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UncleRando
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^Agreed with the whole Germany set-up...however to the average joe they see rail and apply whatever buzz word they have been hearing lately for it. Whether it be lightrail, streetcar, elevated rail, subway, etc. The good sign here is that when someone warms up to one of them...they seem to warm up to the idea of all the different modes.
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osogato
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I don't know what you want to call DC's rail system, all I know is that it works! I lived there for about a year and didn't own a car. The rail system was absolutely fabulous! No need for a car. While it's true the "subway" does travel above ground quite a bit, it is perfectly functional doing so, and the system is the easiest to get around out of any that I have been on.
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CincyInDC
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^ We just call it Metro.  It's a great system that's underfunded and sadly in disrepair right now. Delays abound especially on the oldest line (red), and the orange line cars are so packed it's driving people back to their cars (pun intended). If Cincinnati had a viable carless option, I'd seriously consider moving back.
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UncleRando
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^You should write a letter to the editor, or email/write the members of City Council about just that. I think many people don't fully understand the significance of having a rail transit system.
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Sherman Cahal
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^ Check out this month's issue of RAIL. It has a great piece on the Metro and why the system was so underfunded for years. The maintenance headaches have caught up to Metro and they are embarking on a program that will eventually replace the trains with modern replacements, and catch up on 10-15 years of deferred work.
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CincyInDC
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^ the first problem with Metro is that it serves three competing jurisdictions, so it's tough for anything to get done at the highest levels. It kills me that northern Kentucky (well, Newport at least) would be a willing, eager partner with Cincinnati, yet nothing is happening because one jurisdiction can't get it together. I like that progress is being made, but it's frustratingly slow. And I don't even live there.  I also have this fantasy that will never come true. When I fly to CVG to visit friends and family I'd like to not have to rent a car. I'll definitely write in to the Enquirer. Does anybody know if pen-and-paper letters have a greater probability of being published?
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UncleRando
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^^It is better to do pen/paper letters to politicians though. The Enquirer shouldn't matter either way.
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dmerkow
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Unfortunately, the DC story does point out the challenges in developing a true regional transit system. We don't have the feds who funded it in the first place and don't really want to pay up, but nonetheless we have two/three states along with numerous smaller gov'ts and all that means that it will take massive effort and constitutional amendments to get decent, reliable funding for a quality regional system.
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jmecklenborg
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BART was formed and started construction with no federal funding whatsoever. The system did receive federal funding after the Washington Metro fired up, however. There was at least one instance in the late 70's where Metro was nearly killed, even after the red line and part of the orange/blue line had begun operation. Obviously very difficult geography dictated the need for big-time rail in San Francisco but it didn't appear at the same time as the early east coast systems because the city was physically small and well-served by its streetcar system (which included a few tunnels) and the technology and need didn't quite exist for the transbay tunnel. San Francisco is still served by its streetcar/light rail system (Muni) and then BART is like the Washington Metro in that it functions somewhat like commuter rail.
MARTA suffers from similar funding problems and the downtown subway is looking shabby. The suburban counties keep playing games and nobody wants to get serious. If it costs money, people make excuses. But if it's "free", politicians jump all over it. The interestates were "free", esp in Cincinnati where the subway and canal ROW's served as so much of the 10% local match. Meanwhile even LA subway, with the benefit of being entirely within LA county, has been stymied by the outrageous tunneling ban spurred by methane fears. It might have been lifted recently, I don't keep up on it too closely.
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