Tucson Modern Streetcar System Opens
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3427685567_Lzb7cs6-M.jpg)
Tucson joins the ranks of cities investing in a modern streetcar as a means of stimulating urban core revitalization and vibrancy. Despite being smaller than Jacksonville, Tucson's streetcar experience provides Jacksonville with a unique example of how to embrace rail in the urban core.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-aug-tucson-modern-streetcar-system-opens
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/how-your-citys-public-transit-stacks-up/
Hmm. Jax at 131. Tied with Roanoke, VA. On the bright side, we beat Nashville, Detroit, and Indianapolis!
Quote from: thelakelander on August 01, 2014, 03:08:21 PM
Hmm. Jax at 131. Tied with Roanoke, VA. On the bright side, we beat Nashville, Detroit, and Indianapolis!
Indianapolis just announced they are not going to supply the $300k commitment to the
Hoosier State private effort. They also wrote a transit funding law which forbids any "fixed apparatus" methods. Which is legalese outlawing light rail. So I would expect them to migrate down the charts fairly soon.
Per Trains:
Tucson's Sun Link streetcar beats ridership projections in first week of paid service
TUCSON, Ariz. – Officials are pleased with ridership results on Tucson's new Sun Link streetcar line, totaling more than 28,000 trips and an average of 3,900 daily riders during the first week of paid operation. Initial projections called for a daily ridership of 3,600. With University of Arizona students returning for classes in the coming weeks, ridership is expected to increase substantially.
Broken down by day, there were 3,500 riders on Monday. Ridership was nearly equal with 3,140 on Tuesday and 3,130 on Wednesday. Thursday saw 3,200 riders on the streetcar route. Weekend ridership picked up with 4,900 on Friday, 4,630 on Saturday, and 5,220 on Sunday.
"There is no 'break even' number," cautions city spokesman Mike Graham, "We are providing a public service. Fare box recovery doesn't cover 100 percent of the operating costs."
City officials are not counting solely on returning students to boost ridership figures in the coming months. Weekend events and workers commuting to downtown jobs are also expected to contribute to steady increases. Early projections estimated 4,200 daily riders by 2020. Sun Link's 3.9-mile route connects the Arizona Health Sciences Center with the University of Arizona and Tucson's downtown business district.