February 2026

Dear Alverina,

This month, we share new research and initiatives that address some of the most pressing challenges in the industry, including preparing the next generation of transportation professionals and confronting human trafficking within transit networks. Across these efforts, MTI continues to connect research, policy, and practice to support safer transportation systems for all.

In this issue:

A Hydrogen Hub Blueprint for the California Supply Chain

As California advances stricter emissions targets, hydrogen technology offers a promising pathway for supply chain and transportation sectors, especially diesel-reliant industries that are difficult to decarbonize without sacrificing efficiency. While attention has focused on fuel cells and infrastructure, far less consideration has been given to workforce development. Scaling hydrogen vehicles and fueling systems amid evolving markets and complex state and federal policies will require a workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills to build, operate, and maintain this emerging ecosystem.

To address this gap, researchers partnered with five California State University campuses (CSU5+) to convene a Hydrogen Workforce Peer Exchange and conducted a comparative analysis of U.S. and international hydrogen workforce initiatives. The study identified 21 key occupations across the hydrogen supply chain and highlights Australia and Canada as global leaders. The resulting Hydrogen Workforce Blueprint for the Southern California Supply Chain outlines how the region—home to the nation’s largest goods movement gateway—can prepare a skilled workforce to support a cleaner, more resilient supply chain.

Scoring Equitable Transit: A Data-Driven Framework for Affordable Transit-Oriented Development in California

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is central to California’s climate and land use strategy, promoting walkable, compact communities near high-quality transit. Yet the benefits of TOD are not always shared evenly. This study introduces a scalable framework to identify and evaluate Affordable Transit-Oriented Development (A-TOD) across the state’s High-Quality Transit Areas (HQTA). Using a 1.5-mile pedestrian network around more than 66,000 transit stations, MTI researchers developed a three-stage clustering and scoring system that assesses built environment characteristics, housing and transportation cost burdens, and social vulnerability indicators to generate a 0–100 index for each station area.

The findings show that while many HQTA stations appear affordable on paper, most are located in historically underserved communities. Higher-scoring areas cluster in dense urban cores such as Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento, while lower scores are more common in exurban and auto-oriented regions like the Inland Empire and northern San Diego. The resulting typology and interactive map provide policymakers and planners with a practical tool to better align transit investment, housing affordability, and community outcomes across California.

Workforce Development Academy for Youth

To help build a strong and representative transportation workforce for the 21st century, California State University, Los Angeles launched the Workforce Development Academy for Youth (WDAY) as an MTI-led California State University Transportation Consortium research project. The year-long program engaged 25 students from 18 high schools in STEM coursework, leadership development, hands-on engineering projects, internships, and career-readiness training designed to prepare them for college and transportation-related careers. By highlighting transportation as an accessible and rewarding field, WDAY aims to expand pathways into engineering, technology, and infrastructure professions. Program evaluations, based on student and faculty feedback and academic progress monitoring, were overwhelmingly positive, with many participants reporting plans to pursue STEM degrees or enter the transportation workforce directly.

An estimated 49.6 million people worldwide are currently trapped by human trafficking—an exploitation that is often hidden in plain sight and embedded within the systems we rely on every day, including transportation.

To help change this reality, the Mineta Transportation Institute is supporting the launch of the Invisible Movement Series: Human Trafficking, Transportation, and Human Dignity. This series is a year-long storytelling and dialogue initiative designed to illuminate the full human trafficking ecosystem and our collective role in disrupting it.

This series invites transportation professionals, students, researchers, and community members to move beyond siloed approaches and instead examine trafficking as an interconnected system shaped by economics, infrastructure, psychology, and social vulnerability.

The Invisible Movement Series is led in part by Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat, MTI Research Associate and Associate Professor at San José State University; Aloha Ley, seasoned transportation leader with more than 30 years at USDOT; Paul Chang, lecturer with the Global Center for Women and Justice at CSU Los Angeles; and Isaac McKeithen, Regional Leader of the EPIK Project in Southern California.

The series is anchored by a foundational paper marking the 30-year milestone of the El Monte labor trafficking case, creating a shared context for understanding how trafficking began, how it has evolved, and why it persists.

Begin by seeing the whole system and your place in it by reading the first Invisible Movement Series newsletter.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Online

2:00-3:00p.m. (PT)

Beyond the Bullet Train: Lessons from Japan’s Shinkansen

Japan’s Shinkansen is often described in superlatives: fast, precise, iconic. But what actually makes it work?

This webinar peels back the myth to explore the real decisions, principles, and design thinking behind Japan’s high-speed rail success—and what they mean for North American practitioners. Drawing on first-hand experience and professional practice in Japan, speakers will examine the Shinkansen as an integrated system operating across multiple scales: train design and operations, station planning and passenger flow, and city-building and tourism strategy.

Rather than a technical deep dive, the conversation is a guided “show‑and‑tell” of observations, questions, and practical takeaways that orient attendees to how and why the system functions so reliably. Come learn what makes the Japanese system so successful and how you can build on that success!

*1 PDH credit available.

Speakers

Moderator

Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José Department of Transportation; MSTM Instructor

This webinar is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the APTA High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, the High Speed Rail Alliance, and the US High Speed Rail Association.

Friday, March 20, 2026

Online & Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Room 225

3:00-5:00p.m. (PT)

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of City Governance: Opportunities, Risks, and Real-World Pathways

Join us for a dynamic hybrid conversation featuring Dr. Junghwan Kim (Virginia Tech), Dr. Yongsung Lee (UC Davis), and Keith Hertzberg of the City of San José, bringing together leading researchers and city practitioners to explore how AI is reshaping urban governance, mobility, and public services. Together, the panel will examine critical questions: Where can AI meaningfully improve city services today? What organizational, ethical, and governance challenges must cities navigate? How can research and practice work together to support responsible and trustworthy AI adoption? Whether you are a student, researcher, city professional, or community member interested in the future of cities, this event offers a grounded, forward-looking look at how AI is shaping the next generation of urban governance.

*MTI is a proud co-sponsor of this event.

*1 PDH credit available.

Intelligent Speed Assistance: Can Technology Help California Stop Speeding?

This MTI Research Snaps webinar was based on the MTI-led California State University Transportation Consortium report, "A Holistic Inquiry of Intelligent Speed-Assist Technology: Safety Impacts, Technology Implementation, and Challenges."

Speeding is a leading contributor to U.S. roadway fatalities, and California ranked among the states with the most speed-related crashes. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology offered a solution to address this issue by notifying drivers of speed limits and, in some cases, intervening and lowering the speed to the posted limit. The discussion focused on the potential advantages and challenges of adopting this technology. Research suggested that while ISA systems were well-positioned to reduce speeding and enhance road safety, their success hinged on thoughtful design, user trust, and supportive policy. Attendees joined us for an investigation into ISA systems with a focus on how their risks and benefits might have affected California drivers.

Mineta Transportation Institute

One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192

sjsu.edu

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