texasboy - that will be the first installment of commuter rail service in Atlanta / GA. The line will eventually go to Macon, but for now will use simple train stops along a fairly underdeveloped part of metro Atlanta. But this line is actually receiving state funding mainly because it will go to Macon, additionally the next line scheduled is to Athens. Most of the other lines will most likely never be adopted. Also texasboy - in case of any misundersanding, none of this is inter-city transit, it is commuter rail such as the Dallas - Ft Worth line or I believe the Miami - W Palm Beach line.
Style - the C Loop is the green highlighed line. It is to use rail ROW from Emory Univ. to Lindbergh MARTA station, then an undetermined route through the westside of Atlanta, likely combined with the Beltline and running along Northside Pkwy by Atlantic Station. From there it would navigate through city streets to the Atlanta University complex & south of the city to Grant Park. There it will go by just a few blocks from my house (as Beltline will only be a half mile) & continue along I-20. It is possible that this portion will be combined into the MARTA East Line extension - where transit service to Lithonia is proposed. This latter part may be BRT.
Also texasboy - in case of any misundersanding, none of this is inter-city transit, it is commuter rail such as the Dallas - Ft Worth line or I believe the Miami - W Palm Beach line.
are there any plans on expanding the heavy rail network or are they making the streetcar line their main priority? honestly, i would think that the days of heavy rail in atlanta are over with or would the extensions continue to be heavy rail?
are there any plans on expanding the heavy rail network or are they making the streetcar line their main priority? honestly, i would think that the days of heavy rail in atlanta are over with or would the extensions continue to be heavy rail?
The Steetcar is not a MARTA proposal/project but the intent is that it would build ridership for MARTA by making it easier to go from one neighborhood to the next without a car. The Beltline is being studied by the City of Atlanta and is a very dynamic proposal.
As for heavy rail.......It should be expanded in some places, the fact that it was not built out as planned is why it is so dysfunctional.
Unless the project gets killed, this will hopefully be just the start of rail transit in the Triangle area.
Note that there are two large gaps with no stops in the line: one between NW Cary and Triangle Metro Center, and the other between North RTP and Alston Ave. While it's nice to have long segments without stops because it makes the end-to-end journey faster, by putting stops in largely undeveloped areas you give developers a blank slate with cheap land so they can pursue TOD however they see fit.
that's quite impressive for a city of raleigh's size. i am not that familiar with raleigh-durham, so i really cannot tell the scale of the map, but how many miles will this cover?
The initial TTA segment, from 9th Street in Durham to Government Center in Raleigh will cover 28 miles with 12 stations. They say that it will open in 2008, but I'd guess mid-2009 is a more realistic projection if they get the traffic projection fiasco sorted out. Extensions to Duke Medical in Durham and Spring Forest Rd in Raleigh will be constructed at a later date (2011?)
There has been a major investment study regarding the corridor from Triangle Metro Center to Chapel Hill, and one of the options was an extension of the DMU-based Regional Rail line. Service to RDU airport is also being considered; direct DMU service is not possible but one option being considered is building an RDU peoplemover and then extending it three miles to Triangle Metro Center.
Raleigh may not be that big of a city (340,000 people, was it?) but the metro area has over a million people, and we have our share of traffic problems as the whole area is quickly turning into a raleigh-cary-morrisville-durham megalopolis of sprawl. The regional buses running between the cities usually end up significantly behind schedule at rush hour because of traffic jams on I-40 and NC54, and the delays are expected to get massively worse as more of the state's highway funds are shifted to the "economically disadvantaged" counties down east. If they build the rail system, I say let the folks down east have the highway money. It doesn't bother me too much that our highways go to hell at rush hour every day. That's what needs to happen for people to second guess our completely auto-dependant development patterns.
I'm always glad to hear about cities' first projects. Though skeptical I hope fed $ comes down for this soon. Definitely press your congresspeople and senators.
Any of these trains will be seen zooming through areas of New Orleans when light rail begins...it is the top priority with the Louisiana legislative session this year. http://www.east-westcorridor.com/transitTec.html
Currently, the city is trying to finalize plans for the South Corridor of their light rail project, which would run from Downtown/Medical District to the Airport. They have two proposed routes for that section of the project.
It's too bad Bush cut funding for the USDOT that would have went to the TTA project in Raleigh-Durham this year. Thankfully, I think it will only delay the project and TTA will secure government funding to match it's own funding and efforts (Env. Impact Studies, etc.) in future. I lived in the Triangle for six years, and I think it's definitely a good candidate for a nice rail link system. I believe it would get more use than most people would think b/c of the number of students, businessmen, and international residents living in the Triangle. People from other countries/cities are streaming in along with the big businesses and research entities they work for and are used to having a nice, clean, efficient public transport system.
I think that Commuter Rail is the most important public transport project that should be undertaken in Atlanta, even if it means that streetcar development is halted. Now that there are too many commuters north of the city, that can't be reversed. There must be some way to avoid the mentality that "If only 75, 85, and 400 had thirty lanes each, then there would be no traffic". Some of the worst traffic happens getting to those freeways.
I just moved to Decatur, GA from Boston. I spoke with my neighbor who did work for MARTA from 1979-1985. People told me that there's a plaque with his name on it at Five Points. He's retired now, and he told me (paraphrasing) "They've got to build commuter rail out to Marrietta...they have to integrate the system, get the rail to go to MARTA, teach people to use public transport."
Commuter Rail is the the bridge between most car abuse and public transport habits. Streetcars are great for tourists, and those who already use MARTA, but it won't help environmental and traffic issues as much as commuter rail will. However, I appreciate that streetcar development will lure more people to Buckhead and Midtown...but I still think that there is a type of person (and property developer) that will go to the Northern 'burbs no matter what the subway options are. Georgia might as well at least have the option of getting that type of person to work with out crippling the Metro area.
BTW, who sings the rap song I heard on V-103 last night with the lyrics:
"I used to be on MARTA,
Now I cruise in my candy-colored cadillac".
Charlotte's South Light Rail Corridor Under Construction...opens 2007...
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