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San Diego is also in the middle of an extension that is 10+ miles that is mostly grade-separated and will connect to its major university and the secondary downtown of La Jolla. That’s also with two separate commuter rail services and a fairly frequent train to Los Angeles and beyond.
It would’ve been a wondruous thing had both Seattle and the Twin Cities had gotten their 70s era hybrid commuter/rapid transit heavy rail systems—too bad. I think they would have worked out really well in both cities and visitors and domestic migrants seeing that would have pushed other places to do the same.
Seattle's LRT is going to be extremely comprehensive over the next decade or so. But one thing I can't understand is why they didn't go with HRT or, at the very least, high-platform LRT (a la St. Louis, LA and a few others) or at least dual-height platforms, like SF and Pittsburgh. Seattle is made up, 2 narrow peninsulas and, in places, like Capitol Hill, Queen Anne and downtown/Pioneer Square and Pike's Place, etc, the density feels similar to SF. The downtown tunnel was the only way to go -- Portland's downtown surface lines clearly wouldn't be feasible in such a dense environment... That said, low-platform LRT in Seattle's tunnels seem inadequate -- I've seen the crazy crowds on the Northside extension and it's only going to get crazier as that line extends north and the Mercer Is/East Bay extension to Richmond is completed. Obviously I hope it works out.
Seattle's LRT is going to be extremely comprehensive over the next decade or so. But one thing I can't understand is why they didn't go with HRT or, at the very least, high-platform LRT (a la St. Louis, LA and a few others) or at least dual-height platforms, like SF and Pittsburgh. Seattle is made up, 2 narrow peninsulas and, in places, like Capitol Hill, Queen Anne and downtown/Pioneer Square and Pike's Place, etc, the density feels similar to SF. The downtown tunnel was the only way to go -- Portland's downtown surface lines clearly wouldn't be feasible in such a dense environment... That said, low-platform LRT in Seattle's tunnels seem inadequate -- I've seen the crazy crowds on the Northside extension and it's only going to get crazier as that line extends north and the Mercer Is/East Bay extension to Richmond is completed. Obviously I hope it works out.
East Bay extension to Richmond? That's a Bay Area Freudian slip. What you meant was Eastside extension to Redmond.
I was referring to heavy rail rapid transit. I'm sorry for the poor terminology; I'm from New York so that type of transit if referred to as a subway. Heavy rail rapid transit is only present in Baltimore and Cleveland of the cities listed.
Sound Transit is using 1500 VDC traction electrification, rather than 750 VDC, which is common with light rail, to enable driving four-car trains with short headways, to reduce substations, and for other reasons. This is tantamount to being a hybrid system, to my mind.
If it is underground, it is a subway, even if the trains are pulled by donkeys.
Sound Transit is using 1500 VDC traction electrification, rather than 750 VDC, which is common with light rail, to enable driving four-car trains with short headways, to reduce substations, and for other reasons. This is tantamount to being a hybrid system, to my mind.
If it is underground, it is a subway, even if the trains are pulled by donkeys.
Seattles seems like a just in case we have to crow a street kind of Loght Rail vs we are doing it to avoid ROW acquisition light rail which is commonplace
LA's doing some great things, transit-wise, including the "connector" downtown... But I think they're making a big mistake in not connecting the new Crenshaw "Brown Line" line directly to downtown given LAX commuters a 1-seat ride into downtown. Planners claim the Expo and Blue Lines are already near capacity and that Crenshaw rail traffic would create too much congestion. I would still try and figure it out, even if they had to limit Expo traffic by having the 2 lines alternate trains into downtown.
Sound Transit is using 1500 VDC traction electrification, rather than 750 VDC, which is common with light rail, to enable driving four-car trains with short headways, to reduce substations, and for other reasons. This is tantamount to being a hybrid system, to my mind.
If it is underground, it is a subway, even if the trains are pulled by donkeys.
I was going to say the average person wouldn’t distinguish that Seattle transit clip from most heavy rail.
LA's doing some great things, transit-wise, including the "connector" downtown... But I think they're making a big mistake in not connecting the new Crenshaw "Brown Line" line directly to downtown given LAX commuters a 1-seat ride into downtown. Planners claim the Expo and Blue Lines are already near capacity and that Crenshaw rail traffic would create too much congestion. I would still try and figure it out, even if they had to limit Expo traffic by having the 2 lines alternate trains into downtown.
LA is extending the Crenshaw line north to connect with both the purple and red lines. Along the way it will connect with major areas and destinations not currently served by rail. It’s probably better to have new areas served than find better ways to get people to areas where rail already exists.
And to give you an idea of the need, the estimate is that 90,000 people will ride this extension. That’s 12,000 people per mile which would make it far and away the busiest light rail line in the country. Busier than any heavy rail line outside NYC in fact.
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