Posted on 06/01/2008 6:56:41 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Maryland transit officials have determined that riders on a light rail Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton would make up to 68,000 trips daily, a number that supporters said yesterday would only grow as gas prices soar.
This compares with about 260,000 daily trips for Metro's Red Line and 175,000 daily trips for the Orange Line. Dulles Metrorail is projected to have about 85,700 daily boardings in the first phase.
The state's more detailed estimates also show that a 16-mile east-west Purple Line would reduce travel times, particularly for people stuck on slow and unreliable buses to get to places the Metrorail system doesn't reach.
For example, in 2030, the most expensive light rail proposal would provide a nine-minute ride between Bethesda and Silver Spring, according to the state's draft environmental impact study. The ride between Bethesda and the University of Maryland Campus Center would take 30 minutes, with stops in such areas as east Silver Spring and Langley Park, which now rely on bus service.
State officials say their ridership and travel-time projections, as well as the estimated cost of up to $1.75 billion, would make the Purple Line competitive with transit proposals from across the country when it vies for a limited pool of federal transit funds. Projects are judged primarily on cost-effectiveness, or whether they would save enough people enough time to be worth the investment.
"It clearly compares very favorably," said Michael D. Madden, the Maryland Transit Administration's project manager on the Purple Line study.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The ‘Rats have quite a plan for us: Get personal transportation costs to spike via {no ANWR, no offshore drill, no refineries, no oil shale development, no nuke plants} so that more and more rural folks, who must rely on personal transport, move towards the cities where than can be LIBerated, sending their kids to schools they control, and increase ‘Rat power.
Wait until the Montgomery County Birkenstock NIMBYs get a Longaberger basket full of this idea. It only took 40 years to get the ICC started, and it stops every time they find a pretty-colored stone.
If it runs true to form for most Light Rail projects, with cost over runs it will cost $2.5 billion or more and it's ridership will never met the projections. Even if it does, the cost of operations will require it to be subsides forever since the number of riders will never generate enough revenue. Light Rail, after Global Warming, the great white elephant boondoggle every dreamed up by politicians.
Where have you gone, Willie Green?
Looks like light rail is a success for this area. Any project that gets workers to where they need to be faster, more efficiently and with with few delays should be invested in due to the deep pockets most of these workers have.
Why not use roads, they’re completely free. They just exist. No construction cost, no maintenance cost. Just a totally free lunch. Love those highways.
Signed,
Saudi Arabia
Thanks for the picture. I didn’t realize what they were doing until I saw it.
It’s about time they built some kind of circle line for Metro. It was ridiculous to live in Silver Spring and have to go all the way thru town to get to Bethesda, or take the bus (with the traffic) across East-West Highway, etc.
The early planners were trying to get people from the burbs to jobs in town. It’s like they never foresaw the growth of these suburban towns in their own right and that people would want to get from Silver Spring to Bethesda without packing a lunch.
For D.C. To be considered an Alpha World City, they need to design a metro that’ll take us everywhere. In order for that to happen, the purple line has to be built around the city so truly the growth in D.C. Will take off.
The road net work is out of tricks; no place left to build.
Plus parking!
Herding liberals onto cattlecars is so appropriate, in fact and metaphorically.
Give them a clump of grass and double ridership.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
The problem is who will pay for expansion?
I know that the line to Dulles is going to be built, although there is still some argument over how to get through Tysons Corner.
I would like to see them extend the red line from Glenmont to the ICC. Build a huge (8,000+ spaces) parking garage there.
Much of the rest of your list needs to be served by some form of rail. I think Manassas is served by the VRE.
Well,......simple child of nature that you are......YOU will!
Consisten rail application, i.e. integrated service is eventually cheaper than mix and match service.
My, possibly mistaken, understanding is that most of the arguments are about whether the line is elevated through Tysons, or is run underground through that area, once past 123 and the Dulles Toll road it would run down the median of the toll road. Elevated is cheaper to build, but does not last as long and is considered to be unsightly by many people.
Do it elevated. Unless Virginia is willing to pick up extra costs related to building an underground tunnel.
Bttt
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