HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Transportation


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #21  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2015, 4:13 PM
initiald's Avatar
initiald initiald is offline
Oak City
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 4,946
A couple more videos:

Video Link


Video Link


Video Link
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #22  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2015, 8:10 PM
Nexis4Jersey's Avatar
Nexis4Jersey Nexis4Jersey is offline
Greetings from New Jersey
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: North Jersey
Posts: 3,261
Will these use modern equipment down the road or is this a Heritage line?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #23  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2015, 8:16 PM
Busy Bee's Avatar
Busy Bee Busy Bee is online now
Show me the blueprints
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: on the artistic spectrum
Posts: 10,302
The rails are incredibly zig zaggy. How about we lay the tracks geometricly and let the road conform to them not the other way around. I've noticed the same thing on the First Hill project in Seattle. Poor execution IMO.
__________________
Everything new is old again

There is no goodness in him, and his power to convince people otherwise is beyond understanding
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #24  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2015, 6:15 AM
Rail>Auto's Avatar
Rail>Auto Rail>Auto is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 500
A couple of things....

I don't want to continue with the hijacking of this thread for highways but I do want to add something before moving on. The main problem here is building highways in general because no matter which way you go you end up destroying your city.

Highway Rings

Good
- Avoid plowing through downtowns with elevated roads
- Cut off the outside suburbs which actually could encourage more development inside the loop instead of outside of it (sprawl)

Bad
- Could be much more costlier than a straight line interstate assuming the straight line interstate doesn't plow through ridiculously overpriced parcels
- Uses more land thus damaging the environment more
- Provides access to the immediate suburbs thus potentially destroying the core

Straight Line Interstates

Good

- Quicker travel time through cities
- Spurs road development through the core instead of around it

Bad

- Divides Cities in half and/or potentially cuts some off from valuable riverfront land (see Louisville and Portland previously)
- Enables quick access to the suburbs from the central part of downtown cores

I've seen arguments on both sides. There's a movement in Louisville to rip up I-64 that goes through their downtown. There's also a movement in Indianapolis to prevent the state from building a loop around the already existing loop. Truth be told, I don't know which side has the answer. I'd also add different cities require different solutions. The only answer I see is to get away from highways which hopefully will happen with advancements in rail and other technologies.

Now onto the main topic here. My question is this. How/why did Charlotte elect to build a streetcar line on this route instead of a light rail line? Price? Accessibility? Streetcars strike me as more of a tourist thing (Memphis) whereas light rail strikes me as a mode you would take to work.

Last edited by Rail>Auto; Jul 16, 2015 at 4:12 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #25  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2015, 12:24 PM
initiald's Avatar
initiald initiald is offline
Oak City
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 4,946
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey View Post
Will these use modern equipment down the road or is this a Heritage line?
They will purchase new streetcars as the line expands. For this first segment they started using the 3 heritage streetcars because they city already owned them.

Before the light rail line was built, these same streetcars were used on the first segment of that line, too.

Here's a rending with the new streetcars:

Reply With Quote
     
     
  #26  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2015, 2:33 PM
Hatman's Avatar
Hatman Hatman is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 1,429
Quote:
Originally Posted by initiald View Post
The next segment of the streetcar line, which is scheduled to open in 2019, will connect the transit center and light rail line with the location of the future high speed rail Amtrak station and Greyhound bus station (Megabus stops adjacent to the transit center). The next phase of light rail is set to open 2017 by the way.
Cool stuff. Since you seem to be in the know, would you have any pics/plans for that station?
And how far is it between these two hubs - as in, how long would it take to connect between Amtrak and the Blue line via streetcar?
Also, cool drone videos. They show off the vehicles (which are awesome - classic trolleys with pantographs!) but they also show off the civil engineering of the roadway design, which is more my thing.
Sure the tracks look kind of 'wavy,' but if they're tapered correctly then it won't be a problem, or even noticeable to the people inside the streetcar. The only thing inherently bad about 'wavy' track geometry is that there is a built in speed limit which the cars will never be able to overcome - but because this is a streetcar in a street which has a speed limit, the point is moot.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #27  
Old Posted Jul 18, 2015, 1:56 AM
initiald's Avatar
initiald initiald is offline
Oak City
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 4,946
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatman View Post
Cool stuff. Since you seem to be in the know, would you have any pics/plans for that station?
And how far is it between these two hubs - as in, how long would it take to connect between Amtrak and the Blue line via streetcar?
No official renderings. It's been pushed back and pushed back, so who knows when the new Amtrak/Greyhouse station will get built. It will be five blocks west of the bus/light rail transit center, connected by the streetcar.
Reply With Quote
     
     
End
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Transportation
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 9:57 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.