Trains.com

The Airport should be in any citys plans to build there first line

2436 views
10 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
The Airport should be in any citys plans to build there first line
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 18, 2008 11:12 AM

  Its odd but I belive that light rail wont be a success unless it connects

The Airport-The University-The Sports Stadium-Some Huge Shopping Mall that is built around the station-and a Huge Park and Ride next to a outerbelt freeway....

 and of course downtown

Its also odd that some citys are building these lines and connecting none of the above. 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,892 posts
Posted by wjstix on Friday, April 18, 2008 11:30 AM
Makes sense, the first stage of light rail in the Twin Cities connected the Mall of America "The Megamall" and the nearby airport to downtown Minneapolis and the Metrodome. Phase two will run from downtown Minneapolis, through the University of Minnesota, to downtown St.Paul. Well, at least it was going to until Gov. Pawlenty vetoed the bill with the funding in it...which is a little odd, since what he vetoed was based on his own proposal!! Confused [%-)]
Stix
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
  • 11,919 posts
Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, April 18, 2008 2:26 PM
A perfect example. Someone in the know told me Atlanta's MARTA bordings at the airport station is 10 - 12% of total boardings. Downtown Atlanta next busiest not even half as much.
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: NJ-NYC Area
  • 192 posts
Posted by paulsafety on Friday, April 18, 2008 2:34 PM

"The Airport should be in any citys plans to build there first line"

OK, so what cities have followed the suggestion already?

Philadelphia (PHL) - Commuter Rail

Newark (EWR) - Commuter Rail and Amtrak via the people mover/monorail connection

San Fransisco (SFO) - BART

Cleveland (???) - Red Line (?)

Portland - MAX light Rail (Red line?)

St. Louis - LRV

Chicago (ORD) & (MDW) - CTA (Blue? and Orange?)

Minneapolis (MSP) - LRV

New York (JFK) - Air Train

Boston (BOS) - Blue Line Rapid Transit

Atlanta (ATL) - MARTA

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Friday, April 18, 2008 5:25 PM

Yes, the CTA Blue Line to O'Hare and the Orange Line to Midway. 

Keep off the Blue Line if you have any plans for the rest of the day . . . 

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 18, 2008 6:02 PM
Phoenix has not and not Charlotte?
  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Charlotte, NC
  • 6,099 posts
Posted by Phoebe Vet on Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:19 AM

 transitrapid wrote:
Phoenix has not and not Charlotte?

True, Charlotte, which is USAirways biggest hub and on the list of ten busiest airports in the US with more than 400 departures a day, has no plans to run it's light rail to the airport even though the track and right of way on which our commuter rail train is going to run goes right across the end of one of the runways.

The logic escapes me.

Dave

Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Saturday, April 19, 2008 9:39 AM
 Phoebe Vet wrote:

 transitrapid wrote:
Phoenix has not and not Charlotte?

True, Charlotte, which is USAirways biggest hub and on the list of ten busiest airports in the US with more than 400 departures a day, has no plans to run it's light rail to the airport even though the track and right of way on which our commuter rail train is going to run goes right across the end of one of the runways.

The logic escapes me.

Me, too.  Transit should be about more than shuttling people to and from sports events.

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: L A County, CA, US
  • 1,009 posts
Posted by MP57313 on Monday, April 21, 2008 3:55 PM

You can also add Washington, DC's Ronald Reagan/National Airport (DCA), which has its own Metro stop on the blue and yellow lines.

Baltimore's BWI airport has a light rail terminal that is walking distance from the building.  (The Amtrak/MARC station is a mile or two away).

San Jose (SJC) does not have light rail to the terminals, but there is a free local transit bus that connects with CalTrain (heavy rail - commuter) and the VTA light rail.  Each leg takes maybe 10 minutes.

Los Angeles (LAX) - the 2-mile bus bridge to the MTA Green Line has been a point of contention since the line was opened in the early 90s.  Local elected officials are looking into - again - getting funding for a rail extension into the airport - we'll see if they succeed. 

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Southington, CT
  • 1,326 posts
Posted by DMUinCT on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 8:18 AM

  Boston's Fenway Park is served by both the Green Line (LRV) and a Commuter Rail stop, and Commuter Rail special trains run right into the Patriot's parking lot.  Boston's Boston Garden sits on a Subway line

  Better yet, Providence's T.F. Green Airport, a Southwest Airline Hub, is building a short bridge to the Northeast Corridor.  Boston's MBTA Commuter Rail will then be subsidized to extend service to Green Airport (they already serve Providence).  Green Airport to Providence 10 minutes, Boston 1 hour.

Don U. TCA 73-5735

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • 339 posts
Posted by Jack_S on Saturday, May 3, 2008 4:10 AM
 MP57313 wrote:

Los Angeles (LAX) - the 2-mile bus bridge to the MTA Green Line has been a point of contention since the line was opened in the early 90s.  Local elected officials are looking into - again - getting funding for a rail extension into the airport - we'll see if they succeed. 

The LA Green Line fails to connect at the other end also.  It comes to within a mile or two of the Norwalk Amtrak/Metrolink station on the Orange County/San Diego line.  It is truly the line that goes from nowhere to nowhere.  And yet when I drive the 105 freeway beside it (usually at about 9 AM or 2 PM) there seem to be a good many people on the staion platforms.  If they actually connected at both ends they could easily triple ridership.

Jack

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy