Via Streetsblog, we find a report from the Brookings Institution (.pdf) that outlines each candidate's positions on transportation. It goes over twelve issues such as transportation earmarks, the gas tax holiday, telecommuting and smart growth. However, what caught our eye was "View on Amtrak / Intercity Passenger Rail." The results show two extremely different points of view, which is a given, but nevertheless a fresh eye opener. “Obama has been a strong supporter of......

A closeup of Metro's new transit map Metro introduced their new transit map this morning. It's quite a large file (.pdf), but extremely detailed. This time around, instead of perfecting the geography, they focused more on the routes so they would "stand out better," as they put it. "It’s also more compact. It includes details on all Metro bus and rail services as well as those offered by municipal bus carriers [marked by the......

As of last May, these were the 4 remaining rail options (View Larger Image) | Provided by Metro Here's one of the maps that will be seen at the upcoming Westside Extension meetings that Metro will be holding in September. Metro won't say what routes/alternatives have made the cut, but we do know this: the above map shows all four remaining subway possibilities from last May and all four might remain as possibilities. As......

Photo by Simon Shek via Flickr After yesterday's earthquake, Metro did something unusual for them. They informed the public in real time what was going on with the rail system. Metro's Twitter account, usually used for stating facts and promoting their services, was quickly put to work. "Bus and Rail Operations report no effects from the earthquake on Metro services. But trains operating at restricted speeds," they tweeted. Later on, an update: "After earthquake......

Think LA's relationship with underground rail transit began with the first tunnels blasted out to make way for the Red Line? Think again! LA's first subterranean transit system was a short stretch of tunneling dubbed the "Hollywood Subway," which moved its first passengers under the city in 1925 via electric interurban rail cars. Opening Day in Toluca Yard (end of the Hollywood Subway at 1st and Glendale); original source unkonwn, via California Trolleys The idea......

Back in July, LAist and you, our dear readers, had some fun with Walk Score, a site that lets you punch in your address and spits out a walkability score for your neighborhood. Some Los Angeles neighborhoods earned a very respectable "walkers paradise" rating and some just plain sucked (that's what you get when you live on Quakertown Ave. in the northwest Valley). A recent Brookings Institute study finds that Los Angeles ranks 12th......

A new blog has appeared on the blogLAsphere called ditch the car, take the metro and blogger, John, has created, revised and tweaked his idea on LA's future subway transit. "My LA subway plan is based upon latent but unrealized relationships that organize Los Angeles," he explains in an early post. "The core of the system is built upon two parallel corridors (the Red and the Purple Lines) connecting three central business districts (Downtown,......