MATATRAC

[Bears]

Okay here's more info from Mr. Fox

The options that are left are Alternative 2, a TSM Alternative (a relatively low cost bus alternative), and the last option, not to build it. Right now, they are solidifying financial commitments from the city, state and federal government. How bad could Garagegate hurt MATA? They hope to release some of the technical reports (in draft form) in the next few weeks, but don

[jmduke]

Been a while since we discussed light rail on here. I have been playing around with Google Maps and came up with this map of possible future light rail corridors for the Memphis area. Before the stones fly, here are the thoughts behind this:

1. I used mostly current rail lines. Obviously the Big 5 rail companies would object to moving their ops. to intermodal sites outside the city and there would be a significant economic hit in doing so, but it does show how well laid-out Memphis is just for the concept of passenger rail.

2. Airport connectivity would be the trickiest and most expensive part of the system because portions of it would have to be underground, the airport needs connectivity to downtown, DeSoto, and the rest of Shelby Co., and it would require moving away from existing rail line (see #1 problem as well). While it would be easiest to connect Southaven/Horn Lake and Olive Branch through the airport to Midtown/Downtown, Whitehaven would be cut out of the mix and they need rail too. DeSoto can have easier access to East Memphis via the airport rather than having to go all the way downtown.

3. The downtown trolley needs to go away. It's attractive, but ineffective as a means of transportation. While it would be best to run a rail line under downtown, I think a modern rail system could operate effectively at street level on Main Street from the Pinch all the way to Crump Blvd. If rail cars ran every 7-10 minutes during rush hour, east-west traffic on major thoroughfares such as Union and Poplar would not be significantly affected.

4. Changing trains. Unfortunately, people coming from Cordova would have to change trains twice (Purple to Green to Blue) to get downtown and the Germantown/Collierville commuters would have to change once (Green to Blue). Arlington/Bartlett/Lakeland commuters would also have to change once (Red to Blue) during their downtown commutes. It's not that bad of a deal. If anyone has used the Washington, DC Metro, you know it's an easy process changing trains and platforms.

5. For a system to be effective, new major road construction must be curtailed and new/re-development must be significantly dense near the rail lines. While there should be parking at the outer stations, desirable dense development near rail is probably about the best way to guarantee success.

6. The riverfront and Madison lines are shelved. They currently serve little useful purpose and the downtown core is most easily accessed from Main Street. The vast majority of businesses/attractions are less than a 5 minute walk east or west of Main, so incorporating a riverfront line is redundant. I usually see very little traffic on the Madison line as there is little need to connect Downtown to the Medical Center via this route. Now, if we got "radical" and had rail at street level on Union out to the Union/Poplar flyover (connecting to the Purple line on the map) along with 2 lanes of street traffic, that might work as Union is a major commercial corridor whereas Madison is not.

7. This rail idea actually connects people from other counties. Crittenden, Tipton, Fayette, and DeSoto are all connected to Memphis and could share (along with the states of Arkansas and Mississippi) some of the design and construction costs. Airport to downtown does not serve the 1.5 million people in the metro area...this does.

I know what I show is very costly and rather "pie in the sky" but unlike what has been bandied about by the various local governments, this rail idea connects our neighboring counties, routes traffic through the residential and commercial centers of the metro area, and, unlike the Aiport-Downtown connector, would actually assist commuters in getting where they need to go rather than showing outsiders that we can build another white elephant.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&m...p;z=10&om=1

[DoctorGonzo]

A few things:

- The Downtown line is heavily patronized by tourists. It needs to stay in some form. Downtown isn't really big enough for more than a couple underground stations, but it is served well by surface light rail.

- The Madison line needs to be kept, as it was designed to be converted to proper LRT in the future. With the biomedical area building up, this will be a valuable piece of infrastructure to have. I would say finally extend it to Overton Square as it should have been from Day 1.

- The current Airport LRT alignment needs to be thrown in the trash. You don't send your flagship transit line through the worst areas of the city. You wait until you have a proven system that the majority of taxpayers will support, before setting yourself to face the problems inherent with such an alignment. If people have only the downtown trolleys and a problematic line running through the ghetto to judge the merits of future plans by, you will end up with that being the end of Memphis' light rail dreams. Full stop.

- jmduke, your current proposal has some promise, but it ignores the central tenets of transit methodology which is to create a system where the lines converge on one another and transfers are easily accomplished. Studies have shown that most people will not make more than two transfers to get to their destination - they will drive instead. When they've already had to drive to the station nearest them thanks to the city and county's piss-poor planning, the last thing they will want to do is make more than a single switch. While Boston has been forced to accommodate haphazard 19th century infrastructure development into their current system, it serves as an example of how it's done.

[tennreb]

- The current Airport LRT alignment needs to be thrown in the trash. You don't send your flagship transit line through the worst areas of the city. You wait until you have a proven system that the majority of taxpayers will support, before setting yourself to face the problems inherent with such an alignment. If people have only the downtown trolleys and a problematic line running through the ghetto to judge the merits of future plans by, you will end up with that being the end of Memphis' light rail dreams. Full stop.

[jmduke]

your current proposal has some promise, but it ignores the central tenets of transit methodology which is to create a system where the lines converge on one another and transfers are easily accomplished.

[northernbizzkit1]

Would there be any way to run Airport express trains that go from downtown to the airport non-stop or maybe only one brief stop in Overton Square or Cooper Young? Seems like this would cut down on travel time and make the line much more practical.

As far as underground options, wouldn't the only places this would seem viable be downtown and the Poplar/East Memphis corridor? I would love to see it happen, but it seems kinda much to put so much money into a system that would maaaaaaaybe have five stops pertaining to downtown (i'm thinking Beale Street/Peabody Place, South Main area, Pyramid/Convention Center, somewhere around the 1st TN tower, and the medical district) and possibly a few more for East Memphis. If anything, I would say East Memphis would have the greater chance of getting underground service over downtown just because there is an existing system downtown, whereas people are fighting for any sort of room on Poplar, so the only place for convenient stations would be underground unless the railroad companies initiate some generosity with the rail line.

[tennreb]

Would there be any way to run Airport express trains that go from downtown to the airport non-stop or maybe only one brief stop in Overton Square or Cooper Young? Seems like this would cut down on travel time and make the line much more practical.

As far as underground options, wouldn't the only places this would seem viable be downtown and the Poplar/East Memphis corridor? I would love to see it happen, but it seems kinda much to put so much money into a system that would maaaaaaaybe have five stops pertaining to downtown (i'm thinking Beale Street/Peabody Place, South Main area, Pyramid/Convention Center, somewhere around the 1st TN tower, and the medical district) and possibly a few more for East Memphis. If anything, I would say East Memphis would have the greater chance of getting underground service over downtown just because there is an existing system downtown, whereas people are fighting for any sort of room on Poplar, so the only place for convenient stations would be underground unless the railroad companies initiate some generosity with the rail line.

[Bears]

I think there is enough space to build a parallel track along the Poplar rail line. The rail company might give them the ROW in exchange for building some overpasses at major cross streets. I don't think there is any need for a downtown-airport line. There just isn't a huge number of people traveling between the two. Even it was an express line, it can't compete with the comfort of my vehicle traveling at 70 mph, especially if I have luggage.

[Rardy]

I think there is enough space to build a parallel track along the Poplar rail line. The rail company might give them the ROW in exchange for building some overpasses at major cross streets. I don't think there is any need for a downtown-airport line. There just isn't a huge number of people traveling between the two. Even it was an express line, it can't compete with the comfort of my vehicle traveling at 70 mph, especially if I have luggage.

[tnse]

Interesting article on the DC Metro. Memphis would probably face some of the same issues of trying to develop around MATATRAC stations and grow the areas economically and "smartly." Hopefully the city can learn a few things from other cities' expereinces. But could Memphis handle it? Polictics, government, and developers don't have teh best reputation in Memphis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte..._print/asection

[tnse]

The subject of light rail came up in this CA article but is Memphis any closer to Smart Growth and the ability to use public transport to grow the local economy? Anyone heard anything new?

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/...r-smart-growth/

[Rural King]

I think the fact that Memphis and its suburban communities are at least talking about the concepts of light rail and other options is progress. It enables them to be that much further along in establishing a conceptual framework of what such a system might entail if at some point in the future such a system is deemed viable and attainable.

Is Memphis any closer to realizing such a light rail system, not substantially. I think a new stadium, programs to combat crime, better funding and programs for schools, property taxes, etc. will all trump the issue in the near term. Bread and butter issues I think what you will see Memphis mainly addressing for awhile.

[DoctorGonzo]

Light rail would be a wonderful fit for Memphis, but it's going to take someone with a lot of clout, resources and courage to force the issue, or it'll stay forever in the "maybe someday" category.

Sadly, no one is doing Southwest Corridor like projects anymore, though a surprising amount of car-centric southern cities have shown to be the most progressive light rail promoters in recent years.