molleraj

Not sure if it belongs here, but I just saw a streetcar on an overside flatbed headed south this morning on I-675 near Fairborn. It looked very much like Dallas's new modern streetcars (yellow/black/blue paint scheme). Is DART extending the Dallas Streetcar this year? I did see some news here: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160103-dart-streetcar-d-link-changes-are-prelude-to-expansions.ece Anyway, it was quite an unusual thing to see this morning :)

^How about the paper-streets-through-the-forest route? Could that be coupled with a *shorter* tunnel? There's just something appealing about the "forest" route. Or was that not feasible?

What happened to the alternate Vine Street hill routing idea (through the forest on "paper" streets, IIRC)? Wouldn't that massively reduce the cost of utility relocation? Wasn't the "forest" routing also faster and less expensive? And didn't someone think of combining it with a short tunnel somewhere? I remember a lot of discussion on this forum about another route to Uptown some time ago.

The streetcar construction in KC started on an overpass like this :) But I guess that would give ammunition to the NIMBYs and boondogglers (My tax dollars for a trolley over a bridge!!?!! Gahh!!) :)

He didn't already reach it?

^If I'm not mistaken, the world famous Shaker Rapid makes several cameo appearances in this film :) At least that line survived.

Very nice! I'm looking forward to seeing how the diamond looks when it is done, as well :)

^No problem with kicking ideas around! IIRC the LACMTA Expo Line was inspired by some fantasy maps painted on LA walls (transit murals, I guess) ;) . But then again, the Expo Line was built upon the long abandoned Pacific Electric "Santa Monica Air Line." But anyway... thebillshark: any ideas for a cross-town route (e.g., Cincinnati Museum Center to the Casino, or to the Casino and toward Sawyer Point)? how about lines to Price Hill or NKY? Personally I'd love to see a Banks/Newport/Covington loop. There is a lot of valuable land that could be developed as TOD across the river. It would tie the riverfront urban areas together in a really wonderful way both for tourists/visitors (both stadiums, the Newport Aquarium, and other riverfront attractions all on one loop) and residents (potential for TOD; linking TANK and SORTA transit centers together). Now if there could just be a new bridge built over the Licking ;)

^I remember Al Schottlekotte talking about Swallen's in a WCET documentary about him :D But anyway, to be on topic, I like the idea of a streetcar "transit center"...maybe something like Tampa's one (the DT end of the TECO line, IIRC).

Very nice! Great to see the Xochimilco light rail line too :)

The Brown Line, lol. LACMTA is looking like a pleasant surprise. I never thought much of LA transit, but the 30/10 plan/Measure R gets me really excited and one of my friends from there (Van Nuys) says Metro is very convenient. The Regional Connector and Purple Line extension look like they could transform the central part of the region. Oh well, Pittsburgh and Cleveland still beat LA in my mind when it comes to transit and urban fabric, regardless ;)

Palo Alto?! Not all of us youngins are Twitter/Spotify/Facebook/Snapchat/Craigslist CEOs...but anyway...

Strangely enough, I'm liking this Mt. Auburn tunnel idea more and more. I don't see much point in running the streetcar up Vine from a development perspective (it obviously would save cost compared to a tunnel). It could be similar to the Mt. Washington Tunnel in Pittsburgh, perhaps. Except more useful (fast connection between OTR/Downtown and medical/university districts in Uptown). Almost like the PAAC transit East Busway to Oakland, except WAY better, lol. I also think it would be a huge shot in the arm for any LRT projects (especially I-71 or Wasson Way LRT).

Damn! That's tall :)

^Nashville, Albuquerque, and Seattle, I guess?

Yes! Can't wait to see rail installation in the CBD! In other news...I'm heading to Atlanta and Tampa in the next week so I'll have to get some pictures of the streetcar lines there for comparison (especially the new modern streetcar line in Atlanta). Great stuff!!

^It's that simple?! Buy the CAF LRVs already! LOL....I wouldn't mind some silver CAF streetcars linking DT to University Circle :)

I thought this map might be helpful for clarifying our ideas. http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/754/23/original.jpg

^Yeah! TIFs/SIDs approved Kansas City-style! I love it :)

^That's a great idea...time to organize this 11,000 member red army, lol :) More seriously, though, this Uptown extension and MLK/I-71 spur are REALLY important. The uptown extension will be far less expensive than the OTR/DT loop and will connect to UC (30,000+ students) and the hospitals (big job center). The MLK/I-71 extension to the new interchange is an interesting mix between the suburban-oriented project (interchange) and urban oriented one (streetcar). The MLK streetcar spur could thus appeal to suburban commuters and could introduce a VALUABLE opportunity for TOD. It could also improve job accessibility from Walnut Hills to Uptown or Downtown, making the project far more appealing to the communities nearby. It would also be great to introduce some sort of eastside metro transit center at the new interchange (better than the westside one on Glenway) that would one day serve as a bus hub, I-71 LRT station, and streetcar layover. These improvements all could lead to transformative changes in transit. It will be important to capitalize on these ideas now. I think if there is enough local political will, Cincinnati could draw a ton of transit and transportation funding from Washington. Now we just need to hope for a culture change (not necessarily a partisan one) in Columbus...and in HamCo for that matter...

^Bam...I agree completely.

I thought all us rail/transit nerds would like this :D . KJP - someone should make a GCRTA transit music video :wink:

Oh....I forgot...maybe even HamCo support for transit :-)

Congratulations for all those who worked so hard to keep this project on track (pun intended) ;) Next thing to stop - CO trying to stop any more passenger rail spending Next thing to do - doing everything we can to make this project succeed; develop Uptown and OTR/Downtown SIDs....who knows, maybe that could help support completion of a line all the way to Uptown (Findlay Market to the Cincinnati VA) "Big" hopes - improving bus service (BRT lite a la MAX in KC), building area transit centers (a la Greater Dayton RTA), and maybe...maybe...regional rail or LRT...

Wow...that's awful even by Ohio standards. Wow. How about the Midwest (and Upper South, I guess...) more broadly (Indy, Louisville, Nashville, Lexington, etc.)?