Thursday, October 07, 2004
Rail costs doubled, ridership half of projections
The cost of constructing light rail doubled from the original projections, and ridership is only half of the original projections. Sounds like a familiar American story, but this is in Manchester, England. Manchester was proud of its light rail, but the government can't afford to build any more, especially when so few are riding it. So much for Europeans loving rail transit.
To force an increase in ridership, they want to reroute buses so that they feed rail rather than take riders directly to their destinations. But the buses are deregulated and privately operated, and the operators would demand subsidies if their routes were controlled by the government. Apparently, those silly transit riders would rather stay on a fast bus than connect to (and stand in the rain waiting for) a clunky trolley car.
The above link requires a subscription to the Economist, or you can find the story in the October 2 print edition of that magazine that insists on calling itself a newspaper.
To force an increase in ridership, they want to reroute buses so that they feed rail rather than take riders directly to their destinations. But the buses are deregulated and privately operated, and the operators would demand subsidies if their routes were controlled by the government. Apparently, those silly transit riders would rather stay on a fast bus than connect to (and stand in the rain waiting for) a clunky trolley car.
The above link requires a subscription to the Economist, or you can find the story in the October 2 print edition of that magazine that insists on calling itself a newspaper.
Comments:
>>>>>A recent report from the National Audit Office, a spending watchdog, said that light rail schemes were proving poor value for money<<<<<
The National Audit office is a right wing pro-auto mouth piece that cannot be taken seriously. The light rail schemes in England move millions of passengers each year.
>>>>The Croydon tram in south London forecast 26m passengers a year; it now has just under 20m. <<<<<
This is a success. The Croydon tram has ridership at at 77% of expected projections. A success in my opinion.
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The National Audit office is a right wing pro-auto mouth piece that cannot be taken seriously. The light rail schemes in England move millions of passengers each year.
>>>>The Croydon tram in south London forecast 26m passengers a year; it now has just under 20m. <<<<<
This is a success. The Croydon tram has ridership at at 77% of expected projections. A success in my opinion.
