KC needs a subway system (St. Louis, Independence: tax, live, bus)

[skrizzle]

Or some form of heavy rail. Just got back from Europe... Took subway stations and light rail ...

I always wanted kc to have light rail... Now though I think kc is to spread out and light rail to slow. Subway lines would work better for how spread out kc is...

I know it will never happen, but I think it would be the better way to connect the metro. For now street cars downtown and hopefully eventually to the plaza sounds good.

[DarkWolf]

LOL , wut , Subways require High Density corridors. Most of Europe has the subways in the Urban areas only , unless you mean the Electrified commuter Rail? That requires high densities aswell , Diesel works for lower densities..

[skrizzle]

As I said it would never happen... I still like the idea though

[HometoGeorgia]

It might help grow your city a little bit if people had some alternatives, even if it was just minor improvements of the existing infrastructure. Because from what I've read on these forums and learned from my own research, public transport in KC is pathetic! A good example, the industrial area just north of downtown across the river, not a single bus that I was able to find seems to serve that area for workers, just other routes passing through. And if people can't get to work, your not gonna attract new residents, at least not from places like New York, Boston, or San Francisco, all places where car ownership is not as common.

So I can see the reasoning behind a metro area not having the required density, but a lot of U.S. cities, especially out west, didn't either. Instead, city planners looked ahead a couple of decades at what might be needed to attract investment, the build it and they will come approach.

Not sayin that would work here, just some thoughts I've had about the whole issue that I've kept ot myself until now.

[An Einnseanair]

A light rail system would be perfect for KC... if it had been started 20 years ago. Imagine hubs at Downtown and Union Station, with spurs to KCI, Olathe, Independence/Blue Springs, and Belton/Lees Summit. I've ridden light rail/subway in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. I would have DEFINITELY used a light rail system during the years I lived in KC.

Light rail is a "build it and they will come" type of thing. If you have a light rail system, the densities will develop naturally. People WANT to be near the hubs (businesses and residences).

Unfortunately, it will never happen because of general selfishness. The cities cannot afford to build an entire network at once, so they must start with just one leg. Where does that leg go, and who pays for it? A Bi-state tax payment system is a must, so everyone would have to agree. But Lee's Summit residents would vote down helping to pay to start with a Olathe-downtown leg; Olathe residents would vote down helping to pay for a proposed Lee's summit-Downtown leg. The best general-purpose proof-of-concept starting point would be an airport-downtown leg, but that's been tried and voted down too many times to count.

[PVPete]

Why is an elevated rail system not feasible? Just too expensive?

I think the central corridor is plenty dense enough to support rail, and a system would only add density.