Saturday, November 08, 2003

Light Rail News, 8 Nov 2003

Groundbreaking today for light rail (The Seattle Times) - Today's groundbreaking "will be seen as a moment of celebration as we begin to bring rail — not just this one route," predicted Dwight Pelz, a Sound Transit board member whose Metropolitan King County Council district includes much of the corridor. However, today's milestone has also come at an enormous cost that will challenge anyone who asks the taxpayers to fund additional lines any time soon.

Friday, November 07, 2003

Light Rail News, 7 Nov 2003

Opinion: Light rail--and commuters--move ahead (Seattle Post Intelligencer) - by Greg Nickels, Seattle Mayor. "The benefits from light rail, of course, will be felt throughout the city. The hub system we are building will transform how our city grows and how we think about mobility."

Editorial: A deeper hole for light rail (Seattle Post Intelligencer) - No court decision, no matter how favorable, may be able to bridge the breach of public trust if the agency insists on collecting a tax that voters thought they'd repealed.

Column: When light rail ran like Enron (Houston Chronicle) - The result was a highly successful real estate development and a prosperous light rail line -- eventually. But along the way, Carter indulged in another dimension of free enterprise. Let's call it his Early Enron Period.

Thursday, November 06, 2003

Light Rail News, 6 Nov 2003

Council wants study of O'ahu light-rail plan (Honolulu Advertiser) - Following a governor's task force recommendation for a $2.6 billion light-rail transit system for O'ahu, the City Council yesterday called for a study of the proposal that would connect West O'ahu to downtown Honolulu. Transportation Chairman Nestor Garcia said the study would help the council make an informed decision when it decides whether to support an above-ground line.

Central Ohio Transit Authority picks consultant for light rail study
(Columbus Business First) - The COTA has chosen Woodside Consulting Group Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., to study the feasibility of building a light rail transit line to connect downtown Columbus and the Polaris area.

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

Light Rail News, 5 Nov 2003

Houston voters pass light rail measure (News 8 Austin) - A new light rail system to debut in January narrowly passed into reality for the nation's fourth largest city. The ballot proposition authorizes up to $640 million in revenue bonds to expand a new light rail system.

Mixed Transit News, 5 Nov 2003

New light-rail and bus proposal has $4.8 billion price tag (Rocky Mountain News) - The Regional Transportation District on Tuesday put a new $4.8 billion price tag on its ambitious rapid- transit expansion known as FasTracks, restoring pieces it had cut in August. The latest proposal would build all the rail and bus rapid-transit corridors proposed in the original plan but would pay for it by stretching the construction period from 10 years to 12 and by reducing initial service on some lines.

Monday, November 03, 2003

Light Rail News, 3 Nov 2003

Federal funding won't cover light-rail line to airport (Sacramento Business Journal) - The proposal to build a light-rail line from downtown through Natomas to Sacramento International Airport has no realistic chance of securing federal funding, which is vital for such major projects, according to a new analysis by local transportation officials. That could mean years of delay in plans for rail service to the terminal by 2012.

Contractors rev up for light rail (Puget Sound Business Journal) - Construction executives as well as labor leaders and local manufacturers are looking forward to a boost as Sound Transit moves ahead with building Seattle's light-rail system. Last week's release of $500 million in federal funds finally sets them to work on the initial aspects of the long-delayed, $2.4 billion system.

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Light Rail News, 2 Nov 2003

Light rail leading in survey (Houston Chronicle) - Metro's transit referendum holds a solid lead heading into Tuesday's election, according to a Houston Chronicle/KHOU-TV poll. Despite a heavy advertising campaign that has been building opposition in recent weeks, the survey shows that 44 percent of respondents in the Metro service area support rail while 30 percent oppose it.

Light-rail proposed for Grand Canyon visitors (Arizona Daily Sun) - Grand Canyon Railway is officially proposing the creation of a $186 million high-speed light rail line aimed at easing traffic congestion along the South Rim -- a project it first discussed in January 2002.