Skip to content

Talking Headways: The Year in Transit Expansion With Yonah Freemark

This week Yonah Freemark is back on the podcast to talk about his annual transit project list. He and Steven Vance of Streetsblog Chicago made a new way to visualize the transit projects in various stages of planning and construction -- an interactive, open source map called Transit Explorer, for which he kindly asks for your assistance.
podcast icon logo

This week Yonah Freemark is back on the podcast to talk about his annual transit project list. He and Steven Vance of Streetsblog Chicago made a new way to visualize the transit projects in various stages of planning and construction — an interactive, open source map called Transit Explorer, for which he kindly asks for your assistance.

Yonah and I discuss whether subway systems are possible in the future given political and fiscal realities. He points us to Toronto’s transit expansions and goes into how Los Angeles and Seattle are now the big planners and doers in the U.S. We also talk about current trends like the proliferation of streetcar projects and the public-private partnership model used to build several commuter rail lines opening in Denver this year.

In true transit nerd fashion, I ask Yonah to look into future and tell us whether LA and Seattle will vote for transit this year, how the H Street Streetcar will turn out, and whether Austin will finally get over the hump and build rail in the core. Listen in and add your own predictions for the year ahead in the comments.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

Comments are closed.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Opinion: Sean Duffy’s ‘Golden Age’ of Dangerous Streets

Ethan Andersen
December 15, 2025

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

December 12, 2025

Watchdog Wants Hochul To Nix Bus Lane Enforcement Freebies for MTA Drivers

December 11, 2025

More Truck Routes Are Coming To A Street Near You

December 11, 2025

Upstate County’s New Bus Service Will Turn A Transit Desert Into A Rural Network

December 11, 2025
See all posts