It's possible we are seeing passenger rail come back slowly, but surely. Every few days you read of this city or that community discussing commuter rail or intra-city rail, and you realize that what has been said in this topic is actually happening.....that the local communities are building (re-building?) transportation systems that could eventually inter-connect and become the network we once had in this Country. There is hope! :thumbs_up:
A quick quote here. Interesting. And appropriate to our present discussion. This came with today's issue of Dick Wilson's "The Brass Switchkey Railnews." "(WED) ~ A study was released noting that, since 2000, voters have approved transportation-related ballot measures at more than double the rate of other measures. The study, entitled "Transportation Finance At The Ballot Box" and released by the Center For Transportation Excellence, said that voters in 33 states approved 70% of proposed measures, which in turn generated more than $70 billion in funding. The study analyzed more than 200 state and local transportation-related ballot measures proposed since 2000. (ffd: Progressive Railroading)" Boxcab E50
So, its not for lack of public support or need. Just like everything else in this country the burden is falling more and more not just on states, but individual cities and towns in those states to fund these types of enterprise. Personally, I think this is great. If I can see my tax dollars being put to use here at home, I am happy, and if it were to go into things like rail service...even better. Also, most states have lottery games and I am certain some of that money is now earmarked for transportation... John
I would be happier, seeing my money kept closer to home. Especially if wisely spent. Well,..... :zip: You are correct about the lotteries. Except, in many cases, they were poorly worded. Or are just plain dishonestly administered. So monies are actually going into the "general fund." Or being otherwise diverted. :sad: Boxcab E50
A little house cleaning if you will. I looked at the two prevous posts I made and I am sorry if I came across rude, specifically to Boxcab. I let my personal feelings dictate what I typed. So Boxcab and others, I'm sorry for my rude posts on this subject. Everyone has had good imput on this subject and I have been made aware to some subjects I was ignorant on. That said do you think that rail transportation is better left to a grass roots local government or federal? Metra has been asked to bring rail service as far west as Rockford. Amtrak is trying to bring passenger service from Chicago through Rockford, Freeport and Iowa. The local media reported that three lines were viable. I wonder if they know that the CNW line west of Rockford was pulled up in 1986 and the CGW line that went through Byron was torn up in the early 1970's. The only line I see that would work is the former IC near our house. They upgraded the line to welded rail in 1997.
My gut instinct is that those closest to the solution live with the problem and have the greatest cause to fix it. They know the market intimately and already have a grasp on the problem. On the other hand, if you hired me or another outsider to fix Albuquerque's issues, I'd have to make an 18-month study, conduct more market surveys, and so on. The flip side of this is that idiosyncracies in practices and methods leave more room for mismanagement. Still, if you have a local government that knows its stuff, that's the best solution. My $0.02 anyway.
This has been an interesting thread. I tend to agree that if you live in a "rural" area, travel by rail is inconvenient as there isn't a station stop nearby (Amtrak). However, those of us that live in urban areas are sometimes faced with the same problem. Here in Dallas we have DART which operates bus and light rail. The rail line is subsidized by a 1/2% sales tax. The nearest bus stop is a 15 minute walk from my house to catch a bus that gets me downtown (another 20 minutes) then another 15+ minute wait to transfer to another bus to get me to my office. On the light rail side, the nearest rail station is farther than my office from my house. If I had the luxury of living next to a station with a station close to my office (the closest is a 15 - 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus ride through a not-so-good part of the city) I would probably take the train 3-4 times a week. But when I can drive the 9 miles point to point in 20 minutes or less, I don't see any reason to use mass transit. Now for those that live in the 'burbs north or south of downtown and work downtown, they have the luxury of driving to a park and ride lot (parking is free) catching the train and be dropped of within a couple of blocks of their office and not have to pay the $7 - $10 a day to park. Light rail has been a great thing where the tracks run and the higher gas prices have led to increased ridership. Dart is expanding to the northwest and the southeast of downtown which will increase that ridership even more (they still won't come close to my house) Mass transit is a good thing, but it will never be able to serve the majority of the public
The simple answer is to sell your house and move closer to the station Seriously, I have been talking to three municipalities about this problem. I call it the "Triangle Line" and it would serve Farmington, Aztec, and Bloomfield. Now, these cities are real close together (i.e. within 13 miles) so driving is easy, but that is the problem: congestion is terrible and getting worse. If they put in a light rail system NOW it could save this area in 15 years. Well, the smallest city (and the one with the least amount of money!!), Aztec, is interested. The other two cities could care less. IF I could show how the system would put oodles of money in the city coffers their little ears might perk up though!!
Mmmmmm, it takes me 15 minutes by bike to go to my office. I have 8 to 12 busses and 2 trains an hour to the central station/city center, and from there I have 40 trains an hour to all the directions in this country. I can get drunk in the evening without worrying about transport to my home. I read MR and Trains during the trip to my Ntrak club.
Apparently the service is making a come back and those who make Bombardier double decker are pusshing it along. Especially in California the Bombardiers hold many more people than in single deck cars and are more streamlined. California has three Bombardier type services in their most major cities. (ex. San Diego,Coaster; Los Angeles, Metrolink; and the San Francisco,Caltrain.) There is also The Sounder in Virginia, The Tri Rail in Florida, The Railrunner in New Mexico, AMT in Montreal, West Coast Express in Utah, and GO Transit.
One more thing to consider- Most of the USA is neither in an urban, nor suburban environment. So commuter only works in a narrow area. Once you extend it to those lighter populated areas, cost skyrockets. And potential fare returns diminish. Plus resistance to taxation becomes fierce. Boxcab E50
