KC Light Rail

The seven-day saga continues…

Orlando (2.03 million, 2,180/sq. mi.) - Aside from several failed attempts at light rail connecting the airport and Disney World, Central Florida commuter rail also died recently. The cause? CSX, owner of the freight tracks, insisted on the state taking on all liability for accidents as a condition of transferring ownership. Obviously it makes little financial sense for the state to be responsible when a CSX freight train derails, regardless of who actually owns the tracks. A cautionary tale for KC's commuter rail proposal? Not likely, since CSX had to be coerced into cooperation; KC Southern appears to be a willing participant.

San Antonio (1.99 million, 2,808/sq. mi.) - You think KC is bad? No serious light rail talk for this fast-growing Texas city. A 2000 proposal was killed off by a conservative "think tank". A 10-mile, $95 million BRT line will open in 2012. Good luck finding project info on their site. You-get-what-you-pay-for-fare is currently $1. The city is served by two long-distance Amtrak trains and oodles and oodles of cheap rental cars. Guess who's landed on the EPA's naughty air list?

Las Vegas (1.84 million, 4,154/sq. mi.) - While some may be familiar with the troublesome Bombardier-sourced Las Vegas Monorail, the big transit news in this fast growing desert city is BRT (the cheaper alternative since the FTA snubbed a monorail expansion in 2005). Not-coincidentally dubbed ACE, it will connect all of the obvious places along the Strip (airport, casinos, convention center) and opens next year. Key distinctions from our MAX BRT are level boarding, off-board ticketing, and dedicated lanes through downtown (oh, and the $75 million price tag). Current bus fare is $1.25.

Columbus (1.75 million, x/sq. mi.) - A 5.6-mile modern streetcar loop has been proposed for the High Street corridor — linking downtown to Ohio State University — spearheaded by Mayor Michael Coleman. Coleman was recently rebuffed by city officials, who assembled a bond package for the November ballot and decided to exclude funding for the system (they also have a looming combined sewer issue, which a big chunk of the bond issue would address). Columbus is one of the largest cities in America with no Amtrak service, although they are part of the Ohio Corridor study we mentioned earlier.

Indianapolis (1.69 million, 2,152/sq. mi.) - A 19-mile DMU commuter rail line has been proposed to connect downtown's Union Station with northeastern suburbs at a cost of around $160 million. A public-private urban circulator streetcar has also been proposed by local business and civic leaders. Indy's low density rivals KC. Daily Amtrak service to Chicago — not state-sponsored, by the way — also originates at Union Station, and the city's bus system has the best name ever: IndyGo! Experience the diesel excitement yourself for only $1.50.