Do you think a light-rail will ever be built connecting the suburbs to downtown???

[RedTruck]

http://www.protransit.com/
http://www.protransit.com/Maps/Great...-Rail-Plan.asp



I know there was plan to use the funding to help secure right-of-way access for the proposed rail line between The Banks transit center and the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. That is the first phase of the proposed $411 million, 17-mile rail line between Downtown and Milford.

I know recently hamilton county was awarded 200K for this project just recently..but it just seems like a grain of salt, in a large salt shaker with how much this project seems to cost.

That said, a light rail that could connect all the suburbs and outlier counties to the downtown area in 10 minutes time would change the growth of the city DRAMATICALLY.

It just seems just talk, but I hope it one days come to fruition.

What do you guys reckon?

[camisadelgolf]

I would love to have it personally. It would help me and so many people I know in such a big way that I can't even fathom it. But my guess is that if the streetcar project goes well, the light rail will happen sooner than later. If it goes poorly, it could set the city back for several years. I'm really skeptical about the streetcar though.

[Caveat Emperor]

In a perfect world, it'd be a very good idea for Cincinnati. Ideally, you'd like to eventually see a system that connects Cincinnati, Cincinnati Suburbs, Dayton Suburbs and Dayton since this entire region is merging and will eventually just overlap.

Unfortunately, cost is the major issue here. Even doing a basic light-rail system in just Hamilton County would cost a ton of money and would require a special tax (likely a sales tax). I think most voters, having seen how far into the red the Stadium sales tax has run, would be lukewarm on the idea of financing another major issue with one major capital improvement deep in the hole.

Without getting too political, it's unfortunate that -- with all the money the country has spent over the last decade -- there was never a thought given to doing something like "let's give each major city in America $1 billion to modernize their transportation systems or add mass transit options." If you're going to spend tons of money, it'd be nice to see something at the end of the day.

[Spazzrico]

Seriously. Imagine what all that war money could have done....and it would have paid dividends.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

In a perfect world, it'd be a very good idea for Cincinnati. Ideally, you'd like to eventually see a system that connects Cincinnati, Cincinnati Suburbs, Dayton Suburbs and Dayton since this entire region is merging and will eventually just overlap.

Unfortunately, cost is the major issue here. Even doing a basic light-rail system in just Hamilton County would cost a ton of money and would require a special tax (likely a sales tax). I think most voters, having seen how far into the red the Stadium sales tax has run, would be lukewarm on the idea of financing another major issue with one major capital improvement deep in the hole.

Without getting too political, it's unfortunate that -- with all the money the country has spent over the last decade -- there was never a thought given to doing something like "let's give each major city in America $1 billion to modernize their transportation systems or add mass transit options." If you're going to spend tons of money, it'd be nice to see something at the end of the day.

I like the idea of a local light rail. I'm not in favor of it from one city to another. If I want to go to Columbus for something or other. Where's that light rail going to leave me off? Am I going to have to get a cab to get to my destination? How long am I going to have to wait for my cab? How long am I going to have to wait for my light rail return trip? What if I miss it? Am I screwed or is there another one coming along soon? If there isn't, am I stuck in Columbus for the evening? If I drive up there, I can come and go as I please. If I want to stay late, I can do that. If I want to leave early, I can do that. If I want to stop on the way home or going there, I can do that too.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Chip R

I like the idea of a local light rail. I'm not in favor of it from one city to another. If I want to go to Columbus for something or other. Where's that light rail going to leave me off? Am I going to have to get a cab to get to my destination? How long am I going to have to wait for my cab? How long am I going to have to wait for my light rail return trip? What if I miss it? Am I screwed or is there another one coming along soon? If there isn't, am I stuck in Columbus for the evening? If I drive up there, I can come and go as I please. If I want to stay late, I can do that. If I want to leave early, I can do that. If I want to stop on the way home or going there, I can do that too.

I like local light rail too -- I just think we're going to eventually hit the point where the difference between Cincinnati / Suburbs / Dayton starts to become pretty irrelevant and it turns into one giant "local" light rail system.