This week I'm joined by Matthew Heins, author of The Globalization of American Infrastructure: The Shipping Container and Freight Transportation. Matthew talks about how the American highway and rail systems created a global standard for shipping containers, containerization’s effects on labor and relevance to an automated trucking future, and the massive intermodal freight terminals in cities like Chicago.
Streetsblog USA
Talking Headways Podcast: More Than Just a Box
By Jeff Wood
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog California
The Week in Short Video at SBCAL/SBLA
No Kings! Yes Toronto Barrier Bike Lanes! Yes Bikes on Trains! Yes on 50!
October 24, 2025
Metro Board Approves Union Station Run-Through Tracks Project
Construction of the initial phase of "Link US" Union Station upgrades - including a new rail bridge over the 101 Freeway - is expected to get underway in 2026.
Report: Lessons from California’s HSR Project
A new paper from the Mineta Institute looks at California's high-speed rail project—and how to do better moving forward.
Talking Headways Podcast: Life After Cars
Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of The War on Cars podcast on their new book, opposing views, Turtle Jesus and potential off-ramps towards car-free cities.
Transform : Traffic Congestion Is a Housing and Transit Problem, Not a Highway Problem
Even the smartest engineer will come up with the wrong answer when they start with the wrong assumptions.
Zack Deutsch-Gross
October 23, 2025
