Tennessee Census Data

[strumpeace]

Music City Star averages fewer than 1,000 riders per day. I ride from time to time, and it's usually only 1/4 or so full. If you work within walking distance of Riverfront, it can be a great time saver for you. However, if you have to catch a bus from Riverfront to your destination (Vanderbilt in my case), traffic on city streets stretches your commute time out considerably. Typically, when I take the Star, it takes a few minutes longer to get to Vandy than it does if I drive.

BUT I don't take the Star for convenience only. I take it largely for peace of mind; it's great to not have to sit in stop and go traffic, frustrated and anxious. I also take it to save wear and tear on my car, which recently rolled over 100k miles. And concern for environment figures in there somewhere, too.

Memphis, btw, has great bones for a commuter line. There's an abandoned CSX line that runs from Midtown all the way east (through Cordova). It would make a great commuter line, much more convenient to population centers than the Star is to population centers east of Nashville. Unfortunately, public transportation is much more stigmatized in Memphis than it has ever been in Nashville. It would take a strong, concentrated education/awareness effort to get Memphians to use trains and buses. Mass transit could definitely be successful there, I think, but the negative perceptions of public transportation would have to be eased.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Music City Star averages fewer than 1,000 riders per day. I ride from time to time, and it's usually only 1/4 or so full. If you work within walking distance of Riverfront, it can be a great time saver for you. However, if you have to catch a bus from Riverfront to your destination (Vanderbilt in my case), traffic on city streets stretches your commute time out considerably. Typically, when I take the Star, it takes a few minutes longer to get to Vandy than it does if I drive.

BUT I don't take the Star for convenience only. I take it largely for peace of mind; it's great to not have to sit in stop and go traffic, frustrated and anxious. I also take it to save wear and tear on my car, which recently rolled over 100k miles. And concern for environment figures in there somewhere, too.

Memphis, btw, has great bones for a commuter line. There's an abandoned CSX line that runs from Midtown all the way east (through Cordova). It would make a great commuter line, much more convenient to population centers than the Star is to population centers east of Nashville. Unfortunately, public transportation is much more stigmatized in Memphis than it has ever been in Nashville. It would take a strong, concentrated education/awareness effort to get Memphians to use trains and buses. Mass transit could definitely be successful there, I think, but the negative perceptions of public transportation would have to be eased.

It seems gas prices have helped increase ridership on the Star, but it still has pretty low ridership and it will remain to be seen if its performance will justify the costs.

Like I said, I don't think Lebanon to Nashville is the greatest barometer...it just happened to be the cheapest. At last census, the county with the most commuters was Sumner, so a Gallatin-Hendersonville line might have produced better results. Those numbers may have changed with Rutherford's growth rate, though. Anyhow, I think the Star will have to see continued growth in ridership over the course of a few years before there is any discussion of starting another line.

I could imagine that a commuter line in Memphis would be successful, though. The suburbs there are not stretched out on so many spokes as Nashville...so the density is more contiguous. I'm not aware of the PR problems with Memphis public transportation, but I can imagine that would be a major obstacle to overcome before a successful commuter line would become a reality.

Personally, I think it would be great for all of Tennessee's major cities to place a little more value on mass transit. It might be difficult at first, as we are a very car-centric state...but I think in the end it would pay off in big dividends, especially with all of the current uncertainty with gas prices in the Middle East.

[bobtn]

The Star could make it, especially from Sumner County, if it focused on downtown Nashville as a tourist draw, instead of being a workers commuter line. The population density here (I'm from Ct) is a hindrence to rail, but using the Star to get to Bridgestone for Preds games, linked to buses for Titans games, and if they were smart, linked to a new AAA park downtown on the old thermal site, plus of course, going to 2nd Ave honky tonks and such.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by bobtn

The Star could make it, especially from Sumner County, if it focused on downtown Nashville as a tourist draw, instead of being a workers commuter line. The population density here (I'm from Ct) is a hindrence to rail, but using the Star to get to Bridgestone for Preds games, linked to buses for Titans games, and if they were smart, linked to a new AAA park downtown on the old thermal site, plus of course, going to 2nd Ave honky tonks and such.

What the Star needs is a local bus hub not just downtown, but at the suburban stations. If your idea (which I think would be great, btw) is to work, then I think it would definitely help to have local bus lines running through the suburbs to local churches and shopping centers (and other large parking areas) where people could drive less than 5 minutes to catch a bus, then catch the train, and same on the trip back.

[Wonderful Jellal]

Nashville has a great future