Light Rail Facts and Figures

by Corina Bonitez 

 

We would rather this be decided by reasonable people, making reasonable decisions,” said Judson, who helped successfully crush a light-rail ballot initiative here in 2000.

Voters here soundly defeated a sales tax increase to pay for a light rail line in 2000, a fact brought up several times Monday night.

“Shall the City Charter be amended to provide that no grant of permission to alter or damage any public way of the city for the laying of streetcar or light rail tracks shall ever be valid, and no funds shall be appropriated and no bonds or notes shall be issued or sold for the purpose of streetcar or light rail systems, unless first approved by a majority of the qualified electors of the city voting at an election containing a proposition specifically identified for and limited to such purpose?”

Additionally, the proposed amendment language would require an election before the City could grant a routine easement, lease or other transaction involving the use of a City street, highway, alley, park, public place or real property. The requirement of an election would cause significant delay and negatively impact a wide range of entities that require these types of agreements to provide services to City residents.

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http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2011/02/light-rail-and-sustainability.html

high speed rail does not reduce CO2 emissions and doesn’t reduce congestion, than why should it be highly subsidized? It only serves a narrow niche of needs as there are transportation options that are faster (air), cheaper (bus) or more convenient (auto). Taken from 2009 National Transit Database, (http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=4208)

For all US light rail systems in total:

User fares paid per passenger-mile: $0.18

Total cost per passenger-mile: $2.22

Taxpayer subsidy per passenger-mile: $2.04

Since I live in Phoenix and the Phoenix light rail system seems to get particular praise as a "success" from light rail supporters, here are the Phoenix light rail numbers;

User fares paid per passenger-mile: $0.07

Total cost per passenger-mile: $3.89

Taxpayer subsidy per passenger-mile: $3.82

Nationwide, non-users of light rail pay for 92% of its costs. In Phoenix, non-users pay for 98% of the costs. Taking the Phoenix system as an example, resources are drained from literally millions of people so that 17,000 or so people can ride it round trip each day. Using resources from millions of people, and building up debts that will last into the next generation, to support the transit of just a few people, seems to be the antithesis of sustainability.

In 2012 about 3.2 trillion passenger miles driven by urban drivers in cars in the US. My point about light rail is that we can barely afford it for just a few people, given that we spent $1.3 billion to build a rail line for about 17,000 daily round trip riders in Phoenix. If it were truly a sustainable technology, it could be applied to all commuters. But at a national average taxpayer subsidy per light rail passenger mile of about $2, this means that to roll light rail out to everyone would cost $6.4 trillion a year, almost half our annual GDP. If it required the subsidy rates we have in Phoenix per passenger-mile, such a system would cost over $12 trillion year. In fact, the numbers would likely be even higher in reality, because light rail in most cities is almost certainly built on the highest populated corridors with the most bang for the buck (though some of the diminishing returns would be offset by network effects).

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/federal_subsidies_to_passenger_transportation/pdf/entire.pdf

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Subsidies to Passenger

Transportation, December 2004