ReportWire

Tag: Transportation

  • Stranded by winter weather? Here’s what airlines owe you.

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    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

    A monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across parts of the country, with 12,200 weekend flights and counting canceled. Forecasters warned that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Almost 12,000 flights canceled as major winter storm bears down across much of the US

    Here’s a guide for winter travelers as flight disruptions pile up:

    Keep an eye on weather forecasts

    When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.

    American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm and adding extra flights around the country in an effort to help passengers reach their destination after the storm passes.

    Check before going to the airport

    Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport.

    Cancellations can happen hours — or even days — before departure time. Consider American and Delta Air Lines: By mid-day Saturday, each carrier had canceled more than 1,000 of its scheduled Sunday flights, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

    Oklahoma’s largest airport suspended all flights Saturday, while Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Flight disruptions also were stacking up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina.

    Disruptions were expected to intensify Sunday, FlightAware data showed. By late Saturday afternoon, nearly all departing flights scheduled to leave Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Sunday — 405 flights, or about 95% — had already been canceled. Major disruptions were also forecast for airports in Charlotte and Atlanta, home to the nation’s busiest airport, as well as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, where 87% of Sunday’s departing flights have so far been canceled.

    My flight was canceled, now what?

    If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

    Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.

    Can I get booked on another airline?

    You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then it can be a hit or miss.

    Am I owed a refund?

    If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

    The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

    When will I get my refund?

    If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    What else will my airline cover?

    U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.

    Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.

    Other tips

    If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.

    The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

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  • Colorado traffic deaths increased in 2025, reversing decline

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    Traffic deaths in Colorado increased in 2025, reversing a decline in recent years, with about one in three deaths related to impaired driving, according to state data released Thursday.

    Colorado Department of Transportation officials said that, while the increase is small, they see troubling trends and plan to refocus safety efforts around impaired driving and deaths involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

    A total of 701 people died on Colorado roads in 2025, an increase of 1.7% over the 689 fatalities reported in 2024, the data show. The number is still below the a record-setting 764 fatalities in 2022.

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  • Stranded by winter weather? Here’s what airlines owe you

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    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats. Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss. If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault. If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

    A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up:

    When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.

    American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

    American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats.

    Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time.

    If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

    Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.

    You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.

    If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

    The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

    If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.

    Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.

    If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.

    The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

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  • Air Force One safely returns to Washington area due to minor electrical issue, White House says

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    President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, returned to Joint Base Andrews about an hour after departing for Switzerland on Tuesday evening.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return was made after takeoff when the crew aboard Air Force One identified “a minor electrical issue” and, out of an abundance of caution, decided to turn around.Related video above: “You’ll find out:” Trump asked how far he’ll go to acquire Greenland ahead of overseas tripA reporter on board said the lights in the press cabin of the aircraft went out briefly after takeoff, but no explanation was immediately offered. About half an hour into the flight reporters were told the plane would be turning around.Trump will board another aircraft and continue on with his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades. Boeing has been working on replacements, but the program has faced a series of delays. The planes are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.Last year, the ruling family of Qatar gifted Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be added to the Air Force One fleet, a move that faced great scrutiny. That plane is currently being retrofitted to meet security requirements.Leavitt joked to reporters on Air Force One Tuesday night that a Qatari jet was sounding “much better” right now.Last February, an Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Germany had to return to Washington because of a mechanical issue. In October, a military plane carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to make an emergency landing in United Kingdom due to a crack in the windshield.

    President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, returned to Joint Base Andrews about an hour after departing for Switzerland on Tuesday evening.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return was made after takeoff when the crew aboard Air Force One identified “a minor electrical issue” and, out of an abundance of caution, decided to turn around.

    Related video above: “You’ll find out:” Trump asked how far he’ll go to acquire Greenland ahead of overseas trip

    A reporter on board said the lights in the press cabin of the aircraft went out briefly after takeoff, but no explanation was immediately offered. About half an hour into the flight reporters were told the plane would be turning around.

    Trump will board another aircraft and continue on with his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

    The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades. Boeing has been working on replacements, but the program has faced a series of delays. The planes are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.

    Last year, the ruling family of Qatar gifted Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be added to the Air Force One fleet, a move that faced great scrutiny. That plane is currently being retrofitted to meet security requirements.

    Leavitt joked to reporters on Air Force One Tuesday night that a Qatari jet was sounding “much better” right now.

    Last February, an Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Germany had to return to Washington because of a mechanical issue. In October, a military plane carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to make an emergency landing in United Kingdom due to a crack in the windshield.

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  • Five-year, $338 million project begins to widen four-mile stretch of Pa. Turnpike in Chester County

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    A project to widen a four-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County began this week. The work is estimated to take around five years and cost approximately $338 million.

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    Molly McVety

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  • Woman arrested in stabbing in Union Station bus terminal, Denver police say

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    The woman accused of stabbing another in Denver’s Union Station bus terminal late Sunday night was “looking for someone who was not paying attention,” according to court documents.

    Denver police officers responded to the stabbing at Gate B14 inside the bus terminal at 1700 Wewatta St. just before 10 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit.

    Witnesses told officers that the suspect, 37-year-old Nakila Green, was pacing around the station before she sat down next to a random woman on a bench and stabbed her, police wrote in the arrest affidavit.

    Green allegedly stabbed the woman several times in the leg and chest. The victim screamed for help, and Regional Transportation District officers rushed over to hold Green at gunpoint and subdue her, according to the affidavit.

    The victim, who is expected to survive, told investigators that Green didn’t say anything to her during the incident and that she had never met her before, police said in the affidavit.

    Green spat on police officers while being arrested, and continuously spat inside a patrol car while in custody, according to the document.

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  • Deadly wreck is the first blight on Spain’s leading high-speed rail service

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    BARCELONA, Spain — The deadly train wreck in southern Spain has cast a pall over one of the nation’s symbols of success.

    The collision Sunday killed at least 40 people and injured dozens more, according to officials as of Monday night.

    Here’s a look at the history of a rail network that became a crown jewel of contemporary Spain, by the numbers.

    The number of years since Spain inaugurated its first high-speed AVE, which means “bird” in Spanish.

    Both before and after that milestone, successive Spanish governments devoted tax revenues and European Union development aid to its high-speed rail network that quickly caught up and surpassed high-speed pioneers Japan and France.

    The first high-speed train to speed across Spain preceded the opening of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona by two months.

    Both marked high points in Spain’s recent history after it emerged from the economic doldrums and cultural and political isolation of the 20th-century dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.

    How many kilometers, equal to 2,400 miles, of high-speed rail that Spain has laid over the last three-plus decades for its 49 million residents.

    Only China — with 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles) for its 1.4 billion people — has more high-speed track, according to the International Union of Railways.

    Spain’s commitment to high-speed rail, which the railway union defines as rails for trains going 250 kph (155 mph), has helped Spain shed its reputation of often being behind the industrial curve compared to other leading economies.

    Spain’s train builders have been able to capitalize on its domestic expansion. A Spanish consortium built Saudi Arabia’s high-speed line connecting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina that opened service in 2018.

    The approximate number of hours a train trip took between Madrid and Barcelona before and after the 2008 adoption of high-speed rail.

    On an old, slow train, the 600-kilometer (385-mile) journey between Spain’s biggest cities used to take around seven hours, meaning many business travelers opted to take a plane.

    Now that trip can be done in 2.5 hours, and Spain announced plans in November to modernize the Madrid-Barcelona line to allow trains to reach 350 kph (218 mph), matching the fastest Chinese trains. That would bring the transit time down to less than 2 hours.

    The AVE has helped unite a country whose main population centers other than Madrid are located on its coasts, separated by some of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe.

    Every region and provincial capital has pushed hard for its own high-speed line. Some critics say the administrations may have spent too much on questionable lines to the detriment of investing in local commuter lines, which suffer many more delays than the high-speed rail does.

    Missing out on an AVE line and stop has become synonymous with economic decline for a provincial city.

    The move away from air travel to rail also remains a key plank of Spain’s green energy and electrification plan to fight climate change.

    The number of deadly accidents involving a high-speed train in Spain’s history. One official described Sunday’s collision as transforming a train into a “mass of twisted metal.”

    Spanish officials say they are still at a loss to understand what went wrong Sunday night when one high-speed train jumped the track and collided with another fast train going the other direction.

    Álvaro Fernández, the president of public train company Renfe, told Spanish public radio station RNE that both trains were traveling well under the speed limit and “human error could be ruled out.”

    One of the two trains was operated by Renfe and another by a private company.

    Spain’s worst train accident this century occurred in 2013, when 80 people died after a train derailed in the country’s northwest. An investigation concluded the train was traveling 179 kph (111 mph) on a stretch with an 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit when it left the tracks. That stretch of track was not high speed.

    The number of operators with high-speed trains in Spain.

    Only in 2022 did Spain open its rail network to private companies to compete against Renfe.

    The first company to get into the private high-speed market was Iryo, which is Italian-owned. It was followed by the French company Ouigo.

    It was an Iryo train that first derailed on Sunday, knocking the Renfe train off its track. Iryo has said it is working with officials to determine the causes of the accident.

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  • Road closures lifted through downtown Denver as protest winds down

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    Updated 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17: Hundreds of demonstrators marching through downtown Denver on Saturday afternoon caused rolling road closures, police officials said.

    Streets around the state Capitol were intermittently closed because of the demonstration, the Denver Police Department said at 1:20 p.m.

    All road closures were lifted as of 3:15 p.m.

    Protesters gathered on the steps and lawn of the state Capitol at noon on Saturday to demonstrate against actions by President Donald Trump’s administration, including the recent surge in immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and the fatal shooting of Renée Good[cq comment=”cq” ] by a federal immigration officer.

    Original story: Denver police and Regional Transportation District officials on Friday were bracing for potentially disruptive demonstrations downtown on Saturday before and during the Denver Broncos’ football playoff game and other high-traffic events.

    The Denver Police Department “respects people’s right to demonstrate” and will monitor planned demonstrations, agency officials said in an emailed statement. “DPD’s approach to demonstrations is to allow people to march or gather peacefully, and to conduct traffic control to help ensure safety. It’s those assaultive, destructive, and/or highly dangerous behaviors that prompt police intervention.”

    RTD officials issued an alert Friday morning, warning demonstrations may disrupt the public transportation they’re suggesting Broncos fans use to get to the game, saying they are “taking steps to prepare.”

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  • Elon Musk’s Boring Co. is studying a tunnel project to Tesla Gigafactory near Reno | Fortune

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    Elon Musk’s tunneling startup Boring Company is working with a Nevada state-affiliated group to study a tunnel project that would go under the nine-mile stretch of highway from Reno to Tesla’s Gigafactory, according to documents reviewed by Fortune.

    The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), a non-profit that recruits companies to do business and expand in the state, paid Boring Company $50,000 in October to draw up conceptual designs and conduct a feasibility report for a new transportation alternative to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, the mega-business complex that houses Tesla’s Gigafactory, according to a copy of the study invoice, which was obtained by Fortune via a Freedom of Information Act Request.

    The potential tunnel project is one of several options various state groups are considering in order to alleviate the steep rise in traffic and accidents along Interstate 80 as more data centers and companies move into the 107,000-acre Industrial Center east of Reno and Sparks, Nev. Tesla and Panasonic, the two largest companies in the Center, have been in contact with the Nevada Governor’s Office since at least last spring about potential transportation solutions, according to emails, which were also obtained by Fortune via the FOIA request. Both Tesla and Panasonic are working with the local transportation agency to sponsor an ongoing study for a commuter rail system that would run on the freight rail next to the interstate. They also provided funding to EDAWN to look at other options, according to an email from Chris Reilly, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s former infrastructure director, who introduced a Boring Company executive to leaders at Tesla and Panasonic to discuss the tunnel study.

    It’s not clear if the report has been completed yet, and the specific details of the report—including the exact length of a proposed tunnel, the cost of the projet, and the types of vehicles envisioned for the tunnel, including the potential for autonomous vehicles—could not be learned.

    Boring Company, which currently operates a small stretch of tunnel with Teslas underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, has been trying to pitch a tunnel that would go out to the Gigafactory since at least 2019. “The Boring Company is extremely interested [in] building a Loop tunnel beneath I-80 out to the Tesla Gigafactory, but would need NDOT’s support,” reads a research report published by the Nevada Department of Transportation seven years ago.

    Boring Company’s approach is novel, with small, single-lane tunnels made specifically for electric vehicles, and the Elon Musk-founded startup has struggled for many years to garner the political and regulatory support needed to undertake significant transportation projects. Even in Nevada, where Boring Company has successfully opened a tunnel system and begun chauffeuring passengers in Teslas in Las Vegas, the company has completed only four miles of operational tunnel and is currently experiencing delays as it tries to get necessary approvals to dig under land beyond the County and into the City of Las Vegas. The company is also reckoning with community blowback over safety and environmental issues during tunnel construction.  

    The prospect of a Reno tunnel is still very conceptual, and while more than 20 stakeholders—including city and county officials in the region—have been looped into conversations about a potential commuter rail alongside I-80, few of those parties have yet been roped into a potential Boring Co. project, according to two people regularly briefed on the progress of the rail study, including Bill Thomas, who runs the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, the organization that spearheaded the commuter rail study and road studies.

    “We did not commission it. We’re not paying for it. I’m not involved in it. But I understand there are conversations exploring whether that could be done,” Thomas says, noting that, while he doesn’t understand what the plan would be, he is supportive of any transportation alternative that could help alleviate traffic and reduce accidents along the Interstate. “If there’s a private solution that helps the problem and improves safety, as far as I’m concerned, more power to them.”

    Representatives for Tesla, Panasonic, EDAWN, and the Governor’s Office did not respond to requests for comment on this story. Reilly declined to comment.

    A traffic surge

    Accidents and traffic have ramped up on I-80, which has two lanes going each direction—particularly since the construction of several data centers this past summer as part of Nevada’s push to draw more AI companies to the state. There are some 22,000 employees who work at the Industrial Center each day—70% of whom live in Reno or Sparks, Nev., according to a commuter rail study update report from March 2025 that was seen by Fortune. Nearly 8,000 of those people work for Tesla, and more than 4,000 at Panasonic, according to a second update report from October.

    While the state’s Department of Transportation is currently in the process of widening the highway, that expansion will not start until the end of 2027 and will take a few years to complete. Companies in the Center have requested the Governor’s Office help them with alternative solutions, according to the emails. The number of vehicles traveling on stretches of the Interstate during peak rush hour doubled between January and July 2025, according to data pulled by the Nevada Department of Transportation that was shared with Tesla’s senior facilities manager and Reilly, the former infrastructure director for Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. “We are looking for creative ways to improve the Waltham ramp,” a NDOT employee wrote to the Tesla manager and Reilly in an email. 

    RTC Washoe, the regional transportation commission in Western Nevada, began prioritizing transportation alternatives for I-80 about two years ago, according to Thomas. “At this point in time, there’s about [one accident] every other day,” Thomas says.

    How effective the Boring Co’s tunnels would be at relieving the congestion is unclear and may depend on whether the tunnel is designed to function as a mass transit system, with a fleet of shared, centrally operated vehicles that commuters hop in and out of, or whether individuals drive their own cars through the tunnel. Boring Company’s 4-mile Las Vegas Loop is able to transport thousands of passengers per day during major conferences at the Convention Center, but those vehicles are operated by dedicated company-hired drivers. With individuals driving their own cars in a tunnel, the potential for accidents and other snafus would likely increase and raise the risk of a severe backlog in a single-lane tunnel.

    Boring Company’s involvement may also draw criticism from the public—particularly after the startup was fined for dumping wastewater in Las Vegas and after firefighters were burned by chemicals in a tunnel during a training drill. A Nevada Congresswoman recently sent a demand letter to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, requesting more information on both incidents and requesting more information about his Office’s involvement in Nevada OSHA rescinding citations it had issued to the Boring Company last year.

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  • Central Ohio receives millions in funding for road safety

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Federal funding will go toward the proposed Coalition for Integrated Road User Safety (CIRUS) planning initiative sweeping central Ohio for road safety improvements. 


    What You Need To Know

    • The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization (CORPO) will be awarded $4.8 million in funds
    • CIRUS is a three-year, $6 million public-private partnership that aims to raise roadway safety across central Ohio
    • CORPO roadways are in Fairfield, Knox, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties

    The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization (CORPO) will be awarded $4.8 million in funds for the initiative. 

    “MORPC is excited to partner with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Honda, Transportation Research Center, the Ohio State University, and many other stakeholders to improve roadway safety throughout Central Ohio. Central Ohio’s seven-county rural area is projected to add more than 130,000 residents and 47,000 new jobs over the next 25 years,” said Parag Agrawal, Chief Mobility Officer for MORPC. “With so many additional residents using the region’s roadways, prioritizing and improving transportation safety is vital. CIRUS will promote regional coordination, and will focus on Safer Roads, Safer Speeds, Safer Vehicles and Post-Crash Care.” 

    CIRUS is a three-year, $6 million public-private partnership that aims to raise roadway safety across central Ohio. The initiative focuses on seven rural counties and is part of larger safety efforts across the region. it includes road safety audits, evaluation of advanced vehicle safety and identification of high risk corridors. 

    This initiative will be comes a national model for rural transportation safety with a commitment to reducing fatal and serious injury crashes along CORPO roadways.

    Transportation planning products and services in CORPO are being offered via MORPC to Fairfield, Knox, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • US Drops Appeal of Order Blocking Trump Plan to Tie State Transportation Funds to Immigration Enforcement

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    WASHINGTON, Jan ‌13 (Reuters) – ​The U.S. ‌Justice Department on ​Tuesday asked a federal ‍appeals court to ​dismiss ​its ⁠appeal of a lower court order blocking President Donald Trump’s administration from forcing 20 ‌Democratic-led states to cooperate ​with immigration ‌enforcement to ‍receive billions ⁠of dollars in transportation grant funding.

    In July, a U.S. judge in Rhode Island ruled the ​U.S. Department of Transportation lacked authority to require the states to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to obtain transportation funding and that ​the condition violated the U.S. Constitution.

    (Reporting by David Shepardson in ​Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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    Reuters

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  • SEPTA is running trolleys to Center City again after completing wire repairs in tunnel

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    SEPTA reopened its trolley tunnel in Center City on Monday morning, restoring trolley service between 40th and 15th streets. For two months, riders had to take shuttles to and from Center City, because the tunnel was closed for repair work.

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    Michaela Althouse

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  • Fee coming for N.C. air travelers without a REAL ID

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    Anyone traveling through a North Carolina airport without a REAL ID will soon face an identity verification fee, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles announced.


    What You Need To Know

    •  Airline passengers traveling through a North Carolina airport without a REAL ID will soon face a $45 identity verification fee
    •  The fee begins Feb. 1, according to the NCDMV, and will be charged before entering the TSA checkpoint
    • The fee covers the cost of a “modernized alternative identity verification system, called TSA ConfirmID,” according to the NCDMV
    • The fee covers a 10-day travel period and will only be charged once for anyone making their return trip within that time period


    Beginning Feb. 1, a $45 fee will be charged to airline passengers before they get to a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.

    The NCDMV says the fee covers the cost of a “modernized alternative identity verification system, called TSA ConfirmID.” The fee will cover a 10-day travel period, officials say, so anyone traveling round-trip within that timeframe will only be charged the fee once.

    “Those who do not want to pay the $45 fee for the modernized ID verification still have time to get their REAL ID compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of ID,” RDU Federal Security Director Jennifer Gordon said in a release. “Verifying identity is a critical component of transportation security. While most travelers provide acceptable identification, it is our responsibility to confirm that passengers are who they claim to be. Ensuring the safety of the traveling public continues to be our highest priority.”

    For roughly nine years, the NCDMV says it has been issuing REAL IDs, and over 5 million residents have already gotten theirs.

    Officials say anyone who needs a REAL ID can apply and get more information at NCREALID.gov.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

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    Justin Pryor

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  • Four Tankers That Had Left Venezuela in ‘Dark Mode’ Are Back in Its Waters

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    Jan 10 (Reuters) – At least four ‌tankers, ​most of them loaded, ‌that had departed from Venezuela in early January in ‘dark mode’ – ​or with their transponders off amid a strict U.S. blockade – are now back ‍in the South American country’s ​waters, according to state company PDVSA and monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. 

    A flotilla ​of about ⁠a dozen loaded vessels and at least three other empty ships left Venezuelan waters last month in apparent defiance of an embargo imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump since mid-December, which has dragged down the country’s oil exports ‌to minimum.

    One of the ships, the Panama-flagged supertanker M Sophia, was intercepted ​and ‌seized by the U.S. ‍this week ⁠when returning to the country; while another, the Aframax tanker Olina with a flag from Sao Tome And Principe, was intercepted but released to Venezuela on Friday, state company PDVSA said.

    Three more of the vessels that had departed in that flotilla, Panama-flagged Merope, Cook Islands-flagged Min Hang and Panama-flagged Thalia III, were spotted by ​Tankertrackers.com in Venezuelan waters late on Friday through satellite images.

    U.S. authorities had said on Friday that Olina -previously known as Minerva M – would be freed. The next step for the country, which remains under strict U.S. supervision after it captured and extracted President Nicolas Maduro last week, would be the beginning of organized crude exports as part of a $2 billion oil supply deal Caracas and Washington are negotiating, they said.

    In a meeting with top oil company executives on Friday, ​U.S. President Donald Trump said arrangements for the supply had progressed. Global trading houses Vitol and Trafigura received this week the first U.S. licenses to negotiate and carry Venezuela’s exports, and naphtha supplies to ​the OPEC country also are expected, sources said.

    (Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Julia Symmes Cobb)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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    Reuters

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  • Fremont rancher refuses to remove gate after city claims it blocks park access

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    FREMONT — A bison rancher is appealing the city’s order demanding he remove a gate that blocks public access to a regional park, with a hearing over the matter expected to take place soon.

    Rancher Chris George is fighting tooth-and-nail to keep the gate on Morrison Canyon Road in rural Fremont, despite city officials determining it was illegally constructed and blocks a city right-of-way.

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    Kyle Martin

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  • 1 killed in head-on crash on Colorado mountain highway, state patrol says

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    A fatal head-on crash near Silverthorne in Colorado’s mountains shut down a state highway Tuesday morning, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

    State patrol troopers responded to the two-truck crash near milepost 115 on northbound Colorado 9, west of Silverthorne, just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the agency. A Dodge Dakota pickup truck and a Ford F350 collided head-on, killing one person, state patrol officials said.

    The highway was temporarily closed for the crash investigation and cleanup, but it no longer appeared on the Colorado Department of Transportation’s road closure map as of noon on Tuesday.

    The victim will be identified by the Summit County Coroner’s Office. Additional injuries were not reported by Colorado State Patrol, and information about the cause of the crash was not immediately available on Tuesday.

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  • One injured after truck hits RTD holiday train in downtown Denver

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    One person was injured after a truck crashed into the Regional Transportation District’s holiday train, the S Line, on New Year’s Eve, according to the agency.

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  • Girard Point Bridge to get $261 million in repairs over the next five years

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    PennDOT is beginning a $261 million project to repair the Girard Point Bridge on I-95 over the Schuylkill River. Work starts Jan. 12 and will take five years.

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    Michael Tanenbaum

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  • California delays revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses until March after immigrants sue

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    A week after immigrant groups filed a lawsuit, California said Tuesday it will delay the revocations of 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses until March to allow more time to ensure that truckers and bus drivers who legally qualify for the licenses can keep them.

    But U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the state may lose $160 million if it doesn’t meet a Jan. 5 deadline to revoke the licenses. He already withheld $40 million in federal funding because he said California isn’t enforcing English proficiency requirements for truckers.

    California only sent out notices to invalidate the licenses after Duffy pressured the state to make sure immigrants who are in the country illegally aren’t granted the licenses. An audit found problems like licenses that remained valid long after an immigrant’s authorization to be in the country expired or licenses where the state couldn’t prove it checked a driver’s immigration status.

    “California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” Duffy posted on the social platform X.

    The Transportation Department has been prioritizing the issue ever since a truck driver who was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people in August.

    California officials said they are working to make sure the federal Transportation Department is satisfied with the reforms they have put in place. The state had planned to resume issuing commercial driver’s licenses in mid-December, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration blocked that.

    “Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon.

    The Sikh Coalition, a national group defending the civil rights of Sikhs, and the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the California drivers. They said immigrant truck drivers were being unfairly targeted. The driver in the Florida crash and the driver in another fatal crash in California in October are both Sikhs.

    Immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers, but these non-domiciled licenses immigrants can receive only represent about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses or about 200,000 drivers. The Transportation Department also proposed new restrictions that would severely limit which noncitizens could get a license, but a court put the new rules on hold.

    Mumeeth Kaur, the legal director of the Sikh Coalition, said this delay “is an important step towards alleviating the immediate threat that these drivers are facing to their lives and livelihoods.”

    Duffy previously threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota after audits found significant problems under the existing rules like commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck driver’s work permit expired. He dropped the threat to withhold $160 million from California after the state said it would revoke the licenses because the state was complying.

    Trucking trade groups have praised the effort to get unqualified drivers who shouldn’t have licenses or can’t speak English off the road. They also applauded the Transportation Department’s moves to go after questionable commercial driver’s license schools.

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  • Analyzing Plains All American Pipeline (PAA) and The Competition

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    Plains All American Pipeline (NASDAQ:PAAGet Free Report) is one of 16 publicly-traded companies in the “Pipelines, Except Natural Gas” industry, but how does it compare to its peers? We will compare Plains All American Pipeline to similar companies based on the strength of its dividends, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

    Dividends

    Plains All American Pipeline pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.6%. Plains All American Pipeline pays out 125.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, “Pipelines, Except Natural Gas” companies pay a dividend yield of 7.7% and pay out 112.0% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

    Risk and Volatility

    Plains All American Pipeline has a beta of 0.59, meaning that its stock price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Plains All American Pipeline’s peers have a beta of 0.95, meaning that their average stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

    Institutional & Insider Ownership

    41.8% of Plains All American Pipeline shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.7% of shares of all “Pipelines, Except Natural Gas” companies are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Plains All American Pipeline shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of shares of all “Pipelines, Except Natural Gas” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

    Profitability

    This table compares Plains All American Pipeline and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

    Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
    Plains All American Pipeline 2.42% 11.04% 4.41%
    Plains All American Pipeline Competitors 32.45% 36.20% 10.59%

    Valuation and Earnings

    This table compares Plains All American Pipeline and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

    Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio
    Plains All American Pipeline $50.07 billion $772.00 million 14.64
    Plains All American Pipeline Competitors $10.13 billion $374.42 million 15.95

    Plains All American Pipeline has higher revenue and earnings than its peers. Plains All American Pipeline is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

    Analyst Ratings

    This is a summary of recent recommendations for Plains All American Pipeline and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

    Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
    Plains All American Pipeline 0 0 1 0 3.00
    Plains All American Pipeline Competitors 143 1396 1358 169 2.51

    As a group, “Pipelines, Except Natural Gas” companies have a potential upside of 8.66%. Given Plains All American Pipeline’s peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Plains All American Pipeline has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

    Summary

    Plains All American Pipeline peers beat Plains All American Pipeline on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

    Plains All American Pipeline Company Profile

    (Get Free Report)

    Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage, and gathering of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and NGL. The Crude Oil segment offers gathering and transporting crude oil through pipelines, gathering systems, trucks, and at times on barges or railcars. This segment provides terminalling, storage, and other facilities-related services, as well as merchant activities. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and leased 18,300 miles of active crude oil transportation pipelines and gathering systems, as well as an additional 110 miles of pipelines that supports crude oil storage and terminalling facilities; 74 million barrels of commercial crude oil storage capacity; 38 million barrels of active, above-ground tank capacity; four marine facilities; a condensate processing facility; seven crude oil rail terminals and 2,100 crude oil railcars; and 640 trucks and 1,275 trailers. The Natural Gas Liquids segment engages in the natural gas processing, NGL fractionation, storage, transportation, and terminalling activities. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and operated four natural gas processing plants; nine fractionation plants; 28 million barrels of NGL storage capacity; approximately 1,620 miles of active NGL transportation pipelines, as well as an additional 55 miles of pipeline that supports NGL storage facilities; 16 NGL rail terminals and approximately 3,900 NGL rail cars; and approximately 220 trailers. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.



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    ABMN Staff

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