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SunRail set to spend $93 million on expansion
SunRail has far surpassed the older 32-mile Music City Star in Nashville. It is clear that Florida is more committed to commuter rail than Tennessee. The growth of Music City Star is as stagnant as silted water.
Paul Vinson- Yes, SunRail has done well with ridership. The Music City Star which runs east out of Nashville was supposed to be the first of 5 commuter rail routes radiating out of the city. But the patronage has been disappointing. Two other lines very slow to gain riders are the diesel light-rail line which runs to the northwest out of Austin TX (it seemed to take forever before people started riding it in numbers) and the line which runs west out of Minneapolis over the ex-GN main line. That operation has been off to a slow start. Then there is the line which ran south out of Burlington VT over the Vermont Railway which was a total dud and had to be closed down. I recall also a cross-town line in Syracuse NY which never caught on. So, sometimes, “If you build it, They will Not come”!
This is good news. I believe the extension means the parks/I-Drive will have a near-by station. Also necessary short term for SunRail to live up to its potential are trains to the airport, and nights and weekend services.
Orlando/Central Florida has the population and growth not to mention a packed I-4 to drive Mass Transit investment such as SunRail. Extending south and connecting with airport/All Aboard Florida will only make things better
Nashville I think would have been much better off looking at light rail or selected streetcar routes to expand upon its bus transit offerings. Reminds me a lot of commuter rail in New Mexico
The line in Vermont was not a total dud - it just didn’t meet expectations (mostly because the construction project on the parallel highway was delayed).
Nashville never got to make a deal with CSX. That shows a lack of commitment, but is that on the part of Nashville or CSX?
Continuing to tip the highway vs. rail commuter balance in rail’s favor. Where there’s an alternative to driving, a growing number of people will use it.