The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread

[Guest]

I love you transit plan on paper, but I am more that happy not paying for a low-demand boondoggle. Maybe it is as you suggest, build it out slowly and let the ridership grown organically. If the demand was there and IF the majority of the expense fell on those riding and enjoying the benefits I would be all for it.

 

BTW, you do not have to wait 3-6 months for the next real crisis....we have been in a constant crisis since 2008.

 

...we're in a time where budgets are constrained and Tea Party Congressional members will "sequester" funds even if they're already spent. LOL

 

I'm just waiting for the next nifty little name for the next faux-crisis in 3-6 months.

[BrandonTO416]

BRT is hardly a boondoggle. We're talking about the average cost of repaving and rebuilding a roadway without the BRT not being a great deal different. You could easily spend hundreds of millions repaving those corridors without any mass transit at all.

 

Its why its a no risk benefit to the city. The up front capital costs are not terribly more than paving.

 

In so far as crisis, our economy is on the mend. Its not in crisis mode anymore. The government has actors involved that want to create damage so they have a political platform to stand on. It is unacceptable to see that happen when we need growth and progress.

 

I'd hate to see this BRT get approved, then some Congressional hiccup created by politicians screw up an approved project and needlessly delay it.

[UTgrad09]

I liked the map that Brandon created, so I thought I would share my own vision.

It's more of a "further down the road" plan (say target 25 years for its ultimate completion). It consists of 6 lines that cross through town (so 10 spokes, plus one connector). I also included a couple of street car loops (for fun). Again, this is a future vision, so please don't put it up to scrutiny for current standards.

 

 

General vision: bus lines start out at the fringes as park and ride routes. There will not be streetscaping out here (at this point) or dedicated lanes. However, the traffic signals will be modified to give buses priority and generally help them move at a quicker pace. Stations/shelters will have up-to-the-minute arrival information on a digital screen. These outer sections will generally be like the current Gallatin Road BRT. The outer stations and park and rides would also be served by small circulator routes (such as the vans MTA currently uses) to collect as many people as possible in the neighborhood areas, and distribute them at the BRT "lite" hubs. As the BRT lite routes move further into town, into the more urban or higher density development, they will transition to dedicated lane systems with streetscaping and continue with priority signals. The reason I wouldn't dedicate lanes all the way out some of these routes is simple. I think ridership will generally be lower further from town (making the cost/benefit less) and I think more lines rather than longer dedicated lines is optimal for creating a fully operational system. Some sections might utilize a single dedicated lane with a couple of two lane bypasses (around stations)...this would help in particularly narrow sections of these corridors where 4 lanes of traffic are still necessary. It will have to be a highly organized system, and operated much like a single track train would. These are my opinions.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217291243497016881147.0004d6ae15202d7c06d6d&msa=0&ll=36.150074,-86.750107&spn=0.308827,0.676346

 

**note: the downtown routes should not be considered finalized. I had some trouble working some of the routes through the one way road sections, as Google Maps 'snap to roads' only works if you are traveling in that one way direction. Ideally, several of these lines would intersect at Music City Central at Charlotte and 5th/4th.

Starting west and working east, south working north.
 

Orange Line

Charlotte Pike and Murfreesboro Road corridors

The western terminus will be at the Nashville West shopping center, where there will be a park and ride available. The dedicated lane will begin after the 'narrow' stretch of Charlotte, just short of White Bridge Road. Major stops would include the shopping centers on Charlotte, the West Metro Police Precinct, Richland Park Library, Sylvan Heights, OneC1ty/HCA, Baptist/Centennial, North Gulch/TSU Avon Williams, Capitol/Legislative Plaza, and Music City Central. From there, the route continues down 4th Ave (southbound/eastbound) and 2nd/3rd (northbound/westbound) to Lafayette. It continues down Lafayette/Murfreesboro Road as a dedicated BRT to just past Donelson Pike (simply because many sections of this corridor are wide and could easily accommodate a dedicated lane). Some, but not all of this section will see streetscape improvements (primarily in the more urbanized sections, as well as around major stops). Major stops would include 4th near Church and near Demonbreun/MCC/CMHoF (and corresponding stops on 2nd), Academy Square/Metro Campus, Napier, Trevecca, Foster Ave, Plus Park, East Thompson Lane, Glengarry, Genesco, and Dell. From here, the route will transition to BRT lite and will serve major shopping centers/intersections such as Nashboro Village, Edge O Lake, and Bell Road/Priest Lake (park and ride). The eastern/southern terminus will be at The Global Mall at the Crossings (formerly Hickory Hollow) park and ride.

 

Gold Line

Old Harding/Harding/West End and Gallatin Pike corridors

The western terminus will be at Pasquo/Harpeth Valley near Kroger, and will run through Bellevue on Old Harding Pike to US 70S. Alternatively, it could begin at the old Bellevue Mall site (where there is a huge parking lot), but I chose Old Harding because it crosses through more development. **Note** the Bellevue/Belle Meade section of this may not be necessary if commuter rail is extended to Bellevue. The route will follow Hwy 70S (Harding/West End/Broadway) to 2nd and 4th, where it will share the line with the Orange and Red lines and connect with Music City Central. Major stops would include River Plantation, near Bellevue Middle, Old Hickory Blvd, St. Henry, Belle Meade, Woodmont/White Bridge, St. Thomas, West End Middle/Elmington, West End Park, Vanderbilt, Centennial Park, Loews/Caterpillar, 18th/19th, West End Summit, The Gulch, Hume Fogg, Lower Broad/Arena, 4th/2nd at Church, and finally Music City Central. From there, I think the route has two options: take Woodland Street (no dedicated lanes through Edgefield/East End) and connect with Gallatin Road at 11th St (then beginning dedicated lane service) or down James Robertson/Main Street with dedicated lanes throughout, also avoiding narrow points and potentially tight turns. The map shows the Woodland Route because of the aforementioned problem with using one ways on Google Maps. Major stops would include LP Field, Edgefield around 5th, 5 Points, Eastland, Douglas, Trinity, Greenfield, Litton/Broadmoor, and Home Depot or Kmart (potential park and rides). The route would then transition to BRT lite through Madison to Rivergate, though the Madison portion could be converted to dedicated BRT, especially through the business district.

**note, the Gold line would be named such because it runs by Vanderbilt (black and gold) and the arena, home to the Predators (gold and navy).

 

Purple Line

Hillsboro/21st and Lebanon Road/Airport corridor

The first part of this line is easy. Run from south of Green Hills downtown. The airport line is a little more difficult. Brandon brought up some good points about the Elm Hill corridor, which could be used as an alternate route (via Spence Lane)...but two things I wanted to do here would make that route impossible. One, I wanted to connect Rolling Mill Hill to the BRT system. Two, I wanted to connect it to the Music City Star in Donelson (giving Star riders easier airport access). Still, consider this route 'up for debate.' This route could either start on Hillsboro Road near Harding Place (lots of apartments) or within Burton Hills itself, serving the offices/residences there. It will travel along Hillsboro/21st as a dedicated lane service, despite the fact that traffic is so bad. However, as a sidenote, in conjunction with this line being put in place, a couple of traffic improvements will be made in Green Hills. Richard Jones road will be realigned to intersect with Abbott Martin, and Crestmoor will be realigned to intersect Glen Echo. This should help reduce the Mall area bottleneck by eliminating two traffic lights and providing two more direct crossing routes so east/west drivers can avoid getting on Hillsboro Road. From there, the route will continue up 431 to Hillsboro Village. The best plan is to probably keep on trucking through Vanderbilt, serving a very crowded and dense corridor of town (only getting more dense), however, a less crowded bypass using Magnolia and 16th/17th, then Demonbreun to the MCC might make for a much quicker commute for those not wishing to go to Vanderbilt. But it's hard to ignore the fact that this route would likely be heavily used by Vanderbilt students and staff, so I continued on through to Broadway. It continues to 1st Ave/Hermitage Ave (where it could utilize the center lane). I do not think a dedicated lane is necessary from Fesslers to Briley Parkway on Lebanon Road, nor is streetscaping needed. This would be a one or two stop express section (apartments at Spence?). In Donelson, it will connect with the Music City Star, then continue south to the airport on a dedicated lane. Major stops would include Burton Hills, Green Hills Mall, Blair Blvd, Hillsboro Village, VUMC, University School/Edgehill, Division, concurrent stops with the Gold line on Broadway, Riverfront Park/Music City Star, Rolling Mill Hill, Spence Lane, McGavock Pike, Music City Star, Royal Parkway, BNA terminal.

 

Green Line

100 Oaks, 8th Ave and Clarksville Hwy corridors

The southern terminus of this line would be a park and ride and potential commuter rail connector at 100 Oaks, serving the large Vanderbilt Clinic as well as retail/office space in the area. It would be a BRT lite line that runs north on Powell through Thompson Lane (the traffic signal would be optimized to allow an easier crossing for the buses). From there (on Bransford) it would continue through the Berry Hill business district to Berry Road, by the school board, and make its way over to 8th. Alternately, it could turn on Thompson Lane and connect with 8th, avoiding an at-grade railroad crossing. Either way, the dedicated lane portion would begin on 8th near Gale Lane, and run all the way through downtown, as it becomes Rosa Parks, and then Metrocenter Blvd, until just after the Bordeaux shopping center. It would continue as a BRT lite on Clarksville Hwy to the Kroger/Bordeaux branch library, or all the way to Kings Lane. Major stops would include 100 Oaks, Berry Hill, Kirkwood, near Melpark/Craighead, Douglas Corner, Wedgewood, Edgehill, Division/Gulch, Music City Center, Broadway, Church/Main Library, Farmer's Market/Bicentennial Mall, Jefferson St, Werthan, Garfield, Dominican/Maxwell House, Fountain Square/Watkins, Ted Rhodes/Ed Temple, and the shopping centers along Clarksville Hwy.

 

Red Line

Nolensville Rd and Dickerson Rd corridors

The southern terminus of this route would be near Nolensville Road at Concord Road. As more and more gets built out in this area of town, I think the need for transit will go beyond Lenox Village. This part of the route will be BRT lite. It will transfer to dedicated lane service somewhere near Harding Place/Southern Hills. It will continue up 31A/41A all the way into downtown. The junctions at the railroad on both 4th and 2nd need to be changed. 4th is an at grade crossing that is close enough to the downtown yard that sometimes trains sit and block the roadway. That must change. The underpass at 2nd is equally problematic, as it is a tight turn. After this fix, the route will continue downtown, briefly sharing routes with the Orange and Gold lines, and transfer at Music City Central. From there, the preferred route would be to backtrack to Union/Woodland and cross the river, possibly sharing space with the Gold line. It will turn north on 1st St and then transition to Dickerson Road. 1st is more or less an industrial wasteland at this point, but a BRT line could prove to be a jumpstarter for new development in an area where the city wants to improve the East Bank (along with the scrapyard site to the south). The Dickerson Road portion will be a dedicated lane BRT at least until Trinity Lane. I think there is at least enough there where streetscaping that portion might help clean up the image and lead to more urban development. The line will continue to at least Skyline Medical Center, but I went ahead and extended it to Old Hickory Blvd. Major stops include Concord Village, Lennox Village, Old Hickory Blvd, McMurray, Haywood, Southern Hills, Paragon Mills, Zoo, Radnor/McCall, Thompson Ln, Woodbine, Rosedale, Fairgrounds, Chestnut, Academy Square, MCC/CMHoF, Church, Music City Central, LP Field, Cleveland, Douglas, Trinity, Broadmoor, Skyline, Old Hickory Blvd.

 

Blue Line

University Connector

This follows the Wedgewood/Blakemore/31st/28th/Ed Temple route. Dedicated lane where possible. Will require widening of the railroad bridge over Wedgewood...possible widening of 28th from Charlotte to TSU (might be too destructive). This would connect the Fairgrounds (possible redevelopment), Belmont/12th South, Hillsboro Village, Vanderbilt, West End Park, Hadley Washington/Hadley Park, and TSU areas. It will also serve as a transfer point between the Orange, Gold, Purple, Green, and Red lines.

 

For fun:

DownMidtown Streetcar

Counterclockwise single track loop from 2nd Ave at Demonbreun north to Church Street, west to 21st Ave, south to Broadway/Division, around the roundabout down Demonbreun to 2nd.

 

East Nashville Streetcar

Counterclockwise single track loop from 5th and Main south to Fatherland, east to 14th St, north to Eastland Ave, west across Gallatin Pk (the Rite Aid or whatever is currently there would be torn down to align the Eastland intersection)...West Eastland to McFerrin, McFerrin south to Main, Main west to 5th.

 

(16th instead of 14th would also be fine, but again, tricky Google Maps wouldn't let me take a left turn from there onto Eastland)

[BrandonTO416]

Its a great idea, seems like a lot of work went into that and the mapping. I wasn't expecting color coding.

[UTgrad09]

Its a great idea, seems like a lot of work went into that and the mapping. I wasn't expecting color coding.

 

The typing was a bit of work. The map wasn't all that difficult once I figured a couple of things out. The map and ideas were in my head...so it was really just a matter of translating them.

 

 

I will say, I really like this discussion...it helps me really flesh out my ideas. I agree with the principle that the BRT should serve as the basis as the main people mover for public transit in town.

 

My thought is that the commuter rail will serve as a way to bring people into the city, and the BRT routes will serve as the main bones for the distribution.  If we can create an effective spoke and hub BRT network, we can decentralize the rest of our bus routes (currently, nearly every route runs to/from downtown -- aside from a couple of connectors). We need more cross town routes. We need more neighborhood circulators. If certain BRT stops can serve as mini-hubs/transfer points, then a lot of our 'single bus' (rather than the articulated double buses that will serve the BRT) can be utilized all across town. Sure, most of the routes will still be concentrated in the core, but what if you just want to go around your neighborhood? Why should, say, the Old Hickory bus go beyond Old Hickory, Madison, and Hermitage? Wouldn't it be better served by making more frequent trips up and down SR 45? Or think if Madison had its own little bus hub where from a BRT stop, several routes spider away? What about being able to go from Bordeaux to East Nashville along Trinity Lane?

 

Possible Music City Star/BRT transfer points (let's assume lines to Franklin, Murfreesboro, and Gallatin are built):

-Hickory Hollow (Red Line) from Murfreesboro/Smyrna/La Vergne

-Donelson (Purple Line) from Lebanon/Mount Juliet/Hermitage

-Amqui/Madison (Gold Line) from Gallatin/Hendersonville

-100 Oaks (Green Line) from Franklin/Brentwood

-Downtown (Purple and Gold Lines) from all lines except Lebanon

-Downtown (Purple Line) from Lebanon/Mount Juliet/Hermitage

 

-One C1ty/HCA (Orange and Blue Lines) from Bellevue/Belle Meade

*If Bellevue commuter line is built

[chelovek]

Since we're all sharing, heres one i put together a while back.

 

 

Nashville Rail Master Plan by adamscarroll, on Flickr

 

more details on flickr

[MidTenn1]

Do any of these proposals serve Bordeaux?

[UTgrad09]

Do any of these proposals serve Bordeaux?

 

Green Line on mine.

[BrandonTO416]

The BRT map you've provided is better/more expansive than mine, I was thinking of not spending too much $$$ since its hard to get funding not necessarily the best system money can buy. You're thinking the same of what I'm thinking, these BRT corridors can serve as a backbone in a new transit network and then standard buses can run perpendicular to the BRT lines and bring people to and from the BRT stations, giving the residential areas access to the main corridors and BRT without cars or "park and ride" mentality. Park and ride doesn't build communities or transform streets into major urban boulevards, its a shuttle system for daytime workers that has little useful purpose otherwise. Also, most people don't prefer to walk more than a half mile to a bus or train station, so the usefulness of transit becomes less and less the further and further it is. So getting a bus stop to within a half mile walk of as many residents as possible should be a goal as well.

 

Since Nashville is a web of roadways that run in a semi-circular pattern around the central business district, it'd be good to have standard buses carry a more circular pattern between the stations, for example run standard bus service between White Bridge Rd & Charlotte BRT, then White Bridge & West End BRT, Woodmond & Hillsboro BRT, then continue eastward as it hits Thompson Ln & Nolensville BRT. The standard buses could run at fewer intervals, say only 30 minutes in off-peak, because they really won't get a lot of ridership overall relative to BRT; however, the goal should still be to get as many people within 1/2 mile of a bus stop and services that run more frequently than they currently do and do it better than today. Many MTA routes today have buses that only run a few times a day or every hour or more, that is too infrequent for people to even want to use it.

[BrandonTO416]

Do any of these proposals serve Bordeaux?

 

Mine doesn't, mostly because of demand. Bordeaux is a very low density area. It does need bus access, but could be served by beefed up normal bus services. A goal I'd have for the entire MTA system are buses that run no less than 30 minutes between each other. Then again, if a BRT went up toward MetroCenter it wouldn't be a bad idea if it jutted over toward Bordeaux as its last stop.

[UTgrad09]

The BRT map you've provided is better/more expansive than mine, I was thinking of not spending too much $$$ since its hard to get funding not necessarily the best system money can buy. You're thinking the same of what I'm thinking, these BRT corridors can serve as a backbone in a new transit network and then standard buses can run perpendicular to the BRT lines and bring people to and from the BRT stations, giving the residential areas access to the main corridors and BRT without cars or "park and ride" mentality.

Yes, it is more expansive (and expensive)...but like I said, this is a farther out vision. I wouldn't recommend attempting it all at once. Perhaps build a couple of shorter crossing lines (like the current ~7.5 mile proposal for the East-West Connector) then slowly add more and extend the length of the lines as time, money, and demand allow. It will likely take a good bit of federal help, but we need to own this, too.

Park and ride doesn't build communities or transform streets into major urban boulevards, its a shuttle system for daytime workers that has little useful purpose otherwise. Also, most people don't prefer to walk more than a half mile to a bus or train station, so the usefulness of transit becomes less and less the further and further it is. So getting a bus stop to within a half mile walk of as many residents as possible should be a goal as well.

I agree park and ride isn't something you need to build a system around, but I think that especially at the fringes of the system, it could be useful. If you live somewhere where the bus lines don't reach, but you're only a mile or so from the end of the BRT line, then it would be good if there is parking available. No, it doesn't "build communities"...but the fact is a lot of our large parking lot strip malls are already here, and aren't going anywhere quick. Same with the malls. I'm really only proposing that as the starting and ending points of the lines. That way it gives people who might be outside of the neighborhood bus coverage area a way to hop on the line.

 

Since Nashville is a web of roadways that run in a semi-circular pattern around the central business district, it'd be good to have standard buses carry a more circular pattern between the stations, for example run standard bus service between White Bridge Rd & Charlotte BRT, then White Bridge & West End BRT, Woodmond & Hillsboro BRT, then continue eastward as it hits Thompson Ln & Nolensville BRT.

That's exactly what I was thinking. And there's no reason these cross routes need to ever go downtown. If you need to travel from 100 Oaks to Lions Head, you should be able to without going downtown.

Sidenote: we do need to keep a number of the radial routes from downtown that are non-BRT...say like 12th South. But they need to be simplified. Instead of snaking through 10 different streets and looping back, I'd like to see straighter corridor routes. Simplify the system into something that is more direct, and more efficient.

The standard buses could run at fewer intervals, say only 30 minutes in off-peak, because they really won't get a lot of ridership overall relative to BRT; however, the goal should still be to get as many people within 1/2 mile of a bus stop and services that run more frequently than they currently do and do it better than today. Many MTA routes today have buses that only run a few times a day or every hour or more, that is too infrequent for people to even want to use it.

I agree with this...I used to ride the bus daily in middle and high school. It is horribly slow. And missing one of the 'non-frequent' buses is an absolute pain. I think MTA has a better idea now that if you provide the service, eventually people will warm up to it. I believe there are a lot of people out there who WOULD use the buses regularly, but don't because of the timing or routes.

[nashvillwill]

I heavily agree with the infrequent service issue. When I was a student at MTSU, I used to take the 96x down to Murfreesboro. The headway was so large, if I missed a bus, I would have to wait up to 4 hours for the next one. It was an incredible pain.

I think they have improved that route since, but I'm sure it's still based upon a commuter schedule and very hard for student (and anyone else) that reverse commute.

[BrandonTO416]

I didn't mean to say that park and ride is dirty bad evil, its really good to have lots here and there, but there are systems that are primarily built around it. RTA's commuter rail is the opposite though, its only use isn't local service, it needs to be entirely park and ride (with connections from buses if suburbs start to run them).

 

What we're saying ties back into why LRT isn't as optimal for Nashville. As demonstrated in other markets, so much money is sapped up by LRT lines that you have no capital investment or operational money to do these other things: making standard buses run every 30 minutes at the very least, investing into commuter rail, investing into more than just one or two LRT lines.

 

We're certainly on the same page here.

[nashvillwill]

I can buy into the argument for BRT over LRT. LRT does require a huge upfront investment and it may be hard to justify that for Nashville at the moment. I do think BRT is the right choice for Nashville at the moment. But I will say this, assuming BRT does happen and is successful, I would like to see it electrified in the future. Not LRT, but electrified busses in exclusive row. My reasoning is this:

One of the benefits of an LRT or heavy rail systems is its permanence. Proponents for transit often speak of how a transit line can encourage development. But private developers don't like BRT as much because it is considered more disposable. Think about it, if the system isn't doing well and political pressure is calling for its demise, what are you really losing? A few dollars spent on removing the station platforms and the stripes on the road, then it's traffic flow back to normal. You still have the rolling stock for regular service. It happens all the time with regular bus routes. When money is tight, underutilized service is the first thing to go. If you shut down a LRT line, you are abandoning millions/billions of $ of infrastructure. It's much harder to completely shut down something like that, and developers rely on that. Adding electrification would add to that sense of permanence while saving the billions it would take to lay down tracks. It would also give the general public the sense that "this is real transit".

Also, from a budgeting standpoint, electrified busses have proven to be much more affordable to operate and operating cost are less variable since fluctuating fuel prices aren't of concern.

As an added benefit, the system wouldn't be as noisy and the pollution is cut down significantly.

We could even operate buses with a hybrid drive. Electrified when under the wires, diesel when not.

I'm sure there are many examples of this, but my current home, San Francisco, comes to mind. Buses share overhead wires with the LRT/streetcars.

Just something I would like to see. Quite honestly, I would like to see this as a part of the current plan.

Edited March 1, 2013 by nashvillwill

[nashvillwill]

well, here you go guys...

 

http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/mta-board-approves-brt-lite-murfreesboro-pike

[BrandonTO416]

^That isn't really BRT in my opinion, but it also is a great development. The proper term for that is just an express bus. LOL

[Will]

BRT lite to begin on Murfreesboro Pike April 1 per the CP; service will go to BNA.

Same great taste, but won't fill you up.

[nashvillwill]

Because of the above announcement, I found myself over to the MTA's page and was looking at their proposed/recent changes.

One of the more interesting goals was to implement "mini-hubs". Apparently there has been one established on the Gallatin Rd. BRT route. I looked at the map and it appears there are a couple of circulators in Gallatin that converge at Madison Square. I guess this is the "mini-hub" they are talking about.

It's a very small step, but it shows that the MTA is experimenting with new philosophies. I like that. I hope there are some "outside the box" thinkers over there at MTA and not just the "business as usual" regime.

I'm looking forward to more changes from this agency. Our bus system works. But it could certainly work better.

Anyways, I just wanted to point that out.

[Will]

Agreed. The downtown circulator, for example, has been an invaluable resource on weekend nights. When I'm going downtown, all I have to do is find a spot on 11th or one of the side streets in the Gulch, hop the bus and then walk a block or two to wherever I'm going once I hop off downtown.  No more circling around Deaderick and the Municipal Auditorium, looking for spots.

 

BTW, if anyone ever needs a free way to get around the Vandy area without a car, there's nothing stopping you from hopping on the Vanderbilt medical center shuttles that go all around Vandy as well as 100 Oaks. They even go out to the lot next to Greer Stadium, so I suppose you could catch an afternoon doubleheader and then shuttle back to Vanderbilt once it gets warm. There's a map of routes and pickup times here.

[BrandonTO416]

It certainly isn't an MTA phenomenon, transit agencies across America (except for the largest ones in NY or Chicago, etc.) have long viewed the systems as transportation people don't want, its just a shuttle for the poor and disadvantaged or for special events only. A lot of it is due to budget constraints and funding priorities have always went toward stadiums, arenas, convention halls, and if there are any major transportation initiatives its almost always highway based.

 

MTA certainly seems to be changing so all these are positive signs.

[Rockatansky]

To the best of my knowledge any new commuter rail serving the Nashville metropolitan area would have to purchase significant ROW and/or build new track. This includes the proposed Murfreesboro and Clarksville routes. CSX will not allow commuter traffic on their rail lines.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Rockatansky

[MidTenn1]

To the best of my knowledge any new commuter rail serving the Nashville metropolitan area would have to purchase significant ROW and/or build new track. This includes the proposed Murfreesboro and Clarksville routes. CSX will not allow commuter traffic on their rail lines.

 

There is an abandoned line from Nashville to Clarksville by way of Ashland City. It is in bad shape, however. Some has been converted from rails to trails. And you would have to replace the bridge over the Cumberland River, so it would be expensive to convert.

Edited March 1, 2013 by PHofKS

[volsfanwill]

**note, the Gold line would be named such because it runs by Vanderbilt (black and gold) and the arena, home to the Predators (gold and navy).

Funny, every time I have made a map (many over the years as my thoughts change)  I always use gold for Vandy and Blue for the commuter line to Murfreesboro for MTSU.

[timmay143]

Funny, every time I have made a map (many over the years as my thoughts change)  I always use gold for Vandy and Blue for the commuter line to Murfreesboro for MTSU.

No Orange, please!

[volsfanwill]

Orange is reserved for the platform at the new Amtrak station for trains headed to Knoxville. Now hold on while I laugh very hard at my delusions for a while.