Case Study 3 — New RailStarts: Seattle Monorail & LRTBritta SteinJustin ScottWenteng MaOutline Intro Rail Types of rail New Starts Introduction Seattle case Overview Who is involved Problems Recent Happenings MN Rails: LRT, Northstar Commuter RailTypes of Rail Commuter Rail – Chicago’s Metra LRT – Hiawatha Line, Minneapolis Monorail – Disneyland, CA Subway – BART, San FransiscoCommon Criticisms Rail is outdated Transit is not Cost Effective Rail Carries Too Few Passengers to SolveProblem Efficient Rail Transit Requires High Densities People Will Not Give Up Their Cars Rail Transit is Too Slow or Unattractive Rail Systems are Over Budget and Fail toAttract Predicted RidershipWhat's “New Starts”? “The Federal government’s primaryfinancial resource for supporting locally-planned, implemented, and operatedtransit “guideway” capital investments.” Is covered under SAFETEA-LU - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act:A Legacy for Users (Passed August 2005) Includes various modes of transit:heavy rail, LRT, monorail, BRTNew Starts Criteria 1. Alternatives Analysis and PreliminaryEngineering 2. Project Justification -Mobility Improvements -Environmental Benefits -Operating Efficiencies -Cost Effectiveness and -Other Factors 3. Local Financial CommitmentSeattle MonorailWho is involved? City of Seattle - publicly owned transit system ETC (‘00) - Elevated Transportation Company - ETC plan proposed Aug. 2002 SMP (Nov. ’02) - Seattle Popular MonorailAuthority -developed citywide monorail system Cascadia Monorail Company (DBOM) -responsible for entire design Monorail projectHistory of Seattle Initiatives 1962 Worlds Fair Voters have continually supported transitinitiatives In 1997, voters launched Initiative 41 -X shaped, 40 mile monorail system -passed with a 53% approval In 2000, voters passed Initiative 53 -provided 2 years and $6 millionOverview of Seattle ETC plan (’02) -5 lines totaling 58 milesto crisscross the city Green Line - 14 miles to connect WestSeattle to Ballard and stadiums in SODO Largely counting on increased tax baseto fund continued construction Quote describing monorailPositive Aspects Fast and Efficient Green and Clean Economic Development and New Jobs Higher Property Values and Pedestrian-Friendly Neighborhoods Tourism World-Class DesignRecent Happenings Problems… Governance or Financing This is the “most disappointing day for mesince I became Mayor.” Greg Nickels onunmet deadlines and postponing the project Voters to decide on Nov. 8 Raise Taxes or reduce size Newly proposed Green Line is ¼ shorter andwithout essential canal crossing PONDER THIS!! Continue support, or endnegotiations and start over?Introduction Length: 12 miles,connecting downtownMinneapolis,Minneapolis/St. PaulInternational Airportand the Mall of Americain Bloomington Stations: 17 locationsLight Rail Vehicles 24 cars, each 94 feet long andmanufactured by Bombardier Electrically powered by wires 16 feetoverhead Top speed is 55 mph with a generalservice speed of 40 mph and slowerspeed in downtownBus Feeder and Fare Feeder bus service: 46 Metro Transitroutes will connect to 13 rail stations withtimed transfers. Twenty percent of rail riderswill arrive at their station by bus. Fare price: Light-rail fares will be the sameas bus fares. Transfers will be valid betweenbus and rail if used within 150 minutesHours of Operation &Frequency10-15Sunday/Holiday10-15Saturday—Owl (1am-5am)15Evening10Midday7-8Rush Hours (weekdays 6-9 am and3-6:30 pm)Minutes between trips on thisrouteApproximate Route FrequencyConstruction fundingin millions $ Federal Transit Administration - $334.3 State of Minnesota - $100 Metropolitan Airports Commission - $87 Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority - $84.2 Federal Grant for Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality- $49.8 Transit capital grant - $39.9 Minnesota Department of Transportation - $20.1 TOTAL $715.3Milestones achieved Broke ground January 17, 2001 Delivered 13 rail cars Completed 12 stations Mined airport rail tunnels Installed all track in Minneapolis Relocated utilities in downtownNorthstar Commuter Rail the corridorbetween St.Cloud/Riceand the TwinCitiesSouthwest Corridor RailTransit A joint effort ofthe HennepinCountyRegionalRailroadAuthority(HCRRA) andthe cities ofEden Prairie,Minnetonka,Hopkins, St.Louis Park, andMinneapolis.Southwest Corridor RailTransit Improve mobility. Provide a reliable/competitive travel choice. Serve population and employmentconcentrations. Provide for a seamless, integrated transit system. Reasonable cost. Enhance the environment. Enhance the Study area and region's quality oflife. Promote economic development andredevelopmentQuestions Do the extensive costs of major rail systemsoutweigh the benefits? Are monorail and LRT corridors necessary toensure continued development of downtownareas like Minneapolis and Seattle? Is it realistic to count on expected tax baseincreases to help pay for the Seattle monorailproject? Should local transit projects be
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