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The Metro in DC is pretty good for something that was retrofitted into a 19th-century city in the 1970s. The suburban "spokes" have been added over time and hit the heaviest areas pretty well.
I've ridden the subways in New York, Chicago, D.C., and Toronto. I'd say D.C. then Chicago then Toronto for my pick. I found the Chicago subway to be very loud.
Personally, the only cities that have transit systems that should be in the conversation are Boston, D.C., Philly, Chicago and perhaps San Francisco. But that's just my opinion.
OK so maybe I'm naive but how can this line, at a cost of $6B+, receive Federal funding, while other projects in other states that merely "restore" rail service to levels that existed 30 years ago can't find Federal funding? Is this simply another case of the US taxpayers funding the monster that is the US Government (with NOVA reaping the rewards)? I'm not trying to pick a fight but I don't see how something that costs $242,857,000+ per mile is a wise investment.
OK so maybe I'm naive but how can this line, at a cost of $6B+, receive Federal funding, while other projects in other states that merely "restore" rail service to levels that existed 30 years ago can't find Federal funding? Is this simply another case of the US taxpayers funding the monster that is the US Government (with NOVA reaping the rewards)? I'm not trying to pick a fight but I don't see how something that costs $242,857,000+ per mile is a wise investment.
Even the projects that do receive federal funding in other states don't get the same priority or proportion of total cost funded. The Lexington line in NYC has more riders than the entire Washington DC metro and San Francisco BART combined, yet to receive federal funding for SAS, state and city had to fund most of it by themselves.. and they still haven't gotten any fed money even though they were approved. Meanwhile the Silver line in DC gets almost half of its funding straight from the feds.
Toronto has the third-largest mass transit system in North America after Mexico City and New York. Unfortunately, large subway expansions that were to occur in the 70's, 80's and 90's were squashed by various near-sighted provincial governments (Toronto's mass transit system has never had the stable government funding of many other cities). As a result, the city's subway system is currently playing a big game of catch-up. So the subway system spans quite a few kilometres (68km or 42 miles of track), has 69 stations, and close to 1,000,000 daily riders, but doesn't provide adequate coverage of many neighbourhoods.
To fill in the gaps, Toronto has the largest streetcar network in North America, and a large network of buses that connect the subway to nearby neighbourhoods. In addition, a large commuter rail system called GO Transit connects distant suburbs on every point of the compass to the inner city.
By 2020, new subway lines and light rail lines will give the city's transit system a much-needed expansion that will allow Toronto to not only claim it has the third-biggest, but also the third-best system in North America.
I have never used the subway system in any city but NY and Boston but I love Boston's- it's so easy with the colour lines! NYC's subway system is too complicated for me and there are so many lines- and I'm a native NYer. Much prefer to walk... but in Boston, it is so easy to find your way around.
Even the projects that do receive federal funding in other states don't get the same priority or proportion of total cost funded. The Lexington line in NYC has more riders than the entire Washington DC metro and San Francisco BART combined, yet to receive federal funding for SAS, state and city had to fund most of it by themselves.. and they still haven't gotten any fed money even though they were approved. Meanwhile the Silver line in DC gets almost half of its funding straight from the feds.
Yeah, this kind of thing infuriates me. Not that I mind federal money being spent on the Silver Line, but we should be spending money like this on a number of other rail projects. Your Second Avenue Subway example is the most obvious, but so are many others. We are adding an LRT line in Boston that is projected to carry 52,000 passengers daily. That.s one line that will carry more passengers than most system totals in the US, and yet the state is having to foot almost the entire bill.
Yeah, this kind of thing infuriates me. Not that I mind federal money being spent on the Silver Line, but we should be spending money like this on a number of other rail projects. Your Second Avenue Subway example is the most obvious, but so are many others. We are adding an LRT line in Boston that is projected to carry 52,000 passengers daily. That.s one line that will carry more passengers than most system totals in the US, and yet the state is having to foot almost the entire bill.
What new LRT line in Boston is going to carry 52,000 new riders? NM I didn't realize how far the Green Line extension was going.
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