The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread

[rookzie]

Real time bus-tracking app targeted to go live in mid-December. (Yay? or Yay! ─ I'll take anything now)  Well at least I was close in my prediction last spring, when I said that the announcement might mean Dec. 31.

Also according to NBJ, the MTA is planning to ramp up public engagement on discussion of generalized functional concepts (my guess, like the ol' grade-school colored construction-paper. abstractions).

Here's what Nashville's transit chief told Metro Council about the city's long-term plan

-==-

 

Edited November 19, 2015 by rookzie

[markhollin]

$300 billion Highway Bill appears about ready to pass thru Congress in DC.  Could have some help for central Tennessee...

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/news-wire/2015/12/02/highway-deal-good-for-business-except-for-big.html

[markhollin]

^ ^ ^ The $305 billion Highway Bill does indeed pass in Congress today.  Wonder how much and for what projects will be earmarked for central Tennessee?

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2015/12/bipartisan-victory-for-business-congress-passes.html

[L'burgnative]

^ Probably some widening project on rural state highway in Hickman Co.

[PruneTracy]

2 hours ago, markhollin said:

^ ^ ^ The $305 billion Highway Bill does indeed pass in Congress today.  Wonder how much and for what projects will be earmarked for central Tennessee?

The feds don't really do earmarks per se for transportation funding and legislation anymore. The projects driven by political pressure get baked into the overall planning process so they're camouflaged by the "need-based" work.

What was formerly earmarking is now programming, where lawmakers divide the money into many separate pots for fairly specific uses, such as safety on highways that meet certain conditions, or certain modes of transit. So whereas, for example, a Congressman might previously have snuck in an earmark for a new bus system or train terminal for their constituency, they now push for allocating funding dollars to programs exclusively for bus transit, or offering low-interest loans for rail access.

It will be interesting to see how the changes in programming affect states' decisions in what gets put on the ground, and whether we end up with a better transportation system for it.

31 minutes ago, L'burgnative said:

^ Probably some widening project on rural state highway in Hickman Co.

TDOT's Three-Year Plan lists the projects currently on tap for the state for FY 2016-2018. This backlog shows the projects that have been shelved for a lack of funding. (This bill will cause projects from the latter list to move onto the former.) The rural/urban focus is a delicate issue, but it boils down to serving the needs of the entire state, which includes not only moving commuters but also improving access for freight, etc.

The agency has made a point the past couple of years of not including many new projects in their three-year plan, pointing to both the declining revenue from gas taxes and uncertainty in federal funding. Ironically, the feds, in addressing the latter issue, have torpedoed any chance of fixing the former. Our dear leaders aren't going to stick their necks out on the taxation issue as long as they can kick the can down the road.

Speaking of, in spite of being hailed as a "long-term" "solution", this bill does nothing to address the underlying causes of the funding problem, i.e., gas taxes and/or their replacement. The increases in transportation funding come from offsets elsewhere in the federal budget. In five years, we'll be back where we started, watching the HTF drop into the red while politicians play accounting tricks and pass two-week funding bills to avoid making tough decisions.

Edited December 4, 2015 by PruneTracy

[MidTenn1]

Per the Tennessean...

The federally mandated and funded transportation planning agency unveiled highlights of the new plan called Middle Tennessee Connected on Wednesday during its annual partnership luncheon at Music City Center. The plan is a comprehensive strategy for investing more than $8 billion into the region's transit system from 2016 to 2040. It is scheduled for adoption in early 2016.

Also...

• Modernize the commuter rail service between Davidson and Wilson counties.
• Provide a new transit option to serve commuters between Nashville and Clarksville, which would also benefit the residents in North Nashville.
• Incorporate rapid transit technology into the corridors between Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro and Gallatin.

...and....

• $916 million for local and regional transportation improvements, including preventative maintenance, vehicle acquisition and replacement, transit facilities, vanpool programs and rural services. 

 

 

 

[nashvylle]

There is an article in the NBJ behind paywall saying that "Nashville leaders budget $1.2BN for transportation over the next 25 years" . Can anyone summarize please?

[markhollin]

20 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

There is an article in the NBJ behind paywall saying that "Nashville leaders budget $1.2BN for transportation over the next 25 years" . Can anyone summarize please?

The plan recommends that anticipated federal grants should be directed to the following areas during the life of the new regional transportation plan:

$916 million for local and regional transit improvements, including preventative maintenance, vehicle acquisition and replacement, transit facilities, vanpool programs and rural services. 

$2.7 billion for interstate improvements, including new and improved interchanges, additional general purpose lanes and designated lanes for carpools and transit. 

$132 million dedicated to technology upgrades, including traffic management solutions and real-time travel information.

$3.2 billion to expand roadway capacity, including extensions and more lanes on interstates, state routes and other federal aid streets. New sidewalks and bicycle lanes should be incorporated where they are appropriate. 

$1 billion for roadway reconstruction and multi-modal upgrades. 

$1.2 billion for regional fixed-guideway transit projects, including dedicated lanes for transit along regional corridors and within the urban core. 

$206 million dedicated to active transportation projects, such as expanding access to safe walking and bicycle facilities. 

$396 million dedicated to safety improvements, including intersection and roadway improvements. 

$269 million to reduce vehicle emissions, such as diesel engine retrofits and expansion of non-motorized modes and public transit. 

$2.7 billion for additional state and local maintenance funding.

It is probably from this budget that was part of the Tennessean article mentioned a couple of posts above:
 

The full article is here:
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/12/09/transportation-plan-proposes-interstate-upgrades/77033440/

Edited December 10, 2015 by markhollin

[grilled_cheese]

MTA now allowing Google Maps to have realtime data on their buses

 

 

 

[markhollin]

Traffic could improve at 560+ intersections:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson%20/2015/12/16/nashville-traffic-could-improve-560-intersections/77449680/
 

Mayor Barry names Transportation Director:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/17/mayor-barry-names-transportation-director/77475650/

[SoundScan]

4 hours ago, markhollin said:

Traffic could improve at 560+ intersections:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson%20/2015/12/16/nashville-traffic-could-improve-560-intersections/77449680/
 

My prayers (and complaints to MPW) have been answered! Nice to see that the Charlotte Pike corridor is first on the list of phase 1. I used to drive a good portion of Charlotte during my daily commute and the signal timing is so terrible and inefficient that I have since moved to an alternate route.

[Nathan_in_DC]

On 12/4/2015 at 3:27 PM, markhollin said:

^ ^ ^ The $305 billion Highway Bill does indeed pass in Congress today.  Wonder how much and for what projects will be earmarked for central Tennessee?

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2015/12/bipartisan-victory-for-business-congress-passes.html

Where's central Tennessee? 

[Dale]

Isn't it "Meedle Tennessee" ?

[Hey_Hey]

Real time updates are live on Google and the Transit App.  Nashville MTA is supposed to have an app but I can't find it in the App Store.  The locations only update every 1-2 minutes. I wish it were ever updated every 20-30 seconds, but it is a big improvement.  I really think this will help ridership out amongst the optional riders. 

[rookzie]

10 hours ago, Hey_Hey said:

Real time updates are live on Google and the Transit App.  Nashville MTA is supposed to have an app but I can't find it in the App Store.  The locations only update every 1-2 minutes. I wish it were ever updated every 20-30 seconds, but it is a big improvement.  I really think this will help ridership out amongst the optional riders. 

I was informed last Wednesday by a reliable source that the standalone app won't be available until the first of next year, which technically speaking in terms of "split hairs" means that they "reneged" on their "promise" last summer, for the release of the app before (or by) the end of the year.  But in all honesty, I'm convinced that they probably hadn't had sufficient development lead time with such a massive startup project, along with the fact that a previous undertaking had entailed some contentious wrangling of responsibility and accountability due to a massive loss from the May 2010 flood.  I share with you the impatience from an excessively lengthy protraction, but I guess I'd just rather them do it right to boot, rather than yank it in haste.

I also hear that for the most part (but not completely) that the shared data is expected to result in several popular premium apps out there picking up the MTA system.  As you say, one of them is to be "Transit App".  Additionally, I hear that for some reason Vanderbilt is in on this and plans to release an app (but I can't confirm). -==-

[markhollin]

NBJ REPORTERS PREDICT 2016 HEADLINES:

Nashville gets behind a transit plan

Nashville is still a long, long way from breaking ground on a new mass-transit project.

But we should be getting a series of transit alternatives thrown our way from local officials this month. Compare the contention surrounding the now-defunct Amp with what we’ve seen in the year since, as the city’s transit agency holds public meetings exploring what to do around mass transportation. All told, it appears the majority of folks in Nashville think something needs to be done around mass transit. With a bevy of alternatives to pick from, it’s safe to bet support will coalesce around a definitive plan in the coming months.

Surely, there will be more disagreement down the road — that’s the nature of transportation projects. But in the year ahead, all things point to Nashville at least getting behind a broader transit plan. Then, we’ll have to figure out how to pay for our first major project, something that may not happen this year. – Scott Harrison

[markhollin]

How driverless cars could help impact the city's traffic woes:

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2016/01/how-driverless-cars-could-help-attack-nashvilles.html

[MLBrumby]

The Transit Plan...  courtesy of the NBJ:  http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2016/01/light-rail-super-fast-buses-nashville-transit.html

Hoping the graphic will be resized. If not, I will work on it...  

From the NBJ article...   The most ambitious of the three plans, roughly estimated to cost approximately $5.4 billion to build over the next 25 years, suggests a slate of transit investments — varying from the aforementioned light rail (along possible corridors like Charlotte Avenue, Nolensville Pike, Murfreesboro Road and Gallatin Pike) and possible streetcar routes on West End Avenue as well as north into Germantown.

[nashvylle]

the last paragraph about CSX is unfortunate

[rookzie]

15 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

the last paragraph about CSX is unfortunate

"...One notable point, MTA’s mock proposal don’t factor in using CSX’s freight lines for commuter rail traffic. Bland said his agency has had conversations with the railroad, but he has determined it wouldn’t necessarily be a reliable option — due in large part to possible disruptions in regular service due to freight use of the CSX lines..."

You think!  This is an understatement of what all of us have known for years ─ at least since I found this forum some 3 years ago.  Scott Harrison might have been a bit more informing in his conclusion.
-==-

[MLBrumby]

I can't help thinking that use of the CSX lines has a political solution, but it would require the whole state (Governor) and involve some of the state's borrowing power that they currently don't utilize for TDOT roads.  Every municipal county would have to be involved and lay out a plan as to how it would utilize CSX.  In return, the state has looked into building a multi-modal transportation corridor to alleviate I-75.  This could bring CSX a lot of business.  That is but one idea. There are bound to be several, but my point is that Metro Nashville would have a much harder time if they try to negotiate with CSX alone. 

[rookzie]

4 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

I can't help thinking that use of the CSX lines has a political solution, but it would require the whole state (Governor) and involve some of the state's borrowing power that they currently don't utilize for TDOT roads.  Every municipal county would have to be involved and lay out a plan as to how it would utilize CSX.  In return, the state has looked into building a multi-modal transportation corridor to alleviate I-75.  This could bring CSX a lot of business.  That is but one idea. There are bound to be several, but my point is that Metro Nashville would have a much harder time if they try to negotiate with CSX alone. 

Most U.S. cities, with notable exceptions, have had to depend on their respective state DOTs for railroad-type commuter-rail to various proportions of subsidy ─ in states of IL, NY, CA, WA, OR, NJ, MD, MA,.....and the list goes on.  While some states "inherited" large percentages of pre-existing systems once privately owned, as in the states of NY, CT, MA, CA, IL, and IN, others encumbered much larger percentages of systems as more recent start-ups (e.g. in WA, CA, VA, TX, NM, UT...), most notably and of recent in the state of Florida, which perhaps has instituted the most expensive start-up in the nation.  Florida represents an extreme case at the "high" end of the spectrum, tenable in part because of alternative mainline CSX paths within that states, a tactical advantage afforded by few other regions, if any. -==-

[titanhog]

I'm in agreement that it's time to go all-in on public transportation.  We've spent a lot of money on large expenditures in the 20+ years I've been here and the city has a grown a great deal in part because of these investments.  But now...if we really want to move to the next level, we need to do this right...and big.  Let's not do just one part of the plan and leave it to a later generation.  Let's make the investment...grit our teeth...and do what is best for the city's growth and future.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/01/23/nashville-area-needs-go-big-transit-great/79191266/

[markhollin]

The CSX Mirage: Nashville's transit head says commuter lines on those tracks would flop.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2016/01/the-csx-mirage-nashville-s-transit-head-says.html

[rookzie]

9 minutes ago, markhollin said:

The CSX Mirage: Nashville's transit head says commuter lines on those tracks would flop.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2016/01/the-csx-mirage-nashville-s-transit-head-says.html

Bland says what we've said and what we've already known in this forum thread for some 3 years or more ─ 10 years when they inaugurated the MCS to Lebanon.  MLBrumby summed it up as "checkmate", when he posted that an arrangement at all with CSX would have to be a political solution involving an ambitious, albeit astronomically costly, and on the state level.  That would seem unpalatable in the foreseeable future, given the political climate at odds in municipal and state levels, as well as within the entities of governance themselves.

However, it's unconscionable to even consider running even twice daily intercity passenger rail on CSX tracks (a single Amtrak train on a given route, with one train per day each way), much worse to operate a commuter rail service on existing freight infrastructure, without a significant expense in RoW upgrades.  While its not as congested as Houston, Dallas or even podunks like Deshler and Fostoria Ohio, where more than 100 freights pass during any single day, it's known universally that these tracks cannot handle additional demands of commuter rail, with congestion compounded by strict scheduling requirements of any scalable service frequency.  As MLBrumby stated, it shouldn't be encumbered within the geographic constraints of a single agency.  Very few Class-I rail lines have congested mains anymore accommodating freight and commuter rail, without the use of at least one track dedicated to the purpose, including signaling and dispatch service.  Those which do have have a single track main for dual service on such Class-1 mains are planned or are being expanded as such, as with Orlando's SunRail.  -==-