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The amount of private development that has been ginned by light rail is debatable. I am most familiar with Dallas and Austin, both of which have light rail or commuter rail. Several years ago Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) commissioned an economics professor at the University of Texas to study the impact of its light rail system on line development. The professor, who was paid by DART, concluded that the light rail system had a positive impact on private development near the stations, citing the Mockingbird Station area in particular. However, what he did not say is equally impressive. The most extensive retail, commercial, and residential development in Dallas has been in Up Town, which is just north of downtown Dallas, followed by downtown itself. It is not served directly by the light rail system. It is served by the McKinney Avenue Streetcar Line. Very few people use it to travel downtown. Having lived in Up Town for three years, I was impressed by the large number of residents who drove downtown, although Up Town is approximately a mile to two miles from most downtown locations. As is true for every major city in the Lone Star state, Dallas is growing for a variety of reasons. It is a stretch to believe that it would not have done so without the light rail line. Had it not been for the light rail lines, the clusters would have looked different, but people need a place to live, shop, and enjoy. It would have happened with or without the light rail line. What we do know is that DART has invested more than $3.5 billion in the light rail lines. Each passenger gets an average subsidy of $4.23 per ride on a $1.25 ticket. Austin has the Red Line, which is a commuter rail line from Leander to Austin.  To date little if any development has grown up as a result of it. San Antonio has opted for an improved bus system, including Rapid Bus Technology.  The planners there concluded that the cost of light rail is just too much for the benefits.  Austin also is opting for more Rapid Bus Technology routes, with the first route planned to open in 2014. It too has been shocked at the cost of rail (commuter and light), although the proposal to build a light rail line from the airport to downtown and on to UT is still alive.
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