AUSTIN | Transportation Updates - Page 78

M1EK · #**1541** Posted **Sep 25, 2009, 6:46 PM**

can't sit around on hold today and don't want to burn any more cell-phone minutes. Afraid the crackplog will have to suffice.

hookem · #**1542** Posted **Sep 25, 2009, 8:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by M1EK

can't sit around on hold today and don't want to burn any more cell-phone minutes. Afraid the crackplog will have to suffice.

For those interested, it is again the subject of Jeff Ward's show right now on 590klbj.com. Some of Carole's comments are being revisited, plus some new stuff from the Statesman article today.

He is actually semi-advocating just bailing out at this point.

Mikey711MN · #**1543** Posted **Sep 26, 2009, 12:09 AM**

DC's at Loop 1 and US 290 are included as one of ten recently announced pass-through-financing projects

source (click on pdf link within the press release for the list)

NThomas · #**1544** Posted **Sep 26, 2009, 10:49 PM**

French have tabled a real proposal for a Texas HSR line (and three others). SNCF says the Texas route would have the most economic impact and most practical. It doesn't include Houston but a branch to the Space City could come later once the "starter" system from Fort Worth ( - DFW Airport - Dallas - Waco - Temple - Austin) - San Antonio is established.

http://forum.austinurbanforum.com/sh...?p=362#post362

llamaorama · #**1545** Posted **Sep 27, 2009, 1:13 AM**

wonder if its realistic for it run through the hill country to the north of SM and NB?

texastarkus · #**1546** Posted **Sep 27, 2009, 12:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NThomas

French have tabled a real proposal for a Texas HSR line (and three others). SNCF says the Texas route would have the most economic impact and most practicle. It doesn't include Houston but a branch to the Space City could come later once the "starter" system from Fort Worth ( - DFW Airport - Dallas - Waco - Temple - Austin) - San Antonio is established.

http://forum.austinurbanforum.com/sh...?p=362#post362

What do you mean "San Antonio is established"?

Dom"n"Converse · #**1547** Posted **Sep 27, 2009, 1:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by texastarkus

What do you mean "San Antonio is established"?

...Once the starter line from Fort Worth to San Antonio is established, a line/lines to houston will be built...

NThomas · #**1548** Posted **Sep 27, 2009, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by texastarkus

What do you mean "San Antonio is established"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dom"n"Converse

...Once the starter line from Fort Worth to San Antonio is established, a line/lines to houston will be built...

Exactly. Here's the exact quote from the business plan:
The proposed route, about 300 miles, contains eight stations and connects San Antonio to Dallas – Fort Worth metropolis, passing through San Antonio SAT Airport, Austin, Temple, Waco, Dallas Union Station, DFW Airport, and terminating in Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center. This alignment does not jeopardize any future project to connect Houston either with the T-Bone solution and a direct branch connecting in the area of Temple-Killeen or with a Delta solution.

JACKinBeantown · #**1549** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 2:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by llamaorama

wonder if its realistic for it run through the hill country to the north of SM and NB?

Makes more sense to go to the flatlands to the east.

electricron · #**1550** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 5:21 PM**

Some closer maps and commentary:

Follows the TRE corridor mostly between D and FW. Love the loop route into DFW. South of D follows the old MKT corridor.

Blue line follows old railroad corridor, red line in brand new corridor.

Blue line follows UP (ex-MP) corridor, red line follows ex-MKT corridor.
Note: the Red line basically gets to the airport using my suggested routing to getting Metrorail there. I was trashed by some regular forum readers with this suggested routing, but I feel great that TGV agrees with me that it is a valid corridor, Whichever corridor TGV eventually chooses would be great for Austin. Of course, Austin has much more room for a HSR train station at the airport, the old train station location downtown is being squeezed out by the Seaholm development.

Blue line basically follows the old MKT corridor and US 281 until closing onto the CBD, the Red line basically follows the old MP corridor and I-35.

The parent corporation of TGV was replying to a RFA/Amtrak issued RFI that didn't include any links to Houston. That's why any discussion of connecting Houston to this corridor was limited in this reply.

What I got from this reply was that the San Antonio to DFW HSR corridor was a viable project alone, without including Houston. No doubt, in my opinion, including Houston on future plans should only enhance the project.

M1EK · #**1551** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 6:57 PM**

Quote:

the Red line basically gets to the airport using my suggested routing to getting Metrorail there.

Which would be neat if it was worth ever running "Metrorail" there, which it isn't.

PartyLine · #**1552** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by electricron

Some closer maps and commentary:

Follows the TRE corridor mostly between D and FW. Love the loop route into DFW. South of D follows the old MKT corridor.

Blue line follows old railroad corridor, red line in brand new corridor.

Blue line follows UP (ex-MP) corridor, red line follows ex-MKT corridor.
Note: the Red line basically gets to the airport using my suggested routing to getting Metrorail there. I was trashed by some regular forum readers with this suggested routing, but I feel great that TGV agrees with me that it is a valid corridor, Whichever corridor TGV eventually chooses would be great for Austin. Of course, Austin has much more room for a HSR train station at the airport, the old train station location downtown is being squeezed out by the Seaholm development.

Blue line basically follows the old MKT corridor and US 281 until closing onto the CBD, the Red line basically follows the old MP corridor and I-35.

The parent corporation of TGV was replying to a RFA/Amtrak issued RFI that didn't include any links to Houston. That's why any discussion of connecting Houston to this corridor was limited in this reply.

What I got from this reply was that the San Antonio to DFW HSR corridor was a viable project alone, without including Houston. No doubt, in my opinion, including Houston on future plans should only enhance the project.

The Blue line is supposed to be the ASA rail line from Georgetown to San Antonio is the Texas T part of that?

SecretAgentMan · #**1553** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 11:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PartyLine

The Blue line is supposed to be the ASA rail line from Georgetown to San Antonio is the Texas T part of that?

Not exactly, but the ASA Rail District has applied for HSR stimulus funds to relocate UP and build their system. They are also hiring a legal team to negotiate with UP.

alexjon · #**1554** Posted **Sep 28, 2009, 11:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by priller

What I've seen happening, though, is people leave too much space between their car and the car in front of them, so it ends up being fewer cars there than before.

A few more pet peeves, now that I've used them a few times:

-- When you buy the sticker, you don't specify how much time you want -- ie, "I want to park here for 45 minutes" -- instead it shows you what the end time will be, eg, "It's now 12:06, the sticker lasts until 12:51". To me it's much more straightforward to simply buy how much time you want, rather than have to calculate what time you will return.

-- The stickers go on the inside of your windshield, but the sticky stuff is not on the face of the sticker (like your inspection sticker, eg). So you peel off the sticky back piece, then stick half of that on your sticker and half on the windshield. Seems kind of awkward to me.

That's how it works in most real cities, anyhow.

Maybe there could be a special Austin model of parking meters that also wipes your nose when you sneeze?

PartyLine · #**1555** Posted **Sep 29, 2009, 12:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecretAgentMan

Not exactly, but the ASA Rail District has applied for HSR stimulus funds to relocate UP and build their system. They are also hiring a legal team to negotiate with UP.

Yeah I didn't think it was part of that just making shure lol light rail between Austin and Dallas would be awsome though.

M1EK · #**1556** Posted **Sep 29, 2009, 4:11 PM**

Cross-posted from the census data thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottolini

Oh, and since this is an urban forum, here are the most dense zip codes.

78705
Estimated zip code population in 2007: 30,624
Land area: 2.5 sq. mi.
Water area: 0.0 sq. mi.
Population density: 12486 people per square mile

78751
Estimated zip code population in 2007: 15,988
Land area: 2.4 sq. mi.
Water area: 0.0 sq. mi.
Population density: 6603 people per square mile

By the way, these are the two zip codes that would have been most important to the 2000 light rail line as walk-up traffic (urban setting - i.e. walk to the train station, ride the train downtown, walk to work). Neither one is going to be served by commuter rail or by the CAMPO TWG proposal. ("Rapid Bus", which is not going to be rapid at all, ain't gonna cut it). Nobody is going to be walking up to the commuter rail stations in east Austin (one isn't remotely walkable, and the other is close enough to downtown that local bus service is a far better option than the train+shuttle-bus).

If you had any doubt whether the commuter rail line really is 'urban rail' or can somehow become one by just increasing frequency as some people claim (like SecretAgentMan has done here), this should show you the real truth.

M1EK · #**1557** Posted **Sep 30, 2009, 7:34 PM**

Fred Gilliam, the guy most responsible for rolling over for Mike Krusee and submitting to the commuter rail plan instead of building a good urban light rail line, is resigning today.

Too bad he didn't do it 5 years ago.

hookem · #**1558** Posted **Sep 30, 2009, 9:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by M1EK

Fred Gilliam, the guy most responsible for rolling over for Mike Krusee and submitting to the commuter rail plan instead of building a good urban light rail line, is resigning today.

Too bad he didn't do it 5 years ago.

Wow, I'm listening to Carole Keeton Strayhorn on the radio, she's at Cap Metro headquarters with a gathering crowd. She's requesting a full investigation of all of the Cap Metro board, or for them all to resign, or something. Police have apparently been there. There were even reports that they took some computers or something. That would be interesting.

JoninATX · #**1559** Posted **Sep 30, 2009, 9:56 PM**

Looks like a good plan, It would definitely improve the areas along the route including Waco, and Temple will also have a good advanage of creating mixed urban developments

M1EK · #**1560** Posted **Sep 30, 2009, 10:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookem

Wow, I'm listening to Carole Keeton Strayhorn on the radio, she's at Cap Metro headquarters with a gathering crowd. She's requesting a full investigation of all of the Cap Metro board, or for them all to resign, or something. Police have apparently been there. There were even reports that they took some computers or something. That would be interesting.

CM called the cops on the media who were trying to talk to Gilliam and others there. Reagan Hackleman from news8 was covering it on twitter.