Who paid the capital costs of the Q line?

[masterblaster]

We're better off with the Q Line existing than if it didn't. It's a modern system that can be expanded if we can ever build up the courage to do so. Something you can't say about the PM anymore, or any US built elevated rail system for that matter.

The QLine is a failure. It is what bitter suburbanites like Rocket point to and say, 'See public transit doesn't work here, it is a money pit, and a waste of taxpayer dollars'

An increase in population downtown and midtown will mean an increase in car traffic, which will make the line even more useless because it is not separated from car traffic and does not have traffic signal priority.

An elevated and automated 20-mile rail line was just completed in Honolulu. Also, elevated systems can be added upon - Vancouver has done it 2 times to its peoplemover.

After all the years of lies, where we were told it was viable [[even though we all knew it was folly, and totally unworkable), the are essentially admitting what we all knew. That light rail is a colossal waste of money. And that even with fares being free, is still gets little use.

The QLine is not a light rail line. It is a streetcar line. It is not rapid transit. It is not a serious attempt at rapid transit.

In addition, the QLline trains are not light rail cars. Light rail cars have higher speed capacities, are longer in length, and can be connected to each other to increase capacity of a train set. The QLine cars cannot be connected.

Lastly, light rail lines typically have stops every 1/2 mile to a mile. The QLine stops every few blocks, thus slowing it down. It is not rapid transit.

https://www.vox.com/2018/7/13/175701...transportation

[K-slice]

The QLine is a failure. It is what bitter suburbanites like Rocket point to and say, 'See public transit doesn't work here, it is a money pit, and a waste of taxpayer dollars'

An increase in population downtown and midtown will mean an increase in car traffic, which will make the line even more useless because it is not separated from car traffic and does not have traffic signal priority.

An elevated and automated 20-mile rail line was just completed in Honolulu. Also, elevated systems can be added upon - Vancouver has done it 2 times to its peoplemover.

So the solution is... Make it not a failure! I'd argue that the management of the Q line has already done a good job of making the current route a success. Dedicated lanes in spots and other improvements have made riding it post-covid an efficient experience.

If needed close off more lanes for strictly transit vehicles, easy. Give it signal priority, the technology to do so is readily available, easy.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm proving that all the reasons listed for it being a "failure" [[besides the short track length) are all easily remedied with simple, known, solutions. Then extend the run up to Royal Oak with less frequent stops in more dedicated median lanes and boom, you have one leg of a highly efficient streetcar system.

We received the starter pack free of charge, so why not keep building off that?