I don't think commuter or light rail lines are a step "above" one or the other, they each serve a different purpose.  My point is I don't see either doing particularly well in Nashville, it lacks almost any walkable areas which hurts the potential of light rail and as mentioned previously its downtown is not a major business center.  I don't have the numbers in front of me but I'd guess something around 30,000 people work downtown, or 1/3 of Cincinnati.  The Vanderbilt area is home to some midrise office towers and hospitals but freight lines do not exist in that area that could be used for transit service.   

Sorry... didn't mean to imply that light rail was anything less than commuter rail in quality.  My point is that one is literally heavier than the other in terms of the weight of the cars and crash standards, etc.

 

I wouldn't know about the layout of Nashville, but the impact of rail-based transit usually encourages more walkable development.  I would hope the city and business leaders would look at their devlopment standards to further encourage such development.

It doesn't really take a whole lot to make a commuter rail line effective.  Since commuter rail is mostly rush-hour based service, you could operate three trains a day in each direction and people would ride.  The mode lends itself well to a common hub with outlying park-and-ride stations, as opposed to light or heavy rail, which require nodes of dense development to operate effectively.  On top of that, it's easier to achieve a higher farebox recovery ratio than light rail.

 

If Miami and Los Angeles can operate successful commuter rail lines, so can anywhere else.

3/13/2006    High-Speed Rail

Virginia rail department to host open houses for high-speed corridor

 

This week, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will hold two open houses to review the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor between Petersburg and Richmond, Va.

 

more at:

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=8502

Note that the conventional high-sped rail line costs $21 million per mile while the Maglev line costs $39 million per mile. Yet maglev buys only a 40 mph increase for nearly double the cost.

 

Either way, China is kicking our ass.

_____________________

 

China approves construction of two high-speed railways

 

BEIJING - China announced a $22 billion plan Monday to build two new high-speed railway lines linking Shanghai with Beijing and another city, including one using magnetic levitation technology that can reach speeds of 260 mph, according to an Associated Press story published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Both lines are among the world's most ambitious railway-building projects. They had been long-awaited by international suppliers of railway technology, but the announcements did not specify which companies would be involved in constructing them.

 

The 820-mile Beijing-Shanghai link will run at speeds up to 220 mph, according to an announcement by the Cabinet's National Reform and Development Commission, the government's top industrial planning agency. The announcement did not say when the line would be built or give a cost. But China’s official Xinhua News Agency cited Railway Minister Liu Zhijun as putting the price last week at $17.5 billion.

 

Japan lobbied China to use its Shinkansen bullet train technology, France its TGV system, and Germany its maglev (magnetic levitation) technology. But China says it wants to build the line with domestic technology adapted from that in use overseas.

 

The second project, a 110-mile maglev line from Shanghai to Hangzhou, is to be completed by 2010 at a cost of $4.3 billion, Xinhua reported. The world's only commercially operating maglev train, built with German technology, links Shanghai's main airport with its financial district. Maglev technology uses powerful magnets to suspend a train above a track and propel it at speeds of up to 260 mph.

 

The government plans to build more than 7,500 miles of high-speed railways in coming years at a cost of $250 to $310 billion, according to Xinhua.

Home on the Hiawatha

 

Development along light-rail transit line exceeds early projections

 

If you build it, will they come? After decades of debate, the region in 2001 began building its first light-rail transit (LRT) line, along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. The project required a huge investment of time, labor and money -- $715.3 million from federal, state, regional and county sources.

 

Public investments for the Hiawatha line were approved, in part, because planners predicted significant investments in nearby business and residential development. Has the project lived up to the dream?

 

After just one year of full operation, the answer is a solid “yes.” LRT is more than fulfilling its promise to attract both riders and development.

 

 

http://www.metrocouncil.org/directions/transit/transit2006/hiawatha_housingMar06.htm

 

Outstanding.

 

Do you have a larger picture of the LRT passing the condos under construction? I'd like to use it for an upcoming newsletter I'm working on.  :wink:

 

BTW, I found some other stuff on Minneapolis TOD, which I'm posting in a TOD-oriented thread.

KJP.... Those are the largest photos that were available.  You might check the story on plantizen.com and see if there are any contacts with the agency who submitted the story.

 

 

Will do. Thanks.

3/10/2006

Planes and Trains, Part I

Airport City’s new wings for Detroit

By Keith Schneider

Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

 

Part One of a Two-Part Series

 

DETROIT -- Tipped against a wall in Mulu Birru’s office is a large piece of cardboard with a map of western Wayne County pasted to its surface.

 

Black lines trace an L-shaped swath of ground roughly bounded by Willow Run Airport on the west, Detroit Metropolitan Airport on the south, Michigan Avenue on the north, and Inkster and Taylor to the east. More important, the lines trace a revolutionary plan to revive southeast Michigan’s economy and reverse Detroit’s 50-year population decline.

 

 

http://mlui.org/growthmanagement/fullarticle.asp?fileid=17014

 

PART TWO FOLLOWS !!!

3/12/2006

Planes and Trains, Part II

Southeast Michigan's bid to join the 21st century

By Keith Schneider

Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

 

With a little luck and a lot of statesmanship, “Airport City,” a planned metropolis of 450,000 residents between Detroit’s two major airports, might have trains to go along with its planes.

 

A commuter route from Detroit to Ann Arbor, with possible links to the Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run airports is starting to look like a real possibility. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will complete a feasibility study by June and Congress has designated $100 million to design, engineer, and perhaps start construction on the commuter route.

 

 

http://mlui.org/growthmanagement/fullarticle.asp?fileid=17015

Excellent stuff, noozer.  My comments are these:

 

DETROIT: it's ashamed such a backwards mentality permeates in Motown viz transit.  Fact is, people would go for an "airport city" concept in the busy corridor.  Proof is in the pudding: Detroit's 3 round-trip Amtrak runs to Chicago are increasing in popularity (jam packed on the weekends, ... and on time!).  Sadly, those 3 daytime round-trips are much, much better than those wee-hours, usually late 2 runs we've got here from Cleveland.

 

BALTIMORE:  It's only partly right to compare Light Rail's woes to Cleveland's Red Line in it's cheap construction.  At least the Red Line was designed by the Vans as a rapid transit from way back.  Plus, location is really the lesser of Balto's problems.  The bigger problem w/ it's Light Rail is operationally -- it's too damn slow!!  The track doubling will reduce a lot of it, but it still runs at a snails pace down Howard Street into downtown/Camden Yards, battling cars and untimed, slow traffic lights... It's a fact: for over 4 blocks, I LITERALLY out-walked a Light Rail train-- and it was moving, too, not stopped for passengers!!

I will say, though, that despite its operational problems, the Baltimore Light Rail does a halfway decent job of connecting BWI and Penn Station to downtown.  I've taken the commuter train to Baltimore many times (which is a pretty darn good service) and transferred from the train to the light rail to get downtown.  Now, if only the commuter trains ran on the weekend!

 

Agreed that Detroit is *completely* backward with regards to transit, which is amazing considering how many Detroiters weekend in Chicago.  It's almost as if they live in a bubble up there, and pay no attention to what is happening outside their little world.  In any event, the Ann Arbor - Detroit commuter rail has a pretty good shot at being built.  It has strong support near the western end of the proposed line, and there is talk in Lansing of extending the line to that city.  SEMCOG has already received $100 million in federal money for study and construction of the line. 

 

Cleveland would have better Amtrak service if the State of Ohio actually kicked in money for trains like Michigan, Illinois, and a host of other states do.

"Cleveland would have better Amtrak service if the State of Ohio actually kicked in money for trains like Michigan, Illinois, and a host of other states do."

 

It's not that simple, for a couple of reasons;

 

Illinois and Michigan both have short-haul Amtrak corridors with existing service, so there is somewhat more of a williingness (politically) to support supplemental and better service with state $$$. 

 

By contrast, all of Ohio's Amtrak service is provided by long-distance trains:

 

Lake Shore Limited (NY-Chicago)

Capital Limited (Washingtron DC-Chicago

The Cardinal (D-C-Chicago via Cincinnait)

 

The political view in Ohio's Statehouse is that throwing money at Amtrak isn't worth it if all we get are trains that run through in the middle of the night or on odd days (such as the Cardinal). 

 

Ohio has been and continues to be a "flyover" state for Amtrak, and even in the glory days of passenger rail, Ohio was still mostly a "through run" for long-distance trains, with limited in-state service from trains originating in Ohio.

 

Under the Ohio Rail Development Commission's "Ohio Hub Plan", however cities like Cleveland stand a much better shot at the kind of fast, frequent service they need but aren't getting.

March 15, 2006

Few Riders, Much Vision in Connecticut Rail Plan

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

 

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The future would be all bustle and efficiency: Riders would step off commuter trains here throughout the day, breeze through a new station and then step onto shuttle buses that take them a few miles west to Bradley International Airport, where they jet off to spread the news that central Connecticut is built for business.

 

For now, however, there is just a concrete platform, a bench in a plexiglass shelter and Ken Shea, who confronted a sharp wind and not much else when he stepped down from the two-car Amtrak train he takes each day from New Haven. He was on his way to welding classes at a technical school in East Windsor, across the Connecticut River from the station, where he arrives, not always on time, on the 11:11 a.m. train.

 

Full story at:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/15/nyregion/15rail.html?pagewanted=all

Copyright 2006The New York Times Company

>If Miami and Los Angeles can operate successful commuter rail lines, so can anywhere else.

 

Well, if NASHVILLE can operate successful lines, then so can anywhere else.  Both Miami's and Los Angeles' downtowns are much bigger, despite their being small relative to their metro size.  Also, both have a single heavy rail metro line and LA has a fairly large light rail network, giving additional non-bus destinations to commuter rail riders.  Also, the mountains separating the LA basin from the San Fernando Valley are a big reason why the metro red line tunnel and commuter rail have been successful there. 

 

Meanwhile, Nashville has no substantial natural obstacles and the population is spread fairly evenly in all directions, with somewhat more action on the south and east sides.  I looked it up, Nashville's publicity people say 66,000 people work there daily, I find that hard to believe and would be surprised if that number really tops 40,000.  The damn business district is literally only 4x4 blocks, they're probably counting the entire light industry area east of the arena, which in addition to auto body repair shop includes strip clubs, the Greyhound station, and an abandoned concrete plant or two.   

I will say, though, that despite its operational problems, the Baltimore Light Rail does a halfway decent job of connecting BWI and Penn Station to downtown.  I've taken the commuter train to Baltimore many times (which is a pretty darn good service) and transferred from the train to the light rail to get downtown.  Now, if only the commuter trains ran on the weekend!

 

Agreed that Detroit is *completely* backward with regards to transit, which is amazing considering how many Detroiters weekend in Chicago.  It's almost as if they live in a bubble up there, and pay no attention to what is happening outside their little world.  In any event, the Ann Arbor - Detroit commuter rail has a pretty good shot at being built.  It has strong support near the western end of the proposed line, and there is talk in Lansing of extending the line to that city.  SEMCOG has already received $100 million in federal money for study and construction of the line. 

 

 

Agree in part: Light rail serves downtown to BWI airport pretty good, but the Penn Station section is hampered by slow Howard Street.  Also, the LRT really only grazes downtown, whose center, near Charles Center, is over 3 blocks away (as is the Inner Harbor, which isn't really served by the Metro either).  Also, the Metro has no real transfer connection to LRT, except thru the block-long, crowded Lexington Market.  So if you're in the NW Balto burbs transferring to BWI airport, you must either schlep your bags thru the market to the Howard Street corner LRT stop or brave inclement weather when the market's closed (and Shaker Rapid riders gripe at how "inconvenient" and a "hassle" it is to change trains while making the free, level, short-hop, indoor transfer to the airport Red Line (doth, we Clevelanders gripe way too much).

 

As for the Ann Arbor-Airport-Detroit commuter line: don't celebrate too quick.  It's hard to calculate exactly how hardened the auto-crazy crowd's zealotry really is.  And it permeates to the public (I love deviously stirring debate among my Detroit friends by making my usual: 'Detroit needs a subway' imbroglio.  You'd love to see the furrowed brows at that one.  And those among the populace who would like transit are either jaded or too weary to fight for it.

 

Sadly (and amazingly), the same mentality thrives here where we HAVE RAIL.  Starting w/ the transit chief on down...

 

It's

An interesting site that's worth visiting, about the Nashville commuter rail service, can be found at:

 

http://www.musiccitystar.org/index.html

 

And, as you look at these images (particularly those of the rail cars used), ask yourself if you would like to see this train equipment used for a demonstration/starter service for your city. I say this because there are 15 of these Chicago Metra cars that can be had for free (almost free -- they need some minor work). But they can be had in very short order.

 

If an FTA "Small Starts" grant of probably less than $10 million can be secured for capital/start-up costs and a second grant of say $2 million for operating costs (including locomotive leases), then a 1-year demo/starter service could be operational between Cleveland and Lorain pretty quickly.

 

The question is, would it be OK to make the eastern terminus of this service at the RTA West Boulevard station, with a cross-platform connection to the Rapid? Or would a forced transfer keep away riders, prompting them (you) to ask why doesn't the commuter train run all the way downtown?

Agree to a point, clvlndr.  The Howard Street section of the Baltimore light rail is painful, and it's completely inexcusable that there isn't a direct connection to the Metro Subway.  But complaining about a 3 block walk???  I walk 6 just to get to the subway from my home (<10 min).

 

RE:  Ann Arbor / Detroit commuter rail.  Unlike previous proposed transit projects, this one wouldn't even touch Oakland County, which would certainly derail it.  Along the proposed corridor, there is great demand--especially with regards to getting to Metro Airport.  There's also $100 million in federal money in the bank, which could likely cover most of the design and construction costs.  Whereas a subway would require a substantial number of daily riders to be successful, a commuter rail line could be deemed extremely successful with as few as 2000 daily riders.  If you don't think that's possible, then you obviously don't know how many people commute from Ann Arbor to Detroit!

 

Agree to a point, clvlndr.  The Howard Street section of the Baltimore light rail is painful, and it's completely inexcusable that there isn't a direct connection to the Metro Subway.  But complaining about a 3 block walk???  I walk 6 just to get to the subway from my home (<10 min).

 

RE:  Ann Arbor / Detroit commuter rail.  Unlike previous proposed transit projects, this one wouldn't even touch Oakland County, which would certainly derail it.  Along the proposed corridor, there is great demand--especially with regards to getting to Metro Airport.  There's also $100 million in federal money in the bank, which could likely cover most of the design and construction costs.  Whereas a subway would require a substantial number of daily riders to be successful, a commuter rail line could be deemed extremely successful with as few as 2000 daily riders.  If you don't think that's possible, then you obviously don't know how many people commute from Ann Arbor to Detroit!

 

 

Balto: In most cases I agree w/ you, 3 blocks is nothing.  But here in Cleve, we always hear gripes that our rail only has 1 downtown stop (now a few more w/ the WFL, no matter how inconvenient some say it is).  But Cleveland's one is at least in the center (traffic-wise and spiritually, if not geographically), while Balto's light rail really just skirts the edge of the business district.

 

As for your Ann Arbor to Detroit line comment: you've got the wrong guy, dude, I'm 4-square behind this, and think the knuckleheads against it are foolish.  I'm just saying you sound like you may be pipe-dreaming in underestimating the extreme resolve (and influence) of the rail-haters that could scuttle even a highly logical project like "airport city."  And it goes much further than the old stand-by (and tired) excuse that GM is what's keeping rapid transit/commuter rail from developing in Motown ... particularly the latter, as there used to be both Ann Arbor and Pontiac commuter rail service unitl the early 80s operating from 2 diff Detroit terminals (Michigan Central depot and, I think, from somewhere near RenCen).

Oh, you don't mean people like House Speaker Craig DeRoche of Novi who proudly says, "I represent sprawl", but can't figure out why the heck all the roads are terrible, or why jobs are leaving.  Gee, it certainly isn't because half your major metropolitan area looks like "Office Space", and the other half looks like "Escape from New York".

 

I lived in Michigan for 5 years, so I'm familiar with some of these types.  Most of the people I know who live there, though, would love nothing more than to be able to ride a train to get somewhere.  They do it when they come to places like DC, and they certainly rode the buses en masse during Super Bowl week, no matter how flawed that system was. 

 

From what I understand, the Big 2-1/2 are fully behind better public transportation in Detroit.  They tend to feel that the lack of it is preventing them from recruiting talented people, who often run away to Chicago at the first opportunity.  Recall that Ford benefitted greatly from the DSR lines that terminated at the Rouge Plant! 

>If Miami and Los Angeles can operate successful commuter rail lines, so can anywhere else.

 

Well, if NASHVILLE can operate successful lines, then so can anywhere else.  Both Miami's and Los Angeles' downtowns are much bigger, despite their being small relative to their metro size.  Also, both have a single heavy rail metro line and LA has a fairly large light rail network, giving additional non-bus destinations to commuter rail riders.  Also, the mountains separating the LA basin from the San Fernando Valley are a big reason why the metro red line tunnel and commuter rail have been successful there. 

 

Meanwhile, Nashville has no substantial natural obstacles and the population is spread fairly evenly in all directions, with somewhat more action on the south and east sides.  I looked it up, Nashville's publicity people say 66,000 people work there daily, I find that hard to believe and would be surprised if that number really tops 40,000.  The damn business district is literally only 4x4 blocks, they're probably counting the entire light industry area east of the arena, which in addition to auto body repair shop includes strip clubs, the Greyhound station, and an abandoned concrete plant or two.    

 

Add to the fact the superior set up Cleveland has with a) an existing rapid transit system, including a fast airport connection, b) a several direct radial routes into downtown given our former passenger rail/freight prowess, and c) a historical, intricate system of grade separation from streets and other routes that have been built over the last century-plus.  We, of course, have a much larger metro population base (by about a million) over Nashville as well as bigger and closer metro cities nearby to take advantage of.

 

There's really no excuse for Cleveland other than pure lethargy and negativity.  Also, as you may be aware, ex-Guv/presidential candidate Howard Dean got a 13-mile commuter rail line for tiny Burlington, Vermont.  Sadly, though, when the Gov left, his opponents scuttled the nifty little engine that could... so forget Nashville, Burlington reeeallly makes Cleveland look bad.

Sorry... didn't mean to imply that light rail was anything less than commuter rail in quality.  My point is that one is literally heavier than the other in terms of the weight of the cars and crash standards, etc.

 

I wouldn't know about the layout of Nashville, but the impact of rail-based transit usually encourages more walkable development.  I would hope the city and business leaders would look at their devlopment standards to further encourage such development.

 

Unless things have changed, Nashville has a commuter train that leaves twice in the morning for downtown and then has two return trips at night.  (I used to live in Nashville and just moved up from Memphis.)  Light rail would not work in Nashville because almost all of the city is set up on a suburban grid.  Park and Ride-type rail is Nashville's only hope.  Additionally, Nashville has a deep-seeded suburban mentality.  I remember when the State was considering creating a 1% income tax to balance the budget, there was a group of 30 SUVs that circled the State capitol building for two days.  Protesters through rocks at the windows.  It was crazy.  The suburbanites mobilize in Nashville to protect their way of life. 

 

Additionally, the stone beneath the street surfaces will keep Nashville from ever putting in subway lines.  It would cost too much to blast it out to build rail lines. (My father-in-law worked for the transit authority in Nashville).  Bus service is pretty bad.  Some MTA officers would suggest that it would be cheaper to buy all the citizens cars instead of continuing to subsidize the bus system.

 

Its a shame. Nashville's traffic is twice as bad as Cleveland's.  The street grids force everyone onto the same roads. 

 

Some MTA officers would suggest that it would be cheaper to buy all the citizens cars instead of continuing to subsidize the bus system.

 

 

That's pretty funny.  I've heard noted transportation "expert" Wendell Cox say the same thing about St. Louis.  If it's such a great idea, and so much more economical, then why have there been exactly zero cities to implement this brain fart?

Because some of us were able to show the true costs of the automobile and it shows that transit really is a bargain.

From the National Association of Railroad Passengers:

 

Amtrak this week unveiled its Fiscal 2007 grant and legislative request, available on their website.  Amtrak seeks a $1.598 billion grant but also outlines $275 million in additional “strategic investment options,” bringing the total implied request to $1.873 billion.  The $275 million includes:

 

$100 million for debt refinancing (to relieve Amtrak of some exorbitant interest rate payments)

 

$100 million for a “state corridor matching program” A pitifully small amount, given that building the Ohio Hub alone will cost $3.2 Billion dollars

 

$25 million for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance (beyond an unspecified portion for ADA in $90 million of funding for “legal mandates”)

and

$50 million for “network reliability” – “a capital matching program of $50 million that would augment operating incentive payments to freight railroads…targeted to network chokepoints…and linked to [better passenger on-time performance]…Amtrak, states and FRA, working with host railroads, would work together to identify the projects and develop the criteria for funding.”

 

Amtrak Chairman David Laney testified yesterday morning before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.” You can read more about the hearing by clicking “News Releases” to the left of this hotline; our coverage is the second item to appear there.

 

Subcommittee Chairman Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) both highlighted the big budget holes the subcommittee faces in the wide variety of programs it covers, as a result of the Bush Administration’s budget.  This included $400 million for Amtrak (just to get it back to this year’s $1.3 billion) and $1.557 billion for aviation.  Bond referred to a “$2 billion rescission of Section 8 funds that I don’t think are available,” and said the Administration budget assumes many “fees and rescissions that Congress will not approved.” But Murray also acknowledged that DOT, with overall spending up almost 5%, fared better than many other departments.

 

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman, testifying on Amtrak for the first time, trotted Mineta’s tired old rhetoric…“Amtrak’s business model is flawed and must be reformed.  Amtrak does not yet have effective budget discipline…”

 

DOT Inspector General Senior Economist Mark Dayton—who next month will move to the Department of Homeland Security—attacked subsidies that go to Amtrak First Class passengers.  “We find any subsidy for First Class service unacceptable and have yet to see even a pilot program for its elimination.” NARP sees this comment as a stalking horse for outright elimination of the national system, particularly when coupled with the IG’s recommendation that “power to determine [Amtrak] services [devolve] to the states.” States tend to focus on intra-state needs, which is why NARP and Amtrak consistently have said that the national network trains should be a federal responsibility.

 

Dayton did credit Amtrak with making “strides in reforming its food service provision and may have in place a process that will achieve break-even or marginally profitable provision of food service on its trains.” He said “Amtrak has made some progress in controlling its cash operating loss, excluding interest.” He also said Amtrak needs $1.4 billion just to keep the existing system in tact, without any significant improvement in state of good repair, and with little margin for error—insolvency could result from any serious unanticipated problem.  He suggested consideration of a separate working capital appropriation of $125 million, which should not be available to Amtrak for ordinary business activities.

 

With Amtrak’s funding request now formally on Capitol Hill, you should press your legislators to fully fund it.  Our Action Alert Center is updated with all the new numbers; go there for full details.

 

Amtrak Chairman David Laney raised a lot of eyebrows with comments to reporters after yesterday’s hearing.  AP reported that Laney “said the railroad will scrutinize all of its long-distance routes this year for efficiency and could scrap, reconfigure or add lines as it tries to prove to Congress and the Bush administration that the rail system is reforming itself.  ‘There’s nothing, as far as I’m concerned, that’s off the table.’” A Reuters report said Laney “also told reporters…the board probably will not name a new Amtrak president before mid-May but could consider someone from the airline industry…”

 

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_441/

Posted on Sun, Mar. 19, 2006 

 

 

 

Northstar rail line picks up steam

Commuter train project from Big Lake to Minneapolis still faces significant obstacles

BY CHARLES LASZEWSKI

Pioneer Press

 

Of the half-dozen big mass-transit projects under discussion for the Twin Cities area, the Northstar commuter rail project looks like the closest thing to a sure bet.

 

Millions of dollars have already poured into the 40-mile railroad line from Big Lake to Minneapolis. Gov. Tim Pawlenty included another $60 million for the project in his proposal for the bonding bill that will be considered by the Legislature this year. Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration granted approval for the Northstar Corridor Development Authority to move into the final design stage. Developers along the route are lining up housing projects near the train stations.

 

more at:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/14128210.htm

© 2006 St. Paul Pioneer Press and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

 

From the front page of this morning's Washington Post:

 

Vision for Transit-Friendly Tysons May Slam the Door on Dealer Row

 

By Alec MacGillis

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, March 20, 2006; Page A01

 

Down the street they stretch, their banners cracking in the wind, the roll call of signs evoking distant Saturdays of kicking tires and clasping new keys: Koons Chevrolet, Cherner Lincoln Mercury, Moore Cadillac.

 

For generations of area residents, buying a car has often meant a trip to a mile-long strip of Leesburg Pike in Tysons Corner, home to more than a dozen dealerships sprawling over 80 acres of blacktop. The dealers, as much a part of Tysons Corner's landscape as its malls, have been hugely successful; Koons Toyota, to name just one, is among Toyota's top-selling dealers nationwide.

 

More at:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/19/AR2006031901221.html

 

>Unless things have changed, Nashville has a commuter train that leaves twice in the morning for downtown and then has two return trips at night.  (I used to live in Nashville and just moved up from Memphis.) 

 

Wasn't that just temporary?  I know they ran a train for a week or two from out by the airport a few years ago. 

 

 

>Light rail would not work in Nashville because almost all of the city is set up on a suburban grid.  Park and Ride-type rail is Nashville's only hope.  Additionally, Nashville has a deep-seeded suburban mentality.

 

Yeah, there is no nostalgia for downtowns in the south like in Ohio, people don't lament the declines of the downtowns because they weren't anything to begin with.  No big department stores, rail stations, any of that.  Nashville's radial roads are overwhelmed, 440 wasn't built out far enough and 840 is too far.  It's a complete disaster but everyone thinks it's the greatest place in the world.  I was down a week before Christmas trying to do last-minute shopping, I was stuck in 100% gridlock out by Cool Springs Mall for two hours.  People were offroading their SUV's through empty lots and over landscaping to try to get around, nobody could get on or off I-65, nobody could get in and out of the strip mall parking lots, there were no spots availible.  It was complete insanity for two hours, I had never seen anything like it.   

 

>Additionally, the stone beneath the street surfaces will keep Nashville from ever putting in subway lines.  It would cost too much to blast it out to build rail lines.

 

I don't know if there are any true underground parking garages in downtown Nashville.  Maybe one or two on hills by the state capitol, nobody has a basement down here unless they live on a hill. 

 

>Its a shame. Nashville's traffic is twice as bad as Cleveland's.  The street grids force everyone onto the same roads. 

 

The problem is that every road has a "destination".  As a township state, a lot of the straight suburban roads in Ohio had no specific destination and there were many more small farms instead of big, thinly populated plantations.  There was a much denser network of roads in place prior to suburbanization.   

 

California High-Speed Rail Authority to unveil alignment options

 

OAKLAND, Calif. - The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board (CHSRA) said it will meet in Oakland on Wednesday to hear a presentation regarding key potential alignments and station locations between the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. Both areas are part of a critical segment for California's proposed 700-mile high-speed passenger system designed to link the state’s major metropolitan areas.

 

 

 

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/550zxnam.asp

Mar 22, 12:24 PM EST

 

More people riding Connecticut's bus, commuter rail lines

 

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Ridership on Connecticut's commuter railroad and bus lines grew in early 2006, continuing the upward trend that pushed 2005 to new records.

 

Metro-North Railroad's New Haven line and the state's Shore Line East service both drew about 6 percent more passengers in early 2006 than at the same time last year, according to a report presented Wednesday to the state's Transportation Strategy Board.

 

more at:

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CT_GRIDLOCK_STATE_MASS_TRANSIT_CTOL-?SITE=CTNHR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING COMPLETED ON PHASE 1 OF DULLES PROJECT:

(from www.railpace.com)

 

The Commonwealth’s private-sector contractor, Dulles Transit Partners, LLC, has completed preliminary engineering for Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, including an updated cost estimate of $2.0 billion. Phase 1 will extend Metrorail from the Orange Line near Falls Church to Tysons Corner and Reston. The new estimate reflects increases in the projected costs of materials and property needed to build the Metrorail extension.

 

 

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_442/

 

High Speed Rail In China

(from the National Association of Railroad Passengers website)

 

In direct contrast to our yearly battles to properly fund Amtrak here in the United States, China has announced plans to construct $22 billion (US) worth of high speed rail routes.  The two primary lines would connect Shanghai and Beijing and Shanghai and Hangzhou.  Trip times on the Shanghai-Beijing segment would be cut from 13 hours to 5 hours.  According to the Associated Press, “China has invested billions of dollars in expanding its railway network in an effort to ease congestion and promote economic growth in isolated areas.”

See my message posted at:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6470.msg83952#msg83952

 

But I will reiterate that China's planned conventional steel wheel on steel rail high-speed line will cost $21 million per mile while the Maglev line costs $39 million per mile. Yet maglev buys only a 40 mph increase for nearly double the cost. Sorry, but I'm still not sold on maglev, outside of localized, specialized applications like airport people movers and what not. This real-world data comparison from China only reaffirms my beliefs.

 

And, when China officials considered a maglev for the Beijing-Shanghai route, they discovered that conventional high-speed rail would offer 80 percent of the travel time savings of maglev but at half the cost. It's why they chose conventional HSR. It's also why France gave up on maglev a long time ago and went with the TGV (which can operate over any railroad track, including curving, low-speed routes up into the Alps to serve ski resorts, without requiring a change of trains).

 

Toll Road To Fund Rail Line To Dulles

Deal With Authority To Be Unveiled Today

 

By Michael D. Shear and Steven Ginsberg

Washington Post Staff Writers

Monday, March 27, 2006; A01

 

The region's airports authority has reached a deal with Virginia officials to take control of the Dulles Toll Road and use the revenue to move quickly to build a Metrorail line to Dulles International Airport, sources familiar with the agreement said last night.

 

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and the state's congressional delegation plan to announce the deal this morning in Richmond, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the papers were not signed.

 

The deal would remove much of the uncertainty surrounding the nearly $4 billion project to build a rail line through Tysons Corner, Reston, the airport and Loudoun County because the airports authority would assume responsibility for the state and federal portion of the cost. If the memorandum of understanding is signed today, it would give the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority the ability to guarantee that the train line would extend to Dulles -- a part of the project that is not fully funded.

 

"It's terrific," said one official very familiar with the negotiations.

 

But the deal carries broad implications for Northern Virginia commuters.

 

The agreement would salvage the Dulles rail project, which has struggled with costs and uncertainty under state control. The airports authority has said it can complete construction of the line by 2015. At the same time, the deal probably will mean higher tolls for drivers.

 

That prospect has angered Fairfax County officials.

 

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) said the agreement, which was described to him yesterday, "has promise." But he said the state has ignored the interests of commuters on the toll road.

 

"I've got constituents who will be paying tolls in perpetuity," Connolly said. "That's a long time. My constituents want some assurances that there is going to be some cap on the tolls they will be paying."

 

Connolly said he and other Fairfax officials had pushed for a way to raise concerns about tolls, but he said state officials ignored that request.

 

"Lost in the haste to accept a proposal are the interests of the commuters," Connolly said.

 

Aides to Kaine did not return calls last night. But his spokesman, Kevin Hall, said in a statement that "Governor Timothy M. Kaine and members of the Northern Virginia Congressional delegation will announce a significant step forward in the effort to extend Metrorail to Tysons Corner, Dulles International Airport, and Loudoun County."

 

Airports authority officials said in December that they would also put $360 million in improvements to the toll road. The authority already handles maintenance for the free Dulles Access Road. The deal would add the toll road to those responsibilities.

 

When the federal government decided to build Dulles Airport in the 1950s, it also acquired a 17-mile highway corridor to provide access to the airport. Today, the corridor includes the Dulles Toll Road and the Dulles Access Road. Virginia operates the toll road, which opened in 1984, under an agreement with the authority that runs until 2082.

 

The deal that state officials plan to announce today would cancel that agreement, and the toll road would come under control of the airports authority. Authority officials have said they would fund the state and federal share of the rail line by regularly raising tolls on drivers, but they have not provided any specifics about how often and how much they would raise prices.

 

Tolls rose in May to 75 cents at the main plaza and 50 cents at other ramps. The highway runs 12 miles between McLean and Loudoun County and generates $65 million annually.

 

Cost estimates for the rail project, essentially an extension of the Orange Line, have varied over time. A recent estimate for the total cost of the 23-mile line is $3.84 billion. The first phase, from West Falls Church through Tysons Corner to Wiehle Avenue in Reston, is expected to cost $1.8 billion. The second phase, which would stretch from Wiehle Avenue to the airport before ending at Route 772 in Loudoun, is estimated to cost $2 billion.

 

The funding plan for the project calls for the federal government to pay 50 percent, and for state and local communities to each pay 25 percent. The airports authority would cover the state and federal share; landowners along the first phase of the route have agreed to a special tax district to cover the local share.

 

By assuming both the state and federal share of the second phase, the authority would free the project from a lengthy federal approval process.

 

The airports authority, created in 1987 by the federal government to manage Dulles and Reagan National airports, proposed taking over construction of the project late last year after several private companies sought to take over operation of the toll road. Authority officials, concerned that the rail link to the airport would never be built, made their own offer.

 

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

 

See, we should use the Ohio Turnpike to fund the Ohio Hub (among other 21st century transportation projects)!

Railroads on track to revival

Freight boom benefits Chicago; tie-ups show infrastructure needs

 

By Greg Burns

Tribune senior correspondent

Published March 27, 2006

 

As a 1 1/2-mile-long freight train rumbled past a towering stack of green containers marked "China Shipping" last week, Neil Doyle, aboard his CenterPoint Properties helicopter, swooped in for a closer look.

 

"That line right there is L.A. to Chicago," he told a pair of Wal-Mart executives riding with him just above one of the world's busier train yards in far southwest suburban Elwood.

 

After generations of job cuts, consolidation and retrenchment, an old industry is growing anew. Railroads have become hot properties, hauling not only the familiar cargo of coal, grain and domestic products but also the mountain of goods pouring into California ports from Asian factories.

 

Huge investments in tracks, locomotives, electronic switches and sprawling facilities such as the Elwood hub at the former Joliet Arsenal suddenly make good sense as demand surges and railroad stocks soar.

 

Chicago stands to reap benefits. Railroads practically created the city in its early days, and it remains the point where East meets West and all six major freight lines come together before heading off again.

 

An estimated one-third of U.S rail cargo, from corn to clothing, flows through the tangle of track that covers the map of Chicago and its collar counties like spaghetti--creating notorious traffic jams along the way. Trains that take two days to arrive from California might take another two to go a few miles through the Chicago bottleneck.

 

The industry's boom underscores the need for better infrastructure, but it also raises questions about how much taxpayers should chip in. An ambitious public-private plan that targets the worst of Chicago's train-track entanglements got only a fraction of the federal funding its boosters expected in last year's pork-laden transportation bill.

 

While the project would help the public by shortening commuting times, improving safety at intersections and reducing exhaust emissions, the $1.5 billion cost presents a big barrier.

 

"Railroads are the primary economic beneficiaries," said John Gates, retired co-chairman of CenterPoint, which is developing the Joliet Arsenal site. "It's a difficult project for the public sector."

 

For years, the railroads have threatened to divert traffic from the area to avoid its congestion, but those threats ring hollow in the face of recent investments confirming Chicago's status as the centerpiece of the nation's rail system.

 

In a matter of months, CSX Corp. is expected to announce plans for another big hub in southern Cook County, industry sources say. That's on top of Union Pacific's giant new hub in Rochelle, Ill., and less-conspicuous local projects undertaken by other lines as well.

 

At the Joliet Arsenal site run by BNSF Railway Co., which includes the old Burlington Northern and Santa Fe lines, expansion continues on a vast scale.

 

Last week, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez toured the facility, telling a hometown crowd, "You've got a great advantage." He also voiced confidence in the economy despite the loss of manufacturing jobs in the face of overseas competition.

 

"This is the future," said Gutierrez, former chief executive of cereal-maker Kellogg Co. "It's all about trading with the rest of the world. This is the best example I can think of."

 

Construction expands facility

 

Outside the warehouse where he spoke, construction hummed at a 3.4 million-square-foot Wal-Mart distribution center slated to open this summer. At the rail yard surrounding it, BNSF expects to handle 800,000 containers this year, up from 275,000 in 2004. It might do a million next year, said John Clement Jr., the railroad's senior manager of hub operations.

 

"We are ahead of the growth," he said. "We know what's coming. We're going to spend the money so we can be there for ourselves and our customers."

 

The Association of American Railroads expects that this year the major freight lines will invest a record $8.2 billion in new track, buying equipment and improving infrastructure, up more than 20 percent from a strong 2005.

 

It's a historic shift after many decades when railroads couldn't make enough money to cover their cost of borrowing it, which discouraged capital spending in one of the more capital-intensive businesses.

 

"My railroad for the first time in maybe half a century will earn its cost of capital," noted Chicagoan Robert Krebs, retired chief executive of BNSF. "It's a vibrant company now."

 

Though some believe the current railroad boom represents the peak of an economic cycle, others see a longer-term change. After 90 years, the railroads finally have run out of excess capacity. That in turn has restored their ability to raise rates, according to James Valentine, a research analyst for Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley.

 

"These positive trends in pricing and better returns are likely to continue for years, maybe decades," Valentine said.

 

Because "all roads lead to Chicago," he added, the region will get a generous slice. "It should receive a disproportionate benefit from the railroads' resurgence."

 

To a degree, the industry owes today's recovery to a drastic deregulation plan implemented a quarter-century ago.

 

The 1980 Staggers Rail Act came in the midst of severe financial troubles for the industry.

 

The government had prevented railroads from setting their rates, closing unprofitable tracks and consolidating networks. Service was terrible, and long-haul truckers gained market share.

 

Deregulation went hand-in-hand with additional consolidation. Major freight lines once numbering in the dozens combined into the mere half-dozen left today. Employment plunged from 458,000 when Congress approved Staggers to 165,000 as of 2005.

 

That difficult period left scars, including strained relations with workers and ultracautious management.

 

Over time, the railroads have increased efficiency by adopting so-called intermodal systems, which enable freight to move from point of origin to distribution destination without being removed from a trailer or giant container. It is more reliable and cheaper than transport over long stretches of highway.

 

Demand for the coal used to fuel power plants grew as well, and grain shipments remained a steady and important source of railroad profits.

 

The promise of continued growth makes straightening out Chicago's rail network all the more urgent. But the region's $1.5 billion public-private plan lost its political champion with the retirement in January 2005 of Rep. William Lipinski, a Chicago Democrat known for his transit clout. Just recently the plan suffered another blow when Canadian National Railway Co. withdrew from it.

 

Because none of the plan's initial construction projects would benefit its line, CN could not justify putting up money for it, a spokesman said. It might rejoin later, he added.

 

Indeed, the plan is far from dead. The $100 million in federal funding it managed to obtain, coupled with support from the other five railroads, has paid for mapping, surveying and engineering work in anticipation of eventual funding.

 

Yet it could be stuck in neutral for some time.

 

Not a priority

 

"The state has higher priorities, the city has higher priorities, the railroads individually have higher priorities, and it's still needed," said Jim LaBelle, deputy director at Metropolis 2020, a civic group backing the measure.

 

Meantime, out at the Joliet Arsenal site, BNSF's Clement is doing what he can to keep up with demand. He is adopting electronic systems for speeding the flow of some 2,500 trucks that visit the facility each day, using a software program designed specifically for rail-yard management. Also on the way: global positioning system technology for tracking the thousands of containers piled high on the sweeping expanse of blacktop Clement calls "the parking lot."

 

The other railroads are on the move too. CSX expects to add 3,500 to its 30,000-plus workforce this year, said spokeswoman Kim Freely. It is increasing capacity by adding 10,000-foot sidings every 15 miles or so on its Chicago-to-Florida run, which will enable slower trains to pull over as needed. Freely confirmed that CSX is looking for a new intermodal site south of the city but declined to elaborate or comment on timing. It has two such sites in the Chicago area.

 

One emerging threat: Re-regulation. Some coal and chemical shippers, feeling burned as the railroads flex their newfound power to raise freight rates, have started complaining to Congress. It's a struggle that has flared on and off for more than 150 years, and it could flare anew as these old companies continue shifting into a higher gear.

 

-- --------

 

[email protected]

Capitol Corridor Celebrates Ten Millionth Passenger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2006

 

Media Contact: Priscilla Kalugdan

(510) 464-6992

[email protected]

 

Capitol Corridor Celebrates Ten Millionth Passenger

Emeryville, CA (March 24, 2006) - On March 23, 2006 the Capitol Corridor train service welcomed its 10 millionth passenger on board. A regular Capitol Corridor passenger for nearly six years, Kirk Swenson was counted as the 10 millionth passenger as he approached train 527 at the Davis station. On hand to greet and congratulate him was Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) Chairman Roger Dickinson. Assemblywoman Lois Wolk representing the 8th District presented Kirk with a certificate of recognition from the California State Assembly.

 

"We're very pleased with the success of the Capitol Corridor's rail passenger service. The future is bright for intercity trains as we expect millions more travelers will continue to be attracted to this convenient and efficient mode of travel," said Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director of the CCJPA.

 

"This event is yet another milestone that celebrates Capitol Corridor's ongoing success," said CCJPA Chairman Roger Dickinson.

 

On board, the fun continued as Skoropowski greeted Kirk, his wife Ramona, and their two sons. Members of the Capitol Corridor staff passed out commemorative chocolate bars that contained chances for passengers to win free 10-ride tickets for the Capitol Corridor service.

 

Arriving at the Emeryville station, Mr. Kirk Swenson was welcomed by CCJPA Vice-Chair Forrest Williams. Amtrak's District Superintendent for the Bay District Steve Shelton and Caltrans Rail Director Bill Bronte also offered their congratulations to the passenger. Emeryville Vice-Mayor Dick Kassis welcomed the ten millionth passenger on behalf of the city and reiterated the community's support for convenient transportation options. The Capitol Corridor presented Mr. Swenson with a complimentary monthly pass. In addition, he was also given a scenic Delta River Cruise from Harbor Bay Maritime and tickets to an upcoming Oakland Athletics game.

 

About CCJPA

The Capitol Corridor began service in December of 1991 under management by the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). In July of 1998, the operation of the Capitol Corridor service was transferred to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), who has managed the route for the last eight years. The Capitol Corridor is now the third busiest intercity passenger rail route in the nation. With ridership up 8% in the past year, the Capitol Corridor continues to set records and improve cost efficiencies.

 

About the Capitol Corridor

The Capitol Corridor serves seventeen stations along the 170-mile rail corridor, and offers a convenient way to travel between the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley/San Jose. Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) oversees the service with day-to-day management support from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The CCJPA partners with Amtrak, Union Pacific Railroad, Caltrans and the communities comprising the CCJPA to offer cost-effective, viable and safe intercity passenger rail service.

 

More at this link:

http://www.amtrakcapitols.com/included/docs/CapCor_1to10.pdf

###

 

http://www.amtrakcapitols.com/about_ccjpa/press_room/10_Millionth_Passenger.php

Minnesota Senate passes Northstar funding

 

The Minnesota Senate overwhelmingly approved $60 million in bonding for the construction of Northstar Commuter Rail on March 23rd. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support on a 56-9 vote.

 

The Minnesota House must now pass its version of the bonding bill before a conference committee of House and Senate members meets to resolve the differences between the bills.

 

http://himlehorner.typepad.com/northstar/2006/03/senate_passes_n.html

 

 

Higher Ridership on Connecticut Trains

Marks New Record for 2005

 

New Haven & Shore Line East Service Show Steady Increases

 

 

 

Connecticut’s Commuter Rail Service experienced remarkable increases in passenger service for 2005.  In total, nearly one million additional train passengers traveled on the New Haven Line in 2005, a 3.2 percent increase from 2004.  On Shore Line East, nearly 15,000 additional rides were recorded, marking a 4.45 percent increase from 2004.

 

 

 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation today released its annual rail ridership report for the calendar year 2005 on the New Haven and Shore Line East Rail Service, marking across-the-board increases in-state commuter rail ridership.  Shore Line East showed ridership increases throughout the year, with the last several months jumping to double digit increases. Overall, Connecticut continues to experience a healthy in-state ridership increase. 

 

“These increases demonstrate the need for continuing our public transit equipment and infrastructure improvements,” Transportation Commissioner Stephen E. Korta II said.  “I am extremely pleased to see more and more Connecticut residents discovering the value of our state’s public transit systems.”

 

The New Haven Line is one of the busiest commuter lines in North America, carrying over 115,000 daily commuters.  Out of the 115,000 daily total commuters on the New Haven Line, approximately 80,000 originate in Connecticut  and travel to in-state or New York destinations.

 

For Shore Line East (SLE) Service, ridership increases were significantly higher in the past three months, with increases ranging from 9 to 22 percent for daily riders.  Trains with final destinations to the Stamford train station experienced a 1-2% increase in ridership or approximately a total of 830 riders each day for September. 

 

 

“We believe a number of issues contributed to the significant increases in ridership on all of the Connecticut commuter rail lines.  The increase in fuel costs, new service improvements, and new train stations on Shore Line East have enhanced overall rail transportation in the state,” Commissioner Korta said. 

 

 

 

In 2005, the state opened three new Shore Line East Train Stations in Branford, Guilford and Clinton.  These stations provide better customer service by providing level platform access for easier boarding, enclosed waiting areas, and additional free parking. The Madison and Westbrook train stations are scheduled to begin construction in 2006.

 

Shore Line East (SLE) trains are owned and operated by CDOT under contract with Amtrak to provide daily rail operations.  Shore Line East has provided an average of 1,800 rides per day with service from Monday through Friday.  Trains do not operate on Saturday, Sunday or major holidays.  Shore Line East Service connects at New Haven, Bridgeport and Stamford stations for Metro-North service to New York City.  Reduced combined Shore Line East/Metro-North monthly commuter tickets are available.

 

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1373&Q=309430

 

Link to stats:  http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/ridership.pdf

i'll post this one since it's local ny transit news today and because it affect me directly (ugh). i emphasize the last line in the article as the trackwork delays will help push forward the construction of the almost mythic second ave subway (the transportation improvement bill that voters passed in last fall will also help get it started....guess how i voted on that one -- a duh!). note geen russianoff's funny remarks, the guy is a real hero for his advocacy and public oversight of the mta:

 

 

Big headaches for 4/5 line riders

BY CHUCK BENNETT

amNewYork Staff Writer

 

 

March 30, 2006

If you think the Lexington Avenue line is crowded now, just wait until Monday.

 

New York City Transit yesterday announced major track work starts then on the 4 and 5 lines that might challenge the patience of even the most Zen-minded straphanger.

 

"Because fewer trains will be able to travel per hour, customers will experience crowding and delays," spokesman Charles Seaton said.

 

 

link:

http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/am-mta0330,0,3994528.story?coll=am-homepromo-briefs

 

 

 

Back track:

Fifty years after the Motor City rode the rails

Detroit Metro Times

 

Sitting in the darkened den of his Westland ranch house, shuttling through slides from a collection that numbers more than 40,000, Richard Andrews stops the projector on a shot from a bygone era.

 

Andrews is a rail fanatic. At 80 years old, the retired AAA employee has photographed rail lines all over the world. He's also co-authored several books about the Detroit streetcars that helped spawn his transit fascination as a teen decades ago.

 

So its not surprising when he lingers on a projected image of downtown Detroit during rush hour taken sometime during World War II.

 

More at:

 

http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=9040

 

 

 

Outstanding article! It speaks volumes that Detroit, a city with 900,000 people and 5 million in the metro area doesn't have any rail transit service. If you told that to someone in Europe, Russia, Japan, China, etc. etc., they would be so astonished that they'd probably drop their transit pass.  :-o

Add the Twin Cities to Nashville as another Cleveland-sized town (Nashville being 1M smaller, metro-wise) implementing commuter rail while we sit here in Cleveland and make excuses why it CAN'T happen here.

 

I get sick of it.

Sound Transit builds for LRT

Projected growth over the next 25 years is driving the Seattle region's rapid push to expand light rail.[/b]

By William D. Middleton, Contributing Editor

 

 

The need for a light rail system is particularly acute in Seattle simply because of the way that geography has determined the city's development. Downtown Seattle is shaped like an hourglass, hemmed in by Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east, with residential areas extending far to the north and south, and east of the lake. High-density development and the University of Washington campus just north of downtown have contributed to heavy transportation demand in a constrained north-south corridor.

 

More at:

http://www.railwayage.com/B/feature2.html

"In 1993, the Oregon state legislature authorized formation of a regional transit plan. The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) was created, encompassing the urbanized areas of Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties-an area that stretches almost 100 miles north and south from Everett to Tacoma."

 

Wow!  I didn't realize the Oregon state legislature was so powerful!  Maybe they can establish a commuter rail authority in Northeast Ohio, too!

oops!  :type:

CCJPA and BART Seek to Go Wireless in Capital Corridor

 

Oakland, CA (March 31, 2006) - BART/Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCPJA), the operators of the Capitol Corridor commuter train, are asking the telecommunications industry to help them take the next big step in providing mobile broadband services, including Internet, email, Virtual Private Network (VPN) access, video downloads and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to their riders’ laptops, PDAs and cell phones—while the Capitol Corridor train is moving at full speed between Auburn and San Jose. Results of the initial technical trials will lead toward procurement of a system-wide network, a process that is being watched by passenger rail providers around the world.

 

CCJPA wants to establish technical trials that will demonstrate the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a broadband network along the railway that can support bandwidth-intensive, real-time applications. Wi-Fi will provide connectivity within the train to riders, train staff and remote devices. Wi-Fi traffic will be backhauled to base stations along the tracks, or to satellites. CCJPA has adopted a technology-neutral approach for the backhaul connection and welcomes proposals that are based on different technologies.

 

The RFI invites national and international wireless carriers, equipment vendors, system integrators, enterprise solution providers and other members of the telecommunications community to submit proposals. CCJPA will evaluate submittals, select three of best proposals, and allow the winners to install their own networks and equipment, at their own expense, along sections of the test track, the Capitol Corridor’s 171 miles of right-of-way. CCJPA will supply rail cars for the equipment, room in the various stations for more equipment and collaborate with the winners to ensure that their needs for the technical trials are met. Winners must set up networks that cover at least three contiguous stations unless using a satellite solution. The trials are expected to last six months.

 

Some of the services that the broadband network will support are:

 

Web browsing

Email access

VPN access to corporate networks

File upload and download

VoIP to place and receive voice calls over the Internet

High-speed video and audio streaming

Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) surveillance and monitoring to ensure safety on trains

Electronic ticketing and management of passenger information

Transmission of train diagnostic information.

At the end of the process, the CCJPA will use the trial results to form the basis for a competitive bid process (slated for the first quarter of 2007) to build a state-of-the-art network that serves the entire Capitol Corridor. Major transit agencies throughout California and the United States have already contacted CCJPA, and will be monitoring closely the progress of the technical tests.

 

Eugene Skoropowski, the CCJPA Managing Director, says, “We believe this is a real opportunity for the CCJPA. There can be incredible benefits from this type of broadband mobile network…for our riders, our train operations and also for many of the communities and people who live along the Capitol Corridor right-of-way.”

 

About Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

The Capitol Corridor serves seventeen stations along the 170-mile rail corridor, and offers a convenient way to travel between the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley/San Jose. Ridership now exceeds 1.25 million annually.

 

Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) manages the service with day-to-day management support from the S.F. Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The CCJPA partners with Amtrak, Union Pacific Railroad, Caltrans and the communities comprising the CCJPA to offer cost-effective, viable and safe intercity passenger rail service.

 

For information, visit www.capitolcorridor.org.

http://www.amtrakcapitols.com/about_ccjpa/press_room/RFI060331.php

 

China outlines planned passenger railway network

 

SHANGHAI - China plans to build a 7,500-mile passenger railway network to connect provincial capitals and other main cities, according to a story from the China news agency Xinhua.

 

More at:

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/589fgdjb.asp

^ Makes me sick