794 replies to this topic

[it's just dave]

You might have hit the nail on the head Expat. The non-believers should give it a shot. This will be the tough part.

When I started carpooling to La Vergne every day, I hestitated. I didn't know what it would be like to possibly not have my precious personal transportaton outside waiting for me at my beck and call. After a couple of months, those hesitations disappeared. It's been a year now, all is going well, I'm saving money and wear and tear and I'm really enjoying the morning discussions as opposed to just sharing the ride with myself.

A quick stop at Bongo Java, a quick grab of the CityPaper and I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I like it. We're all planning on riding the rails when )and if) it becomes available. Whn people stop seeing their automobiles deteriorating only because they drive them to work, when they discover those expensive tires last twice as long or more, and the other positives (not to mention rapidly escalating gasoline prices), they must give it that shot.

[monsoon]

If it wasn't posted earlier, there is a pretty good write up of the Nashville rail project here on lightrailnow.org.   I think it is great that Nashville is doing this and it should be an example for more cities to follow suit.

[it's just dave]

I read that one, monsoon, and it made feel pretty good about the way they're going about things. Thanks for the link.

[sleepy]

it's just dave, on Mar 13 2005, 12:35 PM, said:

Downtown's still too much a work in progress and I'm still too much into my landscaping passion to make the transition before 3-5 years. But, I can imagine the future, and it just might find me on a train twice a day.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My problem is I lived in innercity New Orleans--wooden rowhouses with a front door opening onto the sidewalk and a 10 ft X 10 ft back yard--all my adult life until I moved to small town Minnesota a few years ago.  Even though I now live in a 1920's house downtown, it has a front yard, back yard--in other words I just got into gardening and the yard stuff and I love it--because it's the first time I've ever had those things.

Instead of the normal progression from "big house with yard" and then to "empty-nester downtown" plan, I've guess I've lived the opposite.  I can't see living in a loft in downtown New Orleans or Memphis anymore.  I'd always wonder where could I plant my astilbes.  lol

I see I didn't really respond to the topic at hand----

Thoughts---I always thought the Murfreesboro-Nashville run would be the best hit in terms of ridership and should perhaps have been built first.  I understand the agency got the tracks free and so on out to Antioch, so it was cheaper.  Problem with this sort of thing--if ridership isn't good, it'll be used as an example to kill the rest of the routes.  In other words, perhaps the transit agency may be penny wise and pound foolish, etc.

Edited by sleepy, 16 March 2005 - 02:43 PM.

[cheeriokid61]

Is 1350 ridership a year adequate to keep this going? That doesn't seem like much at all.

[Claws]

I know I plan on riding it for no reason other than to support it.  Really, a light rail beginning in Downtown and going down the West End corridor would really be useful to me when I'm visiting my grandparents, since I don't really like to walk from Sylvan Park to Downtown.  

Come to think of it, I could ride the bus.  But I'll have to get a schedule first.

[rocket9561]

sleepy, on Mar 16 2005, 02:35 PM, said:

My problem is I lived in innercity New Orleans--wooden rowhouses with a front door opening onto the sidewalk and a 10 ft X 10 ft back yard--all my adult life until I moved to small town Minnesota a few years ago.  Even though I now live in a 1920's house downtown, it has a front yard, back yard--in other words I just got into gardening and the yard stuff and I love it--because it's the first time I've ever had those things.

Instead of the normal progression from "big house with yard" and then to "empty-nester downtown" plan, I've guess I've lived the opposite.  I can't see living in a loft in downtown New Orleans or Memphis anymore.  I'd always wonder where could I plant my astilbes.  lol

I see I didn't really respond to the topic at hand----

Thoughts---I always thought the Murfreesboro-Nashville run would be the best hit in terms of ridership and should perhaps have been built first.  I understand the agency got the tracks free and so on out to Antioch, so it was cheaper.  Problem with this sort of thing--if ridership isn't good, it'll be used as an example to kill the rest of the routes.  In other words, perhaps the transit agency may be penny wise and pound foolish, etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think they are planning on killing the other legs even if this one isn't wuite what they expected.  Hendersonville is planning a huge lifestyle center around its station and I don't think they would create a mall around a train track if they weren't fairly sure it was coming.  I believe that by ridership, the Sumner line should have been first.  I-65 is hands down the most congested interstate in Nashville and Sumner Co. sends the most workers into Nashville for work.

[doormanpoet]

I would love a commuter rail. I would love to sell my car and no longer have to buy gas at $2.19 a gallon. I would love to not have to carry car insurance. In a emergency I could take a cab, or rent a car. Owning a car is just a drain to throw your money down.

[satalac]

doormanpoet, on Mar 17 2005, 09:06 PM, said:

I would love a commuter rail. I would love to sell my car and no longer have to buy gas at $2.19 a gallon. I would love to not have to carry car insurance. In a emergency I could take a cab, or rent a car. Owning a car is just a drain to throw your money down.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

even with this commuter rail, it'll still be difficult to get around the city of nashville without a car.

[doormanpoet]

Unfortunately you are right. I have tried to talk my wife into moving downtown so I could walk to where I wanted to go, but I could not get near the size house in town as I do out in the country.

[JunktionFET]

I collected a few images and such on this commuter rail line a while back. monsoon and I were talking about commuter rail in general and our discussion reminded me that I never posted some of this stuff thus far. I am still trying to collect more so I can throw together a nice collage, but this will do for now. Detailed drawings and renderings are actually pretty hard to come by.

Here's a map showing the actual alignment of the rail corridor. The railroad shortline being used belongs to Nashville & Eastern Railroad Authority. One of the reasons why this line was selected for construction first is the fact that the RTA got an awesome ROW deal from the railroad authority--would've been foolish to pass up.


Here's a rendering of the Riverfront Station. The other five stations on the line have been designed and approved, but as far as I can tell no technical drawings for the Riverfront Station have been finalized--and presently it is the biggest unforseen delay. Things are proceeding however.


This is a more colorful and slightly more detailed representative map of the commuter rail system envisioned by RTA.


And of course the final logo design, or so they say

[satalac]

you are the rail godess! haha. awesome find!

[showtime21]

The riverfront stations looks awful. I know they can design a station that i looks better than that.  Its looks like a train station in Silver City, NM.

[monsoon]

It is a really crude rendering.  However for a starter system it is not bad at all.

[it's just dave]

It'll be interesting to see what it turns out to look like. I agree with monsoon, it's a crude rendering. I'm sure it will look fine. It appears they tend to use timbers and such reminiscent of the old train stations and that will give it, hopefully, a quaint, timeless appearance. It is in a district dominated by Victorian warehouses so something slick and glassy will look out of place there. Now, we wait. The details on the stations will be out soon, I'm told.

[doormanpoet]

Whatever happened to our landport next to the GEC? Is it in use?

[showtime21]

They use it for metro buses and opryland buses also.

[cheeriokid61]

Does anyone know the order in which the rail lines will open? I hope the Franklin line will start construction soon.

Wouldn't it be nice if they extended it down to Columbia? I know at least a few people that would use it in Spring Hill.

[JunktionFET]

There doesn't seem to be any clear indication of which line would be constructed next. For one, it depends on available funding, success of this line, any ROW deals that may present themselves, etc.

Here is another rendering of the proposed Riverfront Station. As far as I can tell, no final design has been approved so far, but at least this rendering isn't quite as rough as the first one


Here is the latest timetable from RTA, as of February 2005.


Now here's something interesting... This is a 4.2 mile Light Rail or Modern Streetcar line (mode of transit not determined) which resulted from an MTA study several years ago--back when the Commuter Rail project first came up (1999?)

Lately it has come up again, and is talked of with a bit more confidence than before. In time it may become the topic of a more specific study and could reach official proposal status. Note that this starter line would actually include a spur to the Commuter Rail's Riverfront Station.


A conceptual photo showing what a Light Rail vehicle or Modern Streetcar would look like travelling down 5th Ave

[JunktionFET]

Almost forgot... here's something I thought was damn cool looking... it is from the MTA website, of all places, and has one of the best Nashville skyline photos I've seen


Also, I have some pictures of the interior and exterior of the Commuter Rail train cars, but I don't have time to post them right now... stay tuned.