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<P mce_keep="true">[quote user="henry6"] <P><STRONG>These are the things that jump out at me:</STRONG>  <P>[quote user="Sam1"] <P>[quote user="Phoebe Vet"] <P><A href="http://www.fta.dot.gov/printer_friendly/news_events_11682.html">http://www.fta.dot.gov/printer_friendly/news_events_11682.html</A>  [/quote]</P> <UL> <LI> <DIV>Repairing existing systems is just as important as building new systems, especially rail systems.  <STRONG>Definitely...rail, highway, even waterways and airports!  This is a given</STRONG></DIV> <LI> <DIV> </DIV> <LI> <DIV>Light rail is a good fit in some situations but clearly not in all or even the majority of systems. <STRONG>This is also a broad statement which really says nothing but ventures a (an unfounded) conclusion ...each situation has to be researched, there is no blanket answer and we know it.</STRONG></DIV> <LI> <DIV>"Paint is cheap, rails systems are extremely expensive." <STRONG>Yes paint is cheap and rail systems are expensive.  But since when does a can of paint carry 150 passengers any distance at any speed; even coupled up or mu'd the paint can doesn't provide transit service.  Comparing apples to oranges on a chip chart here!</STRONG></DIV> <LI> <DIV>Bus Rapid Transit is a better fit for many communities. <STRONG>Again unfounded based on information given.  </STRONG>. </DIV></LI></UL> <P>[/quote]</P> <P><STRONG>And apparently this is a paper geared toward states like Texas where oil is King and fuel and environment are of no concern.  The statement about Austin area rail rapid transit being not a good choice over bus rapid transit is not supported.  And despite all the research, surveys, and marketing analysis, there has been an enormous over use of rail transit and trains in comparison to pre use speculations, i.e. it has been more successfull than predicted passenger use had been predicted.  This last factor indicates to me that our (rail) transit  and train use studies are somehow flawed by this underestimating of passenger use. </STRONG></P> <P>[/quote]</P> <P mce_keep="true">The comments were delivered by Peter Rogoff, Director of the Mass Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, at a transit conference in Boston.  Texas was not mentioned anywhere in his remarks.  Presumably Mr. Rogoff has the facts to conclude that "rails systems are extremely expensive".  His reference to paint was not that a can of paint can be used to transport anyone, but rather that in many instances the emphasis needs to be on repairing existing systems as opposed to building new ones.</P> <P>Mr. Rogoff ‘s department has provided federal oversight for the construction of most of the light rail systems in the U.S., since his department is responsible for determining which ones get federal funding.  The only system that has been built without significant federal funding, to the best of my knowledge, is Austin's commuter rail system.</P> <P>Numerous studies have shown that light rail, as well as commuter rail, is very expensive, especially if it has to be built from scratch.  The numbers have been presented in a number of forums.  They don't need to be repeated here.</P> <P>Passenger use is not the only metric for determining the effectiveness of light rail or commuter rail.  There is the ugly fact of cost.  Getting better passenger use than expected is easy.  Just low ball the estimated number of riders you expect.  This budget trick is as old as budgeting.  Oh, another way to get high passenger use is to allow significant numbers of people to use the system for free or at greatly reduced fares, as has been the case in Austin.</P> <P>With respect to Austin, you might want to keep the following figures in mind.  The cost to implement the commuter rail system from Leander to Austin was approximately $120 million, excluding the cost of the equipment, or roughly $4 million a mile.  The cost of the equipment added another $6 million to the tab.  The CFO of Capital Metro estimates that the operating costs for the commuter rail system could consume 60 per cent of the agencies operating resources.  This is for a system that will carry less than one per cent of Capital Metro's riders.  The estimated cost to implement rapid bus technology on Lamar Blvd, which is a major thoroughfare in Austin, is in the neighborhood of $1 million per mile, plus the cost of the buses, which the last time I looked were estimated to cost approximately $650,000 for an articulated coach.  The estimated cost to build the proposed light rail line from Bergstrom International Airport to downtown Austin and on to the University of Texas campus is $47 million a mile.  This excludes the cost of the equipment.  Is this specific enough for you?</P>
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