Marta (Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville: tax, costs, bus)

[fieldm]

Would ATLANTA be ATLANTA if Seattle would have taken the $$$ from the gov to build heavy rail and we didn't have MARTA?

The only thing we probably would have had now would be the streetcar

We wouldn't have gotten the Olympics

[primaltech]

A part of me wishes they would have gotten our heavy rail.

For 2 reasons:

1. Seattle would have actually built out and expanded and funded theirs (and I might get to enjoy it if I move there). Their version of MARTA would have been at least as robust as the DC or SF systems. And that $54 billion that they're investing into light rail now, that could have gone to heavy rail extensions.

2. Atlanta would have had to have come up with a transit solution later, in the more modern era (1990's or 2000's), which means Cobb and Gwinnett likely would have been included in on it. It would have been light rail or commuter rail or some combo, and all around we probably would have been better off in the end, than we are with our near-useless plus-sign ITP heavy rail system. Transit would have gone a lot further out, connected more suburbs and such.

Anyway, just a thought.

[fieldm]

No way for #2 thinking Cobb and Gwinnett would have joined

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by fieldm

No way for #2 thinking Cobb and Gwinnett would have joined

Basically what I'm saying though is that if MARTA didn't exist, we didn't have any rail transit in the metro, could start with a clean slate, commuter rail/light rail system, etc- like what Denver/Dallas has and whatnot-
then I'd be surprised if the modern, heavily populated Cobb and Gwinnett in the 2000's rejected it.

I'm saying a lot of the reason for no MARTA in Cobb and Gwinnett in 2017, is just the timing of when it all went down. No public vote on MARTA in Cobb since 1965, no vote on it in Gwinnett since 1990. And it's been a transformative 27 years for them.

[jsvh]

Atlanta would not be the Atlanta we know today without MARTA.

Transit-wise we probably would be bus only until about 10 years ago and more like Minneapolis or Houston with ~2 often-mixed-with-traffic light rail lines today.

We would have missed out on a lot of major events (such as the olympics) and corporate relocations without it. Atlanta would still be seen on more on the level of Charlotte or Nashville and would be closer to them in population.

Today & going into the future, our HRT trunk lines will be a great asset linking core areas as we build out a light rail network between them.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Atlanta would not be the Atlanta we know today without MARTA.

Transit-wise we probably would be bus only until about 10 years ago and more like Minneapolis or Houston with ~2 often-mixed-with-traffic light rail lines today.

We would have missed out on a lot of major events (such as the olympics) and corporate relocations without it. Atlanta would still be seen on more on the level of Charlotte or Nashville and would be closer to them in population.

Today & going into the future, our HRT trunk lines will be a great asset linking core areas as we build out a light rail network between them.

Minneapolis also has Commuter Rail.

What I am noticing alot of however in other cities with LRT (not all but many) is that they are often combined with Commuter Rail... Light Rail for local transit, Commuter for longer distances. I am wondering if this combination works better than Heavy Rail, as I honestly do not see many cities investing in implementing or expanding Heavy Rail any longer.

[Iconographer]

But we DID get the money, Blanche, we DID!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jv0uUV2YaI

So we'll never know, will we?

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Minneapolis also has Commuter Rail.

Yes, the Twin Cities have Commuter Rail - dubbed the Northstar.

It's a single 40 mile line from Downtown Minneapolis to the NW exurbs, that transports 1,250 people round trip per weekday.

But even without Commuter Rail in place yet, our rail ridership alone is almost the same as The Twin Cities total daily transit ridership across all modes:

https://www.metrotransit.org/metro-t...illion-in-2016

What I am noticing alot of however in other cities with LRT (not all but many) is that they are often combined with Commuter Rail... Light Rail for local transit, Commuter for longer distances. I am wondering if this combination works better than Heavy Rail, as I honestly do not see many cities investing in implementing or expanding Heavy Rail any longer.

The only Heavy Rail lines being built now are in L.A. and D.C., and that's with Federal matches that were already in place. Heavy Rail funding has dried up, in no thanks to NY's insane costs for the newly completed Second Ave line. Trump has proposed over $900 million in cuts for newly earmarked funds to all proposed transit expansions in 2018, along with a proposed $600 million+ cut to Amtrak. These dollars were already budgeted, but they're casualties of the new tax bill.

But the new Super-Duper Infrastructure bill is around the corner, LOL!

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

But we DID get the money, Blanche, we DID!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jv0uUV2YaI

So we'll never know, will we?

OMG!!! Your'e not right, child!

[Focused Husbandad]

Originally Posted by JMatl

OMG!!! Your'e not right, child!

Beyond corny. Atlanta will never get a mass transit solution. Too late. 15 years behind.