Metro Rail Expansion

[mikewrona]

Also, I wrote an entry for BuffaloRising recently on how feasible a Downtown-Airport metro rail line would be.

http://www.buffalorising.com/city/ar...hp#commentsall

The rights of ways (ROW) are there waiting to be reused.

No tunneling will be required.

No homes or businesses will need to acquired and knocked down.

I even made a mini-graphic show how exactly this line would work, using a google earth image as a medium.

Gabe-

Have you been to Cleveland? The transit line that serves Metro Cleveland goes right into the suburbs, on the surface and down the middle of the road.

Very nice, clean, quiet, and fast.

[sharky]

More limitations?? Like not getting stuck in a massive traffic jam trying to pull out of the HSBC arena parking garage?

Ever see the trains after a sabres game? They PACKED. 4 cars per train full of people, standing-room-only.

Trains provide a much more orderly, less-stressful way of getting alot of people to and from sporting/entertainment events that take place in big arenas.

I snipped most of this for space, but I agree with all of it
I live about 2 miles from south campus. I often take the "subway" when I need to do something within an easy walk of the main street stops including sports games and the car show. I also took it when I had jury duty, and to a job fair one winter when the wind chill was about 0, so it's not just a fair weather option.
If I had a job within an easy walk of the downtown stops I'd definitely take the train. Sure me and my friends make fun of it a lot since it just runs in one straight line and isn't as complex as a city with a real subway like NY or DC, but it's pretty useful

[sharky]

2. Suburbanites get over their fear of city residents "invading" the suburbs via mass transit, and using it to do bad things.

I've never heard ths before, and it really makes no sense considering busses already come into the suburbs

[Shovel ready]

I've never heard ths before, and it really makes no sense considering busses already come into the suburbs

It's all a perception thing-- like the city "riff-raff" are somehow more inclined to invade the burbs by train instead of bus...

[Shovel ready]

. Sure me and my friends make fun of it a lot since it just runs in one straight line and isn't as complex as a city with a real subway like NY or DC, but it's pretty useful

FOR WHAT IT IS, the train is very successful.

If Buffalo had an ENTIRE SYSTEM, downtown would be in much better shape.

It's a known fact--people love riding trains!

[Shovel ready]

Gabe-

Have you been to Cleveland? The transit line that serves Metro Cleveland goes right into the suburbs, on the surface and down the middle of the road.

Very nice, clean, quiet, and fast.

Shaker Heights was built up as a rather affulent railroad suburb of Cleveland's urban core. Historically, the line that runs today was always there, although it was shut down in the "Cars uber alles" 1950s, it was subsequently restored decades later.

In Buffalo, much like most other areas, newer suburban areas built in the last 20 years have never seen passenger rail line service The concept is entirely foreign.

[Northshore]

Generally I think light rail is a joke.

But the idea of a LRRT to the airport from downtown makes a lot of sense. Given the fact that very little displacement of homes and businesses would be needed, it seems that it should be very high on the list of things to do.

[WNYresident]

FOR WHAT IT IS, the train is very successful.

If Buffalo had an ENTIRE SYSTEM, downtown would be in much better shape.

It's a known fact--people love riding trains!

Does the subway have enough riders to cover the operational cost?

[concernedwnyer]

Generally I think light rail is a joke.

But the idea of a LRRT to the airport from downtown makes a lot of sense. Given the fact that very little displacement of homes and businesses would be needed, it seems that it should be very high on the list of things to do.

MONORAIL it makes no sense laying choo choo tracks and wires overhead to the airport... Do we need to get down to that level choo choo??????

All those wires and track... Ok, start laying em down..

[concernedwnyer]

FOR WHAT IT IS, the train is very successful.

If Buffalo had an ENTIRE SYSTEM, downtown would be in much better shape.

It's a known fact--people love riding trains!

Well then I am not a fact person because I road on our metro rail lets see.... hmmmmm. Have to count..... hmmm oh, ZERO times!

If it were monorail it would be better

Still would not ride it but I see to many benefits fo a monorail versus tracks and overhead wires.... That is me though..

Do a search for the las vegas monorail and look how stream lined that thing is.... And you know what it is fully automated...... Bet they are not using Windows Amazing!

[concernedwnyer]

These images were up on th WEB site of:

http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/LVO1.html

They are proud of this thing so they probably will not mind.

Even some Pyrotechnics going off in the back.



Or



Oh no that is so slick.. If I do say so myself.

The official WEB site for the Monorail in Las Vegas is:

http://www.lvmonorail.com/

Here you could get the route and ticket pricing information.

Cool!


But you are probably right lets lay down tracks and over head wires and do all kinds of tunnelling... Why should Buffalo change from the same old ways of doing things...

[Northshore]

Better to go with the same type equipment that we already have, to provide some commonality of parts and such. Monorail, LRRT, they both use some type of track and power system. For that matter, it would be acceptable to just lay track initally and use a diesel/electric locomotive and the same gauge track as the rest of the system for the "Airport Expansion" to keep costs down.

[WNYresident]

That mono rail is cool...

NO gas or diesel Northstart. Electric. We have one of the largest batteries in the world in lewiston so electric should be the only way to go. No polution and if we were acutally charged fairly for electric it would be awesome.

[SolarEclipse]

Hahaha... if we built a monorail here, I'm sure the Vegas model would be exactly what we would get. That thing has been problems since day 1. As soon as it opened it was shut down for 4 months due to mechanical problems. The phase 2 and 3 expansions have been put on hold.

Here's an interesting factoid: New York city's subway system recovers only 67% of its costs (through fares and advertising revenue), and it is the best performer in the US in that respect.

http://www.answers.com/topic/las-vegas-monorail

[Shovel ready]

Monorail is idiotic for anything that is not either a theme park or a monstrous tourist track.

Light rail is the most nimble and versatile of all the train types. It can run on railroad ROWs, at-grade on streets, on elevated structures, or in underground tunnels. The possiblilites are endless. Oh yeah, and no third rail that zaps people to death if they touch it like most heavy-rail subway/el systems.