A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The President said in a Truth Social post, “people live in homes, not corporations.”
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The President said in a Truth Social post, “people live in homes, not corporations.”
The first six cars are part of the system’s first major equipment overhaul since 1983.
1 minute read
January 18, 2026, 5:00 AM PST
By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction
Launch event for the new rail cars in the Baltimore subway. | /
The Maryland Department of Transportation received the first batch of electric train cars that will replace its aging fleet.
As Luke Parker reports in The Baltimore Sun, the 78 new cars are produced by Hitachi Rail and feature wider doors, brighter, energy-efficient lighting, and more bike storage. It is the system’s first major overhaul since 1983.
“Officials said the railcars were also assembled in the company’s new, $100 million factory in Western Maryland. The Hagerstown facility opened for business in September, generating upwards of 500 jobs in Washington County and securing $2 billion in contracts out the gate — Baltimore and Washington’s transit systems courted themselves among the earliest customers.”
Baltimore is working to turn around its transit system, which is poorly rated for reliability and accessibility. A 2026 report card from the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance gave the region’s transit an overall D score, noting that a typical resident can only access 7.5 percent of local jobs in under an hour by transit.
FULL STORY: First batch of railcars from bullet train giant hit Baltimore Metro system
Monday, January 12, 2026 in The Baltimore Sun
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The governor says the state remains committed to its major transit projects, but may need to reduce service to meet a growing financial shortfall.
December 22, 2023 – Governing
A plan for the Red Line, an east-west light rail line notoriously canceled by former-Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, is back on the table in Baltimore.
August 8, 2023 – The Daily Record
The long-awaited east-west transit line is moving forward with support from a new governor, but still has a long road ahead.
June 22, 2023 – Greater Greater Washington
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
January 14, 2026 – Diana Ionescu
The President said in a Truth Social post, “people live in homes, not corporations.”
January 8, 2026 – The Guardian
The high-speed rail operator faces a $1.2 billion debt load and has never turned a profit since it launched in 2017.
January 16, 2026 – Railway Supply
The Las Vegas-to-Southern California rail line was originally slated to open for service in time for the 2028 Olympics.
7 hours ago – Newsweek
Mayors from across the U.S. expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
January 18 – Climate Mayors
The train’s two historic diesel locomotives are being converted to electric power.
January 18 – Cleveland.com
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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