American Cities Can Still Build Metro Systems, and Faster Than You Think

[kittyhawk28]

It all a matter of political will, not incapacity or inability of our local governments. Strong political will to build transit have pushed forward multiple tax measures in Los Angeles, which has enabled it to expand its metro rail network by over 40 miles, and add 30 new stations, since 2016 including 3 newly opened D Line heavy rail subway stations. The city's rail network has expanded by almost 50% in just 10 years.

The interesting question is, will other US cities, especially sunbelt cities follow? Besides LA and Seattle (which itself has significantly expanded its Link light rail system over the past decade), few other cities are pursuing major expansions of rapid transit. The most glaring example is in Texan cities where highway expansion is continually prioritized.

[Doady]

Texan cities? You mean like Dallas which has the largest modern light rail network in North America?

Many US cities can't even fill LRVs or buses. Maybe focus on that instead of building metros.

LA and Seattle got massive bus networks, existing high ridership, it makes sense to build more rail. Most other US cities, especially Sunbelt cities, don't have that kind of foundation to build upon.

Empty bus is faster than a metro. It's when the bus gets full and constantly has to stop that it starts to slow down and you need metro.

Dallas saw a big increase in ridership in 2019 when they added bus service. The bus ridership increased 30%, the light rail ridership decreased 2%. Lack of rail is not the problem there or other cities.

[dimondpark]

Also, transit ridership by commuters is still recovering across the country.

Means of Transportation to Work:
Public Transit
2019-------2024------Metro Area
3,000,640-2,668,241--New York(-11.0%)
584,804---430,347----Chicago(-26.3%)
461,832---261,280----San Francisco(-43.3%)
440,972---311,542----Washington DC(-29.3%)
353,924---266,140----Boston(-24.6%)
310,932---222,331----Los Angeles(-28.3%)
282,412---232,792----Philadelphia(17.7%)
224,965---136,715----Seattle(-39.2%)
88,881----85,833-----Miami(-3.4%)
88,051----42,552-----Minneapolis(-52.2%)
85,160----45,302-----Portland(-47.0%)
82,685----51,350-----Baltimore(-37.8%)
83,142----52,283-----Atlanta(-37.3%)
73,229----35,434-----Denver(-52.0%)
69,104----40,967-----Pittsburgh(-42.0%)
65,870----62,684-----Houston(-4.6%)
49,352----41,548-----Bridgeport(16.3%)
48,522----27,096-----Dallas(-43.7%)
47,745----28,834-----San Jose(-40.4%)
47,578----31,789-----San Diego(-34.0%)
42,925----31,474-----Phoenix(-26.1%)
35,375----28,189-----Honolulu(-20.0%)
31,231----27,352-----Las Vegas(-12.9%)
29,006----20,134-----Cleveland(-31.0%)
28,450----17,684-----Detroit(-39.2%)

[Yuri]

Depressing those ridership numbers. The US cities had already a low level to begin with and they’re now running at -40% in many places. The rest of the world already catches up or about to.

[Bonsai Tree]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Also, transit ridership by commuters is still recovering across the country.

Means of Transportation to Work:
Public Transit
2019-------2024------Metro Area
3,000,640-2,668,241--New York(-11.0%)
584,804---430,347----Chicago(-26.3%)
461,832---261,280----San Francisco(-43.3%)
440,972---311,542----Washington DC(-29.3%)
353,924---266,140----Boston(-24.6%)
310,932---222,331----Los Angeles(-28.3%)
282,412---232,792----Philadelphia(17.7%)
224,965---136,715----Seattle(-39.2%)
88,881----85,833-----Miami(-3.4%)
88,051----42,552-----Minneapolis(-52.2%)
85,160----45,302-----Portland(-47.0%)
82,685----51,350-----Baltimore(-37.8%)
83,142----52,283-----Atlanta(-37.3%)
73,229----35,434-----Denver(-52.0%)
69,104----40,967-----Pittsburgh(-42.0%)
65,870----62,684-----Houston(-4.6%)
49,352----41,548-----Bridgeport(16.3%)
48,522----27,096-----Dallas(-43.7%)
47,745----28,834-----San Jose(-40.4%)
47,578----31,789-----San Diego(-34.0%)
42,925----31,474-----Phoenix(-26.1%)
35,375----28,189-----Honolulu(-20.0%)
31,231----27,352-----Las Vegas(-12.9%)
29,006----20,134-----Cleveland(-31.0%)
28,450----17,684-----Detroit(-39.2%)

What's really important here (and not in these numbers) is that certain days of the week (Mondays, Fridays) have more people WFH. There are fewer and fewer totally remote jobs but plenty that allow a number of working days in a month. This translates to around the same number of people using the system, but far fewer trips.

[craigs]

Correct. For example, I work from home three days a week, and only take public transit on the other two workdays.

[jackb]

delete

[dave8721]

Miami tried to build rail along the Brightline path up to Aventura. Funding passed with wide bi-partisan support through the state legislature. The stations were all planned with shovels ready to go, the State funding was pledged and then the state recently u-turned and pulled all the funding. So now its dead in the water.

[mhays]

Hold on, those are 2024 numbers as the poster said. Not present tense.

[IcedCowboyCoffee]

Originally Posted by kittyhawk28

The interesting question is, will other US cities, especially sunbelt cities follow? Besides LA and Seattle (which itself has significantly expanded its Link light rail system over the past decade), few other cities are pursuing major expansions of rapid transit. The most glaring example is in Texan cities where highway expansion is continually prioritized.

Originally Posted by Doady

Texan cities? You mean like Dallas which has the largest modern light rail network in North America?

Yeah, just speaking as someone who lives there, the last thing Dallas needs right now is yet another massive rail expansion. We opened a massive one just six months ago and have had a new line or new extension of a line occurring every few years. We haven't stopped prioritizing massive expansions for the past 30 years to the detriment of funding the system as it exists.

This is the past fifteen years:
2010: Green Line completed (20.9 mi)
2011: DCTA A-Train completed (21 mi)
2012: Blue Line extended to Downtown Rowlett (+4.5 mi)
2014: Orange Line completed (14 mi)
2016: Blue Line extended to University of North Texas at Dallas (+2.6 mi)
2016: Dallas Streetcar completed (2.45 mi)
2019: Ft Worth TEXRail completed (27.2 mi)
2025: Silver Line completed (26 mi)
Next up: TEXRail extension to Ft. Worth Medical District (+2.1 mi)

What DART really needs to do is prioritize frequency, bus coverage, and TOD projects on its park-n-ride stations. Any rail investment here should only be in expansions of the existing streetcars through downtown, and in finally getting the downtown rail tunnel meant to relieve rail congestion where the lines bottleneck. We've got the bones of a decent system laid out, now the city needs to focus on just improving what we already have.

[wwmiv]

Dallas has a great set-up as is. Fort Worth otoh could do with a few radial lines into its downtown.

[mhays]

I'll take a system based on frequency and speed, with buses a big part of that, over a city with a great rail map but poor service.

[IcedCowboyCoffee]

Originally Posted by mhays

I'll take a system based on frequency and speed, with buses a big part of that, over a city with a great rail map but poor service.

I agree. Dallas overextended itself with its rail system which hampered its ability to fund those other critical aspects.
From interviews with DART board members I've seen they have at least gotten the memo.

This is a silly visual comparison of course, but the point is that for Dallas--and I imagine for a lot of sunbelt cities--lack of rail is not the biggest problem. Land-use is the problem. You can accomplish a lot with even just a single rail route through one's city if only the land-use around it is appropriate.

[Yuri]

I'm a bit colourblind, so I can't tell hybrid rail and bus apart.

Impressive system Dallas has built nonetheless.

[MolsonExport]

LA's subway network is very underwhelming in relation to the metro area's population. Better than nothing, and great that it is growing, but it still has a long way to go.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

LA's subway network is very underwhelming in relation to the metro area's population. Better than nothing, and great that it is growing, but it still has a long way to go.

But of course. Los Angeles is one of the youngest megacities in the West. It hasn't been a big city as long as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc. have, and over most of the last century, city leaders intentionally wanted a city built differently than those, especially in terms of automotivity. Further hobbling the subway's progress was the fact that the Wilshire subway, specifically, was essentially banned by Congress for over 20 years. Even after city leaders changed their tune about heavy rail and planned out the line that is just starting to open (ride the D!), that ban really set us back.

[bobdreamz]

Originally Posted by dave8721

Miami tried to build rail along the Brightline path up to Aventura. Funding passed with wide bi-partisan support through the state legislature. The stations were all planned with shovels ready to go, the State funding was pledged and then the state recently u-turned and pulled all the funding. So now its dead in the water.

I swear to God it seems the State of Florida hates Miami despite all the money it sends Tallahassee every year !!!