Clay Chastain coming back with light rail

[advocrat]

I contacted The Light Rail Now Project yesterday to request suggestions, guidance, and informal support for our Kansas City effort to develop Light Rail. Light Rail Now may be a good source for "how to lobby," where to find the best planner and developer, and general advocacy for the great challenge that awaits us.  I asked for an answer and got a pretty quick response (immediately below.) My original message to Light Rail Now is also included below. 

We need to organize as a group to provide a unified voice and civic interest group to promote and campaign. We need also to maintain a constant voice in front of the City until individual naysayers (like talk show hosts and the media in general) let-up on the criticism and branding of the Chastain plan-it's more than that.  Anyway, FYI here is Light Rail Now's response and my original message.


Light Rail Now wants to do all we can to assist your efforts - and clearly it will be an uphill fight.   We can probably help with some technical and perhaps procedural (i.e., re: federal policies) advice.

Re: contacts ... we haven't been in touch with anyone in particular, but I'd recommend you immediately start talking with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, who seemed to be favorable to the idea of LRT, as I judge from news reports.

Also, I'd suggest Lynn Horsley of the Kansas City Star - phone (816) 234-4317 or Email lhorsley@kcstar.com.  Horsley has been a consistent supporter of LRT for Kansas City, although he was hesitant to endorse the Chastain plan.

Your amazing victory has shaken the transit world. Please keep us informed and we will try to help in any way we can.

Lyndon Henry - technical consultant
Light Rail Now Project
Austin, Tx
512.441-3014

At 11/08/2006 10:52, you wrote:
    The initiative passed in last night's election. It was a surprise to most, as it had failed about a half -dozen times previously. Our city council opposed the plan, as did some individuals associated with our regional transit and area transit authorities.

WE NEED YOUR HELP.

This is my private message to your organization, and I hope to get a reply, with ideas about how to organize a public effort to move the process along. We know that we are beginning a major campaign, and will appreciate any suggestions or CONTACTS that you might suggest to help us.

[DaveKCMO]

okay, who's hanging mr. lever first? 10-12 years? when did st. louis start their process? the wikipedia entry for metrolink says their starter line started construction in 1990 and opened in 1993.

[LenexatoKCMO]

[quote="KCMax"]
“The will was expressed that it is now time to deal with light rail in Kansas City,â€

[advocrat]

[quote="KCMax"]
City leaders scratching their heads on how to implement plan

“The will was expressed that it is now time to deal with light rail in Kansas City,â€

[bahua]

FYI, you can make that easier to read by putting '[/quote]' at the end of each segment that you quote, enter your comment, and then start the quote back up with '[ quote]'(omit the space).

So:

Code: Select all

[quote] I like bees [/quote]

So do I!

[quote] I still like bees [/quote]

So do I, still!

Will look like this:

I like bees

So do I!

I still like bees

So do I, still!

[bbqboy]

"Your amazing victory has shaken the transit world."
  that's pretty cool

[KC0KEK]

Your amazing victory has shaken the transit world.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, coverage this vote gets in Mass Transit and some of the other trade pubs.

[DaveKCMO]

i can guarantee you that the parks department will fight tooth and nail to preserve PVP in its current form, from the way things are sounding. i would very much like to see the roads closed and have the light rail run on the current path of broadway so the park really becomes more usable for pedestrians.

[bahua]

MERGED!

[ShowMeKC]

woohoo finally

[DaveKCMO]

back to the technology issues:

The first CITADIS tramset of the planned second phase of deliveries was handed over to the Urban Community of Bordeaux (CUB) on October 19th. 30 new tramsets will be delivered between now and mid-2008, with a total value of €85 million. By then, ALSTOM will have supplied a total of 74 trams to the CUB since its network opened in 2003.

Thanks to the experience gained on the 44 tramsets already in service, some improvements have been made in term of reliability in constant cooperation with the customer and Veolia, which runs the tramways. The new trams incorporate a number of enhancements over earlier models. Fixed door sills narrow the gap between the platform and the carriage, making them more accessible than ever. Some external elements were reinforced, like for example part of side windscreens which are now made of resin, in order to make them less vulnerable in case of impact.

By 2008, the three lines of the Bordeaux tramway system will have a total track length of 43.7km, and 84 stations.12km of track have a ground-level power supply (APS) which allow the tram to run without overhead catenaries. This innovative technology, which has been in operation for the past 3 years, has enabled the historic centre of Bordeaux to be preserved and currently achieves 99.83% availability, in line with the expectations of the CUB.

[moderne]

How about keeping Broadway, putting the rail next to it, but do something like Central Park.  Drain the lake, run Broadway and the tracks down the ravine from 31st. Two or three culvert tunnels covered with lawn and landscaping with Broadway running through them could finally connect east and west.

[Highlander]

i can guarantee you that the parks department will fight tooth and nail to preserve PVP in its current form, from the way things are sounding. i would very much like to see the roads closed and have the light rail run on the current path of broadway so the park really becomes more usable for pedestrians.

Wouldn't that put the rail line through basically uninhabitated space (in terms of residential and commercial) for a rather lengthy section of the project?  Since it looks like we are going to have light rail in some form but probably not anything near what was promised, I think we will really need to think through the routes very carefully before any steel is actually dedicated through the project.  I certainly would prefer a route straight down the Main corridor.  That serves far more people than through a park on Broadway, especially with the amount of residential Union Hill, Hyde Park, Armour Blvd and Founders area now.  I would propose a jog on Grand through Crown Center and then back over to Main for the rest of the journey downtown.  This comes close to, but avoids, Union Station.  If we ever get commuter rail back, the E-W lines coming into US could be connected to light rail on Pershing and Main via an underground corridor.

[lock+load]

Wouldn't that put the rail line through basically uninhabitated space (in terms of residential and commercial) for a rather lengthy section of the project?  Since it looks like we are going to have light rail in some form but probably not anything near what was promised, I think we will really need to think through the routes very carefully before any steel is actually dedicated through the project.  I certainly would prefer a route straight down the Main corridor.  That serves far more people than through a park on Broadway, especially with the amount of residential Union Hill, Hyde Park, Armour Blvd and Founders area now.  I would propose a jog on Grand through Crown Center and then back over to Main for the rest of the journey downtown.  This comes close to, but avoids, Union Station.  If we ever get commuter rail back, the E-W lines coming into US could be connected to light rail on Pershing and Main via an underground corridor.

Why not straight up Main until Grand, then up Grand all the way to the market?  Minimize the turns, maximize the speed.

[markf]

There are probably just as many opinions about a proposed light rail route as there are members of this board.  That's a good thing.  People are excited and engaged.

I had written what was becoming a manifesto on what I envision a starter line might be but I'll spare all of you the eye strain and put it on my blog this weekend. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

How about a sticky with the various route maps? 

[Highlander]

Why not straight up Main until Grand, then up Grand all the way to the market?  Minimize the turns, maximize the speed.

That works too, but you may want to find a way to serve the several thousand employees at the IRS facility and, for that matter, Union Station.  Not so much for the purpose of making US a transportation hub, I do not think that will ever happen for a lot of reasons, but just to bring people into the area.  Plus, having a station (stop) at Main and Pershing forces as many people who use the rail and commute to the IRS to walk past or through the Union Station.  Foot traffic is always good.  Going straight down Grand makes it tougher to use the line to commute to the IRS.  Main also is probably a bit better for serving the growing residential population on the west side of the Crossroads area.  I think this thing needs to be done with the mindset of how are we going to serve the greatest amount of people.    

[lock+load]

That works too, but you may want to find a way to serve the several thousand employees at the IRS facility and, for that matter, Union Station.  Not so much for the purpose of making US a transportation hub, I do not think that will ever happen for a lot of reasons, but just to bring people into the area.  Plus, having a station (stop) at Main and Pershing forces as many people who use the rail and commute to the IRS to walk past or through the Union Station.  Foot traffic is always good.  Going straight down Grand makes it tougher to use the line to commute to the IRS.  Main also is probably a bit better for serving the growing residential population on the west side of the Crossroads area.  I think this thing needs to be done with the mindset of how are we going to serve the greatest amount of people.   

So skip the jog over to Grand and use Main the entire way.  I think making short jogs to hit specific locations is a bad idea.  Crown Center is a short walk from Main & Pershing.  Main would also allow for a stop at the 10 & Main transit plaza.

[LenexatoKCMO]

So skip the jog over to Grand and use Main the entire way.  I think making short jogs to hit specific locations is a bad idea.  Crown Center is a short walk from Main & Pershing.  Main would also allow for a stop at the 10 & Main transit plaza.

Plus Main gets you closer to the convention center and the west loop hotels. 

[Highlander]

So skip the jog over to Grand and use Main the entire way.  I think making short jogs to hit specific locations is a bad idea.  Crown Center is a short walk from Main & Pershing.  Main would also allow for a stop at the 10 & Main transit plaza.

Good point as you can always get back to CC from Pershing via the skyway.  I was, however, a bit seduced by the rendering of a light rail train moving through the Crown Center public area in the KC Star.