https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/R32/
Transit presumably increases land values, which is especially true of rail projects - metro, LRT and even streetcars.
Transit budgets in North America often struggle from a lack of a dedicated budget, often competing for road infrastructure etc.
I think creating a dedicated transit budget with funds ear marked for metro and LRT funded with a land value tax is a great idea, since the more is invested the more tax money is made and thus the more that can be reinvested etc.
Thoughts?
Spring semester at the U of M is starting and I’m looking at the Orange Line BRT as an option for commuting to campus. However, I’ve been able to find virtually nothing online of people talking about their experience with it. Has anyone rode or been using the Orange Line that would be able to share a little bit about their experience?
Has it been on time, fast, etc.?
This is a continuation of the question posed about High Speed Rail (HSR) in the US. While HSR is a nice thought, local passenger rail lines that not only serve major cities, but also connecting the communities outside of them would be an excellent addition to many parts of the US.
For me personally, although I live in New Jersey, which already has one of the best metro rail lines in the country (NJ Transit) with connections to SEPTA for the Philadelphia metro area, runs directly to NYC, and also indirectly via PATH and light rail, there’s still more that could be done.
For instance, a line that goes the entire length of The Shore down to Cape May, therefore giving an alternative to our famously congested highways but also giving an additional connection to the Atlantic City line, which runs west to Philadelphia.
Another idea would be a line that runs along the extreme western border of the state along the Delaware River to the southern inland part of the state. This could connect Wilmington Delaware with Camden, and run north to Sussex County. Currently, there’s plans to expand a couple of the branch lines from Morris County to Scranton, PA. I could envision a junction where the hypothetical South Jersey line would meet with the Scranton line, allowing one to travel either to Scranton or further on to Hoboken/Jersey City/NYC.
