About Me

I like trains and walkable cities.

I’m Hayden Clarkin, a transportation engineer and planner who once earned the nickname “The Transit Guy” after a coworker mocked me for being the only car-free engineer in the office. I embraced it. Since then, I’ve taken to the internet to highlight the sorry state of public transit and America’s persistent car dependency over the past 50 years.

Social media can be great for quick takes, but capturing a comprehensive vision for public transit and great cities requires more depth—and that’s what this blog is for.

A Link to Where you can Follow Me

What You’ll Find Here

This blog focuses on the intersections of policy, governance, transit, and urban life. Expect deep dives, actionable insights, and thought-provoking stories. Some of the topics I’ll explore include:

• Building Big Again: How America can return to creating transformative infrastructure like high-speed rail.

• Transit Projects: From real-life initiatives to “fantasy” concepts and everything in between.

• Practical Reforms: Solutions for better governance and more efficient infrastructure development.

• Historical Deep Dives: Stories like why we never built a railroad between Russia and the U.S. or Walt Disney’s bold vision for a utopian city.

Why Subscribe?

Whether you’re a transit nerd, an urbanite frustrated with the status quo, or someone who simply cares about how cities can work better, or just really want high speed rail this blog is for you. By subscribing, you’ll get regular posts that break down complex issues and highlight solutions worth pursuing.

Thanks for being here—let’s rethink what’s possible for our cities!