Challenger Cities EP31: Building Transit, Trust and Capability with Russell King

Russell King didn’t start out in transport. But somewhere between regenerating Battersea and reforming Sydney’s transit system, he became—by his own admission—“a transport tragic.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, Russell shares what it actually takes to build infrastructure that shapes cities, why most governments lose the capability they’ve just built, and how our obsession with roads and cost-cutting gets in the way of good transport policy. We get into:

– Why rail lines define what kind of city you get – The real reason most transit projects don’t integrate with housing – Lessons from London, Sydney, and Madrid on what to and not to do – Why the road lobby is winning—and how to push back – The hidden subsidies no one talks about (hint: it’s not just transit) – What happens when the political stars align—and why it rarely lasts

A must-listen if you care about cities, infrastructure, or just want to know how good ideas actually get delivered.