Unlike other progressive Canadian Cites Winni seems to be way behind. They were supposed to have the second subway after Toronto and they are now the last and have a overpriced busway
SUBWAY ? ? do you mean an underground subway system located in a city with the highest record of massive floods in the world other than Karachi, hopefully you mean an above ground rail system or better yet, an elevated rail system, might keep you a little drier than a subterranean system in the spring around the 'Peg. area.
Winnipeg is a city that probably is served best by a transportation system based on buses not light rail. The best route for light rail would be along Portage Avenue; but since all the chaos caused by possible traffic disruption while building this LRT, I doubt it would be worth it. Winnipeg is more like Halifax than Toronto. Also Winnipeg has some of the most severe weather of any large city in North America which causes havoc for light rail we have learned this winter.
Moscow and many eastern European countrys have long cold winters and extensive rail systems. Rail is supposed to be all weather
Based on experience in New York in the great snow of 1948, I woiuld say a city is better off with a well-prepared light rail system, with heated switchers, snow plows, ice-scraping pantographs, and indoor car barns, than relying on buses.
Light rail is not always the answer for developing or expanding an urban transit system. DPM once wrote an editorial rebuttal to a proposal for a commuter rail operation in Milwaukee in the early 1970's. He was astute enough to realize that the passenger volume wasn't there to justify the expense. A similar argument can be made for light rail, especially if extensive street running is involved.
CS is correct, you must have the population or it will not work, Calgary was warned years back NOT to build an LRT, I think the population was @ 650,000, they went ahead anyway and it almost bankrupted the city, BUT--BUT--- guess what happened? the city began a population explosion unheard of in North America, the LRT expanded (at an obscene cost) but it is (was) an oil boom remember. now they are dumping hundreds of millions into expansion, and it sort of seems to be working, Now if Winnipeg can come up with many, many, many, many,many millions of dollars , go ahead, it may bury you.
Ever thunk the rail caused the population boom? You cant have a megacity without a rail system
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Cleveland has a rapid transit line and a light rail line. Until about the mid-1970's, it also had a commuter run to Youngstown.
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