Report: Red Hook Streetcar Network Too Costly
Streetsblog and The Daily News have stories that explore how a DOT study says a proposed streetcar system in Red Hook would be costly and difficult to implement. Streetsblog notes that the study says the streetcar line would “only create 1,822 new daily transit riders” but cost around “$176 million, with another $6.2-7.2 million in…
Streetsblog and The Daily News have stories that explore how a DOT study says a proposed streetcar system in Red Hook would be costly and difficult to implement. Streetsblog notes that the study says the streetcar line would “only create 1,822 new daily transit riders” but cost around “$176 million, with another $6.2-7.2 million in annual operating costs.” There’s still going to be a public meeting about the study in May, but its suggested “short-term improvements” for improving transit in the area include revamping the intersection at Mill Street and Hamilton Avenue to increase and improve access to Red Hook; possibly making service changes to the B61 line and adding new bus shelters; and putting in a pedestrian refuge on Clinton Street and Centre Mall. Meanwhile, the Daily News has this quote from Red Hook Civic Alliance Co-chairman John McGettrick about how Red Hook transportation could quickly be improved: “An alternative they could do in the immediate future would be to provide bus service to Manhattan via the Battery Tunnel.”
DOT to Red Hook: No Streetcar For You [Streetsblog]
Red Hook Trolley Would be Folly [The Daily News]
Photo by sillygwailo.
Tyburst!
There are some major facts about streetcar projects that NYC DOT doesn’t want you to know:
What this “massaged” report doesn’t say, is that while it costs $41 per hour to run a streetcar, it costs NYCT $160 per hour to operate a bus. What the report doesn’t tell you, is that according to URS’s own experience in Portland, OR, it really costs $12 million per mile to build the streetcar line, not $26 million per mile as URS now claims. What DOT DID SAY in an email last Dec, is that URS and DOT project a 43% increase in Transit Demand in Red Hook. Another thing they don’t want you to know, is a new streetcar costs about $800,000. DOT wants you to think its over $7 million per car…
Finally, the ultimate key fact that DOT doesn’t want you to know, is that a 2 mile start up line could be built for under $33 million, with $25 million coming from a special FTA grant for new streetcar projects, called a “TIGER Grant”.
Dont believe me though, read what the prestigious American Public Transit Association (APTA) has to say of the TRUE costs of a new streetcar line here: http://heritagetrolley.com/artcileBringBackStreetcars7.htm#Post11
woosah tybur
This study was entirely useless and a throwaway of tax dollars. The local paper (The Red Hook Star Revue) brought up an excellent point, that this was always a street car study and not a more holistic transportation study. On top of that all the “findings” could of been arrived at through a couple days of research (the census, even Wikipedia, even by just looking at a damn map). It just seems like it was always a complete non-starter.
There are many solutions that just were not considered (a short shuttle bus loop to the F/G trains, express busses, etc.) It sounds crazy, but I would of loved a MONORAIL!!!! No parking or street considerations and it’s badass in every way!
benson makes some good points. It is pretty obvious that the MTA is a financial wreck. It will need to continue cutting services while increasing fares.
The DOT is very inefficient and slow. I have never visited another large city in America, Europe or Asia where the major arteries are perpetually being torn up and rebuilt.
Even after major earthquakes, other cities seem to be able to rebuild quickly and get roads and trains back on track asap. But in NYC, without any earthquakes, our roads are always a mess. Our trains are always a mess. We can’t seem get the basic infrastructure to work properly. what makes anyone think we can handle the cost and upkeep of cutesy trolleys to Red Hook?
Tyburg + BHS+ 2 🙂
BHS +1
Yeah, the B61 sucks, especially since the cuts last summer.
I have a revolutionary plan to make it better: restore the old routes and add more trips.
There, I just saved $176 million, plus a few million a year.
“I seems there is good bus transportation,”
you have clearly never been on the B61