The Red Line Podcast

Today, we're taking a brief vacation from our British vacation to head south to beautiful Memphis, Tennessee, which is home to the MATA trolley, a barely-extant-anymore historic streetcar. We’ll talk the Blues, BBQs, and Trolley Shoes after The News! Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: BART sustainability report reveals nearly all its contracted energy is greenhouse gas-free [2]The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: A Message From The Frog Resistance [3]Google Maps: Memphis, TN [4]Wikipedia: MATA Trolley [5]Wikipedia: Memphis Area Transit Authority [6]Wikipedia: Memphis, Tennessee § Demographics [7]Wikipedia: Memphis Street Railway Company [8]WMC Memphis: 5 Star Stories: Memphis' beloved vintage trolley cars a worthy labor of love [9]Commercial Appeal: MATA hopes trolleys can return this summer; Memphis City Council skeptical of more funding [10]Memphis Travel: Ride the Downtown Memphis Trolley [11]Nicolas Henderson: Bass Pro Shop, Memphis, TN [12]McGraw Electric Railway Manual Maps (1913): Lines of the Memphis Street Railway Co. [13]Memphis Area Transit Authority: MATA Trolley Map (Mar. 19, 2021) [14]Memphis Area Transit Authority: MATA Trolley Map - Main Street Line

Today, we're talking about the Runcorn Busway, which many claim to be the first ever true BRT system. Just how did a town like Runcorn end up with the world's first BRT, and what can it teach us about urban planning? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: CA: High-speed rail project slated to receive billions in state funding [2]California High-Speed Rail Authority: Pacheco Pass factsheet [3]Inquisitr News: Trump Scraps Trail And Bike-Lane Grants Deemed 'Hostile' to Cars [4]Wikipedia: Runcorn Busway [5]TCRP Report 90, Volume 1, BRT Case Studies: Runcorn, United Kingdom - Brief: Runcorn Busway [6]Freewheeling: Why don't we talk more about Runcorn? [7]BBC Archive: 1971: Nationwide: Runcorn 'Busway' [8]Wikipedia: Runcorn [9]Google Maps: Runcorn [10]Bank of England: Inflation calculator [11]BusAndTrainUser: R is for Runcorn [12]Wikipedia: Runcorn § Demography [13]David Peace: Elevated busway at Runcorn Shopping City

Today, we're discussing Edinburgh's tram line, which might be the most American of them all, but probably not for the reasons you'd like. All this and more after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: BART expands fare collection process to accept contactless payments [2]LendingTree: The Cost of Accepting Credit Card Payments: NA vs. EU [3]Wikipedia: Edinburgh Trams § Rolling stock [4]Wikipedia: Haymarket railway station § Services [5]Edinburgh Live: Recalling Edinburgh's original tram system which was scrapped 67 years ago tonight [6]BBC News: Edinburgh trams: Public to be consulted over extension [7]Wikipedia: Trams in Edinburgh § Edinburgh Corporation Transport (1928-1956) [8]Ben Hopkinson: "Hell on wheels": the Edinburgh Trams Story [9]BBC News: Going off the rails: The Edinburgh trams saga [10]Granton History: Edinburgh tram routes 1950 [11]Wikipedia: Edinburgh [12]Edinburgh Trams: Timetables [13]Bank of England: Inflation calculator

Today, we're discussing an unusual British success story; the Nottingham Express Transit, which locals may know simply as 'The Tram.' Just how did the home of Robin Hood get a modern light rail system, and where will the system go next? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: MTA advances Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 with awarding tunnel boring contract [2]MTA: Second Avenue Subway FEIS - Chapter 8 - Displacement and Relocation [3]CBS New York: As 2nd Avenue subway advances, eminent domain will force dozens to move [4]Mass Transit: MTA advances Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 with awarding tunnel boring contract [5]Wikipedia: Nottingham § Education [6]Wikipedia: Nottingham Express Transit [7]Nottingham City Transport: History [8]Nottinghamshire Live: The birth of Nottingham's NET tram system and how it has evolved [9]Wikipedia: Nottingham Corporation Tramways [10]NET Support: Full tram timetable [11]topographic-map.com: Nottingham topographic map

Today, we're discussing one of the world's strangest transit systems; the Glasgow Subway. Just how did the Clockwork Orange start turning, and what is the future of the world’s third oldest subway? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: TriMet closing Skidmore Fountain MAX Station [2]Wikipedia: Glasgow [3]Glasgow Live: The plans for 50 new Glasgow subway stations and where they were going to be [4]Strathclyde Partnership for Transport: Celebrating 125 years of Subway [5]Summerlee Transport Group: The Clockwork Orange - The Story of the Glasgow Underground [6]Glasgow Sub Crawl: The history of the Glasgow Subway [7]Curbside Classic: Trackside Classic: 1896 Glasgow Subway Car No. 1 – Simply Different [8]nycsubway.org: Glasgow, Scotland [9]Wikipedia: Glasgow Subway rolling stock [10]Wikipedia: Glasgow Subway [11]Foulger Rail Photos via Wikipedia: A train on the Glasgow Subway in 2024 [12]David Arthur and RaviC via Wikipedia: Proposed alignment for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Today, we're discussing the fabulous city of Birmingham, which might just be the San Jose of English light rail systems. All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit's Federal Way Link Extension opening moved up to winter 2025 [2]Mass Transit: KC Streetcar Main Street Extension set to open Oct. 24 [3]Wikipedia: West Midlands Metro § Further development [4]Wikipedia: Birmingham Corporation Tramways [5]Wikipedia: Birmingham [6]West Midlands Metro: Welcome to West Midlands Metro [7]BBC News: Business case approved for Birmingham tram extension [8]Midland Metro Alliance: East Birmingham to Solihull Metro Extension [9]Narrow Boat Info: Canal Map [10]Wikipedia: List of primary urban areas in England by population [11]Ashley Rabot: The West Midlands Metro EXPLAINED

Today, we're discussing Britain's second oldest tramway. We'll talk Black pools, double-decker trams, tourist towns, and more after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: FRA rescinds $4 billion in unspent federal funding to CHSRA [2]Miami Herald: Why Florida's Brightline passenger train is deadliest in US [3]Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours: History of our Tramway [4]Wikipedia: Blackpool Tramway § Fares and ticketing [5]Wikipedia: Blackpool [6]Wikipedia: Blackpool Tower [7]Wikipedia: Blackpool Heritage Trams

Today, we're discussing one of the most unique transit systems anywhere in the world. Just what is the Tyne and Wear Metro, and what can it teach us about successful transit systems? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: VPRA awards $1 billion contract to Skanska to build Long Bridge North Project [2]Mass Transit: New York City’s congestion pricing reducing traffic, increasing transit ridership in first six months [3]BBC News: Washington locals react to Tyne and Wear Metro extension [4]Wikipedia: Tyne and Wear Metro § Planned extension to Washington [5]Wikipedia: Nexus (transport executive) [6]Wikipedia: Tyneside Electrics § History [7]Wikipedia: Newcastle Corporation Tramways [8]nexus.org.uk: How Metro was built [9]nexus.org.uk: What is Nexus? [10]nexus.org.uk: Tyne and Wear Metro [11]nexus.org.uk: My new Metro [12]BBC News: Funds to upgrade Tyne and Wear Metro signal system confirmed [13]CIHT North Eastern Branch: Building the Tyne and Wear Metro [14]Views of Tyneside: History of Tyne and Wear Metro - Documentary - The Way Ahead [15]Wikipedia: Tyne and Wear § Demography [16]Wikipedia: Newcastle upon Tyne § Population [17]DirectionNorth: Evolution of the Tyne and Wear Metro [18]Wikipedia: Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, River Tyne

Today, we're taking a brief hop across the pond to have a look at the Sheffield Supertram, which might just be the most American light rail in Britain. All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: WMATA, MTA launch Better Bus Network redesigns [2]Congestion Pricing - CSS Analysis [3]SEPTA: SEPTA Board Approves FY26 Budget with Devastating Service Cuts & Fare Increases [4]Wikipedia: South Yorkshire Supertram [5]Wikipedia: Sheffield Tramway [6]TheTrams.co.uk: Sheffield Supertram [7]BBC News: Sheffield Supertram marks 20-year journey [8]Wikipedia: Sheffield § History [9]BBC News: South Yorkshire's Supertram back in public control [10]Wikipedia: Transport Act 1985

This time on The Red Line Podcast, we're renewing a Red Line Classic by heading back to St. Louis. What's going on with Metrolink, and why are we talking about this again? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: WMATA begins automatic train operation on entire rail system [2]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: May 21, 1966: The end of the line for streetcars in St. Louis [3]Wikipedia: Streetcars in St. Louis [4]The Wellston Loop: Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis, Part 1 [5]STLPR: TRANSITion: From horses to high speed, the history of the region's mass transit [6]Metro: Inside MetroLink [7]OneSTL: Transit Ridership [8]Wikipedia: MetroLink (St. Louis) [9]Wikipedia: Transportation in St. Louis § Bus [10]Wikipedia: MetroBus (St. Louis) [11]STLPR: St. Louis weighs north-south MetroLink expansion [12]East-West Gateway Council of Governments: Northside-Southside Light Rail Project Executive Summary [13]St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bi-State board agrees to take over, restart Loop Trolley [14]STL Loop Trolley [15]Wikipedia: Loop Trolley [16]City of St. Louis, MO: A Preservation Plan for St. Louis [17]Wikipedia: Eads Bridge [18]Wikipedia: Downtown Tunnel (St. Louis) [19]Railway Age: TriMet sells heritage trolleys to St. Louis [20]Wikipedia: Green Line (St. Louis MetroLink) [21]STLPR: Transit agency pauses MetroLink expansion at request of mayor

Today, we're talking about one of North America's most incredible- and underdiscussed- metro systems, the creatively named Metrorrey. We'll talk about the system and its future after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: FRA compliance review report determines CHSRA in default of federal grant terms [2]Wikipedia: Metrorrey [3]Wikipedia: TransMetro (Monterrey) [4]Wikipedia: Monterrey [5]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 4 [6]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 5 [7]Wikipedia: Metrorrey Line 6 [8]Wikipedia: Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit [9]UrbanRail.Net: North America > Mexico > Monterrey Metro [10]CNBC: How an autonomous train-bus hybrid could transform city transit [11]Metrorrey: Mapa de Red [12]Movilidad Monterrey: Ecovía [13]Reddit: Map from the Integrated public transportation system of Monterrey city in México. [14]Google My Maps: Líneas Metro Monterrey - Draft 02a (rutas circulares)

Today, we're talking about the future of electric bus technology; charging in motion. Just why is CIM so powerful, and what do its prospects look like going forward? All this, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: Sound Transit Downtown Redmond Link Extension begins passenger service [2]Wikipedia: Trolleybus § History [3]Marcin Połom & Mikołaj Bartłomiejczyk: Charging on the Move: A Systematic Review of Trolleybus In-Motion Charging and Emerging Research Directions [4]eCity powered by Solaris: In-motion charging (IMC) [5]UITP: How in motion charging trolleybuses are advancing our cities [6]UITP: In motion charging: Innovative trolleybus [7]Urban Transport Magazine: Bus Electrification: A comparison of capital costs [8]Utah State University Power Electronics Lab: EVR Facility

Today, we're talking about all the little bits and extras that we left out during our rush through the history of the DC Metro in the last couple weeks. We’ll talk circulators, streetcars, and more after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps 19:11 DC begins! (news is over) 21:33 DC Streetcar - 1997 plan 24:21 DC Streetcar - 2001 plan 26:00 DC Streetcar - 2005/2008/2010 plans 28:15 Attempts to build a streetcar 32:43 H Street Line 39:10 DC Circulator 45:24 Metro rolling stock 47:54 Metrobar 52:56 Outro References & notes [1]Mass Transit: L.A. Metro to open LAX/Metro Transit Center Station June 6 [2]Wikipedia: DC Streetcar [3]Wikipedia: Anacostia Line [4]Greater Greater Washington: A history of streetcar planning in the District [5]WAMU: Amid Funding Fight, D.C. Cuts Streetcar System From 22 To 8 Miles [6]DDOT: District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis (2008) [7]DDOT: District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis (2005) [8]Wikipedia: DC Circulator [9]Washingtonian: The DC Circulator Bus Is Probably Going to Die [10]DC Circulator Map and Information Guide Thumbnail Photo Credits: Jason Lawrence, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Today, we're discussing America's Subway, the DC metro. Just how did our Capital's subway become the second most ridden in the country, and where is it headed next? Find out, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps 11:03 Subway Magazine, late 70s expansions 17:41 1981 blue/orange line routing, derailments 25:49 1983 yellow line opening, Shady Grove, snowstorm 31:29 1990 red, yellow, blue, and green extended, Clinton's inauguration 35:47 1997 green line split in half 39:47 1999 green line completion, SmarTrip, ATO, and beyond 45:08 viaducts: are they evil? References & notes [1]CBC News: Canada federal election 2025 live results [2]CBC News: Head of mayors' group pushes back on Poilievre, says Canadian cities 'not gatekeepers' [3]Wikipedia: Washington Metro § Accidents and incidents [4]WMATA: Regional Transit System Plan (RTSP) 2040 [5]WMATA: Metro History [6]Greater Greater Washington: Happy birthday, Metro! Watch Metro's evolution since 1976 in this slideshow [7]Construction Physics: How Washington DC Got Its Metro [8]Zachary M. Schrag: Operation: The Passengers [9]Wikipedia: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [10]Zachary M. Schrag: The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (Creating the North American Landscape) [11]Wikipedia: Washington Metro rolling stock § 1000-series [12]Bill Cannan & Company: DC Metro Maps [13]Vanishing Underground: Washington DC's Metro Network Evolution [14]Zachary M. Schrag: Subway Magazine [15]Greater Greater Washington: What was up with the one-way Orange-Blue? [16]Washington, DC Tourism: Navigating Washington, DC's Metro System

Today, we're discussing the birth of America's Subway (and no, not the one the senators use). Just how did Washington, DC get America's second most ridden subway system? We pick up where our last episode left us, with the fall of DC's streetcar system, after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: Bay Area Transit agencies report ridership increases in the first quarter of 2025 [2]Mass Transit: FRA rescinds MTA's project leadership in New York Penn Station overhaul [3]The Herald Journal: 2 groups hold peaceful protests Saturday in Logan [4]Construction Physics: How Washington DC Got Its Metro [5]Zachary M. Schrag: Building the Washington Metro [6]WMATA: Milestones & History [7]Wikipedia: Washington Metro [8]Wikipedia: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [9]Zachary M. Schrag: The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro [10]Ghosts of DC: Metro's 17-Foot Long "Experimental Station" in 1968 [11]Wikipedia: Track gauge in the United States [12]The Washington Post: The story behind the carpeting in Metro's rail cars? It stinks. [13]Wikipedia: Washington Metro rolling stock § 1000-series [14]The Future of Transport: Disney's Magic Highway - 1958 [15]WMATA: Photo Gallery - Mock-up Metro Car [16]JFK Library: Meeting with C. Darwin Stolzenbach, Administrator of the National Capital Transportation Agency, 12:13PM

The Utah Transit Authority has, for once, brought us a Change Day with service increases and several new bus routes, instead of cut after cut after cut! The routes we discuss are timestamped below. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps 12:58 service hours increase (starting with website quote) 14:57 New route in the south valley - 126 19:54 Modified - 871 22:05 New route on Redwood Rd. - 219 24:35 Frequency restored - 39 25:22 "Other Salt Lake County things" incl. ski buses 29:50 Headcanon map of "downtown" 32:09 Another new route on Redwood Rd. 417 37:41 Route 823 in Utah County 40:32 Route 628 41:14 Route West Orem / Provo on demand 46:35 On Demand complaining sesh References & notes [1]Mass Transit: KCATA to reduce route frequency, reinstate fares to help reduce costs [2]KCUR: Kansas City would avoid massive bus cuts for now with a new plan. But it would end free fares [3]KSHB 41 Kansas City: Kansas City passes $2.5B budget, future of KCATA buses still up in the air [4]Utah Transit Authority: April 2025 Change Day [5]Utah Transit Authority: April 2025 Change Day Flyer [6]FTA: 2023 Annual Agency Profile - Utah Transit Authority [7]Utah Transit Authority: 126 - 12600 South Map (effective April 2025) [8]Utah Transit Authority: 871 - Draper Town Center/Lehi Station (effective April 2025) [9]Utah Transit Authority: 219 - South Redwood Rd (effective April 2025) [10]Utah Transit Authority: 417 - Redwood Rd Intercounty (effective April 2025) [11]Utah Transit Authority: 823 - Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo Station (effective April 2025) [12]Utah Transit Authority: 821 - South Utah County/Provo Central Station (effective April 2025) [13]Utah Transit Authority: 628 - Layton Westside (effective August 2024) [14]Utah Transit Authority: 628 - Layton Westside (effective April 2025) [15]Utah Transit Authority: UTA On Demand

Today, for our Centenary episode and first of a three-part series, we're discussing America's Subway, the Washington Metro, and the streetcar and interurban system that led up to it. Join us in learning about this masterpiece of 20th century urban planning after The News. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: UTA celebrates opening of South Jordan Downtown Station [2]Mass Transit: MTA updates subway map as part of system modernization efforts [3]Ray Kukulski and Bill Gallagher: Washington's Trolley System [4]Wikipedia: Capital Traction Company [5]Wikipedia: Streetcars in Washington, D.C. [6]DC Streetcar: Learn more about DC Streetcar. [7]WETA's Boundary Stones: The Demise of DC's Streetcars [8]National Capital Trolley Museum: Our Story [9]WETA's Boundary Stones: DC's Once Grand Streetcar System [10]Yale Climate Connections: What's the carbon footprint of a wind turbine? [11]Joint Transit Association: Mapping NYC Subway Capacity [12]Streetsblog New York City: "congestion pricing" Archives

Recap of the 2025 Utah legislative session, informed in large part by Sofi working the session, featuring a broad range of bills from transphobic to anti-voter to it's-about-SLC-but-not-about-SLC. IIRC there are 2 good, non-hateful ones buried in there! Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: Metro Gold Line begins passenger service [2]Mass Transit: Government of Canada to invest over C$3.8 billion in transit funding [3]Utah State Legislature [4]ACLU Utah: 2025 Legislative Session Report [5]UTA & UDOT: FrontRunner 2x [6]The Salt Lake Tribune: Salt Lake City may borrow $7M to help build a 926-stall parking garage in the Granary District [7]Global Energy Monitor Wiki: Gadsby power station

As The Red Line returns from our three-month hiatus, we unpack the massive damage done by the Trump administration to every part of this country, choosing to focus in on just mass transit topics so we don't make a ten-hour-long episode. This is one of two "politics recap" episodes (next week's focusing on Utah specifically) before we return to our regularly scheduled programming, albeit in a more somber light. Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]U.S. Department of Transportation: Memo - Implementation of Executive Orders Addressing Energy, Climate Change, Diversity, and Gender [2]ACLU: Not Just a Bad President, Trump is a "Holmesian Bad Man." Act Accordingly. [3]Utah State Legislature: S.B. 195 Transportation Amendments [4]The New York Times: U.S. Threatens to Cut Off M.T.A. Funds Over Subway Safety [5]The New York Times: Opinion | The Democrats Need a Project 2029. Here's a Start.

Today, we're discussing everyone's second favorite Albertan city, Edmonton. Just how did they end up with one of the continent's best light rail systems, and where is their system going next? This episode was recorded before our 2025 legislative session hiatus and released afterwards. To listen to episodes as they are produced, check out our Patreon (linked below)! Links and stuffs {{include|plugs}} Timestamps References & notes [1]Mass Transit: CA: South Bay state senator proposes to bar resale of diesel-powered trains [2]Wikipedia: Edmonton Transit Service [3]Wikipedia: Valley Line (Edmonton) § Valley Line West (Downtown to Lewis Farms) [4]Edmonton Radial Railway Society: Our History [5]City of Edmonton: History of ETS [6]City of Edmonton: ETS Maps, Routes and Schedules [7]City of Edmonton: Edmonton Transit Service Day Map [8]City of Edmonton: 2019 LRT Passenger Count Report [9]American Public Transportation Association: Public Transportation Ridership Report, Third Quarter 2024 [10]Wikipedia: High Level Bridge Streetcar [11]Wikipedia: Edmonton Radial Railway § History [12]Wikipedia: Edmonton LRT [13]City of Edmonton: Population History [14]Wikipedia: Edmonton streetcar #33 crossing the High Level Bridge [15]Wikipedia: Edmonton Transit System Approved LRT lines and stations [16]Wikipedia: Long-term (2040+) implementation plan for Edmonton LRT system, including downtown circulator lines (Energy and Festival).