In late November, Governor Josh Shapiro directed the state Department of Transportation to move $153 million of federal highway capital funds to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The transfer of funds from road projects to public transit aid is meant to avoid SEPTA’s announced service cuts and fare increases. […]
Mass transit’s mass state funding
(The Center Square) – State government covers more than half of operational costs for mass transit systems in Pennsylvania’s largest cities. Notably, it’s not rider fares or contributions from local taxing authorities. In 2022, the latter represented just 7.5 percent of funding for both SEPTA in the Philadelphia region and the […]
Albert Eisenberg: Revisiting SEPTA’s epic rail fail — and why we can’t have nice things
Endless red tape means that nothing gets built and the country stagnates.
By Albert Eisenberg
André Béliveau: Biden’s electric bus to nowhere
Electric buses failed SEPTA — school districts should be wary of accepting them.
By André Béliveau
SEPTA sounds public alarm about “difficult decisions” ahead
Diminished revenue means fewer options for the cash-strapped transit system.
By Anthony Hennen
Christine Flowers: Subway violence isn’t just a New York problem
Our cities and their public transit systems are suffering from a crime problem that has nothing to do with race.
By Christine Flowers
Report: Reliability, low fares, short trips key to transit in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
Commuters say they want transit agencies to run more buses and trains.
By Anthony Hennen
More crime, fewer riders, bigger financial problem for Philadelphia public transit
State Senate committee addresses criticism of SEPTA, including from the Transport Workers Union.
By Anthony Hennen
Andrew Abramczyk: To fix transportation, we have to prioritize it
Infrastructure is shaping up as a big theme in Harrisburg this year, but nobody really knows where to find $8 billion. There are real policy fixes that could reduce highway traffic, expand transit and help build the commonwealth most Pennsylvanians want. But none of these are cheap or easy.
By Andrew Abramczyk
Kyle Sammin: Seven-year King of Prussia rail delay shows folly of modern environmental laws
The biggest obstacles in railway construction in Philadelphia and beyond are not geography and weather, but courts, regulators and endless public consultations.
By Kyle Sammin