iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Hayden Clarkin

Cities of Lions @citiesoflions.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

When we worked for a state DOT many years ago, we helped dissuade them from pursuing hyperloop because it was dumb then and it’s dumb now. 🧵 (Image credit @thetransitguy.com)

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 17/09/2026

If you're wondering why LA should have a BART-like heavy metro system instead of a mostly light rail one, the A Line is 57.7 miles long and takes 2 hours and 12 minutes. Here it is at scale with the entirety of the Paris Metro system!

A line (Black) compared to the Paris Metro system (Red)

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10/09/2026

Democrats, routinely called “communists” and “socialists” are now being lambasted for not wanting to send $5,000 handouts to every American adult.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 07/09/2026

The absurdity of modern America cul-de-sac design: an 84-minute walk separates the front doors of two homes that literally share at a backyard fence. (Johns Creek, GA)

Zoom out of the entire 84 minute journey

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 26/08/2026

The Marco is a proposed 143-acre, Venice-inspired project slated in Prosper, TX. While the renderings are AI slop, the plan is legit. It calls for 4,400 homes and 1.1 million SF of mixed-use space. It’s an project that raises a BIG question: Is walkable, faux-urbanism better than nothing at all?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 25/08/2026

I love the street in Atlanta. I did a quick dive into the spatial data and zoning code, and by my rough estimate, only ~1.45% of the city’s zoned area actually permits this kind of built environment. We need to legalize this everywhere.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 22/08/2026

What was once an elevated freeway in downtown Providence has been transformed into 26 acres of new development, complemented by a 7-acre waterfront park and a pedestrian bridge.

Before and after of the I-195 highway bridge which turned an elevated freeway bridge into a pedestrian bridge. 2010 -> 2025

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 14/08/2026

It’s hilarious that Texas has no problem carving out over 1,000 miles for a new interstate (I-14), yet a 240-mile high-speed rail line had ranchers up in arms and was a "land grab". Sure, okay.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 14/08/2026

A city block in Barcelona was transformed from a busy street into a lush, car-free park. This could happen in North America too, btw. (2018 -> 2025)

Before and after of the Barcelona superblock transformation

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12/08/2026

The building footprints within a one-mile radius of Louisville, KY, and Bordeaux, FR, show that American cities are built at a larger scale with far more surface parking, rather than the dense, compact urban fabric and fewer freeways seen in Europe. (Same Scale)

Comparing Louisville and Bordeaux at same scale

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 11/08/2026

We should build up and make the most of the infrastructure we already have, so the nature and greenbelts around our communities stay preserved.

Before and after showing farm turned into cul-de-sacs

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 11/08/2026

Great question! I plan on doing examples like this everywhere lmao

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 11/08/2026

But you're not? Loudon County is just expanding outward and building more subdivisions.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10/08/2026

No doubt, but the architectural style and dense development is indicative of the influence, especially with the ancient city to the north. It would be hard to make the case it would look like this if it weren’t for spain

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10/08/2026

St. Augustine offers a fascinating glimpse into what Florida might look like had it remained under Spanish rule, especially when comparing these two corridors located just 3,500 feet apart.

Walkable versus less walkable and dense urbanism

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 09/08/2026

What’s the most car dependent and/or unwalkable tourism hot spot in the country?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 29/07/2026

What if the USA connected with Mexico via rail at Nogales, AZ and Laredo, TX? Let’s talk about it! thetransitguy.substack.com/p/the-insane...

thetransitguy.substack.com

The Insane but Fun Way to Take a Train from Mexico City to Reno

Mexico is building 700 miles of trains. We only need 63.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 04/07/2026

The local grocery chain here in RI/MA had a local artist paint its Fourth of July flyer, and I think in a world of AI slop, stuff like this is awesome. Happy fourth!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 27/06/2026

Actually fascinating. As someone who had never worked with a non air conditioned system I guess I never thought about what it takes to

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 27/06/2026

Ahhhh, this is actually really helpful.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 27/06/2026

Can someone who works in rolling stock explain to me why European subway systems don’t have AC? Is there a hidden cost to converting a line to AC that I’m unfamiliar with?

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Reposted by Hayden Clarkin

Isaac Rowlett @isaacrowlett.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Did you know that we subsidize roads even more than we subsidize rail in Wisconsin? H/T @thetransitguy.com

Slides showing that Wisconsin subsidizes roads by 34.2% but Amtrak by only 22-25%

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 21/06/2026

How much of Boston can fit within the parking lot of the Gillette Stadium complex:

The backbay neighborhood of Boston superimposed over the gillette stadium parking lot multiple times over.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 14/06/2026

ON YOUR BEST DAY YOUR CITY IS NOT AS INCREDIBLE AS NYC IS AT ITS WORST

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 13/06/2026

My train from Providence to New York took 6.5 hours due to a downed power line. At Chinese HSR speeds, I would've been in Miami in the same amount of time. This country desperately needs to invest in its infrastructure.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 13/06/2026

Two Washington bound Amtrak trains are sitting at Kingston and passengers are walking up and down the platform as we wait for overhead wires to be fixed in New Haven. Current estimate is 90 minutes until the catenaries are fixed.

People walking on Kingston, RI train station

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12/06/2026

Imagine hating me while I’m sat here trying to figure out if Jurassic Park could conform to any zoning laws in Collin County, TX

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10/06/2026

The MBTA Providence Line frustrates me the most, as we are running push pull diesel trains on tracks that are rated for high speed rail with wires above. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/thetrans...

open.substack.com

49 Miles of the Fastest Track in America, and We're Running Diesel on It

On the Providence Line, the smallest improvements make the biggest difference.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10/06/2026

If you overlaid the freeways of Dallas's urban core onto Paris:

Freeway alignment of Dallas urban core overlaid on Paris at same scale

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 08/06/2026

“No one takes transit in Rhode Island!” Transit in Rhode Island:

Transit directions showing 4 hour travel time versus 38 min drive time

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 23/05/2026

In Rochester, the sunken Inner Loop freeway is slowly being removed, allowing homes and cafes to reclaim its place.

before and after of inner loop transformation

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 22/05/2026

An abandoned factory in Williamsburg becomes a public park. (2012 -> Today)

Top image: A fenced-off, abandoned rail platform and stairwell sit in front of an industrial brick building in Louisville, overgrown with weeds and surrounded by barbed wire fencing under a cloudy sky.

Bottom image: People walk and gather in a modern waterfront public space beneath a large steel bridge at sunset, framed by concrete walls and planters, with outdoor seating and city buildings visible in the background.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 19/05/2026

When you travel on the 0.028% of tracks in the USA capable of supporting 160 mph, it feels good to see what train travel was like in Japan in 1964.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 19/05/2026

What city or metropolitan area in the world is most hampered by its weather and climate? In other words, what city would be exponentially better if it had the weather of Southern California?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 18/05/2026

That's exactly what I use, wasn't sure if there was an equivalent in Canada

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 18/05/2026

I am trying to find freight rail train movements for certain rail lines in Canada. Does anyone know where I can find that info? Thanks!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12/05/2026

Lancaster, PA has the fifth most Amtrak riders per capita, and I believe its success is a model for what rail should look like in mid-sized cities everywhere. I talk about it in my latest piece, "What Amish Country Can Teach Us About the Future of Rail." thetransitguy.substack.com/p/what-amish...

thetransitguy.substack.com

What Amish Country Can Teach us About The Future of Rail

The Lancaster Model: Why a Small PA Town is Beating Your City at Rail

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 08/05/2026

Thank you sir it’s hard to keep up on all of them

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 08/05/2026

Maybe I haven’t been paying attention but when did NEC trains starting terminating in Philly from Boston? Is this new?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 02/05/2026

So what are your predictions for what happens to slots/terminals that are Spirit’s?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 28/04/2026

No one got it. Las Rosas, Madrid!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 27/04/2026

HARD MODE: What transit station am I at? (If you get this wow)

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12/04/2026

Will be spending most of my summer in Providence while traveling to/from NYC intermittently. Hoping to see a lot of you beautiful people ❤️

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 19/03/2026

That’s 82 years of Amtrak funding, but we don’t have money for trains!

Tweet: Breaking: the pentagon is trying to get more than $200 billion from congress for the Iran war.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 16/03/2026

The island of Lindau, Germany (pop. 3,000), sees 115 train departures per day. The entire state of Texas and all of its cities combined, by comparison, sees 56 daily Amtrak departures.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 05/03/2026

Objectively, the highest-impact use case for AI is automating code compliance and permitting. You should be able to propose a townhome development and find out if it’s code and zoning compliant within 60 seconds, with a human giving final approval.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 02/03/2026

Can’t wait for us to work together at some point 🙊

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