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I saw where a new grocery store is going into the old Piggly Wiggly on Beltline.. across the street the Dick Smith car lot was torn down and another auto related service center is being constructed.. Not revolutionary type of development .. but still important none the less. The City of Columbia has also built some type of utility service center over there as well.. Beltline and Two Notch within the City Limits are probably the City's most challenged older interburban commercial strips.. Back in the 80s they were bustling.. not so much today.. but its good to see some infill and refill happening...far North Mai,n Monticello and Farrow Road are also challenged but they have never been major commercial corridors to begin with
Ok thoughts here. Since now they are talking more about doing this commuter rail thing sharing tracks with freight going from Downtown to Newberry what kinda trains you think they will buy.
In my opinion I think used refurbished trains is always a cheaper option and good start. We have to start somewhere and don't want to put all our eggs in one basket. So i would like to see the more modern looking ones even though I know they are old. I don't know where the area would buy one but that would be so nice to have sleek looking Diesel commuter trains running these lines.
Ok thoughts here. Since now they are talking more about doing this commuter rail thing sharing tracks with freight going from Downtown to Newberry what kinda trains you think they will buy.
In my opinion I think used refurbished trains is always a cheaper option and good start. We have to start somewhere and don't want to put all our eggs in one basket. So i would like to see the more modern looking ones even though I know they are old. I don't know where the area would buy one but that would be so nice to have sleek looking Diesel commuter trains running these lines.
What gets me is.. I wonder why the Feds don't offer some type of pilot grant to fund testing this type of system for say one year? They take applications for various demonstration projects.. they could do a program that would enable cities to "test" commuter rail using existing tracks leased train sets and selected areas for "stations". Doesn't seem like it would be too expensive and it would give communities real time hard data on if the system would be successful especially if they let riders know that the implementation of it depends on how successful the pilot "test" is.
As part of your application packet, you would have your standard info traffic counts, population..yada yada yada and potentially matching funds from your state... to justify the pilot service.. But the applications would be viewed more favorable if you have support of you local Railroad to use/lease the tracks and have identified viable places for "test" stations that do not require a considerable amount of infrastructure to build. Temporary platforms built next to existing parking lots potentially leased from adjacent businesses/property owners and the like would demonstrate community support/interest in this type of project service and thus be viewed as more favorable. Politicos could then go out and call in favors from property owners/business community to participate in terms of making sites next to the proposed test routes available for parking/stations. Again they wouldn't have to build stations in every community along the route.. but only in selected locations to "test" interest and demand in the service and in places where parking is readily available...
What gets me is.. I wonder why the Feds don't offer some type of pilot grant to fund testing this type of system for say one year? They take applications for various demonstration projects.. they could do a program that would enable cities to "test" commuter rail using existing tracks leased train sets and selected areas for "stations". Doesn't seem like it would be too expensive and it would give communities real time hard data on if the system would be successful especially if they let riders know that the implementation of it depends on how successful the pilot "test" is.
As part of your application packet, you would have your standard info traffic counts, population..yada yada yada and potentially matching funds from your state... to justify the pilot service.. But the applications would be viewed more favorable if you have support of you local Railroad to use/lease the tracks and have identified viable places for "test" stations that do not require a considerable amount of infrastructure to build. Temporary platforms built next to existing parking lots potentially leased from adjacent businesses/property owners and the like would demonstrate community support/interest in this type of project service and thus be viewed as more favorable. Politicos could then go out and call in favors from property owners/business community to participate in terms of making sites next to the proposed test routes available for parking/stations. Again they wouldn't have to build stations in every community along the route.. but only in selected locations to "test" interest and demand in the service and in places where parking is readily available...
Just a thought...
Did you see the post i posted up before this one. They are talking about spending $150 million to build a commuter line from Columbia to Newberry. The cost would be to upgrade some tracks and build stations
Did you see the post i posted up before this one. They are talking about spending $150 million to build a commuter line from Columbia to Newberry. The cost would be to upgrade some tracks and build stations
Did you see the post i posted up before this one. They are talking about spending $150 million to build a commuter line from Columbia to Newberry. The cost would be to upgrade some tracks and build stations
While it is nice they are "talking about it", there is a huge difference between saying, it would be really nice to have $150 million (a tenth of the $1.5 billion project) for new equipment and track upgrades for a commuter rail line from Newberry and Columbia and actually getting that money and seeing it happen.
For one, while it is cheaper to share lines with Northfolk Southern, BNSF, CSX, Union Pacific, etc., those companies hate sharing their lines, even if they are getting lease money from you, and second you are at the mercy of the train companies, that's why Amtrak, which owns very little of their tracks (outside the northeast corridor) is notoriously late/slow everywhere it goes.
I don't understand having commuter rail when the local transit in Columbia is underwhelming. How will people get around town once they arrive in Columbia?
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