Anderson Area Transit Study (ANATS)

[GSP Tiger 2]

I am aware Anderson plans a light rail system to Clemson some years into the future. I assume this will follow some of the Norfolk Southern line through Sandy Springs, LaFrance and Pendleton if a railroad line is used. Another idea would be a monobeam similar to Charleston's.

Another idea brought up is connecting Pelzer, Williamston, Belton and Honea Path to either Anderson (via the Pickens rail line) and/or Greenville (via the CSX rail line). CSX is currently considering abandoning their line from Pelzer to Belton. (Discussion)

I would not doubt Anderson's intentions to connect communities like Iva, Starr and Seneca by some form of transit within 20 years.

Any thoughts about Anderson's transit future?

[Spartan 1633]

What is your source for that?

I think that it wouldn't be that successful seeing as how the ECT and CAT link is not very well used.

I know that the CATbus is going to set up a park-n-ride somewhere towards Tri-County Tech to try to reduce parking congestion on campus. Perhaps if that proves successful they will move towards a LRT system.

This plan has to be a long way out though, because I don't think the demand is there at all. On that note, the demand to Greenville is not enough to warrant mass transit yet. Anderson simply does not have the densities to support a fixed mass transit sytem. Now an improved and expanded Electric City Transit is not out of the quesiton.

if they did do it, then it would have to be on the N-S line that parallels Clemson Blvd.

[GSP Tiger 2]

Anderson Area Transportation Study (page 15):

http://www.scdot.org/inside/pdfs/ANATS.pdf

I doubt Anderson County alone would thrive with its own light speed transit system. It may be better served by a joint effort with Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties.

A problem with the Norfolk Southern line is that it lies a mile or two away from Clemson Boulevard and Main Street downtown until you reach Sandy Springs.

[Spartan 1633]

Ah... a feasability study is another matter entirely.

While the line does not parallel 76 exactly, it does go from downtown Anderson to the Clemson area (not quite to Clemson). You'd still have to coordinate with CATbus to get people to campus. If all you want to do is connect the two, then commuter rail could be an option. That way you dont need a lot of small stops along the way. Thats what LRT is for, and Anderson simply can't support it at this point.

I guess I jsut don't see light rail bein a need for Anderson at this point unless its connecting to Greenville, which will require a new line altogether.

I do agree that all of the Upstate counties should be buying up ROWs for a future rail transit system, which WILL be needed eventually.

The problem with rail in the Upstate is that you need population concentrations to get anything happening, and we don't have any major concentrations yet. Greenville is by far the furthest along in that regard. Downtown is becoming a crucial area, and Verdae and ICAR will also fall into that category. I am not certain what Anderson and Spartanburg will do just yet, but I have no doubt that something will come along.

[interestedexpat 0]

I would love to think this could work, but I just don't see it.

But if I were to dream...

I would love to see urban nodes all over the upstate with lightrail stops, walkable communities, etc.... I could actually see the self interest of the people who want to see the area remain largely rural and the self interest of people who want it to develop faster come together on something like this. Urban nodes with high density offices, shops and housing options with vast amounts of unspoiled greenspace, farms and fields in between.

But I'm very pessimistic about anything like that ever happening.