Quote:
Originally Posted by glowrock
The best place for an extension of LRT is going to be to the airport, period. Make it an express service, perhaps only a couple of stops would be needed. It would automatically be a popular service due to the thousands of people who travel between downtown and the airport daily, even with the airport's current relatively low level of overall service.
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On average, about 11,000 people depart PIT daily. That's from the entire catchment area, of which downtown is only a tiny fraction. Then, of the tiny portion using the airport from downtown, you will still have people taking cabs, hotel shuttles, etc.
The amount of users using light rail from downtown to the airport would not nearly be enough for a dedicated express service. However, with more stops along the way, the line becomes more of a commuter line while at the same time taps more of the airport's catchment area. This I think would be feasible.
However, an airport line would ideally have been designed from the Station Square station out along the Ohio river then towards Robinson. That would have involved no river crossings. To use the NSC for an airport line would need another river crossing. Better to use that line for the I-279/Rt. 19 corridor.