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Hayden Clarkin

@thetransitguy.com

25K followers 1.5K following 1.4K posts

I like trains and walkable neighborhoods. https://linktr.ee/thetransitguy

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

I asked ChatGPT to build a rail system for the Midwest that wouldn’t be considered a fantasy.

It came back with nine new regional rail lines and five “higher-speed” trunk routes.

Map of midwest routes showing trunk lines (red) and new regional lines (blue)

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 8h

Thanks for the copy!

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12h

a.co/d/89cqwdd

Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile: Goodyear, Sarah, Gordon, Doug, Naparstek, Aaron: 9780593850725: Amazon.com: Books

Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile [Goodyear, Sarah, Gordon, Doug, Naparstek, Aaron] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Life After Cars: Freeing Ou...

a.co

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12h

I really enjoyed Life After Cars, written by Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, the podcast hosts of The War on Cars. It’s a must-read!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 12h

Do you use a metro population or just the 30km?

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 1d

One thing people never bring up is how costly laundry is to do out of your unit. My bf and I pay $65 a month for laundry we do once a week!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 1d

What's a transit system anywhere in the world where, when it rains, the system basically is inoperable or HEAVILY impacted?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 1d

lol, I made the map 😂😂. Was trying to keep it within a 16:9 lol

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 1d

Lol

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

Firstly, read the piece, secondly, the proliferation of the technology is not going away even remotely lol.

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

This is so so cool. Curious when it comes to population, do you put in the metro population or just the city proper? Curious as to how one should make that distinction. Thanks!

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

Yall I made the map myself it’s not from AI, the routes come from ChatGPT and I made the map.

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

Yeah if you read the piece it proposes 125 mph service on the Wolverine and not true HSR. But this is a cool tool. I wish there was one for just regular intercity service

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

It's very good at calculating determined alignments you feed it for capacity/scheduling, it's NOT good at considerations around implementation and local context, whatsoever, which is what I note in the piece.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

Yes, Grand Rapids should be Green Bay, my mistake on the oversight!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

More here: thetransitguy.substack.com/p/i-asked-ch...

I Asked ChatGPT to Build a Rail System for the Midwest (It Kind of Did)

What an AI rail plan says about how small our infrastructure dreams have become.

thetransitguy.substack.com

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 2d

I asked ChatGPT to build a rail system for the Midwest that wouldn’t be considered a fantasy.

It came back with nine new regional rail lines and five “higher-speed” trunk routes.

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 3d

SB 79 IS PASSED. APARTMENTS ARE NOW LEGAL AROUND ALL RAPID TRANSIT STATIONS IN CALIFORNIA!

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 6d

utopianhours.it/en/

Homepage - Utopian Hours 2025

Utopian Hours is the festival dedicated to city making: projects, and places that are shaping the future of cities around the world.

utopianhours.it

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 6d

I am really excited this year to attend (virtually) Utopian Hours 2025. Are any of you else planning on attending?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 7d

The amount of land just prime for redevelopment in every city in the United States is just such low-hanging fruit.

(Tampa)

Before and after of a decade showing an empty lot turn into a very urban core neighborhood

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 7d

Thanks for the share!

Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10d

open.substack.com/pub/thetrans...

The Hitchhikers Guide to Building A Lot of Subway

A Four-Step Playbook for Building Transit Faster, Cheaper, and Smarter

open.substack.com

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 10d

In just 33 years, the Shanghai Metro went from not existing to becoming twice the size of the NYC subway system, while NYC only added a few miles of track and 5 new stations.

In my latest Substack (linked below), I talk about how we can build a lot of subways quickly in the USA

(Urbanrail.net)

A comparison of NYC and Shanghai's metro systems at 1992 and 2025

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 13d

Had a really tough day today.

Anyone have any media/books you’re really enjoying?

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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 14d

How can you hate trains?

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