BIKE: Commuter Rail In General

[alan_drake]

Most of the MetroRail opened in stages during 1984-85. A 1.5-mile extension westward from Okeechobee to Palmetto opened on 30 May 2003. (Sorry I thought it was this year).

Tri-Rail started service in 1989, with extensions and improvements since then.  Staged, as with TRE, after the urban rail opened.

IMHO, a four to five year delta is "in the same period".  And also, IMHO, Dade County voters were FAR more influenced by the success or failure of MetroRail in deciding whether to expand MetroRail than they were by Tri-Rail.  They are moving towards a significant expansion now, 20 years after it opened.

In Southern California, there are some respectable commuter lines.  Do any of them have weak or nonexistent urban rail connections ?

I do agree with your general premise that a good urban rail system should be a first priority, with commuter feeding into it.  But, if the Red Line fails how long before a good urban rail system passes a vote ?

How long if the Red Line passes ?  (Your answer is "never", but that is a long time, especially with $4+ gas & smog alerts).

The answer to those two questions is a political judgment that I will leave to those that vote in Travis County.

Alan