Salt Lake Steel

The Utah Transit Authority has started construction of a regional rail line in the Salt Lake City area. It is supposed to be done by some time in 2008.

Preparing for Preparedness

WMATA prepares for National Emergency Preparedness Month.

Reminds me of a Dilbert cartoon. Boss: we have to have a pre-meeting to get ready for the meeting. Dilbert: Are you sure we don't need to have a pre-pre-meeting to get ready for the pre-meeting meeting?

Bird's eye view

The NEXTBUS system has been mentioned here before, but in looking at the San Francisco Muni/511.org web site, I noticed their real-time tracking map. Very cool. We transit geeks can just sit there and watch the vehicles move around on the map. Too bad I don't live there anymore, so it's not too useful for me.

SAILing without explosives

The Transportation Security Administration and the Golden Gate Ferry Larkspur line are going to begin testing the new SAIL II passenger screening system. You get handed a piece of paper, then you hand it back to the screener and they scan it for traces of explosives. Simple and quick.

Internet Bloggers These Days....

I didn't think it was possible, but DCeiver has written a script for a fictitous suicide bombing attack on WMATA -- and it's one of the funniest things I've ever read.

Cameras and scanners, oh my!

More details today on the MTA's $200 million security contract with Lockheed Martin Transportation & Security. Lots of cameras and computers. How much more truly secure it will make the system is an open question.

Wires and walls

A bad couple of days for people coming in and out of Manhattan. First, Amtrak is delayed because of power lines down after being hit by a freight train up in the Bronx. Then PATH service is stopped because of a sagging building wall. (Courtesy of Gothamist)

NJ Transit pay adjustments

So ridership on New Jersey Transit is at an all-time high. Even after they just raised fares by 11.5%, although it is still cheaper than driving for most people (unless you buy your gas on the turnpike). So what does NJ Transit decide to do now - the always-popular-for-a-government-agency raise salaries for some of its employees.

The explanation given by NJ Transit for the salary hikes seems pretty reasonable to me, however convoluted the logic of having to compete with the union pay scale for a different position. I'm sure there are some out there who would disagree, though.

Point-to-Point Bike Rental

A company in Lyon, France has introduced a point-ot-point bike rental system, reports Wired News. This isn't a new idea in itself - we blogged about Vienna's system last year - but the Lyon company has fixed some of the more troublesome aspects of bike rental. Everyone must leave a 150 euro deposit and, if the bike is not returned, the deposit is non-refundable. And, to encourage more people to ride the bikes, the first half hour is free -- making, apparently, 90 percent of all trips free. In the last three months, the bikes are travelling about 25,000 miles per week.

Pretty cool.

[Courtesy Engadget]

MTA goes on the defense

The New York Times reports today that the MTA has hired Lockheed Martin Transportation & Security Solutions to the tune of $200 million for security services.

What will it take to get you out of your car?

One of the main hobbyhorses obsessed over by transit advocates is the price of gasoline. When gas is cheap, we complain that it is supppressed by foreign policy and energy development tax credits to encourage sprawl and other waste. When gas is expensive, we whine that people aren't switching to transit as fast as they should given the relative costs of driving versus taking a bus, train or bike.

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I paid over $3 for a gallon of gas in what is certain to be one of very few additional gas purchases until prices get lower or I sell my car. However, when I pulled out of the gas station and into the street, the traffic was just as bad. Just how bad does it have to get before people clamor for transit in a serious way? Some have tried to puzzle it out:

At issue is "elasticity," the measure of how much demand changes with increases or decreases in price. Gasoline demand in the United States is relatively inelastic because drivers lack alternatives for transportation. According to studies cited in a 2001 Oregon Department of Transportation report, a 10 percent increase in the cost of gasoline will cause a decrease of about 1.5 percent in miles traveled. By comparison, research suggests a 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes leads to a 2.8 percent to 4 percent drop in sales.

"The one problem with modeling elasticity for gasoline is that if you don't have a substitute, there won't be elasticity," said Jacob Bournazian, a retail gasoline expert with EIA. But over the long term, as new technologies are developed, commuters usually adapt. Options such as moving closer to a commuting destination or purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle may not be viable in the short term, but they become options as the time horizon expands, Bournazian said.

While some have predicted gasoline prices may reach nearly $3 in some regions during the peak summer driving season, even prices on the high end of the scale may not reduce driving or prompt consumers to buy new, more fuel-efficient cars, according to experts.

A recent survey by CNW Marketing Research said about one-third of drivers would consider buying a more efficient vehicle if fuel prices reached $3.25 a gallon. "It might seem that we have a good way to go before a significant chunk will consider changing their vehicle," said Robert Sinclair of the Automobile Association of America.

Well, premium at some Chicagoland locations is going for $3.25 and the increase in fuel costs is actually hurting the CTA because ridership isn't rising in any meaningful way to cover the higher price of diesel.

There is obviously a long way to go before habits change.

Yes, L.A. has a subway!

It's the Red Line, part of an rail transit network in the city that is known for its freeways. Take a look at the station images: every station is different and filled with fun art.

Also, LA will be launching bus rapid transit soon.

How useful is LA's transit network?

WMATA: wasteful lease?

WMATA's board approved a lease of office space in Silver Spring, Maryland, even though the agency has a huge, mostly empty warehouse in Landover, Maryland.

Currently occupying the Silver Spring space are offices for Metro's paratransit contractor, as well as the Metro phone customer service center.

Board members noted the huge amount of space in Landover, but they rubber stamped the lease anyway.

"[Metro CEO Richard] White said that Metro did not know how much space is available at the [Landover warehouse] because no one at the agency has been tracking how the facility is used."

Avoiding panhandlers

Have you ever faked a telephone conversation to avoid a panhandler? This writer has. Apparently panhandling is illegal on CTA vehicles and property, yet beggars are everywhere.

When The Man isn't doing his job, do it yourself

Many Washingtonians are grateful for WMATA's text alerts for train delays because they save time and offer some advance warning before it's too late. I for one always found out about delays stuck between stations downtown with no cell service (darn T-Mobile) and nothing but a copy of Express to read until they find out the bag of the day was full of cupcakes or paper or something else.

Chicago's CTA doesn't have a SMS warning system, but the Chicago Tribune reports that a citizen group, CTA Tattler, offers a system that distributes messages based on member input. I don't think this even need to be said, but they're faster than CTA's official website at getting the information to the people.

BART service to SFO to be cut

BART directors have agreed to cut service to the San Francisco International Airport to once every fifteen minutes, all day. The line to SFO has been open for two years now, and ridership has been far below expectations. The San Mateo County Transportation District pays to operate the line, and it says it needs the cost savings.

Before the cuts, trains ran every seven minutes or so during rush hour. As some BART directors pointed out, the cuts may make the ridership problems even worse: commuters with cars don't like standing on train platforms for fifteen minutes. (Here in Washington many people don't like waiting two and a half minutes, causing them to jam the doors with briefcases in attempts to catch trains!)

Mass transit threat level to be lowered

I feel safer already...

Communicate with WMATA...

Metro's online chats are well worth looking at and participating in. Metro CEO Richard White often does not directly answer questions. Despite this, I find his knowledge impressive: one rider asked about the composition of rails, and White had an answer; Ben Schumin noticed cameras aboard a rail car, and White responded that these are part of a passenger flow study (I had seen them before and assumed they were security cameras.)

Also, the Sierra Club encourages you to contact Metro regarding their Riders Advisory Council plan. Metro thinks that White should select the RAC's staff; I agree with the Sierra Club's contention that the RAC should select its own staff.

Cost of No. Va. rail cut 25%; iPod subway maps

The cost of a proposed rail project in D.C.'s Northern Virginia suburbs has been cut by 25 percent, bringing the price down to $1.8 billion from $2.4 billion. To achieve the savings, engineers cut some aesthetic elements, shortened a tunnel, and redesigned some stations. These savings make the project "medium-low" according to federal cost-efficiency standards.

Also, see DCist for news of a WMATA explosion drill and for iPod subway maps.

Tourists brave the Washington Metrorail

Well, there hasn't been much WMATA news over the past couple of weeks. No news is definitely good news: trains are running, buses are rolling, everyone's happy. There have been a minimum number of announcements such as this one:

"May I have your attention customers traveling on the Green Line in the direction of Branch Avenue. We are continuing to experience delays due to a train experiencing mechanical difficulties at Prince George's Plaza station. That train has been removed from the line. Trains are moving and will service your station momentarily. We apologize for the inconvenience and we thank you for your patience."

Whoa, you know you ride the trains too much when you can recite that from memory. Either that, or the trains are delayed too much...anyway, here is a fun story about tourists who get lost when they come to ride the Metro.

Testing how midtown floats along

The Homeland Security Department will be conducting tests in midtown Manhattan to see how gases disperse, including how they move into and around the subways. There is even an informational web site about the tests (they are part of a three-year series of tests).

It's definitely a good idea, but it is a bit disturbing to hear about at first.

Goodbye WMATA, Hello CTA

Live from the Third Rail contributor and fellow Smorgasblogger RJ3 has left D.C. for law school in the Windy City. His mainstay, DCSOB is no more, but Smorgasblog is proud to announce his new blog, Thrown for a Loop. And we expect lots of posts about the wonders of Chicago transit.

Check out Thrown for a Loop and bid him safe travels.

Tunnelling through Ruins

The New York Times has a fascinating article on building a new subway line in the Archeologically-rich city of Istanbul and the continual trade-off between history and modernity.

No love for Boston transit?

Transit ridership in Boston is apparently decreasing, even though it is increasing in most of the rest of the country (MTA statistics).

BART testing rubber floors in cars

BART directors have approved a plan to replace the old carpet in rail cars with rubber floors. Though the rubber floors are more expensive initially, they would hopefully be cheaper in the long run. Originally there were concerns about slippery rubber floors, but the floors supposedly have more traction when wet.

The rubber floors will still be in a limited number of cars as BART gauges reaction to the floors and tries to determine whether they are in fact cheaper to maintain.

Here in Washington, all rail cars are carpeted. It is nice for ambiance--when the carpets are new. The carpet can get really disgusting when it is filthy and the weather is rainy and miserable. But rubber floors might make the cars feel more like cattle cars.

WMATA funding bill text

Here is the full text (PDF) to the WMATA funding bill that is now in Congress, mentioned earlier here. The bill text is not yet available through the usual channels, so thanks to Dennis for sending this along.