Braves Pitch Maglev Train to Turner Field (Atlanta: 2013, loans)

[CCATL]

I'm happy about two things:

1) The braves are thinking about making their current stadium work, meaning they don't want to move to the suburbs.
2) They are looking into investing in a form of public transit

I'd rather it happen than not happen at all, but I think it would be great to connect it directly to 5 points to avoid the huge number of people on the red/gold line from having to transfer rather than Georgia State. Also, if they are going to pay to have it go to Turner Field, give people in the neighborhoods better access. Extend it the mile or so extra down Georgia Ave to connect it to Zoo Atlanta, so that it serves a purpose the rest of the year when baseball isn't in season. That way, tourists will use it, but residents of Summerhill, Grant Park, and the surrounding neighborhoods will also use it.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by JPD

I'd love to see a line running E/W south of I-20, running to the Zoo/Grant Park, Ormewood/Glenwood Park, EAV, Cascade, etc., and connecting to the stadium, at which point it could tie in to the existing E/W MARTA line.

I agree that I would love to see a Turner field stop integrated in with HRT along the I-20 East initiative, which already has Turner Field station as one of the optional stations in the plan.

[Ant131531]

Where's Gtcorndog? I can't wait to hear what he has to say about this.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Where's Gtcorndog? I can't wait to hear what he has to say about this.

I can wait.

[testa50]

Originally Posted by HH82

I'm just waiting for some ******* to go on a rant about "boondoggles." You know, because any big idea that costs money is a great opportunity for the anti-transit crowd to use their favorite idiot-rallying cry in authentic frontier gibberish. "Con-frackity rackity! Dag-burn boondoggle!"

I think it would likely be a boondoggle. And I don't even own a car.

[testa50]

I'd like to see the proposed costs, but I'd much rather spend the money in any other number of ways. A couple better uses of money include extending MARTA HRT up Georgia 400, or just relocating the stadium to the current Dome site.

I understand this line will extend from Georgia State Station to Turner? That's very suboptimal. A slight improvement at best over the status quo. A single transfer to a bus vs a double transfer to a Maglev is basically a wash to me. For East-West line folks it would be an improvement, granted.

You've also got a rolling stock problem with this or a streetcar. To support any proposed development imaginable down at Turner, you're going to need very modest capacity. but the stadium itself after a ballgame puts many thousands of fans straight into the system. In this sense, buses actually work pretty well: you can just queue up a bunch of buses for the 81 times a year this happens and be done with it. But designing a fixed rail system around this situation would increase the costs of the line dramatically.

I've ridden Maglev in Shanghai and it's cool and all, but even in transit-hungry China it's regarded as a white elephant. They are investing massively in the subway system (to the tune of a dozen new stations a year), but they still don't seem serious about finishing the Maglev system that's only half-built.

[CCATL]

Unless I read something wrong, doesn't it say this is a private venture by Maglev and Turner Field? If that's the case, then unless it's extended past Turner Field, the city wouldn't be paying for it, right? I might be understanding it completely wrong, but I thought that is what private meant - private companies pay for it, like the new ferris wheel downtown.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by CCATL

Unless I read something wrong, doesn't it say this is a private venture by Maglev and Turner Field? If that's the case, then unless it's extended past Turner Field, the city wouldn't be paying for it, right? I might be understanding it completely wrong, but I thought that is what private meant - private companies pay for it, like the new ferris wheel downtown.

I am on board with that idea of private transit. But I read it as a private company will build it if they get paid to build it via a agreement reached with the Braves and the city. However, the article really does not specify. At least in the free sample, anyone have a subscription and provide the details on this?

[CAWjr]

Originally Posted by CCATL

Unless I read something wrong, doesn't it say this is a private venture by Maglev and Turner Field? If that's the case, then unless it's extended past Turner Field, the city wouldn't be paying for it, right? I might be understanding it completely wrong, but I thought that is what private meant - private companies pay for it, like the new ferris wheel downtown.

Exactly! This is a private venture. The Braves are probably sick of hearing it from the fans who <GASP!> can't bear to ride a shuttle bus & since MARTA & the city not doing anything about it, they are doing something on their own.

Of course, now everyone is complaining that this private venture only has the interests of the private entities who are funding it at heart. So selfish of them!

Originally Posted by testa50

I'd like to see the proposed costs, but I'd much rather spend the money in any other number of ways. A couple better uses of money include extending MARTA HRT up Georgia 400, or just relocating the stadium to the current Dome site.

It's a private venture. Why should you care cares what it costs? This actually frees MARTA up to invest elsewhere & stop worrying about putting in a line to Turner Field.

[noah]

Exactly. Given they want this up and running by 2015 I don't think the Braves would want to wait for Marta to extend assuming Marta actually had concrete plans to do so. I don't believe Marta has any plans to move forward with new track, do they? I would bet the Braves talked to Marta and made a business determination that the prospects of marta expanding and the time frame in which they could do it was not feasible with their timeline.

Originally Posted by CAWjr

Exactly! This is a private venture. The Braves are probably sick of hearing it from the fans who <GASP!> can't bear to ride a shuttle bus & since MARTA & the city not doing anything about it, they are doing something on their own.

Of course, now everyone is complaining that this private venture only has the interests of the private entities who are funding it at heart. So selfish of them!



It's a private venture. Why should you care cares what it costs? This actually frees MARTA up to invest elsewhere & stop worrying about putting in a line to Turner Field.