By Stephen R. Mueller P. E. and Dennis Polhill P. E.
In Brief:
- RTD is pushing a major public relations campaign to build an expensive light rail transit (LRT) system in southwest Denver, and eventually the whole metro area.
- In nine US cities that constructed LRT projects, actual costs exceeded projections and ridership fell short of projections. Actual cost per rider exceeded projections by an average of 5.4 times.
- Contrary to RTD ‘s claim that LRT is the least expensive of several alternatives, LRT is about 1o times as expensive as building dedicated highway lanes for buses and carpools.
- The MAC demonstration project carried a promise to the people that LRT could be observed in operation for two years before a proposal for an enlarged system would be advanced. RTD has an obligation to honor this promise.
Entire Paper: Stop that Train: RTD’s Light Rail Boondoggle is on a Fast Track for Disaster (PDF)