved initiative that focuses on BRT corridors, active transportation, and transit-oriented development rather than light rail.

• Three major BRT corridors forming the backbone of the system with plans for more
• Most corridors will feature dedicated bus lanes, off-board fare payment, and signal priority
• 500+ miles of new sidewalks and bikeways planned throughout Columbus
• Focus on transit-oriented development and creating more walkable neighborhoods
• Strong emphasis on equity, with corridors connecting neighborhoods in persistent poverty to essential services
• West Broad Street corridor serves 7 grocery stores, 12 pharmacies, 9 schools, 20 daycares, and 4 hospitals
• East Main Street corridor has 11 of 13 miles in dedicated busways
• All three initial corridors expected to be operational by the early 2030's
• Construction beginning as early as 2026 on the first corridor

If you're in Columbus, visit the LinkUS website to learn more about upcoming public meetings and provide feedback on the plans. You can even experience augmented reality visualizations of the proposed corridors.

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Louis and Chris dive into seven American highways that should be removed to improve city life and reconnect communities divided by urban renewal projects of the past.

• Kansas City's North Loop divides downtown from the historic River Market area, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses
• Syracuse's I-81 removal project is moving forward with plans to replace the downtown viaduct with a boulevard
• New Orleans' Claiborne Expressway displaced 1,500 people and continues to harm adjacent neighborhoods
• Baltimore's "Highway to Nowhere" spans just 14 city blocks but demolished 900 homes and serves no transportation purpose
• Portland Maine's I-295 occupies valuable waterfront property that could be reclaimed for public use and housing
• Oakland's 980 freeway runs through downtown at below capacity and sits on land that could address the housing crisis
• Milwaukee's I-794 removal proposal has state support and would reconnect neighborhoods to downtown and the waterfront

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Transit projects across the country are making measurable progress despite earlier funding and political challenges. We revisit four transit initiatives from previous episodes to highlight the positive developments that show momentum for public transportation investments.

• SunRail expansion in Orlando has secured the full $6 million needed for project development and environmental studies, with Universal contributing $2 million
• Dynamic testing has begun on Maryland's Purple Line, which is now 76% complete with a projected opening in winter 2027
• Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) successfully fought against legislative attempts to cut DART's budget by 25%
• Austin City Council approved support columns for future I-35 caps downtown and stitches near Airport Boulevard, adopting a phased approach to urban reconnection
• These projects demonstrate the importance of public-private partnerships, grassroots advocacy, and strategic compromise in advancing transit

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Transit Tangents explores Kansas City's public transportation system in a day-long adventure testing buses, bikes, and the streetcar across both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. We discover a surprising transit network with remarkable architectural treasures and vibrant neighborhoods connected by a completely fare-free system.

• Kansas City operates the largest fare-free transit system in the United States, generating fair ridership but facing funding challenges
• Historic Union Station serves as a magnificent transit hub that narrowly escaped demolition in the city's past
• The Kansas City Streetcar shows consistently strong ridership even before its northern and southern extensions are completed
• MAX bus routes provide relatively reliable service at 20-minute frequencies, while other routes run much less frequently
• The city once had an extensive streetcar network until 1956, with the Country Club line now converted to a linear park
• Multiple areas along transit routes showcase impressive development, from the Spanish-inspired Plaza to the Brookside neighborhood
• Electric bikeshare provides a convenient alternative for short trips between transit routes
• Weather conditions dramatically impact the transit experience, particularly at bus stops with limited shelter
• Highway removal proposals for the North Loop present opportunities to reconnect downtown neighborhoods
• Transit infrastructure crosses state lines with KCATA serving both the Missouri and Kansas sides of the metropolitan area

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The Research Triangle area of North Carolina keeps trying—and failing—to develop effective transit solutions despite strong voter support for improvements. After a promising light rail project was derailed by Duke University in 2019, the region has pivoted to Bus Rapid Transit projects with mixed success.

• Voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2011-2012 specifically for transit improvements including the 17.7-mile Durham Orange Light Rail
• Duke University refused to sign necessary agreements in 2019, effectively killing the light rail project that would have connected three universities
• Raleigh has developed plans for four BRT lines extending from downtown in all directions
• Despite a groundbreaking ceremony in 2023, Raleigh's BRT project has faced two failed contractor selection attempts and completion is now projected for 2030
• Durham is pursuing its own BRT plans but remains in earlier planning stages
• A proposed 43-mile commuter rail connecting West Durham through Raleigh to Clayton lost federal funding support in 2023
• The Triangle region already has Amtrak service with about five daily trains between towns, but frequency and reliability need improvement

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Louis announces his move to Germany for two years, as the Transit Tangents Pod plans to continue with a mix of European and American content.

• Germany's Deutschland ticket offers access to the entire country's public transit for a monthly fee
• German transit operates on multiple tiers: ICE (high-speed), IC (intercity), RE/RB (regional), plus local networks
• High-speed ICE trains connect major cities at 250 km/h but face punctuality issues at 66% on-time performance
• German cities feature integrated U-Bahn (subway), S-Bahn (commuter rail), and Straßenbahn (tram) systems
• Small 120,000-person city of Jena has 5 tram lines and 13 bus routes serving nearly as many daily passengers as all of Austin
• Texas is geographically twice the size of Germany yet lacks comprehensive transit connections between cities
• Frankfurt metro (2.7M people) has extensive transit comparable to similarly sized US cities like Austin, Charlotte, Denver

The hosts are planning a special Northeast Corridor Acela tour from Boston to Baltimore in June – stay tuned and support via Patreon if you want to help make trips like this happen.

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The traffic management centers across the United States are mission control for our highway systems, working 24/7 to detect incidents and coordinate emergency responses to keep traffic flowing.

• Behind-the-scenes look at a Traffic Management Center (TMC) that monitors interstate highways with 300+ cameras
• Overview of how TMCs detect traffic incidents using radar and probe-based data from cell phones
• Insight into the emergency response process when incidents are identified
• Discussion of technology innovations like JAWS (Julie's Automated Waste Removal System) that uses snowplows to clear debris safely
• Explanation of how TMCs coordinate with multiple agencies for weather events and major gatherings
• Details on how Waze reports are automatically integrated into DOT maintenance systems
• Discussion of connected vehicle technology that alerts drivers to emergency vehicles ahead
• Ride-along experience with an emergency responder assisting stranded motorists

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