Adina Levin

Since I last ordered gift cards, @safeway.bsky.social / Albertson's went to an AI agent for customer support and the ordering doesn't work anymore.

I did not need to make explicit comparisons between the utterly normal activity of walking to TJs to buy cheese and the concept that this was an international conspiracy to eliminate freedom.

Fortunately I was behind her in the queue, listening to the Council meeting on Zoom while walking to TJs with a canvas bag to buy some cheddar cheese and lentil soup. I commented about my personal experience and said I enjoy and many would welcome ability to walk to groceries...

I am not joking, one of our notable local nimbies alleged that the city's for building apartments on downtown parking lots was part of an international conspiracy to mandate 15-minute cities that required people to walk and bike and eliminated the freedom to drive.

Want to "improve travel times" on CA's congested highways? Invest in regional rail, not more lanes. We've got lots of underfunded State Rail Plan projects just sitting there...

that's why walking to Trader Joes is evidence of an international conspiracy

Major news in NYC: NY secretary of state won a court order blocking the Trump admin from freezing funds for the new Hudson tunnel, the Gateway project.

Each agency using a separate app is setting us back more than 20 years to before 2002 when the Translink system (the previous name from Clipper) rolled out

The meeting is at 1pm, and you can watch and comment by zoom, with your personal experience and/or your technical perspective: mtc.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...

For people with tech background concerned about the Clipper 2 upgrade/migration, check out the Cubic slides being presented today at Clipper Executive Board. Many of the problems are failures of basic scaling and QA missing predictable corner cases. mtc.legistar.com/LegislationD...

Singing

Rail advocates renew push for electric trains from San Diego to Los Angeles Electric trains offer faster, quieter and cleaner service compared to diesel locomotives. But California's rail corridors continue to suffer from inaction.

"Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who represents coastal North County, said... that California needs to employ more professional rail experts to reduce its reliance on consultants." #JustTransitionForCaltrans

Missed Monday's webinar? Check out the coverage here on KPBS!
www.kpbs.org/news/quality...

That is a bad bug! I was overcharged right on 12/10 because Caltrain's readers weren't yet recognizing credit card taps; called tech support the subsequent weekend, and spent 3 hours on hold! It is good for them to hear from customers impacted by the rollout.

An upcoming window for comment is the January 9 Regional Network Management Committee which oversees the regional fare programs that depend on Clipper 2. The RNM Committee is composed of MTC Commissioners and a couple of transit board members and meets in SF at Beale Street

Electrolink Webinar Southern California deserves a modern, green, and accessible rail system. In their new whitepaper, Electrolink, Californians for Electric Rail presents a vision for how to get there, through investmen...

Integrated, accessible, through-running electrified regional rail could transform Southern California and move high-speed rail forward. Join us on January 12th for a webinar from 5-6 pm to learn why this is so important and how we make it happen. actionnetwork.org/events/elect...

clipper 2 mobile fund loading actually is immediate.

Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…

* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M

So YES this has been a huge success.

Free xfers will work when paying with credit/debit card immediately

I was able to log in tonight, so I was able to add funds to my Clipper card. The mobile app still isn't working though.

it will convert by itself. if you don't do anything, use transit frequently, and don't have a special discount (disability, youth, senior etc) your card will convert automatically within a month.

Montreal's New Rail Line Is the Future - Macleans.ca Canada has forgotten how to build fast, cheap transit. A new megaproject has the fix.

US public transit advocates: Don't just envy Europe. Start by envying Canada.

Great piece on Montreal's remarkably cheap new rapid transit system.

macleans.ca/society/mont...

This Thanksgiving we're thankful for:
- the staggering success of Caltrain electrification
- CA's continued funding commitment to high-speed rail
- Cancellation of the ONT Connector Tesla tunnels creating space for better transit projects in the Rancho/Ontario area.

There sometimes actual environmental impacts to prevent or mitigate but so much CEQA alternatives analysis is done as an ineffective proxy for planning, because the underlying presumption is avoiding harm rather than achieving goals

“Environmental review is not planning” is one of those statements that is so obviously true but nearly every thing about transportation institutions and environmental review in California/US pushes against it.

SAVE BAY AREA TRANSIT People throughout the Bay Area face catastrophic Muni, BART, Caltrain, and AC Transit cuts if we don't close nearly $1B in budget gaps. Two ballot measures will prevent cuts and improve service, but o...

Without passing the Bay Area transit funding measure, we're all gonna be breathing much dirtier air more frequently since there will be a lot less bus and BART service and a lot more people switching to driving. Help save transit & keep our air clean docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Alstom pauses hydrogen train development **Alstom has paused further development of its hydrogen-powered trains after the French Government withdrew financial support, a move that also blocks access to matching EU funding under the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) framework. While research activity under the IPCEI programme is on hold, the manufacturer emphasises that its wider hydrogen commitments and existing customer orders in Europe will continue.** Coradia iLint The company confirmed the suspension following internal communications reported by industry media and an interview given by CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge to BFM Business, in which he stated that hydrogen technology is “not yet mature.” According to Alstom, the IPCEI-funded prototype fuel-cell system has been completed, and discussions with the French state are ongoing. “Alstom is engaged in regular and responsible dialogue with the French government with a view to identifying solutions to ensure the sustainability of the group’s activities and the ‘made in France’ hydrogen sector,” a company representative said. The manufacturer added that it remains committed to delivering and supporting all hydrogen train orders currently placed in France, Italy and Germany. In France, 12 Régiolis hydrogen units have been ordered by the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Occitanie, Grand Est and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. The Coradia Stream H has also been selected for services in Italy, where FNM holds a framework agreement for up to 14 trains. Research staff involved in hydrogen development have been reassigned to other projects as part of the transition. ### Operational challenges across Europe Alstom launched the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell passenger train, the **Coradia iLint** , in Germany in 2022. The model has since operated or been tested in several countries, including France, where it was showcased during demonstration tours. However, the train never entered trial service there. The iLint’s flagship deployment in Lower Saxony has faced significant setbacks. EVB, which replaced 15 diesel railcars with 14 hydrogen units, was forced to revert to diesel operations after hydrogen delivery issues emerged. Further disruption occurred in August 2025 when replacement fuel-cell modules failed to arrive, leaving only four of the 14 units in service. Hydrogen deployments have also encountered difficulties elsewhere. In Germany, RMV withdrew its fleet of 18 iLints following repeated technical issues with the fuel-cell systems. Siemens Mobility has faced similar challenges with hydrogen resupply with its Mireo Plus H units ordered by Bavaria and Berlin-Brandenburg. Despite this, hydrogen developments continue internationally. Stadler introduced its first **Flirt H2 in southern California** in September and has secured subsequent orders from operators in California, Austria and Italy. ### Funding questions and reduced momentum Hydrogen has been promoted as a zero-emissions replacement for diesel traction on non-electrified routes, supported since 2022 by EUR 5 billion in EU research funding. Under the IPCEI rules, however, national co-financing is mandatory. France’s withdrawal therefore blocks the associated EU contribution to Alstom. A spokesperson for the company reiterated that despite the pause in R&D activity, contractual obligations remain unchanged. “Alstom is committed to its current hydrogen train customers in three European countries daily and will honour its contractual commitments for delivery, maintenance, and operational support.” In Central Europe, Alstom previously sought to promote hydrogen units as an alternative for regional diesel services, including in the Czech Republic. However, the manufacturer was unable to secure a sufficient coalition of transport authorities to justify a dedicated development programme. Demonstration runs took place in 2022 when a Coradia iLint toured several Czech cities. ### What’s next for hydrogen The suspension of IPCEI-related hydrogen development marks a significant shift for one of Europe’s most prominent promoters of fuel-cell rail technology. It also reflects wider uncertainty about the readiness of hydrogen for large-scale rail operations, following technical challenges and growing competition from battery-electric and hybrid solutions. While current orders will proceed, Alstom’s pause underscores the sector’s dependence on public funding and the need for long-term policy certainty. The company continues to engage with French authorities as it assesses future steps for hydrogen traction within its portfolio. Share on:

So wie Krauss-Maffei die Entwicklung von Dampflokomotiven „pausiert“ hat? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡
https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/alstom-pauses-hydrogen-train-development/

Bus-only lanes don't just happen. They happen because people like you fought for them in their community (often in the face of organized opposition!)

You can win the bus lanes and improvements you want to see in your community and this book will help teach you how
islandpress.org/books/if-you...

California Cuts Funding for E-bike Rebates The state cancelled an upcoming round of applications for the wildly popular e-bike incentive program that provided up to $2,000 toward the cost of an electric bike.

Heck, we just did the opposite. The state canceled a wildly popular but too small e-bike subsidy program so it could redirect the money to EV subsidies

I think entirely too much about how California’s climate plan explicitly says that converting to EVs is not nearly enough to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets so we need to reduce VMT 25% by 2030, and then we do basically nothing to try to achieve that goal