The Rail Renaissance is on the Fast Track

All aboard! This week’s newsletter is all trains all the time. From building regional rail systems to how the cars themselves are made, Transit Unplugged will get you on the right track.

PREMIER: APTA Rail

The future of passenger rail is being built right now—and Transit Unplugged takes you inside one of the industry’s biggest events to see it firsthand. Recorded on location at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference in Baltimore, this special video episode features exclusive conversations with the leaders driving some of North America’s most ambitious rail projects. From the Purple Line in Maryland and MARC Train’s growing commuter network to Honolulu’s fully automated Skyline system and California High-Speed Rail, this is a front-row seat to the ideas, investments, and innovations shaping the next generation of public transportation. 

PREMIER: How to Build a Train

Ever wondered how a modern passenger train actually gets built? In this special episode of Transit Unplugged TV, host Paul Comfort gets an unprecedented, all-access behind-the-scenes tour of Stadler’s train manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, Utah — guided personally by Stadler US CEO Martin Ritter. From aluminum car shells and the welding shop to truck assembly, cable harnesses, and the private test track, this episode walks through every stage of building a train — including the commuter and transit cars Stadler has been building for Caltrain, MARTA, Metra, Trinity Metro, and Utah’s own UTA.

ICYMI: Katie Choe

Commuter rail is being reinvented—and at Virginia Railway Express (VRE), that shift starts with one big idea: becoming a true regional rail system. Katie Choe, CEO of VRE, joins Paul to explain how the agency is moving beyond its traditional peak-hour, commuter-focused model toward a more flexible, all-day, bi-directional network designed for today’s travel patterns.