The Evening Dig: Detroit Rail Depot Revival Edition

• Nashville and Kansas City both successfully revived abandoned rail depots. Could Detroit be next? (FreeP - pic via)

• Historically, money set aside for high-speed rail in the U.S. has not produced trains. More than 50 lobbying groups are fighting to change that, but they might just muck up the process even more. (Center for Public Integrity)

• What’s wrong with Oakland? A blogger says the city systematically fails to deal with transportation issues, despite the fact that they dominate its economy. (FutureOakland)

• While Baltimore is squishing together its passengers, Melbourne’s Metro has chosen simply to remove some seats from its cars to create more standing room. (TheAge)

• And over in Tokyo, suicide, sexual harassment, female-only cars, and “pushers” who “cram people into packed cars” are all part of the daily routine. (NYTimes)

• An editorial endorses the Obama administration’s desire to subject regional rail systems to the more stringent safety oversight of federal regulators, (NYTimes)

• …while in Canada, excess debt caused a $2 billion Canadian plan to build “green” light-rail and public transport to bite the dust. (Canada)