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Rail and other Rapid Transit Systems in the South

monsoon

By monsoon
in USA South

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mcheiss Metropolitan Area

mcheiss

Posted
Posted

Someone pointed out that I should include the monorail at Disney World. While this isn't a municipal transit system, I did find out that it has the highest ridership of any monorail in the world which is quite a feat. This mode of transit could have applications in many parts of the united states where it avoids lots of ROW issues, but I don't believe the Feds would approve a system such as that in Disney.

I did. :D

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davidzLA Whistle-Stop

davidzLA

Posted
Posted

The South is very underserved by rapid transit (light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail, bus rapid transit, other) considering the percentage of the US population that lives here.

It's a complicated issue involving more than transportation, but in this thread, I want to discuss what is currently taking place in the South to address providing alternatives to the automobile for travel.

MetroRail - Houston - One of the newest light rail systems in the South. Consists of a single line running in the highway ROW.

Slight clarification. Metro is the transit authority, there's not a separate 'MetroRail'. The light rail line doesn't run in a highway ROW, but rather in mostly-dedicated lanes along Main Street downtown out to the Astrodome area.

I agree that auto transportation and environmental concerns are currently related, but I don't think they have to be in the future. In other words, we could still have horrible congestion and traffic jams in non-polluting fuel-celled vehicles - and I think we will. Whether we love it or loathe it, we've built and inherited a nation designed around auto transportation, and it works for most people. Convincing people to purchase environmentally benign vehicles, that's doable. Trying to convince Americans to live in dense Stalinist apartment blocks and commute via subway for the good of the planet will get you nowhere fast though. Easier to divide the arguments.

In short convincing people to change fuels is easier than convincing them to adapt a Manhattan lifestyle.

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NCB Metropolitan Area

NCB

Posted
Posted

Slight clarification. Metro is the transit authority, there's not a separate 'MetroRail'.

I could be wrong here, but I do believe that there is a seperate "METRORail" in Houston, as I saw the term in many places throughout the city, including on the cars and stations themselves, last summer.

http://www.ridemetro.org/TransportationSer...s/MetroRail.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail

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davidzLA Whistle-Stop

davidzLA

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I could be wrong here, but I do believe that there is a seperate "METRORail" in Houston, as I saw the term in many places throughout the city, including on the cars and stations themselves, last summer.

(Shrug) What I mean is that the rail is run by the exact same agency that runs the buses, Metro. I suppose it's their way of highlighting the one rail line from the many bus routes? It just sounds dumb to my ear, like saying DARTrail or MARTArail, I hope they don't keep that up after building more lines.

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NCB Metropolitan Area

NCB

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^That's exactly what they're doing with the "METRORail" name, and they do the same thing in Washington D.C. They're just seperating the light rail system from the bus system.

METRO

-METROBus

-METRORail

Anyway, back to the discussion...

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eastsider Burg

eastsider

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Assembly of the first Capital MetroRail diesel-electric commuter rail train has been completed recently. It will undergo testing at the Stadler Rail Group facility in Switzerland through the fall when it will then be shipped to Austin for testing on the CapMetro rail line. The line is still on schedule to begin operating in 2008.

railcar1ik8.jpg

railcar2jw5.jpg

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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All of the major cities on the West Coast have transit systems, some of them are quit extensive. Denver is building a fairly comprehensive light rail system. SLC has a light rail line and just got approval for commuter rail. Las Vegas has a monorail. I am not sure about Tuscon or Pheonix. But generally the Western cities are much better off in this regard than cities of the South.
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tombarnes City

tombarnes

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I know about Norfolk's system, and it's a perfect candidate for light-rail. Any more info about Orlando's system Sunshine? Where will it go? I'd love to see a map. If only Fort Lauderdale could take light rail seriously....TriRail is a start, but only just.

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bobdreamz Whistle-Stop

bobdreamz

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some new pics of Miami's Metrorail / Metromover system downtown:

Looking south from the Government center towards the new condos in the Brickell district, top tracks are MetroRail & lower ones are Metromover which serves most of the newly built condos:

2048103706_78ec2550dd_b.jpg

Metromover zigzagging it's way through newly built condos, the building with the red square actually has a station in the opening where resident are just an elevator ride away:

2048067142_ea9dac049a_b.jpg

Metromover in the foreground in front of the new Performing Arts Center:

2038262003_f9ff0f822c_b.jpg

Metrorail spanning the Miami River next to unfinished condo towers:

BRUs002.jpg

BRUs006.jpg

and finally the Metromover cars themselves which are being refurbished; by the way the service is free!

free-train.jpg

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aboutmetro Hamlet

aboutmetro

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There has been much consternation in our little city about an 11-mile former freight rail. The City purchased the ROW from the railroad with SPLOST funds to turn it into a slow-rail a.k.a. trolley line. There was much support at the time as the local university was building a sattelite campus downtown and the rail would link the two. Due to funding constraints, the City determined it would be best to alter the plans and create a rails-to-trails project - read a little about it here. Are there any examples out there of trolley (slow-rails) that are used as more than just novelties? That are used for alternative transit? Or is the concept flawed? In Columbus' case, the rail passes by some heavily used public and private facilities, like the mall and a regional hospital, but unfortunately there isn't any residential density along the rail.

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nowyano Whistle-Stop

nowyano

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First off good for Norfolk, I love that this has been done. Secondly I didn't know that Little Rock had streetcars. It looks like a nice small-scaled option for the city. I think that a lot of Southern cities could really use streetcars/trolleys to help even if it is only with tourists.

I know that Columbus, GA, Birmingham, and Montgomery have all been trying to get streetcars for awhile. I think that streetcars/trolleys would be great in any of those cities, but the plans come and then never take off. I have a lot of hope for Montgomery to get trolleys within the next 10 years though.

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