I will say, though, it was a pretty major PR blunder for Metro to "reveal" the new look without taking off the orange from the doors. I have now seen dozens of people talking about how the new color scheme clashes with the orange. Most of these comments are actually pretty positive about the new blue/green color scheme overall. It should have been pretty easy to anticipate this reaction and take off the remaining orange.

 

It's pretty amazing how the city team working on the streetcar managed to avoid any major PR blunders during the construction. But now that Metro and Transdev are taking over, I think they have a lot to learn. I think many of the people involved may be new to the project and aren't aware of all the ridiculous "controversies" surrounding the project for the past 8 years. They need to quickly learn that every little detail will be scrutinized to hell.

Twitterverse is stating that opening weekend will be free... not sure if this is thanks to Cincinnati Bell or some other sponsor.

 

Guessing the Founders Pass and Commemorative Tokens start on September 12th?

I will say, though, it was a pretty major PR blunder for Metro to "reveal" the new look without taking off the orange from the doors. I have now seen dozens of people talking about how the new color scheme clashes with the orange. Most of these comments are actually pretty positive about the new blue/green color scheme overall. It should have been pretty easy to anticipate this reaction and take off the remaining orange.

 

It's pretty amazing how the city team working on the streetcar managed to avoid any major PR blunders during the construction. But now that Metro and Transdev are taking over, I think they have a lot to learn. I think many of the people involved may be new to the project and aren't aware of all the ridiculous "controversies" surrounding the project for the past 8 years. They need to quickly learn that every little detail will be scrutinized to hell.

 

I heard that Cincy Bell wanted only their logo on it for a day and so the bottom wraps were not put on today. They will be put on tomorrow though.

Joseph Auto Group is one of the sponsors giving free rides on opening weekend.

Video from WCPO of branding being installed on a streetcar stop:

 

Joseph Auto Group is one of the sponsors giving free rides on opening weekend.

 

Interesting... *waves hand like Obi-Wan* "Forget about the Dennison Hotel"

You can charter a streetcar:

http://cincinnati-oh.gov/streetcar/charter-a-cincinnati-streetcar/

 

I saw that posted on Facebook or some place awhile back and jokingly mentioned having a wedding on it to my fiancee and I think she took me seriously. 

I vote NO on the renaming (rebranding?) of this thread.

Well, it is interesting that both Stough Group (who want to demolish the Davis) and Joseph Auto (who want to demolish the Dennison) are sponsoring the streetcar.

I vote NO on the renaming (rebranding?) of this thread.

 

Well, it is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  We kept the Cincinnati Streetcar name first for obvious reasons (future uses discussion, etc) but as for now, the streetcar is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  Or you could just buy out Cincy Bell and call the streetcar whatever you want! :D

I just saw the Connector rolling through downtown and I actually really like the new color scheme, especially when looking from head-on. The old head-on view was pretty much completely white, where now it has a nice blue-green gradient. My only complaint isn't about the orange/yellow color remaining, but the clash of the new bright white next to the old cream white. Seeing white directly adjacent to off-white bothers by eyes.

I vote NO on the renaming (rebranding?) of this thread.

 

Well, it is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  We kept the Cincinnati Streetcar name first for obvious reasons (future uses discussion, etc) but as for now, the streetcar is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  Or you could just buy out Cincy Bell and call the streetcar whatever you want! :D

Or we can call it the artist formerly known as the Cincinnati Streetcar but is now known as:

I vote NO on the renaming (rebranding?) of this thread.

 

Well, it is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  We kept the Cincinnati Streetcar name first for obvious reasons (future uses discussion, etc) but as for now, the streetcar is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  Or you could just buy out Cincy Bell and call the streetcar whatever you want! :D

Or we can call it the artist formerly known as the Cincinnati Streetcar but is now known as:

 

It's now Cinergy Field. 

 

 

It looks like a bicycle with the seat cut off.

It looks like a bicycle with the seat cut off.

 

The winding mechanism for a wind-up mouse...why didn't we just do a wind-up streetcar?

 

Are the Commemorative Tokens still for sale?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://www.go-metro.com/fares-passes/passes-order-page

I vote NO on the renaming (rebranding?) of this thread.

 

Well, it is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  We kept the Cincinnati Streetcar name first for obvious reasons (future uses discussion, etc) but as for now, the streetcar is called the Cincinnati Bell Connector.  Or you could just buy out Cincy Bell and call the streetcar whatever you want! :D

 

Has any thought been given to starting over with a new thread after 9/9 and moving this thread to Finished Projects?  We're at 815 pages already and it's getting hard to find old posts.  It might be nice to have a fresh start to kick off the grand opening and discuss expansions in a new thread.  On the other hand, it would be fun to hit 1000.

1) I don't think starting a new thread would be beneficial in any way. You can always use the search function to find specific posts.

 

2) Calling this a "completed project" would be kinda weird considering the expansion efforts.

 

3) I want to see it reach 1,000 pages.

^I'm fine either way, but 2 or 3 users in recent memory have started posts with something along the lines of "I posted something about this in this thread a few years ago, but I can't find it".  The search feature on this forum is pretty good at finding a post if you forgot which thread it was in, but it's not great at finding a specific post within an 800 page monster like this one.

Can't we just shift the conversation to the Beyond the Streetcar: The Future of Rail Transit in Cincinnati?

 

Well, it is interesting that both Stough Group (who want to demolish the Davis) and Joseph Auto (who want to demolish the Dennison) are sponsoring the streetcar.

I would guess they're excited for the streetcar to raise the value of their property if they ever are able to demolish.

Or we can call it the artist formerly known as the Cincinnati Streetcar but is now known as:

 

The version of the logo you posted above is the new Cincinnati Bell corporate logo, not the logo of the streetcar system. As far as I can tell, the system does not have a "logo" per say, it only has a wordmark which is the word "connector" with the "co" made into an infinity symbol:

 

 

I wish they would embrace the "co" infinity (without the top stub) as the symbol of the streetcar system itself.

UrbanCincy has a gallery showing the new look of the vehicles.

 

I also took this yesterday of a streetcar with the old colors at a rebranded station:

 

Free rides for everyone through Sept 11.

UrbanCincy has a gallery showing the new look of the vehicles.

 

I also took this yesterday of a streetcar with the old colors at a rebranded station:

 

 

will the "C I N C I N N A T I" be staying? I really like that touch.

 

 

Technically, yes, but it'll be covered by ads. The area above the window is for naming rights, and the area below is for ads. Fortunately they will not allow the windows to be covered, as some other cities have allowed.

I can't believe the streetcar is actually opening in less than 10 days. I distinctly remember attending the presentation to city council about the project in 2007, and flash forward to 2016 and it's here- it's really happening! When you think of the Herculean effort it took from so many people to get to this point, it's kind of overwhelming. 2 ballot initiatives aimed at stopping the streetcar, Kasich stealing back $50+ million in awarded state funding, plus a mayor-elect who ran on the platform of tearing up the tracks, and yet here we are. What an amazing story. Can not wait for opening day!

I can't believe the streetcar is actually opening in less than 10 days. I distinctly remember attending the presentation to city council about the project in 2007, and flash forward to 2016 and it's here- it's really happening! When you think of the Herculean effort it took from so many people to get to this point, it's kind of overwhelming. 2 ballot initiatives aimed at stopping the streetcar, Kasich stealing back $50+ million in awarded state funding, plus a mayor-elect who ran on the platform of tearing up the tracks, and yet here we are. What an amazing story. Can not wait for opening day!

Well-deserved y'all!! Hopefully, it's just the beginning.

I can't believe the streetcar is actually opening in less than 10 days. I distinctly remember attending the presentation to city council about the project in 2007, and flash forward to 2016 and it's here- it's really happening! When you think of the Herculean effort it took from so many people to get to this point, it's kind of overwhelming. 2 ballot initiatives aimed at stopping the streetcar, Kasich stealing back $50+ million in awarded state funding, plus a mayor-elect who ran on the platform of tearing up the tracks, and yet here we are. What an amazing story. Can not wait for opening day!

 

It is here by the narrowest of margins.  The really crazy thing to think about is that the single most-important thing that sent this in one direction or another was the lection of Kasich.  If Strickland had won reelection, we would have opened the whole project up to Corry St. in Corryville in 2013 or 2014 and would have 7 streetcars instead of 5.  We'd also have passenger trains running every day between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.  Kasich not only took away the money and spent it on two railroad grade separation projects in northern Ohio, he gave local opponents momentum to launch what became Issue 48 and delay the whole project by another year.  Then Duke delayed it bay another year. 

 

 

Technically, yes, but it'll be covered by ads. The area above the window is for naming rights, and the area below is for ads. Fortunately they will not allow the windows to be covered, as some other cities have allowed.

 

Boo. That stinks. I'm glad for the additional revenue but the outside's pureness of the white and orange will be missed.

If Strickland had won reelection, we would have opened the whole project up to Corry St. in Corryville in 2013 or 2014

 

At least now there is the opportunity to implement a better alignment that truly serves as a trunk for a regional light rail network, instead of a low ROI, slow, non-car-competitive street-running alignment. It might take a long time for the stars to align to get a tunnel (or two) built, but in the end that should drastically cut the timeline for developing a regional rail system. Without using the streetcar as impetus to have those tunnels built (i.e. having complacency set in when there's already a route up Vine), I'm convinced the LRT timeline would be dilated twofold at a minimum.

Well, the question is: do we want to push for the existing Phase 1B plan, which the next council will likely be able to approve and get built by 2020, and give 40k UC students an easy way to come downtown and maybe even live there? Or do we push for a half-billion dollar tunnel that will definitely require a tax increase (or a miracle where OKI and the federal government agree to fund it) and probably be a 10 year battle before it's even approved?

Well, the question is: do we want to push for the existing Phase 1B plan, which the next council will likely be able to approve and get built by 2020, and give 40k UC students an easy way to come downtown and maybe even live there? Or do we push for a half-billion dollar tunnel that will definitely require a tax increase (or a miracle where OKI and the federal government agree to fund it) and probably be a 10 year battle before it's even approved?

 

The tunnel is nowhere near "a half-billion dollars." We can build a tunnel or have a really crappy streetcar on Vine that few will use because it is so roundabout and slow.

Streetcar’s opening weekend features much more than free rides

 

Cincinnati’s streetcar – officially renamed the Cincinnati Bell Connector – will begin service to the public at noon Sept. 9 when the first streetcar returns from its inaugural loop as part of the dedication ceremony.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In addition to free streetcar rides, there are a multitude other free activities that weekend, from the riverfront to downtown and OTR, including:

 

    *Free rides on Carol Ann’s Carousel all weekend

    *ArtsWave Sunday at Washington Park, noon-5 p.m., featuring performances by local arts organizations

    *ArtWorks chalk art and a self-guided ArtWorks mural tour near many stations

    *Cheese Festival at Smale Riverfront Park, Cincy Beer Fest on Fountain Square, and Second Sunday on Main in OTR

    *Buy one, get one free admission to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Reds Hall of Fame & Museum

    *Mascots on Main noon-4 p.m. Saturday at Main Street streetcar stations

    *Public Library exhibit and talks about streetcar history

    *Streetcar items for sale: Graeter’s streetcar sundae, Taste of Belgium streetcar cookies, Rookwood Pottery streetcar coasters, Cincy Shirts

    *Streetcar specials and discounts at hotels, stores, restaurants, bars along the route

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/31/streetcar-s-opening-weekend-features-muchmore-than.html

Well, the question is: do we want to push for the existing Phase 1B plan, which the next council will likely be able to approve and get built by 2020, and give 40k UC students an easy way to come downtown and maybe even live there? Or do we push for a half-billion dollar tunnel that will definitely require a tax increase (or a miracle where OKI and the federal government agree to fund it) and probably be a 10 year battle before it's even approved?

 

The tunnel is nowhere near "a half-billion dollars." We can build a tunnel or have a really crappy streetcar on Vine that few will use because it is so roundabout and slow.

 

Just getting to UC isn't enough when there is so much more potential ridership just a few blocks away across MLK to Reading.  Potential for an exclusive ROW exists on the west side of Jefferson and on the north side of MLK, a distance of approximately one mile. 

 

 

 

 

Steve Dieters had a busy day on Facebook...spent the whole afternoon harping on the special taxing district on OTR that was proposed as part of the petition that was never turned in back during the work stoppage of December 2013.  It's like John Schneider pointed out to me way back in 2009 or so -- opponents often have one detail that they get hung up on, and if you can show them that it's not a problem, then they usually come around in support.  But what's amazing is that some of these stubborn opponents keep bringing up items that are now settled matters -- or in Dieters' case, over and over again bringing up settled non-matters.  There was never any formal proposal by the city to set up a special taxing district because it's virtually impossible to enact under Ohio law.  Get over it, Steve. 

 

The fact is that all of these naysayers will be eating dirt here shortly.  Ridership is going to be huge for the opening weekend and Oktoberfest.  I'm confident that we're going to easily blow past Kansas City's peak weekend ridership of 10,000. 

 

^I'd love to see that Facebook page just for entertainment of it. He must not have read about the special TIF type district the city set up to cover the costs

I see opponents bringing up this tax district thing all the time, and they don't seem to realize that the VTICA program is pretty much the same thing. In a couple of years there's going to be so much money flowing in from the VTICA program that we might be able to increase frequencies. Perhaps in ten years, there will be so much revenue that we won't even need to sell the naming rights again.

Well, the question is: do we want to push for the existing Phase 1B plan, which the next council will likely be able to approve and get built by 2020, and give 40k UC students an easy way to come downtown and maybe even live there? Or do we push for a half-billion dollar tunnel that will definitely require a tax increase (or a miracle where OKI and the federal government agree to fund it) and probably be a 10 year battle before it's even approved?

 

The tunnel is nowhere near "a half-billion dollars." We can build a tunnel or have a really crappy streetcar on Vine that few will use because it is so roundabout and slow.

 

Well half-billion is obviously just a guess, but I will reserve judgement until I see an actual plan that lays out the cost of the tunnel and the overall plan. I don't think you can sell Cincinnati on building a tunnel unless you also convince them to build multiple lines that branch off at the north end and serve different neighborhoods. And that seems like a "Metro Moves Lite" plan that we'd need to take to the voters.

 

Just want to throw this out there:

 

If a deep tunnel is built, do the surface property owners need to be paid for property rights?

 

Theoretically, a property owners boundaries extend down to the center of the earth. Unless the tunnel follows a path directly under a street right-of-way such as Vine Street, it will encroach on private property. The question is whether or not the surface property owners can claim a right that needs to be compensated. If they do, the cost of a tunnel could be increased not only because the owners need to be paid, but also because of the time-consuming title work and potential eminent domain court costs.

 

Just like the Duke question, it doesn't matter how they do it in Oregon or any other state; a tunnel in Cincinnati would be governed by Ohio law. I'm not aware of any other deep transit tunnels in Ohio; there are railroad and utility tunnels that might provide some precedent.

 

 

 

Well, the question is: do we want to push for the existing Phase 1B plan, which the next council will likely be able to approve and get built by 2020, and give 40k UC students an easy way to come downtown and maybe even live there? Or do we push for a half-billion dollar tunnel that will definitely require a tax increase (or a miracle where OKI and the federal government agree to fund it) and probably be a 10 year battle before it's even approved?

 

The tunnel is nowhere near "a half-billion dollars." We can build a tunnel or have a really crappy streetcar on Vine that few will use because it is so roundabout and slow.

 

Well half-billion is obviously just a guess, but I will reserve judgement until I see an actual plan that lays out the cost of the tunnel and the overall plan. I don't think you can sell Cincinnati on building a tunnel unless you also convince them to build multiple lines that branch off at the north end and serve different neighborhoods. And that seems like a "Metro Moves Lite" plan that we'd need to take to the voters.

 

I see the tunnel as the keystone for MetroMoves II, hosting at least two and maybe three rail lines. My thinking is, getting one rail line to Uptown will be hard enough. There will never be two in any of our lifetimes. So assuming we want to have UC on the Main Line of a regional rail network, the connection between Downtown and Uptown needs to be built for all time and able to handle multiple lines as we flesh-out a regional rail network. It needs to be straight and direct and fast to be car-competitive. Otherwise, you pretty much have a bus. I'm probably an outlier here, but I don't think there is enough travel demand between Uptown and Downtown to justify an Uptown extension that never goes farther than Uptown. It needs to be fed by lines funneling into it from the north.

The tunnel is nowhere near "a half-billion dollars." We can build a tunnel or have a really crappy streetcar on Vine that few will use because it is so roundabout and slow.

 

Well half-billion is obviously just a guess, but I will reserve judgement until I see an actual plan that lays out the cost of the tunnel and the overall plan. I don't think you can sell Cincinnati on building a tunnel unless you also convince them to build multiple lines that branch off at the north end and serve different neighborhoods. And that seems like a "Metro Moves Lite" plan that we'd need to take to the voters.

 

I agree that even while the streetcar will be successful, and seen as being successful, the tunnel may still be politically unrealistic, particularly with this current environment.

 

Obviously there is the 1B route, but there had been talk on this thread years ago about a Gilbert route.  If that's still viable, it strikes me that once the streetcar is up and running, the next extension should go to the neighborhood that is willing to create a SID which will help fund operations through a special property assessment.

If a deep tunnel is built, do the surface property owners need to be paid for property rights?

 

Theoretically, a property owners boundaries extend down to the center of the earth.

 

My understanding is property owners don't have rights even a few feet below their property much less to the center of the earth.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but electric, gas, water, sewer, etc... lines beneath your property are property of the utilities.  Then there's mineral rights beneath the property which often aren't part of the deed.

Without looking it up, my gut instinct is that an easement would be needed with each property owner above the tunnel, and they would be able to negotiate reimbursement for that easement. Whenever there's a utility under someone's property, there's an easement for it (or there should be).

Someone sent me a picture of one of the streetcars with the Cincy Bell ad and a large Rhinegeist ad running around downtown. It looked pretty cool

^Saw it this morning on Walnut. The Rhinegeist ad looks really, really good.

^Their branding is on point. I don't expect most ads to be that well done. Without seeing anything else, I could see UC doing a pretty good one, but probably nothing as clean as this Rhinegeist ad was. Hopefully someone will upload a photo soon. I only saw it on snapchat and didn't screenshot it.

Theoretically, a property owners boundaries extend down to the center of the earth.

I think this is funny, especially since I have Cincinnati Bell telephone wires running through my basement in OTR, as do many other people. When they started running fiber, I got a knock on the door saying that they needed access to my basement in order to run fiber down there. Somehow, Cincinnati Bell owned the rights to my basement, so I figure there must be some way of digging tunnels in the earth below my basement.

 

Just in case you think this is funny too, a side note. A few months back I figured that the old Cincinnati Bell cable as big as my thumb had to go -- it must not actually be used, right? I mean, who even has land line service, anyway? I got out my bolt cutters and snip-snip, my ceiling was clean. The next morning a Cincinnati Bell tech knocked on my door...