Alright, let’s finally get this out there. Some of the gang over at NewWinnipeg have been chatting (mostly in mockery) about a post from someone named “light11″ who claims to have “insider information” about a new rapid transit plan that could be announced at some point in the near future.
For what it’s worth, I’ve heard a few bits and pieces about this from various sources, including that the proposal could focus around…(dramatic pause)…light rail.
Of course this would be a complete departure from at least the last two studies that have been done on this issue, including one that was commissioned by the current Mayor, but whatever. Choo-choos will get people excited, and City Hall is all about the headlines.
In the end, I’ll believe it when I see it. And by “it”, I mean an actual train running on an actual rail, not just another pretty artist’s rendering. And now I’ll return this one to the back-burner pending further detail.
It’s certainly *possible* that such a plan exists, since most of the components necessary for a major LRT route were in place years ago. And there are creative ways to deal with the funding problem that haven’t been tried yet.
Yes, it’s possible. And it’s even possible that some fool with inside info would be dumb enough to leak it on a forum. Where nobody would read it.
But is it *plausible*? Doubt it. LRT would be too interesting. Too useful. Too modern. Too risky. Too long-range. It might convince real people to give up their cars and ride transit, instead of just buying off the people already riding buses, who can be bought so much more cheaply.
It’s too… somewhere other than Winnipeg.
I believe the 2005 RTTF report considers the possibility that the routes be constructed as LRT instead of BRT. It ultimately rejects the idea, but the basic form of an LRT plan is articulated in that report.
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Why mock ‘Choo-choo’s”? I’ve lived in Vancouver, and visited Toronto,, and I didn’t mind taking the Skytrain or subway, at all, whereas I can’t stand buses.
P.s., these text boxes don’t display properly in Firefox (at least for me) –
it obscures some of the letters on the right margin when typing.
Heh. I am sure that MANY plans exist – at City Hall, on consultant’s hard drives, at the U of M transport department. I’ve seen bits and pieces of some of them too. No shortage of plans – the cash and political will to implement them on the other hand …..
@Cog – I agree, which is why I approach this with about 99% skepticism. Even if it is announced, I won’t believe it until I’m sitting on the thing.
@Warren – I like trains. I was more mocking the entire process of having a team of “experts” recommend one thing (not that I’m a BRT fan), and then going ahead and doing another because the mayor/council thinks it’s sexier. And make no mistake, if this ever happens, it will be about the announcement, not the plan.
I would love a Winnipeg LRT, but I’m as skeptical as you, PolicyFrog. mrchristian is exactly right — we’ve seen plans, studies, and announcements too many times before. Even if the mayor were to announce a light rail plan, the plan would die a sad death during next year’s budget deliberations. “We’re just delaying its implementation by one year,” they’d say. And the following year they’d announce that a new study was needed…