Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Streetcars and Light Rail, the perfect couple.

Imagine this: the year is 2020 and the Interurban line has been running for four years. Ridership has exceeded expectation as more and more people decide to take public transit. In the last 5 years, streetcar lines have been built in Cloverdale, Downtown Langley, 200th Street, and South Fraser Way in Abbotsford connecting to the Interurban. Good thing the government in 2008 decided not to waste money on rapid bus and SkyTrain in the South Fraser…

Does this sound unreal? Not in Oregon State. Portland, OR has a mix of regional light rail and streetcar. Both systems have been so popular that Portland seems to be in a perpetual state of passenger rail expansion. In fact, the state of Oregon has created a $20 million Oregon Streetcar Project Fund “for the purpose of financing grants to municipalities for purchase of contemporary rail-based streetcars used in public transit systems.

No comments: