Union Station Plans include parking garage

[Luca Brasi]

In addition to infrastructure improvements for the (dreaded) busway, there are other possibilities Union Station is exploring.

Its a 10 year plan, but its something we have been talking about here for a while. Union Station also owns the lot across Spruce St., and possible future plans call or a parking garage, retail and possible housing...

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news3925.html

[HartfordTycoon]

That plan sounds really good, especially the talk of including housing and other amenities. It would be great to get some life into that absolutely dead area near Capitol West.

Also, I've looked at some stuff on Busways recently and really don't think it will be that bad anymore. Some of these system run with segmented buses that are pretty train-like. It might be just about the right scale for our area considering how hefty of an investment rail would be. I think there is actually a fairly good amount of potential there if they don't half ass it and actually develop multiple lines on dedicated tracks.

New Britain - Hartford Busway

BRT Buses

[drc72]

A lot of great ideas..... Let's hope hope they can pull it off.

[beerbeer]

They need to build the largest garage lot possible on that Spruce Street location, six or seven levels high. If they had done that a coupe of years ago, Met Life might still be in town. If they make the garage big enough development will happen east of the train station.

It's not the best location for housing as it is right on I-84

BRT has had very bad results. But I'm sure that doesn't matter to the DOT. As long as it isn't on rails, they like it.

[HartfordTycoon]

They need to build the largest garage lot possible on that Spruce Street location, six or seven levels high. If they had done that a coupe of years ago, Met Life might still be in town. If they make the garage big enough development will happen east of the train station.

It's not the best location for housing as it is right on I-84

BRT has had very bad results. But I'm sure that doesn't matter to the DOT. As long as it isn't on rails, they like it.

[beerbeer]

It's worked in Brisbane Australia, and Bogota, Columbia. They tried it in Portland, Ore and removed the system. It's the worst of both worlds.

[Luca Brasi]

It really is the worst of both worlds. Its a bus disguised as a train.

I remember reading that the busway was so great because the bus could "jump off" the busway and into regular traffic. How exactly is that a benefit? The whole idea is to avoid traffic. It also offers the flexibility to change schedules, routes, etc. That's not a benefit either and is perceived as one of the biggest problems with busses.... no consistency and too hard to figure out.

[The Voice of Reason]

It really is the worst of both worlds. Its a bus disguised as a train.

I remember reading that the busway was so great because the bus could "jump off" the busway and into regular traffic. How exactly is that a benefit? The whole idea is to avoid traffic. It also offers the flexibility to change schedules, routes, etc. That's not a benefit either and is perceived as one of the biggest problems with busses.... no consistency and too hard to figure out.

[beerbeer]

Meanwhile, one of the "problems" in cities where they have put in light rail is over crowding of the rail cars.

[MadVlad]

The "Show Me State" is Missouri, just throwing that out there....

[The Voice of Reason]

The "Show Me State" is Missouri, just throwing that out there....

[GHartford]

Can you honestly say that it hasn't worked anyplace though? I don't know enough one way or the other and have not thoroughly researched it.

[mamul]

I have heard that it has been successful in Pittsburgh. The best example of BRT success is Curitiba, Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rede_Integrada_de_Transporte) The more train-like, the better. And let me reiterate a point I know I keep making...The way to improve transit options is to demand them. If the busway fails, I wouldn't count on the DOT coming to the rescue with new tracks. They are more likely to say, "see, CT commuters just don't like mass transit." We all want rail, and with good reason. The best way to move us forward towards getting it is to use mass transit, including the busway.

And by the way, I found a report from 1972 recently about remaking the Hartford region. It had many of the same ideas discussed on this board. It advocates for a regional transit system with trains, a subway, and circulator buses. The report specifies that the first rapid transit linkage should run from New Britain to Hartford. Sound familiar?? The busway is supposed to open in 2012. 40 YEARS LATER!!!! The amount of time it takes to get anything done around here is horriffic.

[ctman]

What ever happened to new haven-hartford-springfield rail? have some idiots scrapped that?

[redbaron]

What ever happened to new haven-hartford-springfield rail? have some idiots scrapped that?