Council to NOT vote on light rail alignment (Austin, Mart: 2014, how much)

[jb9152]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Then, there is no problem providing links which validate your findings. I am very interested in what you will provide - that is present policy.

You know, you could always spend a few minutes perusing the actual Project Connect website:

Project Connect

Click on the "Vision" link at the top, then peruse the map. Pay close attention to the orange dashed line. That's the proposal for Urban Rail. It does not go to Round Rock or Georgetown. Commuter/Regional Rail is planned to go there, but that's not Urban Rail.

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by jb9152

You know, you could always spend a few minutes perusing the actual Project Connect website:

Project Connect

Click on the "Vision" link at the top, then peruse the map. Pay close attention to the orange dashed line. That's the proposal for Urban Rail. It does not go to Round Rock or Georgetown. Commuter/Regional Rail is planned to go there, but that's not Urban Rail.

Are you saying that since I am the one who introduced the Project Connect link to the thread - in fact, nearly all the links - that I didn't read what was on the website?

Guess what? I have an opinion!

Again, my opinion is that I believe the 1-35 route is the quickest way to achieve rail connection to Williamson County. Especially in light today's article in which even the City of Austin's own paid advisor doesn't believe the Lone Star funding plan will work. I believe the route and the funding won't work. Also, if you noticed on the map the urban rail proposed by Project Connect doesnt go near Highland, rather it goes by 51st St over to Mueller [the line looks almost the same as the 2010 rail proposal]. So, what was the Project Connect director talking with COA Urban Transportation Board about another line at Highland?

Finally, the elephant in the room: how to compensate Union-Pacific with an equivalent rail track to move freight, if Lone Star and CapMetro ever bought the two existing tracks (Red Line and MoPac)?

Recent news hints even more so since Georgetown left the Lone Star rail district earlier this year only to return on a razor vote, esp. since the November elections, the Georgetown City Council is now leaning 4-3 against remaining in the rail district.

One thing is for certain, questions beget more questions..

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Are you saying that since I am the one who introduced the Project Connect link to the thread - in fact, nearly all the links - that I didn't read what was on the website?

Guess what? I have an opinion!

Again, my opinion is that I believe the 1-35 route is the quickest way to achieve rail connection to Williamson County.

_What_ I35 route? There is no I35 route. There is no plan for an I35 route. There's no room for an I35 route (where are you going to run it?). How many hundreds of businesses and how many millions (Billions?) would it take to buy out every other business along I35 from highland to round rock to assemble a rail route.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Especially in light today's article in which even the City of Austin's own paid advisor doesn't believe the Lone Star funding plan will work.

Doesn't believe it will work, or just thinks that it's too early to start diverting incremental tax revenues?

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

I believe the route and the funding won't work.

If the funding doesn't work for Lone Star Rail, how will it work for a project that will probably cost 10 times as much?

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Also, if you noticed on the map the urban rail proposed by Project Connect doesnt go near Highland, rather it goes by 51st St over to Mueller [the line looks almost the same as the 2010 rail proposal]. So, what was the Project Connect director talking with COA Urban Transportation Board about another line at Highland?

Have you been completely oblivious to the whole Project Connect Central Corridor study?

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Finally, the elephant in the room: how to compensate Union-Pacific with an equivalent rail track to move freight,

A new freight-only corridor far to the east of Austin will be far easier and _far_ cheaper to construct than a brand-new passenger corridor in expensive land along I35.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

if Lone Star and CapMetro ever bought the two existing tracks (Red Line and MoPac)?

Cap Metro _already_ owns the red line track.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Recent news hints even more so since Georgetown left the Lone Star rail district earlier this year only to return on a razor vote, esp. since the November elections, the Georgetown City Council is now leaning 4-3 against remaining in the rail district.

If Georgetown pulls out for good, it's their loss. The bulk of the traffic will be inter-city between Austin-San Antonio anyway.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

One thing is for certain, questions beget more questions..

Only because you keep ignoring the actual facts.

[scm53]

Chris Bradford, as always, is spot on:

Project Connect's methodology ignored many critical questions. But the worst omission was probably this one: it didn't even bother to ask whether each sub-corridor has streets suitable for high-capacity transit investment.

[scm53]

What’s with Project Connect’s “2.9 million daily ridership” projection?

Another way of saying this is that Project Connect’s planners have converted their own wishful thinking into actual data inputs, that are then deployed to make their evaluation. Wishes are used to try to make the wishes come true.

[jb9152]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Are you saying that since I am the one who introduced the Project Connect link to the thread - in fact, nearly all the links - that I didn't read what was on the website?

Guess what? I have an opinion!

Guess what? You asked me to provide links. I did. You can certainly have an opinion, of course, but know that your opinion matches almost NONE of the planning that Project Connect is doing. You could have an opinion that we should go back to horse and carriage, and it would be almost as accurate.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Again, my opinion is that I believe the 1-35 route is the quickest way to achieve rail connection to Williamson County.

No one is suggesting or studying this. Again, horse and carriage...

I'd like to hear your "opinion" on where rail would go on I-35.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Especially in light today's article in which even the City of Austin's own paid advisor doesn't believe the Lone Star funding plan will work.

You mean the city's CFO? The City Council disagreed.

San Marcos City Council also disagreed.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

I believe the route and the funding won't work.

But building rail up I-35 will. Ohhhhhhh K.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Also, if you noticed on the map the urban rail proposed by Project Connect doesnt go near Highland, rather it goes by 51st St over to Mueller [the line looks almost the same as the 2010 rail proposal]. So, what was the Project Connect director talking with COA Urban Transportation Board about another line at Highland?

The Vision Map identified possible or probable alignments and modes (and didn't include, I should point out, a rail line up I-35) - that's why it's called a "vision"; it's a guide. Corridor studies (currently being conducted in the North, Central, and Southwest corridors) get into more detail and decide actual alignments and modes. The Central Corridor study just came out with its recommendation for a Highland-East Riverside route for high-capacity transit (which might be Urban Rail or something else, or a combination of modes). You haven't been paying attention if you don't know this.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Finally, the elephant in the room: how to compensate Union-Pacific with an equivalent rail track to move freight, if Lone Star and CapMetro ever bought the two existing tracks (Red Line and MoPac)?

First of all, Capital Metro already owns the Red Line (and the greater line that connects Llano to Giddings).

Second, there is no "elephant in the room". The plan for Lone Star Rail is to build a bypass freight line for 'through' freight trains (i.e. those that have no local customers). The deal is - Lone Star Rail builds the bypass and turns over ownership to Union Pacific; Union Pacific in return turns over its current rail line between Taylor and San Antonio to Lone Star Rail District.

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

Recent news hints even more so since Georgetown left the Lone Star rail district earlier this year only to return on a razor vote, esp. since the November elections, the Georgetown City Council is now leaning 4-3 against remaining in the rail district.:roll eyes:

Cities are free to join or leave the District. In fact, the District this month put into effect a new policy for new members (i.e. those that are brand new or those that leave and subsequently come back). Suffice it to say that if Georgetown leaves the district, it will no longer have a voice on the Board of Directors, and will be responsible for significant costs to rejoin if it subsequently wishes that (and that's been the experience in places like Dallas - cities that opted out now want to opt in...for a lot more $ than if they had simply partnered with the other jurisdictions during the planning phase).

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

One thing is for certain, questions beget more questions..

Very profound! Do you have any other thoughts on things like pennies saved? Or a bird in the hand?

[mayfair44]

Speaking of elephants, UT wants LRT service further east on San Jacinto, through campus, connecting the new UT Med campus, into DT. Integrating that concept alone into the first north sub-corridor out of DT squashes rail on the drag up through Lamar, making "Highland" the default, going into phase 2.

Project Connect thus far does feel predetermined (2010 vs now) for the initial alignment. IMO, working the phase 1 process of "public input" allowed the transit advocates to get lost in the "data" weeds, and run down all the rabbit holes (read: G/L - MetroRapid), when the deal was made btwn the city and UT a looong time ago.

[scm53]

Tea leaves, for anyone not convinced that the Highland fix was in before the start.

[gpurcell]

Oh, the fix was definitely in. Nothing to be done now is to vote it down and hope the new council is more amenable to real analysis.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

Oh, the fix was definitely in. Nothing to be done now is to vote it down and hope the new council is more amenable to real analysis.

If it's voted down, rail will not be considered in Austin again for at least a generation, likely longer. This is the Last. Best. and Only. Shot at having an urban rail system complete in our lifetimes.