BRT is clearly a sham, but it's the latest tool being used by anti-rail fanatics.

 

At some point in the late 70's or early 80's, it was decided that cities could no longer afford to build subways. Light rail was touted as the compromise solution. Now they're saying cities can't afford to build light rail, and BRT is being touted as the compromise solution. What will be the "compromise" solution when they decide that BRT is too much hassle?

 

For the past 50 years, transit advocates are the ones that have been doing all the compromising, and many of our cities have been compromised away to the point where there's nothing left but highways and strip malls. Transit agencies and the civic leadership need to realize that you don't compromise with people who have a vested interest in seeing you fail.

 

:wtf:  good post and good question

at long, long last, a station renovation connecting up bleecker st service. via curbed blog:

 

 

Soho, Noho Join Forces for Subway Super Station!

 

Wednesday, July 15, 2009, by Pete

 

After years of digging up poor Houston Street, it seemed that the folks in charge of rebuilding our fair city had finished the big job. Then along came the MTA to rip it up again. The MTA's plans have been kept somewhat hidden from view, until now: It's a super station! Via Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects, we see the reshuffling down below will connect the ancient and narrow Bleecker Street stop to the massive multi-line station at Broadway and Houston. And we haven't even mentioned the trippy LED art yet. Yeah, it may be a big mess right now—complete with giant holes and hidden stairways and excavations—but check out the gallery above for the new and improved underground to come circa 2011. Give or take.

 

 

more renders, pics & links here:

http://curbed.com/archives/2009/07/15/soho_noho_join_forces_for_subway_super_station.php

 

ps -- i found the project cost on the architect's site: $94m  :-o

 

 

 

 

Here comes a whole bunch of news from elsewhere......

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature1-7-16

 

Late Breaking Rail Industry News

 

July 15, 2009

Rail funds give Chicago Hub a lift

 

A long-delayed plan to reduce congestion in the nation's busiest freight rail hub has won $322 million in funding from Illinois, a big victory for railroads that improves the odds the state will win federal stimulus grants to expand passenger rail service, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

 

And another....

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature3-7-16

 

July 15, 2009

Florida has new plan to buy CSX line in Orlando

 

In the latest twist to the controversial plan to bring commuter rail to the Orlando, Fla., area, state officials are seeking $432 million from the federal government to buy 61.5 miles of rail line from CSX Transportation, the Lakeland Ledger reports. But the request is part of $8 billion being provided by the federal government for high-speed rail that connects cities with few stops.

 

 

And yet another.....

 

http://www.railwayage.com//content/view/1027/121/

 

VIA Rail gets boost for Toronto-Montreal route

July 16, 2009

 

Officials from VIA Rail Canada, Canadian National, and the federal government will gather at Toronto’s Union Station Thursday to tout two developments aimed at improving passenger rail service on VIA’s Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal route.

 

_____________________

 

A little more detail....

 

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/story.html?id=1794929

 

VIA Rail service between Montreal and Toronto to get $300M upgrade

National Post 

Published: Thursday, July 16, 2009

 

The federal government is expected to formally announce today a $300-million investment to improve passenger rail service between Toronto and Montreal. The financing is part of the increase to VIA Rail Canada's budget as part of the economic action plan announced in the budget.

 

 

umm, ok? i could have swore this whole thread is about news from elsewhere...  :wtf:

 

***

 

here she comes -- i've been waiting a long time for this news. good for them to do it right !!!  :clap:

 

After decades, light-rail trains run in Seattle

 

By TIM KLASS – 20 hours ago

 

SEATTLE (AP) — More than four decades after political wrangling and recession ran a mass transit rail plan for Seattle off the tracks, trains are finally running.

 

Passenger service on the new Link system begins Saturday with live music, free rides and shuttle service to some stations, ending the city's dubious status as one of the nation's largest without a dedicated rail transit system.

 

 

 

 

 

^Seattle's a truly great city; glad to see, finally, their getting on board with the rest of the West Coast in terms of rapid transit -- Saturday will finally remove the city from being the lone West Coast major city w/o it...

 

btw, mrnyc, what's the latest w/ the LIRR connection to Grand Central? 

 

Living in Gin, I'm with you on BRT though, I'll admit, there are limited circumstances where it can work, but mainly for either smaller cities or on the periphery of large ones.  ie, Miami-Dade's BRT extension of MetroRail south from Dadeland mall/TOD along a limited access route 1 makes sense.  A few of Pittsburgh's Skyway buses make sense and really are fast as they are along built limited access roads.  But Pittsburgh built too many of them at the expense of extending its LRT which, now, it seems it's coming back to... and no, Cleveland's HL was not one of the good examples I had in mind, but it's built now, so we've got to learn to appreciate it...I guess.

^ i'll say. seattle has screwed up with rail transit over the years more than anybody, but they have definately turned it around. sound transit's rail already is and will continue to be an amazing system.

 

 

as for ny, there was a great exhibit in the grand central terminal transit museum annex i saw recently that included all the major nyc underground projects, including the lirr east side access project. info:

 

A 2-part exhibition on display at the Transit Museum's Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library Science Industry and Business Library on Madison Avenue at 34th Street.

 

February 17 - July 5, 2009

 

Examining 8 mega underground infrastructure projects that will dramatically change how we move around New York, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's East Side Access, Second Avenue Subway, 7 Subway Extension and Fulton Transit Center; the New York City Department of Environmental Protection's Croton Water Filtration Plant and City Water Tunnel No. 3; New Jersey Transit's Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Tunnel Project and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's World Trade Center Site.

 

http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/whatsnew.htm

 

 

otherwise, this is the latest news i found on the lirr east side access project:

 

 

Project News

 

    * The second phase of construction at 37th Street and Park Avenue to complete the relocation of utilities and construct sidewalk plenum and air shafts began in early January 2009. For more information on the work to be completed in this area, please click here. To learn about how a raise bore machine operates, please click here.

 

    * The East Side Access Project is currently excavating tunnels approximately 120 feet beneath Manhattan streets. Two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used, one manufactured by SELI and one manufactured by Robbins.

 

      The two TBM's in Manhattan will make eight tunnel drives starting and ending at various points along the alignment. The first two tunnel drives, starting at 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue with the first ending at 43rd Street and the second ending at 37th Street, have been completed. The next set of drives will begin in early 2009, at approximately 49th Street, and all the Manhattan tunnels will be mined by 2010.

 

http://www.mta.info/capconstr/esas/index.html

 

 

 

umm, ok? i could have swore this whole thread is about news from elsewhere... :wtf:

 

 

 

My comment wasn't directed at you. It was a remark to prepare the readers for all the news I was about to post.

i didnt take it as toward me personally, only that 3 short posts isn't all that much.

this guy is pretty incredible -- make sure to check out the short news video on the link below:

 

 

07/10/2009 03:13 PM

Subway Pianist Wows, Puzzles New Yorkers

 

By: Bobby Cuza

 

Musicians playing for spare change may be a common sight on the subway system. But one man has been putting on a kind of performance never before seen underground. NY1 Transit reporter Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

 

It's not easy to wow New Yorkers, but Colin Huggins may have found the key, or rather 88 keys.

 

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/nyregion/thecity/31pian.html

 

 

For immediate release:

New transportation advocacy group - All Aboard Erie - to meet July 20

Contact: Lisa Austin [email protected] (814) 732 ‐ 2908

 

All Aboard Erie. is a new advocacy group working to increase regional access to convenient,

affordable, fully-accessible public transportation. Improved public transportation creates, attracts

and retains businesses and jobs. Convenient bus and rail supports education, increases land

values and fosters sustainable economic development.

 

All Aboard Erie will hold its first public meeting on Monday, July 20th, from 5:30 to 7pm at the

Whole Foods Coop, at 1341 West 26th Street. All are welcome, pre-registration is requested: phone

the Whole Foods Coop at 456-0282, extension 5.

 

Goals for RAIL

1. Obtain national high-speed designation for the Buffalo - Erie - Cleveland corridor.

2. Increase passenger rail schedule on the existing East-West corridor.

3. Use existing right-of-way to build a passenger rail line parallel to existing rail line.

4. Create a plan for passenger rail from Erie to Pittsburgh along the I 79 corridor.

5. Create a plan for light rail between regional colleges and universities linking all lines

to those proposed in the Ohio Higher Education Rail Network - OHERN.

 

Goals for BUS & Trolley

1. Increase local ridership by 3% by December 2010.

2. Install lifts on all buses by December 2011.

3. Research, propose and help create a "College Connection) a non-stop bus service between

downtown Corry, Erie, and Meadville and the higher education campuses of : Edinboro

University of PA, Gannon University, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and

Penn State Erie - the Behrend College.

4. Begin non-stop bus service from Erie to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo

 

Inspired by County Councilman Kyle Foust’s recent Rail Summits, members of Envision Erie, and

the Erie Center for Design and Preservation founded All Aboard Erie in June, 2009. To achieve

transportation goals, members of All Aboard Erie hope to work with elected city, county, state and

national leaders as well as representatives from the many organizations who participated in the

Rail Summits: Penn Dot, the Port Authority, the Erie Airport Authority, Erie County MPO, EMTA,

GE, the Chamber, Logistics Plus, Visit Erie, redevelopment authorities, medical centers, School

Boards, colleges and universities, All Aboard Ohio, and the French Creek Valley Railroad

Historical Society, the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society, and the Sierra Club.

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=21012

 

7/17/2009

VIA Rail, CN and Canadian government team up to expand passenger road's infrastructure

 

Yesterday, the Canadian government and VIA Rail Canada Inc. announced a more than $250 million investment in the railroad’s “Canadian National Kingston Subdivision” project — the largest infrastructure improvement program in the 153-year history of passenger-rail service between Montreal and Toronto, according to VIA Rail.

 

 

Denver, BNSF reach agreement on line sale 

Railway Age Magazine

 

Denver's Regional Transportation District and BNSF have reached agreement for RTD to acquire part of BNSF's Denver-Cheyenne, Wyo., route for regional passenger rail use. The segment stretches from Denver Union Station to 72nd Street in Westminster, Colo.

 

 

 

http://www.railwayage.com//content/view/1037/121/

crazy....

 

 

Witness Claims LIRR Engineer Let Passenger Drive Train

 

Uh oh: Newsday reports, "A Long Island Rail Road engineer has been suspended without pay following accusations that he allowed a passenger to operate a train as it traveled west of Hicksville earlier this month and law enforcement authorities are investigating." The MTA Police Chief, Michael Coan, said they are working on developing a criminal case against the engineer and passenger, "We know somebody was in the cab. We don't know what happened there. We also know that it ran smoothly and nobody was injured."

 

 

 

http://gothamist.com/2009/07/17/witness_claims_lirr_engineer_let_pa.php

 

For immediate release:

New transportation advocacy group - All Aboard Erie - to meet July 20

 

Contact: Lisa Austin [email protected] (814) 732 ‐ 2908

 

All Aboard Erie. is a new advocacy group working to increase regional access to convenient, affordable, fully-accessible public transportation. Improved public transportation creates, attracts and retains businesses and jobs. Convenient bus and rail supports education, increases land values and fosters sustainable economic development.

 

All Aboard Erie will hold its first public meeting on ;

Monday, July 20th, from 5:30 to 7pm at the

Whole Foods Coop, at 1341 West 26th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania.

 

All are welcome, pre-registration is requested: phone

the Whole Foods Coop at 456-0282, extension 5.

 

Goals for RAIL

1. Obtain national high-speed designation for the Buffalo - Erie - Cleveland corridor.

2. Increase passenger rail schedule on the existing East-West corridor.

3. Use existing right-of-way to build a passenger rail line parallel to existing rail line.

4. Create a plan for passenger rail from Erie to Pittsburgh along the I 79 corridor.

5. Create a plan for light rail between regional colleges and universities linking all lines to those proposed in the Ohio Higher Education Rail Network - OHERN.

 

Goals for BUS & Trolley

1. Increase local ridership by 3% by December 2010.

2. Install lifts on all buses by December 2011.

3. Research, propose and help create a “College Connection) a non-stop bus service between downtown Corry, Erie, and Meadville and the higher education campuses of : Edinboro University of PA, Gannon University, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Penn State Erie - the Behrend College.

4. Begin non-stop bus service from Erie to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo

 

Inspired by County Councilman Kyle Foust’s recent Rail Summits, members of Envision Erie, and the Erie Center for Design and Preservation founded All Aboard Erie in June, 2009. To achieve transportation goals, members of All Aboard Erie hope to work with elected city, county, state and

national leaders as well as representatives from the many organizations who participated in the Rail Summits:

 

PennDOT, the Port Authority, the Erie Airport Authority, Erie County MPO, EMTA, GE Transportation Systems, the Chamber of Commerce, Logistics Plus, Visit Erie, redevelopment authorities, medical centers, School Boards, colleges and universities, All Aboard Ohio, and the French Creek Valley Railroad

Historical Society, the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society, and the Sierra Club.

The All Aboard Erie release was deleted as a duplicate post for this thread.

I was looking around and found NCTD's(North County Transit District,San Diego) Sprinter,DMU, from Oceanside, San Marccos and Escondido. It looked pretty good. How could this be used in Ohio? Are these the type of cars that can be hooked on to a regular Amtrak type train, and then be separated to go on to secondary cities

I don't believe the Sprinter can be used in mixed traffic operations. On the line to Escondido NCTD has a temporal separation with freight service (the freight trains operate at night).

It's about time Seattle residents woke up and smelled the coffee for which they're so famous. Seattle is a progressive city in many ways, but their experience with light rail has been nothing more than 40 years of talk -- until now. Now they're finally in "The Club."

_____________

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009496849_lightrail19m.html

 

Sunday, July 19, 2009 - Page updated at 11:12 AM

 

 

 

ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Passengers get ready to board at the Beacon Hill Station, adorned with colorful "Space Forms" by Dan Corson.

 

 

Riders guide

By Sandi Doughton and Mike Lindblom

Seattle Times staff reporters

 

Seattle welcomed light rail Saturday with cheers, applause and a question: What took you so long?

 

 

The syndrome of "The grass is greener on the other side" isn't just an Ohio thing. I hope this commentary shows that others have it, too. But the people who can make a difference are able to filter out those who succumb to negativism. The difference-makers press ahead with what they believe is right.

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2009496798_danny19.html

 

Originally published Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 12:00 AM

 

Light rail shows Seattle is 'growing up'

Seattle finally has something most big cities had decades ago: a rapid mass-transit line.

 

Danny Westneat

Seattle Times staff columnist

 

Seattle, the little engine that doubted it could, finally got its train.

 

Today we're a bit more like Chicago or New York than we were yesterday.

 

 

Great articles. Cincinnati, take heed.

Agreed.  The lesson: let's stop debating things to death. Not just in Cincy, but this also applies to the decades-long debate over light rail and streetcars in Columbus.... expanding rail-based transit in cities like Cleveland and Toledo.

 

There's always going to be someone saying "we shouldn't be spending money on this in times like these."  So when, I ask< is a good time? 

 

There is an old saying in the advertising world: In good times, you should advertise.  In bad times, you must"

 

When we fail to adequately invest in our infrastructure due to endless debate, we fail ourselves and future generations.

http://www.governor.iowa.gov/news/2009/07/20_1.php

 

Governor Culver's Iowa Unlimited Rolls East This Weekend

Train to promote passenger rail service throughout Iowa

 

DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver’s Iowa Unlimited is on the move again, this time with stops in Eastern Iowa on Sunday, July 26.  Designed to raise awareness of passenger rail, the train will make stops in Iowa City, West Liberty, Durant, and Walcott before crossing the Mississippi and holding an event in Moline at the future site of the Quad Cities’ passenger rail depot.

 

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-7-22

 

July 21, 2009

LA Metro to hold meetings on Westside Subway Extension

 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold five community meetings on the Westside Subway Extension Project to provide an update on Metro’s continued progress with this project.

 

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-7-22

 

July 21, 2009

Rockford, Ill., officials seek commuter trains

 

Rockford, Ill., area officials pushing to bring commuter train service Metra to Winnebago County are using Amtrak to help deliver the service – and their efforts threaten to derail DeKalb County’s bid for passenger rail service, according to the Northwest Herald.

 

 

Virginia seeks more than $2 billion in ARRA funds to advance HSR

Progressive Railroading Magazine

 

Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine recently joined regional business and local government officials to seek federal funds to develop high-speed rail (HSR) between Washington, D.C., and the Richmond and Petersburg areas.

 

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=21038

California senate votes to raid high-speed rail funds

 

Keep in mind that funding for high-speed rail was specifically approved by voters this past fall. So much for direct democracy... Gotta love California's shining example of what Cincinnati will become if COAST/NAACP/Haap have their way.

If California raids the HSR funds, they can kiss goodbye getting their hoped-for federal stimulus funds. They will probably get some for their existing, highly developed Amtrak services, but not the high-speed rail program voters approved in November to take the next step. I question if it's even legal for legislators to raid the voter-approved HSR bond fund.

^That's sad, but if they shoot themselves in the foot as far as Federal HSR funds, does that mean better chances of funds for the Ohio Hub?

I'm sure it would get shot down in court if challenged, especially since Proposition 8 was upheld by the same court despite being on far shakier legal ground.

 

Funny how it only takes 50% of voters to strip their fellow citizens of basic civil rights, but it takes a 2/3 vote to pass a budget.

Over the years I've read anecdotal reports that NYC's Manhattan Bridge deflects as much as six feet whenever a subway train passes over the span. I've always taken that figure with a grain of salt, but thanks to the wonders of time-lapse video and YouTube, six feet actually looks about right.

 

Over the years I've read anecdotal reports that NYC's Manhattan Bridge deflects as much as six feet whenever a subway train passes over the span. I've always taken that figure with a grain of salt, but thanks to the wonders of time-lapse video and YouTube, six feet actually looks about right.

 

 

IIRC, the manhattan bridge with street car tracks on the upper level and tracks to "nowhere" on the lower.  When I first moved to Brooklyn, there was a massive project to improve the tracks, so no trains didn't even run over the bridge.  Neglect of the bridge and the unequal movement (one set of track was use more often than the other) of the

trains.  I don't really like that bridge.  It just doesn't "feel" safe to me.

Due to the tracks being located on the outboard side of the bridge, the span has been a constant maintenance headache for NYDOT for decades. One of the engineers involved in the design of the Manhattan Bridge later went on to design the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

 

It's a very graceful-looking bridge and a nice contrast to the beefy Brooklyn Bridge nearby, but I think an arch bridge like the Hell Gate or a cantilever truss design like the Queensboro would have been a more appropriate choice for carrying rail traffic.

 

Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Bridge also carries subway trains on the outboard sides, but the PATCO trains aren't nearly as long, heavy, or frequent as the NYC subway trains. I don't think that bridge has had nearly as many structural problems.

in a nutshell....  :|

 

 

 

The Long, Tortured History of the Second Avenue Subway

 

 

This week, the MTA announced further delays on the long-awaited, almost mythical Second Avenue subway line. But given the history of the line, the news was met with little surprise. In fact, the project has been delayed time after time over a span stretching back 80 years:

 

• 1929: NYC Board of Transportation budgets $86 million for its newly proposed Second Avenue T line, predicted to open between 1938 and 1941.

 

 

 

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/07/the_tortured_history_of_the_se.html

 

meanwhile, at long last there good news for sports fans over in new jersey  :clap:

 

Soccer fans try new rail service to Meadowlands

 

by Rohan Mascarenhas/The Star-Ledger

Sunday July 26, 2009, 10:06 PM

 

 

For the first time since Giants stadium opened more than 30 years ago, thousands of fans took advantage of a new rail service today to arrive at the Meadowlands fixture for a sold-out soccer match.

 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/giants/

 

Erick Erickson, founder of right-wing political blog site RedState.com, is encouraging attendees to their upcoming gathering in Atlanta to ride MARTA.

^ lol! no kidding?

 

umm, great!

 

Wow. A sure sign the apocalypse is at hand!

He must not have heard the old racist joke about what "MARTA" stands for.

He must not have heard the old racist joke about what "MARTA" stands for.

 

Lets not go there or post it here.

Actually, one of the staunchest supporters of rial & transit was the late Paul Weyrich who ran the very conservative Free Congress Association. He was also critical of many of the so-called "free-market" think tanks that opposed rail & transit funding.

Gothamist: Child Seen Operating Subway Train on Lexington Line

 

I've operated subway trains, too, but I had to do it at a railroad museum. Guess I didn't have the right connections.

The fare increases seem to make things very expensive. I wonder how RTA's fares compare to other cities. $2.25/one way seems a little high to me.

Yeah, I guess you save money when you raise fares and cut back service, but you also alienate a lot of people decrease ridership. Seems like a vicious circle...

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

 

I can give a rather apples to apples comparison (or probably as close as possible):

In St. Louis, bus fare is $2.00 but train fare is $2.25. I believe there is also going to be another fare hike soon cause they are in way more money trouble than RTA is. So, no, $2.25 isn't rediculously high.

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

Exactly. NYC, San Fran (Bart & Muni), Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, etc. are all proposing or have already announced fare hikes and several other cities are discussing this.   I don't feel it's "too high" considering RTA is well managed compared to other Transit Systems like the MTA (NY and LA), MARTA or Vegas, Miami.

 

I don't know which NYC you're referring to, but the one in New York is absolutely world class.  I would say comparing its management to RTA is apples to oranges.... but that's just me!

The fare increases seem to make things very expensive. I wonder how RTA's fares compare to other cities. $2.25/one way seems a little high to me.

Yeah, I guess you save money when you raise fares and cut back service, but you also alienate a lot of people decrease ridership. Seems like a vicious circle...

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

 

I can give a rather apples to apples comparison (or probably as close as possible):

In St. Louis, bus fare is $2.00 but train fare is $2.25. I believe there is also going to be another fare hike soon cause they are in way more money trouble than RTA is. So, no, $2.25 isn't rediculously high.

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

Exactly. NYC, San Fran (Bart & Muni), Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, etc. are all proposing or have already announced fare hikes and several other cities are discussing this. I don't feel it's "too high" considering RTA is well managed compared to other Transit Systems like the MTA (NY and LA), MARTA or Vegas, Miami.

 

I don't know which NYC you're referring to, but the one in New York is absolutely world class. I would say comparing its management to RTA is apples to oranges.... but that's just me!

 

You clearly don't live in NYC.. MTA is one of the worst run agencies in ANY industry.  Simply because NYC subway system is large, doesn't mean it's well run.

The fare increases seem to make things very expensive.  I wonder how RTA's fares compare to other cities.  $2.25/one way seems a little high to me.

Yeah, I guess you save money when you raise fares and cut back service, but you also alienate a lot of people decrease ridership.  Seems like a vicious circle...

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant.  Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

 

I can give a rather apples to apples comparison (or probably as close as possible):

In St. Louis, bus fare is $2.00 but train fare is $2.25.  I believe there is also going to be another fare hike soon cause they are in way more money trouble than RTA is.  So, no, $2.25 isn't ridiculously high.

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant.  Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

Exactly.  NYC, San Fran (Bart & Muni), Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, etc. are all proposing or have already announced fare hikes and several other cities are discussing this.  I don't feel it's "too high" considering RTA is well managed compared to other Transit Systems like the MTA (NY and LA), MARTA or Vegas, Miami.

 

I don't know which NYC you're referring to, but the one in New York is absolutely world class.  I would say comparing its management to RTA is apples to oranges.... but that's just me!

 

You cannot be serious.  The mismanagement of the MTA is unequal to any  major city transit system in this country!

 

They have no clue.  None.  The monthly fare has gone up from $46 to 81 in 9 years.

The fare increases seem to make things very expensive. I wonder how RTA's fares compare to other cities. $2.25/one way seems a little high to me.

Yeah, I guess you save money when you raise fares and cut back service, but you also alienate a lot of people decrease ridership. Seems like a vicious circle...

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

 

I can give a rather apples to apples comparison (or probably as close as possible):

In St. Louis, bus fare is $2.00 but train fare is $2.25. I believe there is also going to be another fare hike soon cause they are in way more money trouble than RTA is. So, no, $2.25 isn't ridiculously high.

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant. Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

Exactly. NYC, San Fran (Bart & Muni), Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, etc. are all proposing or have already announced fare hikes and several other cities are discussing this.   I don't feel it's "too high" considering RTA is well managed compared to other Transit Systems like the MTA (NY and LA), MARTA or Vegas, Miami.

 

I don't know which NYC you're referring to, but the one in New York is absolutely world class. I would say comparing its management to RTA is apples to oranges.... but that's just me!

 

You cannot be serious. The mismanagement of the MTA is unequal to any major city transit system in this country!

 

They have no clue. None. The monthly fare has gone up from $46 to 81 in 9 years.

 

From $46 to $89 with the recent monthly unlimited metrocard hike that took affect on June 30th.

The fare increases seem to make things very expensive.  I wonder how RTA's fares compare to other cities.  $2.25/one way seems a little high to me.

Yeah, I guess you save money when you raise fares and cut back service, but you also alienate a lot of people decrease ridership.  Seems like a vicious circle...

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant.  Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

 

I can give a rather apples to apples comparison (or probably as close as possible):

In St. Louis, bus fare is $2.00 but train fare is $2.25.  I believe there is also going to be another fare hike soon cause they are in way more money trouble than RTA is.  So, no, $2.25 isn't ridiculously high.

 

How we compare to other cities is almost irrelevant.  Most other cities outside Ohio receive substantially more state funding, so it's not a very apples to apples comparison.

Exactly.  NYC, San Fran (Bart & Muni), Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, etc. are all proposing or have already announced fare hikes and several other cities are discussing this.  I don't feel it's "too high" considering RTA is well managed compared to other Transit Systems like the MTA (NY and LA), MARTA or Vegas, Miami.

 

I don't know which NYC you're referring to, but the one in New York is absolutely world class.  I would say comparing its management to RTA is apples to oranges.... but that's just me!

 

You cannot be serious.  The mismanagement of the MTA is unequal to any  major city transit system in this country!

 

They have no clue.  None.  The monthly fare has gone up from $46 to 81 in 9 years.

 

From $46 to $89 with the recent monthly unlimited metrocard hike that took affect on June 30th.

 

I totally forgot about that, as I haven't had to buy it yet.  I wondered why the weekly fare was higher than it normally is, when the kids brought me their metrocard receipts.

 

Still apples to oranges no how you spin it!

Still apples to oranges no how you spin it!

 

You need to live in both NYC and Cleveland before "comparing" or saying it's a spin.