FasTracks Expansion in Denver

In a bit of an odd news item, the Denver RTD trumpeted that they were ripping up (old) tracks as the kick-off to their huge FasTracks multi-line expansion program. They are planning on extending and building new light rail, commuter rail, and even a BRT line. The whole thing has a budget of about $5.1B, which seems reasonable given the scope of what they are building, although I've only looked at it briefly.

Having looked at some promotional info on the existing light rail system (but admittedly never having been to Denver) - I wonder if they are going to be building more light rail lines along the center of highways, which is one of the strangest deal-with-the-devil compromises that transit operators make. Yes, the right-of-way is cheap, but you end up with a mode that is supposed to be pedestrian friendly being put in the most pedestrian-unfriendly place ever, and generally in walking distance from nothing - except the huge park-n-ride lots which surround the stations. I suppose Denver's light rail is helping reduce car trips, but is it really just enabling sprawl, by allowing people to live further out from the city, drive to a convenient park-n-ride, and make that last bit of trip on a comfy light rail, while doing what exactly for the close in communities?

Of course, this is mostly conjecture. At least, except for the part about the center of the highway being a strange place to put light rail.

WMATA Real-Time Bus Lines

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Check out this funky fresh Metrobus sign. See that flier on top of the bus schedule that asks you to check with WMATA to see when the next bus comes? Welcome to the 21st Century, Washington DC!

If you check WMATA Next Bus you can see exactly when the next 38B will leave Farragut Square for Ballston. While I blogged about this before, back then there were only a few bus lines with real-time info.

Now WMATA has a decent quiver of auto-time bus lines. None yet are on my ridership beat, so I don't know its actual accuracy - anyone have a first-person account? Regardless, I'm happy to see more WMATA time-sensitivity and accountability with buses.

Next up (we hope) will be real-time information in actual bus stops. Well, once Metrobuses stop knocking shelters down.

New CTA Boss gets down to work

Rather quickly for a the new head of a large transit agency - probably a good thing - Ron Huberman announced some measures to help bring the CTA out of its operating deficit, and interestingly, implement some performance standards and reporting in the workplace to help boost productivity. That latter item is no small feat at a public agency, which are generally (I don't know anything specifically about the CTA) not set up for those kinds of programs - there's often no structure for incentives or disincentives (read: bonuses or firing).

Maybe these kind of structural changes (if they really are so) will help the CTA with its yearly operating funding picture in the long term, and also with the getting its system rebuilt.

A New WMATA Potomac River Blue?

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Is that a new blue? Tell, me do you think WMATA has changed the Potomac blue on their maps?

If you look at earlier photos, the Potomac River is a different shade of blue, darker and more bland. Yet, on special maps, the blue is also light and bright, like the map in this photo.

Could this be a new, permanent blue for the Potomac River on Metrorail maps? Did you notice? Do you care? And if you did and do, what do you think? (Besides my need to get a transit foamer-free life.)

Can the brighter blue be a sign of something fun and new for the Potomac? Like maybe hermaphrodite bass?

Dallas plans ahead

Dallas Area Rapid Transit announced they were beginning a 2-year study of options for a new corridor. Looks like a lot of activity in the Texas heartland, as DART already has two expansion projects in various stages of underway.

Of course, nothing comes for free - DART has a fare hike scheduled for October 1.

The power of 10%

"Getting rid of 10 percent of the traffic can totally eliminate the congestion."

In the aftermath of the freeway fire and collapse in San Francisco, everyone expected a traffic nightmare, but it hasn't materialized. The city was braced for a "nightmare commute scenario," but instead, traffic congestion is down dramatically and ridership on the BART is up. The city opened the BART for free on Monday, the first day of the work commute after the fire, and apparently a significant number of former drivers are continuing to take transit. Ridership has fallen as the week has gone on, but overall numbers are still up noticeably. It will be interesting to see how many of those former drivers make the switch permanently.