The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread

[ariesjow]

I wouldn't look for the Star to expand any time soon. It's my understanding that CSX owns the rights to most of the tracks around Nashville. That's why the current route was built to Lebanon instead of somewhere that actually makes sense like Murfreesboro. Personally, I think the focus right now should be making mass transit more efficient in the city before we consider adding more commuter rail.

Edited September 12, 2012 by ariesjow

[Nathan_in_DC]

I wouldn't look for the Star to expand any time soon. It's my understanding that CSX owns the rights to most of the tracks around Nashville. That's why the current route was built to Lebanon instead of somewhere that actually makes sense like Murfreesboro. Personally, I think the focus right now should be making mass transit more efficient in the city before we consider adding more commuter rail.

You're right in that CSX does own most of the trackage, short lines not withstanding.

I think that increasing efficiency of the city transit goes hand-in-hand with making more regional options available to commuters. It encourages more dense development outside of the city instead of sprawling suburbs, and can funnel people in to the city transit services if a proper hub-and-spoke model is established. There's a huge disconnect right now though it seems, considering that the Music City Central was built so far away from the Riverfront rail station. Yes, there are lines that service the station, but imagine how it would be if it was either directly connected or a very short walk to get from a train to a bus that would quickly and efficiently get you where you're going. BRT will help with that significantly, of course, but I find myself scratching my head at how MTA and RTA plan their routes and schedules sometimes.

I don't expect them to expand any time soon, however I would like to see more frequent service on the line that they have, and at least some solid plans and timelines in place for future expansion to places that really do need it, like Murfreesboro, Franklin and Clarksville.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Nathan_in_PHL

[bwithers1]

Some strong arguments for routing BRT to Charlotte Avenue>>Main Street rather than West End>>Main Street

....don't knock it til you read it.

http://charlotteave....-charlotte.html

When I went to the first round of public comments meetings in East Nashville, there was a lady at my table group from Sylvan Park who was arguing for running the line down Charlotte instead of West End. One thing to consider is that running the BRT down Charlotte would eliminate at least 2 lanes of traffic. So that woud pretty much leave only two lanes of traffic on Charlotte (one in each direction) at least in certain places. That's part of why the BRT proposal in East Nashville is to go down Main Street instead of Woodland- because there would only be one lane left on Woodland!

If - and that's a big "if" - we can get this thing going at all on an east-west basis, there is already political pressure to have the next route serve North Nashville. I don't think that those pushing for North Nashville have Charlotte Pike in mind: more likely Rosa Parks or 28th.

On the other hand, if the Elmington Park and Richland West End people hate the BRT so much along West End, maybe Charlotte is a good alternative.

Still, I see the regular BRT ('lite) happening on Charlotte before I see the other BRT. But as a person who lives 4 doors from Gallatin Road, I can tell you that having a regular local service route as well as a BRT route on a major street actually provides pretty good transit service options compared to almost anywhere else in the city.

[producer2]

From an email I recieved this morning:

Dear Transit Supporter:

You are invited to a 10 a.m. news conference on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Riverfront train station located at First and Broadway regarding a major Federal Transit Administration announcement.

FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff will be in Nashville to make the announcement.

Mayor Dean, MTA Board Chair O'Connell and TDOT Assistant Commissioner Toks Omishakin also are planning to participate. We do hope you will be able to attend this "good news" event. (HINT: It is not about our BRT project, but is great news for transit in our community.)

[nashveit]

When I went to the first round of public comments meetings in East Nashville, there was a lady at my table group from Sylvan Park who was arguing for running the line down Charlotte instead of West End. One thing to consider is that running the BRT down Charlotte would eliminate at least 2 lanes of traffic. So that woud pretty much leave only two lanes of traffic on Charlotte (one in each direction) at least in certain places. That's part of why the BRT proposal in East Nashville is to go down Main Street instead of Woodland- because there would only be one lane left on Woodland!

Yes, that is the one drawback of the BRT line running along Charlotte. Charlotte is a mostly four lanes with a turn lane, and then small sections that have no turn lane, and then west of White Bridge it bottlenecks to two lanes. Obviously some street widening would have to happen in certain spots, or an alternative to median based BRT gets implemented. To me that seems like a easier hurdle to jump, than the many hurdles a West End route would pose. I do feel like the residents along Charlotte would embrace BRT much more than those who live along West End corridor.

[Nathan_in_DC]

From an email I recieved this morning:

Dear Transit Supporter:

You are invited to a 10 a.m. news conference on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Riverfront train station located at First and Broadway regarding a major Federal Transit Administration announcement.

FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff will be in Nashville to make the announcement.

Mayor Dean, MTA Board Chair O'Connell and TDOT Assistant Commissioner Toks Omishakin also are planning to participate. We do hope you will be able to attend this "good news" event. (HINT: It is not about our BRT project, but is great news for transit in our community.)

Intriguing...keep us posted!

[nashvillwill]

Fingers crossed he announces the return of Amtrak service!

[nashvylle]

PLEASE be the return on Amtrak.

[barakat]

Maybe a Gallatin or Murfreesboro commuter rail line?

[nashvylle]

I would welcome that as well.. Anything to get Nashvillians out of their cars

[nashvillwill]

It's puzzling. I'm not sure what to expect. I really do hope it is "big news", but I'm not getting too excited.

I would think if it were something regional we would be going through the local song and dance of concept-planning-public input-political debate-funding source-etc.

That's why I was leaning towards Amtrak. It's federal, it would require very little local expenditure, and basically just needs the mayors permission. If the budget is there for the Feds, they don't need our say-so.

I would love to hear the announcement of "Amtrak is returning to Nashville and construction begins today", but I think im just getting my hopes up. We will see I guess.

[timmay143]

Maybe it's an official high speed rail plan with Nashville involved this time?

[chelovek]

FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff will be in Nashville to make the announcement.

From the FTA's website:

Since his arrival at FTA, Rogoff has presided over the disbursement of $8.4 billion that the Obama Administration made available for transit systems across the United States through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), successfully meeting every milestone established by the Act for getting the money into the hands of transit operators whose budgets had been severely strained by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The funds, which represent an historic 80 percent annual funding boost for transit, are being used to protect and expand transportation options across the country while creating and maintaining thousands of jobs.

Maybe we'll get some new toys!

[nashvylle]

please be high speed rail.

[chelovek]

I don't think it is rail. A hint, though. This announcement will be.. electrifying.

[nashvylle]

If it's funds for a new highway or interstate I will scream.

[Nathan_in_DC]

If it's funds for a new highway or interstate I will scream.

I don't think they'd make that kind of announcement at Riverfront Station.

Seems like it's rail-related somehow, be it light rail or regional rail. I don't see intercity service coming back soon, though.

Or perhaps it has to do with BRT. Maybe this is the reason that they were holding off on funding requests...this was in the pipeline.

[producer2]

3 million for making all of the downtown circulators zero-emission busses

[nashvylle]

face palm....

I was expecting so much more.

[nashvillwill]

Good news. Huge let-down.

[nashvylle]

HUGE letdown.

[producer2]

anything bigger would have generated more publicity before the event......

[nashvylle]

This isn't even news, really. It's a waste of money for the FTA official to travel down to Nashville to make this "announcement" that I doubt many people will care about. An email would have sufficed.

[nashvillwill]

Well, this IS good news after all. I presume we are talking about the free-green buses. How many electric (or maybe fuel cell) buses will $3m buy? Does anyone know how many buses are in the current fleet? What is the plan for the current fleet?

This is good news. I'm still a little let down, but I guess we will take what we can get.

[Nathan_in_DC]

Ugh, tax to

This isn't even news, really. It's a waste of money for the FTA official to travel down to Nashville to make this "announcement" that I doubt many people will care about. An email would have sufficed.

Tax dollars at work...

I mean, it's good and all, but there are many many MUCH higher priority projects that could have seriously benefitted from this money.

Well, this IS good news after all. I presume we are talking about the free-green buses. How many electric (or maybe fuel cell) buses will $3m buy? Does anyone know how many buses are in the current fleet? What is the plan for the current fleet?

This is good news. I'm still a little let down, but I guess we will take what we can get.

Hopefully they'll use them to either increase frequency or add another circulator route somewhere.