The Culver City and Farmdale stations on LA's Expo Line are now open, officially completing Phase I of the Expo Line (and in so doing, bringing light rail about a mile closer to where I live). I was hoping to swing by after work for the festivities, but a last-minute deadline had me working late.

Fascinating history and photos of the railroad and transit services which preceded the Expo Line....

 

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/rail-to-the-westside-the-expo-lines-historical-precursors.html

Here are some photos I took today of the new Culver City station. (Forgive the photo quality, as I took these with my iPhone.)

 

Daytime:

 

Right now the Culver City station is surrounded by a huge surface parking lot, but the site is slated to be developed into a large mixed-use project that will include garage parking for Expo Line commuters.

 

 

At dusk:

 

 

 

 

Today was my first time seeing any of the new Expo Line stations at night, and I was very impressed with the lighting design. In the last photo above, LED strip lights do  a great job of highlighting the massive concrete box girder structure.

 

A few more transit-related shots from around town:

 

 

The Red Line subway at North Hollywood. LA's subway is clean and modern, and much faster than any light rail line. If funding were no object, I'd still say a fully grade-separated subway is vastly superior to light rail.

 

The Blue Line at Pico Boulevard

 

The Angels Flight, a real live incline in downtown Los Angeles. Suck on that, Cincinnati. :-)

 

LA's historic Union Station

 

Inside Union Station

 

Newer light rail rolling stock on the Gold Line. When the Regional Connector project is complete, these trains will be through-routed onto what is now the Expo Line, which will become part of the Gold Line.

For some reason I thought the Blue Line and now the Expo traveled through downtown to near Union Station. I knew the Red Line did, but I thought the light-rail lines did too on their own subway alignment (like the one now recommended for construction). This is a huge project....

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Connector_Transit_Corridor

No, the Blue Line and Expo Line currently terminate at 7th / Metro Center, where a transfer is available to the Red Line / Purple Line subway downstairs, which goes to Union Station. The Regional Connector will extend the Blue Line / Expo Line tracks to Union Station and connect them with the Gold Line, which will allow Gold Line trains to be through-routed onto the Blue Line / Expo Line and vice-versa. As I understand it, what is now the Gold Line segment to Pasadena will become part of the Blue Line, and the Expo Line will become part of the Gold Line between Santa Monica and East LA.

 

It seems like the Regional Connector project hasn't gotten as much attention as the Expo Line and the Westside Subway Extension projects, but when completed, it will be a game-changer for the entire region and for parts of downtown in particular.

 

Speaking of game-changers, one of my biggest transit fantisies for LA would be to introduce modern streetcar service along the major boulevards, forming a network of routes that would roughly replace what is now the Metro Rapid limited-stop bus service. Most of the boulevards are easily wide enough, and already have a critical mass of ridership while still offering nearly unlimited opportunities for higher-density infill development. Combined with further expansion of the existing subway and light rail system, Los Angeles could surpass cities like Chicago and Boston in terms of the reach of its rail transit system and shed its (increasingly outdated) image as being hopelessly automobile-dependent.

Pretty crazy how much great stuff LA is doing in the last 10 years while Cincy debates one lousy streetcar.

Pretty crazy how much great stuff LA is doing in the last 10 years while Cincy debates one lousy streetcar.

 

Oh you should have been watching the fights over whether to build rail in LA in the 1980s! It was a major battleground like what you see now in Cincy. LA's traffic and air pollution demanded that something be done, but most of the initial transit efforts were focused on HOV lanes and busways. In fact, I believe LA's first "fixed guideway" transit project in the early 1980s was the bus lanes in I-110.

 

Part of the battle was won by the region's regret over allowing National City Lines (the company funded by GM, Firestone, Standard Oil, et al) to buy up and dismantle its extensive electric rail transit system, Pacific Electric, and its famous Red Car fleet. There was much publicity about this in the 1980s, including a 60 Minutes segment. I vividly recall this, as well as the mileage that LA transit advocates got out of it afterwards. It really gained momentum after the theme of Pacific Electric's takeover was immortalized in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Few may realize that plot line was based in reality, and the movie yielded some great quotes that have been echoed by rail/transit advocates ever since! Like this.....

 

 

 

 

"Who needs a car in LA? We have the best public transit system in the world!"

 

(The "Subway Terminal" on the destination sign refers to an actual subway and terminal -- now abandoned -- that carried the Red Cars into downtown LA. As with Cincinnati's subway, periodic tours are offered to the public. Note the subtle homage to the Red Car's art deco livery on the Gold Line light rail vehicle shown in my earlier post.)

Pretty crazy how much great stuff LA is doing in the last 10 years while Cincy debates one lousy streetcar.

 

Less than 25 years ago, Los Angeles had zero miles of rail transit. Now it has almost a hundred, plus the Metrolink commuter rail system and frequent Amtrak service on the Pacific Surfliner route. Metrolink in particular got a big boost by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which destroyed a number of crucial freeway interchanges. Expanded Metrolink service was rushed into action while the freeways were being rebuilt (using rolling stock leased from Toronto's GO Transit), and the expanded rail service became permanent.

Big Breakthroughs on Plan to Speed Up LA County Transit Programs

 

In less than 24 hours Mayor Villaraigosa’s “30-10 Plan” for the Measure R transit program finds big success both locally and in Washington, DC.

 

Wednesday night the Senate-House Conference Committee on the Federal Transportation Bill reauthorization gave their agreement to a 2 year bill that keeps federal transportation spending at their current levels and includes a dramatically expanded TIFIA loan program which is a lynchpin to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s plan for accelerating the development of Los Angeles County’s rail transit program, approved by voters in Measure R in 2008. [...]

 

On Thursday, the LA Metro Board of Directors voted 10-3 to place a proposed 30-year extension of Measure R ½ cent sales tax on the November, 2012 ballot. 

 

If approved by more than 2/3 of Los Angeles County voters, and polling suggests it would be, this extended revenue stream, together with the federal TIFIA program enhancement, could enable Metro to borrow funds at historically low interest rates and build the full Measure R 12-project transit program in 10 years rather than 30 years.

 

Click for a larger version

 

(The map above is slightly outdated. The Foothill extension of the Gold Line is already under construction, Phase I of the Expo Line is complete, and the Orange Line extension to Chatsworth opened this weekend.)

If approved by more than 2/3 of Los Angeles County voters, and polling suggests it would be, this extended revenue stream, together with the federal TIFIA program enhancement, could enable Metro to borrow funds at historically low interest rates and build the full Measure R 12-project transit program in 10 years rather than 30 years.

 

Amazing and awesome.

If approved by more than 2/3 of Los Angeles County voters, and polling suggests it would be, this extended revenue stream, together with the federal TIFIA program enhancement, could enable Metro to borrow funds at historically low interest rates and build the full Measure R 12-project transit program in 10 years rather than 30 years.

 

Amazing and awesome.

 

could say the state of ohio or the county of Cuyahoga do the same thing?

 

 

^ Doubtful with Kasich around.

^Even aside from that, not sure voters in any of the three C counties would approve the sales tax increase to fund transit projects.

Yeah, I agree. HamCo voted one down in 2002.

Sad part is, if Metro Moves had passed in 2002, Hamilton County would now be able to use America Fast Forward funding to dramatically accelerate the construction of the light rail lines that hadn't already been built by now.

 

Hamilton County residents will be paying for the shortsightedness of that decision for decades.

It wouldn't be too late to do now, but it wouldn't happen. Sure wish it passed ten years ago, though! I know I voted for it.

If approved by more than 2/3 of Los Angeles County voters, and polling suggests it would be, this extended revenue stream, together with the federal TIFIA program enhancement, could enable Metro to borrow funds at historically low interest rates and build the full Measure R 12-project transit program in 10 years rather than 30 years.

 

Amazing and awesome.

 

could say the state of ohio or the county of Cuyahoga do the same thing?

 

 

 

Actually, Cuyahoga County/GCRTA could. That's a conversation worth having at:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2768.msg629147.html#msg629147

Oh noes! Ohio is invading "Outside of Ohio"!

FTA Grants Record of Decision to Regional Connector Project

 

FTA granted the Metro a Record of Decision (ROD) for the $1.37 billion project, officially certifying that the project has now satisfied all federal environmental guidelines.

 

The action is an important prerequisite for Metro to begin final design of the nearly two-mile underground light rail line in Downtown L.A. and for the agency to seek federal funding to help build it.

 

Regional Connector, partially funded with $160 million in Measure R sales tax money approved by voters in 2008, is considered one of the region’s most significant transit projects because it will connect the Metro Gold Line, Blue Line and Expo Line through downtown L.A., enabling passengers to take a “one seat ride” from Montclair to Long Beach, and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica.

 

The line will include three new light rail stations in Downtown Los Angeles at 1st/Central, 2nd/Broadway, and 2nd/Hope.  The new stations are estimated to provide access to 88,200 passengers, including approximately 17,700 new transit riders.

 

More information about the Regional Connector, including a map

Aha, it makes sense now.  The way that the Gold Line is reached from Union Station currently is pretty awkward, and I couldn't figure out why the line takes such a weird turn toward downtown just south of Union Station.  So that curve it makes is actually where it will link with this tunnel. 

 

I rode the full length of LA's light rail system yesterday, which took about 6 hours. 

 

The north Gold Line branch is the most interesting, with a character that would most closely resemble something in Ohio.  The south Gold Line branch is pretty boring...it has a subway section with 2 stations but otherwise runs in the street through a mostly nondescript area. 

 

The Expo Line has good points but is frustratingly slow in the area between its downtown link with the blue line and the east side of USC.  My thought is that this area will eventually be rebuilt underground or elevated. 

 

The Blue Line is extremely long and is fast in some sections but again suffers from the slow section near downtown LA that it shares with the Expo Line.  Again, I would hope that this section is eventually rebuilt.

 

The Green Line is the real anomaly, since it is completely grade separated and extremely fast...but it connects nowhere to nowhere.  It is mostly in the interstate median, but the elevated section east of LAX is interesting for so much money being spent on a line in an obscure area.  It's a stretch to say that the Green Line has motivated any investment whatsoever, although it is certainly useful for those who happen to live or work along it 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Expo Line has good points but is frustratingly slow in the area between its downtown link with the blue line and the east side of USC.  My thought is that this area will eventually be rebuilt underground or elevated. 

 

The Blue Line is extremely long and is fast in some sections but again suffers from the slow section near downtown LA that it shares with the Expo Line.  Again, I would hope that this section is eventually rebuilt.

 

This is my big frustration with the Expo Line and Blue Line as well. Seems like they could at least do a better job of pre-empting the traffic signals along that stretch. The segment between USC and Pico Boulevard feels like it takes almost as long as the much longer segment between USC and Culver City. I agree that in the long run, replacing it with a tunnel or elevated structure would be ideal.

 

The Green Line was originally intended to serve LAX, but opposition from parking lot operators near the airport helped keep it away. Also, at the time the line was planned, the western end was an area that was hub to many aerospace jobs until the 1990's. After the Cold War ended, those jobs vanished and the surrounding neighborhoods began to decline. Also, the eastern end of the Green Line unfortunately stops two miles short of a busy Metrolink commuter rail station.

 

Plans are in the works to finally bring the Green Line to LAX, as well as extend it southward beyond its present terminus. Apparently there is already a junction built in to the Green Line structure for an LAX branch. Here is a schematic of the LAX connection, along with the proposed Crenshaw Line (which will be a branch of the Expo Line):

 

 

Another possibility for making the Green Line more useful (in addition to extending it to LAX in the west and to Metrolink in the east) would be to build some sort of junction with the Blue Line so that Green Line trains can directly serve downtown LA via the Blue Line right-of-way. As it stands now, the Green Line is completely isolated from the rest of the system, and the transfer to the Blue Line is somewhat combersome.

 

The Blue Line itself could also use a major capacity expansion, as it's one of the busiest light rail lines in the country and apparently has major overcrowding issues during rush hours. One option would be to convert it to full-on heavy rail similar to the Red Line, but that would involve expensive subway construction in downtown LA and in Long Beach, in addition to the elimination of some grade crossings in between. Another option -- since most of the Blue Line right-of-way is a former four-track Pacific Electric ROW -- would be to build two additional tracks and institute express service on the line.

 

Glad you had fun in LA, and I'm glad I was able to show you around a bit... I look forward to seeing your photos.

Yeah I saw the turnout to LAX.  I also saw a TSA agent in uniform riding the green line to work.  LAX is huge and no doubt has many employees who would ride rail to work if it reached the airport directly. 

 

For any mid-sized cities, these light rail lines would work okay but in LA the distances are so vast that speed needs to be a priority.  Imagine the Blue Line with a center express track with only 3 or 4 stops between Long Beach and downtown LA.  This is how LA could really start making the place more livable, by connecting major points by very fast rail lines.

In today's Los Angeles Times:

 

L.A. -- transit's promised land

Which major U.S. city is at the cutting edge of forward-thinking transportation planning? Surprise: It's Los Angeles.

Many Angelenos are surprised to learn that their city's reputation is at an all-time high among international transit scholars. This is the place, after all, that consistently ranks first in measures of commuter stress, as well as in hours wasted in traffic. (According to the Texas Transportation Institute's latest urban mobility report, traffic delays in Los Angeles now amount to half a billion hours a year.) Of the nation's 10 most congested commuter corridors, seven can be found in Los Angeles.

 

But it's important to remember that freeways, though they have become the city's de facto conduits for commuters, came relatively late. Los Angeles was originally a railway city, its early form set by the Southern Pacific Railroad and Santa Fe Railway. Its dispersed industrial suburbs were laced together by the inter-urban Red Cars of the Pacific Electric Railway and the local Yellow Cars of the Los Angeles Railway, a public transit system that, before World War II, was considered by many to be the best in the world.

 

Outsiders may see freeway-driven sprawl, but metropolitan Los Angeles is actually more densely settled, over its entire urban area, than the New York-Newark metro area. That makes the area ideally suited for the transit revival its leaders are trying to foster.

Nice article. And now you will have a vastly improved rail link to the San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area and Sacramento with these features:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,6079.msg629896.html#msg629896

Dave, here's an idea...build an all new express line parallel and/or above/or below the existing Blue Line between the Green Line and Downtown.  This is a distance of about 10 miles.  So Blue Line trains from Long Beach would run express from that point north and the Green Line trains would route onto it.  So that transfer station would still be used pretty much just to transfer onto the existing blue line track, which would operate as a local. 

 

Also you should check out the Green Line section west of LAX, where it is completely elevated for about 5 miles.  Looks to me like it doesn't get much ridership, but it will be a terrific resource once the link to the Expo line is built.

:-)

Just found: Skyscraper page, Forum,Discussion,Show us your local rail transit system. If you can find the site, there is a lot of light rail and more rail info. Plenty of maps all in one place. Post comments please.

Several people from here post on that forum.

I used to hang out at Skyscrapercity.com until I discovered this site in 2004, when it was still new.

Call it the stealth light rail line... LA's new Crenshaw Line has apparently already broken ground.

 

Crenshaw Line Has Broken Ground, Will Have Underground Stations and Crenshaw Plaza Access

 

Robert Ball, the project manager for the Crenshaw Line light rail project, stopped by a recent meeting of the Transit Coalition advocacy group and, according to their newsletter, had lots of juicy details on the project, which will connect the Green Line to the Expo Line (and hopefully get riders to LAX, likely via a people mover). The biggest news was that a contractor has already been hired to build the line, and a ceremonial groundbreaking was held June 4 (who knew?).

 

Study says $827 million rail expansion needed in St. Paul's east metro

DREW KERR

SOURCE: FINANCE & COMMERCE (MINNEAPOLIS, MN)

CREATED: AUGUST 6, 2012

 

Forty years after the railroad industry teetered on the brink of collapse, officials say a hefty $827 million investment to expand rail line capacity may be needed to accommodate the growth of passenger and freight services in the east metro.

 

The needs are outlined in a new "East Metro Rail Capacity Study" commissioned by the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority and the Red Rock Corridor Commission, which hope to use the freight rail lines between St. Paul and Hastings to expand commuter and high-speed rail services.

 

The $2.1 million, federally-funded study, released in draft form this week, sets the stage for a memorandum of understanding between the state, Ramsey County and freight companies operating in the east metro area, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10755714/mn-study-says-827-million-rail-expansion-needed-in-st-pauls-east-metro?utm_source=MASS+NewsViews+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MASS120731002&o_eid=2883F7359167D8W

Yep. Boise, Idaho....

 

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/23/2241591/lahood-feds-will-help-bieter-with.html

I learned recently that the study for this heritage trolley in Buffalo is just about done. The best part is that little or no right of way needs to be acquired...

 

http://www.buffalorising.com/2010/10/industrial-and-rail-heritage-discovery-center-plans-unveiled.html#SlideFrame_0

Well, it's not at the magnitude of the Golden Spike ceremony for the Transcontinental Railroad, but it's a big deal in Minnie-anna-noplace.....

 

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Twin Cities symbolic link ties two LRT lines

Written by  Douglas John Bowen

 

Work crews Wednesday joined the Central Corridor light rail transit track, under construction mostly in St. Paul, Minn., to existing Hiawatha LRT track when they welded the two lines together between the Metrodome and Cedar Riverside LRT stations in Minneapolis.

 

The announcement by the Metropolitan Council emphasizes the expected synergies of operation LRT supporters in the Twin Cities expect when the Central Corridor opens for revenue operation.

 

“This connection will create a 63-mile passenger rail network for the Twin Cities, 11 miles for Central, 12 miles for Hiawatha and 40 miles for Northstar. The network will increase to 78 miles when the 15-mile Southwest LRT line begins service in 2018, four years after Central Corridor,” said Mark Fuhrmann, the local program director for New Starts rail projects, which includes proposals for other LRT lines in the Twin Cities.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/light-rail/in-minneapolis-a-symbolic-link-of-two-lrt-lines.html?channel=61#.UEkMcbIibhc

Boosting Ridership by Replacing Buses With Rail

Nate Berg Sep 10, 2012

 

When rail goes in, ridership goes up. At least, that's what's happened in Los Angeles, where the county's transportation authority, Metro, has gone on a more than two-decade binge of light rail and subway development. A new analysis of transit ridership before and after the four lines opened shows that overall ridership has dramatically increased with rail in the picture.

 

 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/09/boosting-ridership-replacing-buses-rail/3222/

A victory for grumpy old, white men....

http://mobile.oregonlive.com/advorg/pm_32345/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=5OQwxaAd

The Reason Foundation predicted no one would ride rail. Once again, they are wrong.........

 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Expo Line Un-Reasonably Closing in on 2020 Ridership Goals

by Damien Newton

 

It seems rail transit can perform just fine in Los Angeles, despite what folks at the pretend-Libertarian Reason Foundation would tell you.

 

Back in April, the Foundation sent a pair of riders to ride the mostly-opened Expo Line and declared it a disaster. In its first weeks of operation, the line barely attracted a third of the ridership expected for the line by 2020. When other outlets, including Angie Schmitt for Streetsblog, argued that judging a rail line’s overall worth in its first week of existence is a form of journalism malpractice, Reason doubled, then tripled down that having two grown men ride a train for a day in its first week of operation counting the people they see is a credible way to determine if a rail line is a failure.

 

Phase I of the Expo Line connects downtown Los Angeles to downtown Culver City and rolls past major attractions including USC, Staples Center/LA Live, Exposition Park and the Science Center. Phase II is scheduled to open in 2015 or 2016 and will extend the line from Culver City to Santa Monica. The ridership estimates in 2020 are only for Phase I.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://la.streetsblog.org/2012/09/20/expo-line-un-reasonably-closing-in-on-2020-ridership-goals/

^awesome.

 

Reason's Famous for attacking all streetcars as stupid. Looking forward to the Cincinnati streetcar proving them wrong.

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10785428/mo-everyone-will-ride-for-free-on-kansas-citys-downtown-streetcars

 

MO: Everyone Will Ride for Free on Kansas City's Downtown Streetcars

LYNN HORSLEY

SOURCE: THE KANSAS CITY STAR

CREATED: SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

 

Riders on Kansas City's proposed downtown streetcar circulator should be able to hop on — at no charge — as often as they like once the new transit system starts to roll.

 

 

No Fare Zone

 

Sept. 27 — Riders on Kansas City's proposed downtown streetcar circulator should be able to hop on — at no charge — as often as they like once the new transit system starts to roll.

 

A no-fare policy approved Wednesday aims to crank up enthusiasm and usage.

 

"If it's free, everybody will try it," Streetcar Authority Chairman Tom Trabon said. "I think (having) no fare gets people excited."

 

The new streetcar district governing board voted unanimously Wednesday to go without fares indefinitely on a service set to open to the public as early as 2015, assuming downtown voters approve a tax plan later this year.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/26/3559045/cats-to-spend-87-million-on-rail.html

 

CATS to spend $87M to buy 22 new light-rail cars for Ucity extension

 

U.S. DOT announces $18M grant for CATS to upfit existing light-rail line

 

 

By Steve Harrison

[email protected]

Posted: Wednesday, Sep. 26, 2012

 

 

The Charlotte Area Transit System is spending $87 million to buy 22 new light-rail cars in anticipation of building the Lynx Blue Line extension to University City.

 

The Charlotte City Council unanimously approved the purchase Monday night, which will increase the number of cars to 42.

 

CATS expects to enter into what’s known as “full funding grant agreement” with the Federal Transit Administration in October or November, which is the final hurdle before starting construction. If the FTA doesn’t sign off on the project as expected, CATS can withdraw from the order with Siemens with a penalty of $500,000.

 

CATS is moving forward with the purchase now to take advantage of a discount. The city said it is piggybacking on top of an order with TriMet Transit of Portland, Ore., which is buying the same type of light-rail vehicles.

 

In 2008, when CATS bought additional rail cars from Siemens to handle ridership that was higher than projected, the city paid $3.8 million per vehicle. This price is 3 percent lower, according to the city.

 

The Blue Line extension – which is projected to cost more than $1.1 billion is expected to be paid for with a mix of federal, state and local funds. The FTA is expected to pay for half of the construction costs and the state will pay for 25 percent. Money from the half-cent sales tax for transit will cover the rest.

 

The $87 million for the new cars is part of that overall $1.1 billion price tag.

 

Now that I'm back in front of a desktop computer, I'll post the whole PR....

 

http://www.fta.dot.gov/newsroom/12286_14886.html

 

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $580 Million To Extend Charlotte’s LYNX Blue Line

 

10/16/2012

Contact: Angela Gates

202-366-3669

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced an agreement to provide Charlotte with $580 million to extend the LYNX Blue Line light rail system from downtown Charlotte to the city’s University of North Carolina campus. The new extension will effectively double the length of the system so that thousands more residents and students in the rapidly growing region can conveniently access light rail.

 

“The Obama Administration is committed to helping fast-growing cities like Charlotte build a modern, efficient transportation network that will attract economic development and help the region to manage growth and reduce congestion,” said Secretary LaHood. “Across America, we’re investing in projects like this one that are built to last and will keep our economy moving forward.”

 

Over the last decade, Charlotte, home to numerous Fortune 500 companies, has grown faster than any other urban area with a population of one million or more, according to the U.S. Census. Light rail ridership has mirrored that growth, far exceeding expectations with more than 19 million riders since the line opened in 2007, and more than 15,000 riders on an average weekday.

 

“We continue to support Charlotte’s efforts to develop a public transportation system that works for everyone,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff, who was in Charlotte to announce the funding agreement along with Congressman Mel Watt, Mayor Anthony Foxx and local officials.

 

“Extending light rail northward to establish a direct new transit link between two of UNC’s flagship campuses opens up new opportunities for students and residents throughout Mecklenburg County,” he added.

 

The 9.3 mile LYNX Blue Line light rail extension will add service along what will become an 18.6-mile corridor in Northeast Charlotte and will help to reduce congestion along Interstate 85 and US 29, where commercial and residential growth is expected to continue.

 

The $580 million federal share of the $1.2 billion project is provided to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) through FTA’s Capital Investment (New Starts) Program. The remaining cost is covered by state and local funding.

 

Today’s funding announcement is the latest in a series of investments in Charlotte’s transportation future made by FTA and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In December 2011, Secretary LaHood announced that DOT would provide $18 million through its Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program to expand capacity on the existing LYNX Blue Line by enabling CATS to build additional power substations and extended platforms at three stations to accommodate more riders during peak hours and special events. Preliminary design work is under way.

 

###

Wow. Sure wish Ohio had a LRT project that could have received those funds...

 

Not a small chunk of change.

Seattle got something like $800 million a few years back for the 3-mile subway tunnel they're currently digging to U of Wash.

Or San Francisco........

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $942.2 Million to Extend San Francisco’s Third Street Light Rail System

 

10/11/2012

Contact: Angela Gates

202-366-3669

 

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced an agreement to provide $942.2 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to extend San Francisco’s Third Street light rail system through the city’s busy Chinatown neighborhood, bringing light rail back to the heavily transit-dependent Third Street corridor for the first time in 50 years.

 

Secretary LaHood was joined at an official grant signing ceremony by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and state and local officials.

 

“San Francisco’s light rail system already plays a vital role in connecting hard-working families, seniors, and visitors with the city’s major employment and medical centers, colleges, and recreational facilities,” said Secretary LaHood. “This project to extend the line even further reflects the Obama Administration’s commitment to making smart investments in our nation’s transit infrastructure.”

 

The new T-Third Light Rail extension, part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (MTA) Central Subway project, will run from the downtown business district north to Chinatown along one of the city’s most heavily-traveled corridors. Once completed, it will improve transit options between the Financial District and Union Square, while connecting Chinatown with existing Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail service, Caltrain and other transportation services. According to the MTA, project construction is expected to create about 1,000 jobs by the end of this year, with many more jobs to follow as tunnel construction gets under way in 2013.

 

“This project will bring much-needed relief to tens of thousands of riders who have had to wait in long lines and squeeze onto over-crowded buses in one of the most densely populated urban communities in the country,” said Administrator Rogoff. “It will also provide a lifeline to many low-income residents who do not own cars, and are looking for an affordable and efficient route into the downtown business district and beyond.”

 

Federal funding for the project is provided to the San Francisco MTA through FTA’s Capital Investment Program (New Starts). The $1.6 billion project will extend Muni light rail service by 1.7 miles of the T-Third line from the 4th Street Caltrain Station to Chinatown and includes construction of four new stations, three of them underground. The first phase of the T-Third Street light rail line went into service in 2007. Once the extension opens, the projected ridership along the entire 6.8-mile T-Third line is estimated to be 43,700 daily boardings per weekday, the highest ridership in the system.

 

###

__________________

 

Or Phoenix.........

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $75 Million to Extend Light Rail in Arizona

 

10/12/2012

Contact: Angela Gates

202-366-3669

 

MESA, Arizona – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today visited Mesa to take part in a grant signing ceremony providing the city with $75 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to build a 3.1-mile light rail extension connecting the city with Phoenix and Tempe. Secretary LaHood was joined at the event by Congressman Ed Pastor, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and local officials.

 

“The Obama Administration is committed to bringing more public transportation choices to fast-growing cities like Mesa,” said Secretary LaHood. “By investing in this light rail project, we are helping thousands of workers, seniors, students and others in Maricopa County connect with jobs, medical care, and all the services this region has to offer.”

 

The new Central Mesa Extension, operated by Valley Metro Rail, will run from Sycamore to Mesa Drive on Main Street and connect residents in the downtown hubs of Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe. It is expected to spur new residential and commercial development in downtown Mesa while providing convenient, reliable access to Arizona State University and Sky Harbor International Airport.

 

“In Arizona and across the country, people are choosing transit over traffic,” said Administrator Rogoff, who toured the planned route in March 2011. “Extending the popular Central Mesa light rail line will open more doors to economic opportunity and spur new commercial development downtown, while reducing congestion in one of the state’s fastest-growing regions.”

 

Federal funding for the project includes $75 million through FTA’s Capital Investment (New Starts/Small Starts) program and $53 million in federal congestion mitigation funds. Funding for the remainder of the $199 million project comes from state and local sources. Over the last six months, ridership on Valley Metro light rail has risen 6.2 percent on average, compared with the same period in 2011.

 

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^ Work on the T Line was already going on while I was in SF 2 weekends ago.  I was only really by the Market/Union Square Terminal and the Chinatown one, but they are under construction.  The connection to Chinatown is important, but the set up that this provides as far as getting over toward Telegraph and North Beach Area is huge. 

I saw "MARC" and wondered why Maryland Rail Commuter was putting money into the KC streetcar?? :)

 

MARC APPROVES $17.7 MILLION FOR DOWNTOWN STREETCAR

WRITTEN BY MIKE

THURSDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2012 16:31

NO COMMENTS

 

The City of Kansas City, Mo.’s mass transit future received a boost on Wednesday, Oct. 24 when the Mid-America Regional Council approved $17.7 million in federal funds for the City’s proposed starter streetcar project in Downtown.

 

The agency announced that its board had approved the funding as part of an $81.7 million package of federal funds it will allot to 77 projects throughout the region. The streetcar allotment is the largest single portion of the funds distributed.

 

The streetcar funding includes $16 million in Surface Transportation Program funds to buy vehicles and $1.1 million from the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality funds to build streetcar stations.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.downtownkc.org/2012/10/25/marc-approves-17-7-million-for-downtown-streetcar/

Good news: Roughly 65% of LA County voters voted in favor of extending the transit tax, which would accelerate some major rail transit projects.

 

Bad news: In the asinine world of California governance, a supermajority of 66.7% of the vote was required for passage.

The tax is still in effect for 20~ years though, correct?  This was going to extend it indefinitely, which would have permitted them to borrow against those future earnings.  I'm sure this will just go back on the ballot until it passes.

Columbus says no, but smaller Ann Arbor says maybe...

 

http://www.annarbor.com/news/public-invited-to-give-input-at-ann-arbor-connector-drop-in-sessions-in-december/.

^Forget Columbus, Ann Arbor could have light rail before Detroit!