Asia: Japan is getting a Disney Mickey Mouse Shinkansen bullet train this spring!
In recent years we’ve seen Shinkansen inspired by Japanese icons Evangelion and Hello Kitty, but next month the very first Disney Shinkansen will go into operation. [soranews24.com]
When Weird Things Get You a Free Ride
The Netherlands recently let train travelers ride free if they carried a book. Here are other strange offers that covered the cost of train or bus tickets. [citylab.com]
USA: The Top 20 Secrets of the NYC Subway
The New York City subway carries many secrets – and quite a bit of lore – from hidden art installations and remnants of the past, to fun facts about how the system works. [untappedcities.com]
Canada: The tortured history of Toronto’s discarded subway plans
Though Ontario has said it will be committing billions of dollars to new subways in Toronto, there’s good reason to be skeptical that any of it will be built. Here’s a look back at major transit plans that fizzled. [torontolife.com]
Japan: Tokyo train company makes sweet addition to stations so that birds can keep their nests in them
Swallows like to build nests in the eaves and passageways of some of Keio’s stations, and rather than knock them down and force the birds to relocate, the company is installing special plates/baskets underneath the nests. [soranews24.com]
Australia: Melbourne’s famous W-Class trams find good homes in retirement
After having have been stored away for nearly three decades, about 130 of Melbourne, Australia’s disused trams are slowly being restored and repurposed and sent off to new homes. [9news.com.au]
