Transit Tangents
The Podcast where we discuss all things transit. Join us as we dive into transit systems across the US, bring you interviews with experts and advocates, and engage in some fun and exciting challenges along the way.
Episodes
117 episodes
Pittsburgh: A Transit City?
Pittsburgh doesn’t usually come to mind as a “big transit city,” but once you look closely, it has some of the most practical and inventive transit infrastructure in the U.S. We dig into how Pittsburgh’s hills, rivers, and industrial rail legac...
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Season 3
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Episode 116
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29:09
Berlin: Tram Or Maglev? A Real Debate
A strange transit showdown is brewing in Berlin: build a practical tram that stitches together everyday trips, or elevate a sleek maglev that sprints between a handful of stations. Louis spent the day on the ground from Spandau to the former Te...
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Season 3
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Episode 115
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22:33
Urban Quest - A Transit-Powered Scavenger Hunt
What happens when you hand teams a stack of clues, the Transit App, a free bus pass, and then issue one non-negotiable rule—no rideshare? Urban Quest turns Austin into a living classroom where kids and adults learn to navigate Cap Metro, discov...
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Season 3
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Episode 114
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23:23
Is Florida Building Real Transit?
We break down Miami’s fast-evolving transit network and spotlight the new Northeast Corridor commuter rail that links Miami Central to Aventura. From BRT with crossing arms to Tri-Rail’s downtown link and funding twists, we weigh benefits, risk...
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Season 3
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Episode 113
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30:59
Transit Tour: Paris
Starting at Notre Dame and ending at the Eiffel Tower sounds like a classic Paris day. In between, we set a challenge: cross the city using only public transit and discover what makes a system feel truly effortless.The result is a rapid ...
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Season 3
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Episode 112
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25:09
St. Louis MetroLink Extension - Building with Optimism
We weigh the $150 million St. Louis MetroLink extension to MidAmerica Airport against projected ridership and explain how Illinois state funding, decades of pre-planning, and significant optimism have made this project a reality. •...
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Season 3
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Episode 111
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23:36
"Cable 1" Takes Off Over Paris - And We Rode It!
We travel to the edge of Paris to ride a new five-station urban gondola that extends Metro Line 8, showing how aerial transit can beat ground constraints, cut commute times, and invite better station design. Along the way, we talk with David Ra...
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Season 3
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Episode 110
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22:43
Paris Cut Vehicle Traffic by 50%
What does a city feel like after it cuts car traffic in half and gives the streets back to people? We take you onto Paris’ bike lanes, into its buses and metros, and through the policies that turned a car-choked capital into a place where movem...
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Season 3
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Episode 109
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18:17
2026 FIFA World Cup Cities, Ranked By Transit
Choosing your World Cup city could be the difference between a breezy, car-free celebration and a stressful shuttle hunt. We break down all 16 host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico with one goal in mind: how easily can a trav...
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Season 3
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Episode 108
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29:39
The London Map That Changed The World
We trace how London turned a messy rail network into a global template for wayfinding, from the Underground roundel to Harry Beck’s diagrammatic map and the Legible London street totems. We compare London’s cohesive design to New York’s hybrid ...
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Season 3
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Episode 107
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24:54
Why A Century-Old Forest Tram Still Beats The Bus
We ride the Thuringian Waldbahn from Gotha through forest and small towns, tracing its history and design while asking why systems like this are rare elsewhere. Along the way we test timed transfers, swap notes on fares, and weigh what rural mo...
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Season 3
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Episode 106
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19:27
Top Transit Projects Coming in 2026!
Eight new transit links, one very mobile year. We’re diving into the projects that will actually change how U.S. cities move in 2026—from a light rail that glides over a floating bridge to a long‑awaited people mover that finally tames LAX’s tr...
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Season 3
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Episode 105
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25:14
DART Membership up for Election?
A celebratory Silver Line opening collides with city referendums to leave DART, putting service, funding, and future upgrades at risk. We weigh the politics and the human impact, and lay out what residents can do before the 2026 votes.•...
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Season 3
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Episode 104
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28:24
Seattle - Federal Way Link Extension Opens!
We unpack Seattle’s latest transit surge, from the Federal Way light rail extension to the cross‑lake Two Line testing across the Lake Washington Floating Bridge. We close with the express‑lane BRT buildout and how highway stitches, feeder rout...
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Season 3
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Episode 103
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24:04
Is the US Ready for Night Trains?
We examine whether night trains can work in the United States by starting with a real sleeper ride from Zurich to Leipzig and then mapping routes where overnight service fits naturally. Dreamstar’s proposed LA–SF sleeper gets a reality check, w...
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Season 3
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Episode 102
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30:34
Transit Tour: Zurich
We ride Zurich’s entire transit ecosystem in one day, testing how trams, S-Bahn, buses, funiculars, a cog railway, an aerial cable car, and a lake ferry connect... without a subway. Along the way, we unpack why Zurich never built a U-Bahn and h...
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Season 3
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Episode 101
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19:01
Transit Tangents: 100th Episode!
We mark 100 straight weeks by revisiting our 2025 transit list and tracking which projects delivered results. Chicago’s frequent buses, NYC’s congestion pricing, LA’s push for speed and access, and new lines in Dallas and Honolulu show how fund...
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Season 2
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Episode 100
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31:32
Transit Tour - Munich, Germany
We ride around Munich from the city center to the suburban palaces. We hit it all, trams, buses, U-Bahn and S-Bahn. Home of BMW, our trip reveals a car capital where transit is still king. • Major renovations and expansion of the M...
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Season 2
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Episode 99
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28:38
Kansas City Streetcar Extension Now Open!
We revisit Kansas City to mark the opening of the Main Street streetcar extension and map the next moves that could turn a single corridor into a connected, free-to-ride system. From mixed-traffic tradeoffs to dedicated lanes, riverfront housin...
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Season 2
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Episode 98
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25:27
Transit Tour - Vienna (Our First European City!)
We explore Vienna using only public transit, testing the city’s frequency, coverage, and ease of use while visiting multiple transit hubs, Schönbrunn Palace, the museum district, and many destinations along the way. Using buses, trams, U-bahn, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 97
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28:00
DART Silver Line Opens!
We mark the launch of DART’s Silver Line with a first-hand ride, a look at the trains and stations, and frank talk about service levels, airport access, and what success would look like. Local leaders and advocates weigh in on ridership, TOD, a...
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Season 2
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Episode 96
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22:07
Should Buses Be Free?
What if the fastest way to speed up buses isn’t a new gadget, but removing a ritual that steals minutes at every stop? We dig into the push for fare-free buses—why the idea is surging in New York City, what Kansas City learned after rolling it ...
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Season 2
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Episode 95
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29:24
Has Houston's Mayor Sabotaged Light Rail?
Houston’s Red Line lost its signal preemption, and reliability unraveled across the city’s busiest transit corridor. We trace what changed, why it matters for speed and safety, and how riders and advocates are pushing to restore a lifeline....
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Season 2
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Episode 94
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24:46
Transit Politics in the Lone Star State
Freedom of mobility isn't just a catchy phrase—it's the foundation of a vision for Texas where citizens aren't bound to a single transportation option. State Representative John Bucy shares his ambitious plans for expanding transportation choic...
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Season 2
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Episode 93
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27:22
Roads Not Taken: How Grassroots Movements Saved American Cities
Communities across the United States successfully fought and prevented destructive highway projects from being built through their neighborhoods from the 1960s to 1970s. These grassroots movements saved historic areas like New York's SoHo, Port...
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Season 2
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Episode 92
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31:39