Friday, March 27, 2009

Streetcar News Update

To follow up on last week’s post, it seems that Toronto is one more step closer to realizing their 120km light rail expansion program:
"We don't have a commitment," he said after the budget speech. "We're working closely with the province and I'm very confident that Toronto will get its fair share of the $32.5 billion in infrastructure funding that's been made available over the next two years."

Miller said the province is well aware the city's key priority is public transit, and he believes Queen's Park will come up with the money.

Carol Wilding, president and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade, said even without details there are "signals that there is a next step and that it's coming and we would hope ... to see that in very, very short order."
Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, a community that started building light rail in 1999 and has been constantly expanding it since, is look at bus rapid transit verse streetcars:
Travis Pate, of Ogden, said at Thursday night's open house he prefers streetcars because that system could share traffic lanes with automobiles and would free up space for a dedicated bike lane.

"The streetcar shows a lot more promise (than bus rapid transit)," he said.
Meanwhile in Washington, DC plans are underway to build a new streetcar line:
Arlington County officials are continuing their push to build a Columbia Pike streetcar line between Pentagon City and the Skyline area of Fairfax County. Backers hope the five-mile line will aid commuters, prompt redevelopment and seed a much larger Northern Virginia streetcar network.
Now where’s our streetcar?

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