Today on The Number Thirteen Line: The future of rail transportation in New York. The Number Thirteen Line is a monthly blog about transportation in New York and around the world by "Gridlock Sam" Schwartz and Annie Weinstock.

A breakdown of Transportation and Infrastructure stimulus funding by state.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Number Thirteen Line, a monthly blog about transportation in New York and around the world by "Gridlock Sam" Schwartz and Annie Weinstock. This month’s topic: The Stimulus Package and its impact on transportation.

As the recovery plan was debated in Congress, the House and Senate had seemingly similar but, at the same time, different ideas on how stimulus money should fund transportation projects.

Over 70 percent of the major transportation-funding measures on ballots this year were approved. This will inject over $75 billion into 23 transportation systems around the country. Seattle will invest $18 billion to expand its mass-transit system. The Wall Street Journal reports on what could be a major shift in American transportation policy.

Some pundits suggest Rep. James Oberstar (D., MN), Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, could be near the top of the list for Transportation Secretary in the Obama administration.

Whoever moves into the Oval Office come January will have to work with Congress on a new federal transportation bill. In the first segment of a four part Blueprint America radio series, a report on Barack Obama and John McCain's sharply different positions on what kind of transportation the country needs.