Light Rail Systems And Routes In Other Cities

[Gretz]

clip on Denver's mass transit successes/challenges on PBS's newshour aired Tues.  Just scroll down to Tuesday's broadcast to find the clip.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html

[KCMax]

Downtowns Across the U.S. See Streetcars in Their Future

— From his months-old French bistro, Jean-Robert de Cavel sees restored Italianate row houses against a backdrop of rundown tenements in this city’s long-struggling Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

He also sees a turnaround for the district, thanks to plans to revive a transit system that was dismantled in the 1950s: the humble streetcar line.

“Human beings can be silly because we move away from things too quickly in this country,” Mr. de Cavel said. “Streetcar is definitely going to create a reason for young people to come downtown.”

[KCMax]

Denver light-rail system getting positive reviews during DNC

[DaveKCMO]

a good history of phoenix's travails as they came to a consensus on routing. a lot of this sounds very familiar already:

Route choice aims to draw passengers

The people who planned the Metro light-rail route that opens Dec. 27 wanted to attract a lot of passengers, connect urban hubs and provide an economic lift to neighborhoods along the line.

The result is a 20-mile route that runs between north-central Phoenix and the western edge of Mesa. The $1.4 billion system strings together schools, sports arenas, commercial areas, new condominium complexes and neighborhoods.

One of the best ways to site a light-rail line is to look at busy bus routes. The route that planners chose shadows Valley Metro's popular Red Line bus service. That route will be eliminated when Metro opens. Light rail will replace big sections of that bus line, including along Central Avenue in Phoenix and along Apache Boulevard in Tempe.

Light rail could have run along any of the major north-south streets through central Phoenix. The entire area is a major job center. But Central Avenue got the nod because it fronts the big office buildings where those jobs are concentrated.

The line bypasses Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport because it would have required a subway there to avoid conflicts with cars and aircraft, planners say. An airport subway would cost as much as the entire Metro system and might have discouraged East Valley commuters who wanted a direct trip to downtown Phoenix.

Running the line along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks was rejected. The railroad didn't seem interested, Grote said. That route also would have taken the train behind the back doors of businesses and housing - an eyesore and pedestrian hassle for passengers.

There also was an economic reason for taking the train into Tempe. Tempe was willing to help pay for it with the transportation tax its voters approved in 1996. That source of revenue gave the project more stable footing with the federal government. Phoenix followed suit in 2000 when its voters approved a transportation tax.

[DaveKCMO]

DC's beloved Metro is getting some surface love with a proposed Purple Line.

Purple Line DEIS Released

Running approximately 16 miles from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County, the line will be either Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Light Rail and will cost between $386 million and $1.6 billion depending on the selected alternative.

note that the cost of the BRT option is for real BRT (off-board ticketing, feeder lines).

[KCMax]

DC's beloved Metro is getting some surface love with a proposed Purple Line.

Purple Line DEIS Released

note that the cost of the BRT option is for real BRT (off-board ticketing, feeder lines).

But, but they have a state line!!! How is it possible to get regional cooperation with a state line dividing a metro area?!?!?

[chrizow]

yeah KC's state line issue isn't that a state line exists, but that people on both sides have an irrational hatred (or at least mild disdain) for folks on the other side of the line.  i don't know if that is the case in places like STL, DC, Cincy, etc. 

* people on the IL side of the STL metro feel like they are part of the STL, MO area.
* people on the KY side of Cincy feel like they are part of the Cincy, OH area.
* people in CT, suburban NY, NJ, etc. feel like they are part of the NYC, NY area.
* people on the NJ side of Philadelphia feel like they are part of the Phila., PA area.
* people in MD and VA feel like they are part of the D.C. area.

i really don't think people in, say, JoCo feel they are part of the KC, MO area.  (it could also be true that suburban MO folks don't either, but i think they probably do). 

[Midtownkid]

i really don't think people in, say, JoCo feel they are part of the KC, MO area.  (it could also be true that suburban MO folks don't either, but i think they probably do). 

I think JOCO people don't want to feel like they are part of KCMO because of snob issues...oh any an obvious lack of realization that KCMO is far superior (in all areas that count.)

[bbqboy]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... u1028.html
 
News

    * Type Size: A A A
    * Print
    * Email
    * Most Popular
    *

Lighting up Tempe's hopes for the future
Students, businesses look forward to light-rail launch

18 comments by Chad Graham - Oct. 28, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Tempe is putting its economic hopes into light rail. Just look at the bridge over Tempe Town Lake to see.

Each time a Metro light-rail train crosses into Tempe, it will set off a Vegas-style light show on the $22 million span.

The lights will be a continual reminder of how charged the city is about the $1.4 billion, 20-mile transportation system that launches Dec. 27.

Light rail could simplify the lives of Arizona State University students, reinvigorate the Mill Avenue business district and transform the Apache Boulevard area, once a bustling neighborhood but now troubled by crime and urban decline.

"The effect of the light rail all along the corridor in Tempe has been so dramatic, and it has been unabated," said Chris Salomone, Tempe's community-development manager. "It's all been incredibly fortunate for the city."

Many of the mixed-use projects planned along the light-rail route in Tempe are forging ahead despite the credit crisis that has stalled other Valley projects, officials said. Light rail has provided a bit of a buffer against the downturn.
cont.....

[swizzle stick]

First post here.  Speaking of Arizona, the light rail has torn up Phoenix.  Looks pretty abandoned along the line under construction.

[DaveKCMO]

more on tempe:

Tempe's light rail bridge named among nation's best

The bridge, which is 1,530 feet long, spans Tempe Town Lake. LED lights installed along the sides of the bridge will provide a colorful show as the light rail passes, approximately every ten minutes.

[warwickland]

yeah KC's state line issue isn't that a state line exists, but that people on both sides have an irrational hatred (or at least mild disdain) for folks on the other side of the line.  i don't know if that is the case in places like STL, DC, Cincy, etc. 

* people on the IL side of the STL metro feel like they are part of the STL, MO area.
* people on the KY side of Cincy feel like they are part of the Cincy, OH area.
* people in CT, suburban NY, NJ, etc. feel like they are part of the NYC, NY area.
* people on the NJ side of Philadelphia feel like they are part of the Phila., PA area.
* people in MD and VA feel like they are part of the D.C. area.

i really don't think people in, say, JoCo feel they are part of the KC, MO area.  (it could also be true that suburban MO folks don't either, but i think they probably do). 

In Cincy I think I felt there may be an issue...don't know though.

In StL... I don't know that StL can bungle an opportunity to work with a more progressive state when it comes to transit funding...so it's pure luck. Imagine if Kansas only had KCK and another poorer version of KCK across from KCMO and Colorado was never carved out of the Kansas Territory...and Denver was 4 times as large.

Overall, Johnson County, KS, I feel is the most obstructive anti-metropolitan entity I have seen in my travels...and it's too bad because it's obviously a respectable economic engine in its own right...contributing less than it could to a potentially highly energetic metropolitan dream. From what I can see, though, the Twin Cities is sweeping up everything "extra" in the midwest.

[GRID]

Overall, Johnson County, KS, I feel is the most obstructive anti-metropolitan entity I have seen in my travels...and it's too bad because it's obviously a respectable economic engine in its own right...contributing less than it could to a potentially highly energetic metropolitan dream.

Pretty much sums up 5 years of my rants in one, efficient quote...

You are right about Minneapolis though, they are kicking ass and having St Paul too?  It's just not fair.

[warwickland]

prop M failed in st. louis county.

[DaveKCMO]

not light rail, obviously, but new york could be the first city to break the $3 fare barrier:

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2008/11/19 ... -scenario/

[LenexatoKCMO]

not light rail, obviously, but new york could be the first city to break the $3 fare barrier:

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2008/11/19 ... -scenario/

A trip accross town on the BART will easily cost double that - been well past that barrier for ages. 

[GRID]

Yea, I pay 3 bucks or more on transit systems all the time.  I don't think it even phases me.

BTW, KC's commuter routes have hit $3, mostly due to the lack of funding.

http://www.kcata.org/rider_bulletins/co ... uary_2009/

[KCMax]

Detroit moves one step closer to light rail

A light-rail line in Detroit is a step closer to becoming reality after the Michigan Legislature voted to contribute some state money toward operating the privately funded project.

Bills winning final approval early Friday would help clear the way for the $100 million project along Detroit's Woodward Avenue corridor. If built, the 3.5-mile line would be at street level. Riders could expect a train to arrive at stops every five to 10 minutes.

The line could be running in three years, though snags are certainly possible in the poor economy.

[DaveKCMO]

Metro light rail plans weekend grand opening events, free rides through Dec. 31

More than 200,000 people will likely take free rides on the Metro light rail during opening weekend, which will feature celebrations, ribbon cuttings and live music from one end of town to another, Metro executives said.

After more than three years of construction, light rail cars will start carrying passengers Dec. 27. Everyone will ride free through Dec. 31.

Celebrations, live events and music will be featured in downtown Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe, while smaller events and activities will be offered at stations along the 20-mile line.

[DaveKCMO]

DC's purple line gets a boost:

Montgomery Planners Back Light Rail Option for Purple Line

Montgomery County planners today endorsed building a light rail system along the proposed east-west Purple Line and recommended running the trains mostly above ground and next to the Capital Crescent Trail, a heavily used hiker-biker route.

The 16-mile east-west link proposed to connect Montgomery and Prince George's counties would have up to 22 stations, at locations including Silver Spring, the Takoma and Langley Park areas and the University of Maryland's College Park campus.

still waiting for any rail-2-trail route in this country to revert back to mass transit use...