KC Light Rail

Archive for the 'Other Cities' Category

Peer City Status, Part 4

July 04th, 2008 | Category: Other Cities

Norfolk (1.66 million, 4,362/sq. mi.) - The Tide, a 7.4-mile starter light rail is under construction and set to open in 2010. The short route was driven by lack of support from neighboring Virginia Beach, who has since signed back on with an extension to the oceanfront. The low $232 million construction cost ($128 million from the feds) is largely the result of using abandoned right of way from railroad Norfolk Southern. Two daily trains direct from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor arrive in neighboring Newport News.

Charlotte (1.65 million, 2,515/sq. mi.) - Low density like Indy, Austin, and KC, yet car-focused Charlotte residents were surpassing ridership estimates within months of the LYNX light rail line's November 2007 opening. The 9.6-mile starter line shares tracks with a vintage trolley line, uses abandoned railroad right-of-way, and had a final price tag of $462 million — double the original estimate, but still managed to survive a transit tax repeal effort. Extensions and a connecting commuter rail line are in planning stages. State-sponsored Amtrak service was relocated to a new intermodal facility in the middle of Uptown.

Providence (1.60 million, 9,473/sq. mi.) - Served exclusively by diesel buses for the time being, for which fares increased to $1.75 last week. A long-range transit plan calls for rail, but no funding is in place. Local transit provider RIPTA takes the top spot for worst-sounding acronym ever. Frequent commuter rail service from Boston is being extended to the airport to offset congestion at Boston's Logan Airport. Providence Station is a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

Austin (1.59 million, 2,396/sq. mi.) - MetroRail, a DMU commuter rail service begins this fall, sharing tracks with an active freight route. A circulator streetcar has been proposed, as well as frequent train service along the congested Austin-San Antonio corridor. Amtrak serves Austin today with one daily long-distance train.

Milwaukee (1.54 million, 6,214/sq. mi.) - No light rail for this bike-friendly city that's slowly becoming big suburb of Chicago. Advocates are fighting to keep a commuter rail proposal alive that would serve Racine and Kenosha, but state legislators keep balking on funding proposals (half-cent sales tax, $13 rental car fee). Frequent state-sponsored Amtrak service connects a renovated intermodal facility and Chicago's Union Station, with a stop at Milwaukee's airport.

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Peer City Status, Part 3

July 02nd, 2008 | Category: Other Cities

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.

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Peer City Status, Part 2

July 01st, 2008 | Category: Other Cities

Pittsburgh (2.35 million, 5,636/sq. mi.) - Pittsburgh's 25-mile light rail line is getting a new 1.2-mile addition in the form of the North Shore Connector, which should be complete in 2011 (80% federal match). The new line will connect downtown to baseball and football stadiums, a casino, and other business and cultural centers via tunnels under the Allegheny River. A connection to the airport has been proposed as a further extension of the North Shore Connector, but planning is in early stages. Zone-based fares range from $1.50 to $3.25.

Portland (2.17 million, 4,199/sq. mi.) - While most trumpet the Portland Streetcar, a public-private urban circulator, it's the three MAX light rail lines that do the heavy lifting on the rails. The 6.5-mile Green Line is under construction to connect directly with Union Station (home of frequent state-funded Amtrak Cascades corridor service). Another line is in design that will cross the Willamette River into Vancouver, Washington – more bi-state madness… gasp! — replacing an aging I-5 bridge with a new $4.2 billion crossing that will accommodate vehicles (with tolls) and light rail. Zone pricing makes fares vary between $1.75 and $2.05 per trip.

Cincinnati (2.13 million, 4,174/sq. mi.) - Voters rejected an aggressive 60-mile rail plan in 2002, but talk of a modern streetcar discussion has surfaced to connect downtown with the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. Guess what's on the other side of their river? Another state, beotches. Did we mention they have a massive, dedicated pedestrian bridge?

Cleveland (2.10 million, 6,166/sq. mi.) - The biggest transit news in Cleveland is the Silver Line, a BRT line connecting downtown and East Cleveland. Believe it or not, they were able to sell the naming rights, so it will actually be called the HealthLine. We think most people will still call it a bus (see Boston's Silver Line for proof). The city already has one heavy rail line and two light rail lines that all converge at Tower City Center, also an Amtrak station served only by long-distance trains (a major inter-city passenger rail corridor is being studied, however, to connect all of Ohio's major population centers). A 50-cent fare hike proposal would put the one-way price at $2.25.

Sacramento (2.09 million, 4,711/sq. mi.) - California's capital has a two-line 37-mile light rail system that was extended in 1995, 1998, 2003, and 2004. The latest extension was completed in December 2006 that connected the line to the Amtrak station, a major stop on the state-funded Capital Corridor. A future extension to the airport is planned, but construction of a 4-mile extension to Cosumnes River College will open in 2009. Fare is $2 per trip for bus or rail.

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Peer City Status, Part 1

June 30th, 2008 | Category: Other Cities

Here's what's shaking in the rest of the country while we wait for the Regional v. Starter discussion to be resolved. We present to you the status of urban rail transit in the MSAs that are between 1 and 3 million in population* (KC is about 2 million with 1,407/sq. mi.), from largest to smallest:

San Diego (2.97 million, 3,872/sq. mi.) - The 22-mile Sprinter commuter rail service began in March, using DMUs like those proposed in Mayor Funkhouser's regional plan. This new line doesn't terminate in the city center, but instead connects suburban nodes on existing commuter (Coaster, MetroLink) and inter-city rail lines (Amtrak). The 3-line San Diego Trolley system recently announced it would scrap it's zone pricing and move to a $2.50 fare for each trip.

St. Louis (2.80 million, 5,716/sq. mi.) - The pricey 8-mile "Cross County" light rail extension opened in 2006. A handful of other extensions are on the drawing board, but no funding has been secured. St. Louis has no commuter rail lines, but does have five daily Amtrak trains to Chicago, in addition to the two that run to KC (a new inter-modal station is near completion). A big TOD project was just announced near light rail stations in Maplewood. Fare increases ($2 today) are being discussed to cope with the cost of fueling diesel buses and a reduction in county funding. Our closest peer also deals with state line issues: MetroLink is managed by a bi-state authority.

Tampa (2.72 million, 2,970/sq. mi.) - A regional transit agency — TBARTA — was approved in 2007. A vintage trolley line serves downtown and Ybor City, but a 21-mile modern light rail starter line is being discussed for a 2010 ballot. Interesting to note that Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a state budget that includes $2 million in funding for the new entity.

Baltimore (2.67 million, 8,058/sq. mi.) - Almost completely absorbed by the DC metro, Baltimore has one light rail line and is actively planning it's second (the Red Line); BRT is being discussed as an alternative. One-way fare is currently $1.60. Extensive commuter rail services to DC and a major spot on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor offer more alternatives to driving (these two services also provide airport connections).

Denver (2.46 million, 3,797/sq. mi.) - In the midst of a regional "railgasm" of sorts, Denver is building 119 miles of light rail and commuter rail through 2016 (including a billion dollar redo of their Union Station to support inter-modal connections). One-way light rail fare is $1.75 and a fare hike is being discussed. It's important to note that Denver's first line in 1994 was a locally-funded and "touristy" 5.3 miles through what was a dead downtown. Extensions opened in 2000, 2002, and 2006. Connections to the airport won't arrive until 2015. Special SkiTrains haul passengers to resorts during high season.

* By request, we added population density (city only). Please note that KC appears sparsely populated, partly based in reality and also based on years of semi-rural annexation north of the Missouri River that has ballooned the area to 318 square miles. Atlanta's area, by comparison, is only 132 square miles.

Stay tuned for more…

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