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Originally Posted by emathias
State projections for Colorado are just over 7 million for 2030 - I'm really not sure where your 9 million number comes from. If you want to use it, fine, but you have to define it or we have nothing to discuss.
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The HSR system proposes 110 mph DMU feeder lines to extend from Fort Collins to Cheyenne, WY (~120,000 2035 projected pop.) and also south from Pueblo to Santa Fe-Albuquerque, NM (
~1,200,000 projected CSA 2035 pop.). Colorado's projected 2035 population is 7,798,107 according to the
Colorado Demographer's Office. This adds up to a projected 2035 corridor population of 9,118,107 people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnyderBock
You also claim that the Paris-Lyons region is far more dense and appropriate for passenger rail. Well Colorado's mountain resort and town's are land restricted and thus typically very dense for their sizes.
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For their sizes? There is no town in Colorado that has densities even close to those of central Paris or central Lyon or even of most of the towns in between (although I don't have data on most of the small towns in France or Colorado). I challenge you to cite any evidence that I'm wrong on the major cities' density.
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Colorado mountain resort towns are land restricted by the mountains. They tend to have tightly nestled city centers and resort villages. The resident population is all which is counted in census density reports. Packed into hotels, the tourist populations create an "inflated density effect." As a result, the region behaves as though it had greater population density than it really does and one which leans more favorably towards passenger rail than typical American cities and towns of these sizes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnyderBock
Add to that that these destinations serve millions of ski tourists each year. Tourists which would rather not rent a car and drive for several hours on hazardous mountain roads to get there. Add that factor and projected ridership jumps.
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That may or may not be true. Tourists also don't like lugging their equipment across several modes of transportation.
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Tourists don't like lugging their equipment across several modes of transit? I'm sure you can cite sources for this fact, since you are making me do the same for you. How do you think tourists are doing it now, in Colorado? They fly in, they transfer to a bus or a rental car. They lug their equipment with them. How would it be less covenant to fly into Denver International, load your equipment on a HSR train and an hour or two latter be dropped off at your ski resort? Currently that trip would take you 3-5 hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnyderBock
Also consider that Denver is very urban and dense for an American city of it's size and is constructing the most extensive mass transit system for an American city of it's size.
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Last I heard they lost funding. Also, figures for density claim, please. How much of the population of Denver will actually be able to access HSR via transit in a reasonable amount of time?
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Denver has not lost any funding for is FasTracks mass transit plan. Because of the recession, there is a budget gap which needs to be addressed.
- The 12.1 mile, ~$700 million West Corridor Light Rail Line is under construction
- The ~$500 million, Denver Union Station Multi-model transit hub redevelopment is under construction
- The 23.6 mile, ~$1.3 billion East Corridor EMU line to Denver International Airport begins construction in 2011
- The 11.2 mile, ~$600 Gold Corridor EMU line begins construction in 2012
- The budget funding gap is being resolved and the other FasTracks elements will be completed by 2019, if funding issue is resolved. If the budget gap is not solved, those other lines will be constructed most likely by 2035 (which is when HSR would open). One way or the other, Denver's full system build-out will have most the important elements complete by 2017, possibly all of it by 2019 and worst case everything built by ~2035 in time for HSR.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
If you're convinced that skiers and HSR are such a great combo, why don't you check out how Milan or Lyon or Zurich use rail to deliver skiers to the Alps ...
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I looked into this and it seems passenger trains to deliver tourists to ski resorts is extremely popular in both Europe and Japan. So yes, I see how they use rail to deliver skiers to the Alps, just as Colorado plans to use rail to deliver skiers to the Rockies.