Jumpstarting the Transit Space Race 2011 Interactive Map

Metropolitan New York includes New Jersey and parts of Connecticut. Most of the MTA planned and under construction projects are mega projects, dwarfing whole system expansion plans in other cities. The Second Avenue Subway and Seven Line extension are subway projects undertaken by the MTA while other lower profile projects taken on by the city include a number of bus rapid transit projects that will improve times on highly traveled routes. Expansion projects will also be costly and be a major undertaking. New Jersey transit projects aren’t as huge after the Access to the Regions Core (ARC) project was sacked by Governor Christie. There have been rumblings recently about a 7 Line extension to New Jersey to replace the ARC project as well as the Amtrak Gateway project. They are projects to follow. Many of the other regional are short extensions of the existing Hudson Bergen light rail line or commuter routes from the suburbs. New York City itself is helping the MTA expand BRT lines within some of the city’s busiest corridors without subway service.

In 2008, Los Angeles County passed a half-cent sales tax that would raise up to billion in revenue for transportation projects. A number of transit projects were on the list including light rail, bus rapid transit and subway expansions. The mayor’s centerpiece was the “Subway to the Sea” and in order to get all of these projects done faster, the region is asking the federal government to give them loans so construction can begin sooner and project inflation could be minimized. This program is named 30/10. The congressional delegation is continuing to pursue this option and some projects are starting earlier than anticipated due to early loans from the federal government. Outside of Los Angeles County, bus rapid transit expansions are planned around the metropolitan region including Orange and San Bernadino counties. While it is unknown whether these will eventually be just rapid bus lines without dedicated lanes, these networks will expand on an already existing rapid bus network that has served Los Angeles quite well.

Chicago’s major expansion plans revolve around existing heavy rail (subway) extensions but regional commuter rail links and BRT pilot projects are also on the books as planned lines. As with other cities with older legacy systems around the country, they have a large maintenance backlog and need to fix what they have. However, there are also ambitious expansion plans and ideas including a circle line that would connect the radial subway lines further west of the city’s core. Metra, the agency that manages the suburban commuter rail network, also has several expansions in early engineering stages.

The Washington, DC, combined statistical area includes the two major cities of Washington and Baltimore. In the confines of the DC region, the first phase of the Silver Line is under construction but the second phase to Dulles Airport remains uncertain. Plans exist for extensions to existing Metro lines and a regional bus rapid transit network as well. The Washington is also planning a citywide streetcar network that will be built in segments. Two segments are currently under construction but funding for the rest of the network is likely to be a major challenge. In the DC suburbs, there are plans for new light rail connections in both Maryland (Purple Line) and Northern Virginia (streetcar, light rail). With the re-election of Governor O’Malley in Maryland, projects that were in doubt are likely to continue forward. In Baltimore, the Red Line continues planning and the region continues to try and fill out its 2002 Regional Rail Plan. It is also considering building a downtown streetcar.

Boston has ambitious plans to expand its transit network, including a ring line similar to Chicago’s and expansions of existing light rail and commuter rail lines. Boston’s major issue, however, is finding funding because the state and transit agency face massive funding shortfalls on an annual basis. The MBTA has about billion in debt due to the Big Dig, which has led to parking and fare increases that have been criticized because they outpace inflation. The Boston region also includes Providence, which is looking to build a city streetcar network to connect major destinations.

The San Francisco Bay Area also has a number of major projects including an extension of BART to San Jose and a subway under San Francisco. However, there are many other smaller regional projects including BRT lines and commuter rail that are seeking funding as well. The major problem is getting environmental clearances. Some BRT projects have been on the books a long time and must go through extensive public review processes that seem to make Bay Area transit planning slower than anywhere else in the country. Service cuts are likely a bigger issue than capital expansion. With three different major regional centers and more than two dozen transit agencies much of the planning is Balkanized and minimally coordinated.

The DFW region has been embarking on transit expansion since 1996 and has one of the most extensive new light rail networks in the country. With the recent opening of the Green Line in Dallas, the future looks promising. Last fall, though, they had to make some serious choices about long-term expansion and future lines because of capital funding issues. Certain lines that were expected to be in the 30-year plan, such as a downtown subway connection, were pushed back and, unless new sources of revenue are found, are likely to be slow in coming. Additionally, Fort Worth just rejected a million grant from the FTA for a downtown streetcar that was to spur a network of lines connecting major hot spots in the city. The T transit agency in Fort Worth is moving forward with commuter rail, and Dallas area state legislators have been looking for ways to increase the sales tax cap for cities that might want to spend more money on transportation improvements. However, the Legislature has not been receptive. Long-term plans also exist for a regional commuter rail network in which some of the lines have already begun the planning process.

The Pennsylvania and New Jersey region with its center on the city of Philadelphia has big plans for expansion but state funding woes have limited these plans. Plans by former Governor Rendell to toll Interstate 80 and give some of the funds to transit were rejected by the federal government. On the books and planned are major subway expansions and commuter rail extensions and expansion in the suburbs of both states. Many of the lines that have undergone engineering and planning are sitting in the queue waiting for capital funding. Like many other regions and transit agencies, SEPTA has been hit with service cuts.

The Houston area has one of the most ambitious transit expansion plans for core city mobility in the country. After the construction of the wildly successful Main Street Light Rail Line, the local transit agency backed by an existing 1-cent sales tax has a planned a network including five more lines and a number of commuter rail lines to connect with the suburbs. The agency however has come under fire recently for contracts with foreign rail car manufacturers and a poor relationship with the FTA. But a new mayor has started cleaning house and new management has given the agency a better face. Three new lines are under construction now, while two more are waiting for FTA funding issues to be resolved. The Greater Houston- Galveston region has an ambitious plan for a commuter rail network, but the first line in the plan has been recently stalled due to a “depressed economy and a budget-cutting political climate.”

One of the more exciting transit and development proposals around the country has been the Beltline Project, a loop linking together the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. The idea was dreamt up by a graduate student at Georgia Tech and has since morphed into a regional project. Additionally a major undertaking called Concept 3 is in the works and is a result of a recognition that transit governance institutional issues exist in delivering service across county boundaries. Concept 3 was developed to provide the 18-county region’s leadership with a transit vision that encompasses the Atlanta region as a whole. However, the state has been a major roadblock in terms of funding, and MARTA has had operating cost issues with the downturn. Atlanta did, however, win a major TIGER II grant to start construction on its downtown streetcar network, although this comes at the expense of the Beltline and other transit projects.

The Miami region has massive transit plans on the books and even passed a sales tax to build new corridors for their metro rail line but recently have had to slow or stop all transit development because of dwindling revenues. The FTA recently took the North Corridor out of consideration for federal funding because of this issue specifically. While there are major plans in Miami, the transit agency currently has issues with credibility in filling them out. Some in the region are pinning their hopes on the South Florida East Coast Corridor (FEC), a rail line that will connect Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties with a cross between a commuter and an urban rail corridor. It is envisioned as one of the most competitive projects on the table in the Miami region currently. In the meantime, the Ft. Lauderdale downtown streetcar project, the “Wave,” is moving along through the Small Starts process. Though the plan was not originally in the Strategic Plan for transit in the region, the Ft. Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority and related businesses and organizations have created a sense of momentum backing the project, and the Ft. Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority has also put most of the necessary funding in place.

While the city is slowly ramping up efforts to build a rapid transit line on Woodward with the help of local foundations, this is just one part of a regional radial rapid transit plan with lines emanating from the central city. Detroit has been the focus of intense study due to its 20th century shrinking and funding issues abound. However, focus on the Woodward corridor and transit lines to Ann Arbor and beyond could prove a spark to make Detroit into a redevelopment success. Ann Arbor itself, part of the Detroit region, is also looking into a downtown transit line that could be light rail or streetcar.

With the ridership success of their starter line, Phoenix has continued to plan its rapid transit network. However, without increased funding the expansion will be slow and the lines that are planned to radiate from the central city will be brought online in full around 2030. In 2009, planning for several lines was delayed due to funding issues because of the regions want to avoid a costly long federal process. Additionally, commuter rail lines are planned between Phoenix and Tucson.

The Seattle region has been thinking about building rapid transit lines for years but had been through a number of fits and starts before they opened their first streetcar line in 2007 and first light rail line in 2009. In 2008, voters approved a tax increase for funding network extensions, and a new mayor has hinted at even more possible voter initiatives in the near future. A downtown streetcar network is also being proposed, which would connect all of the major destinations close to downtown. Additionally, major improvements to bus lines are in store and a major waterfront project could change the face to the city. However, King County is struggling with funding operations, and Sound Transit has had to cut some service, but it does not seem as severe as other places around the country.

The Twin Cities has embraced fixed-guideway transit expansion and is now working on their third new line, the Central Corridor, between Minneapolis and St. Paul. A few years ago the Legislature overrode a veto by the governor that allowed counties to raise money for fixedguideway projects and many have increased their funding. The Met Council also recently updated its long-range transportation plan with an extensive network of transitways emanating to almost all reaches of the region. Other commuter, light rail, and bus rapid transit lines are in the works and supported regionally due to the success of the Hiawatha Light Rail Line. However, with Rep. Oberstar out of office there might be some issues with federal funding. Still, regional planners are likely to continue moving forward with the processes to get lines built, especially on the Bottineau Boulevard and the Southwest Corridors. Additionally, a center city streetcar network just got funding for planning from the federal government, signaling that streetcars might not be far off in downtown Minneapolis.

San Diego constructed its first light rail line in 1981 and has been expanding slowly ever since. Currently, the region is looking at ways to expand its system and include bus rapid transit along some of its major inner-city corridors. A new long-range plan coming in the next few years will give an even greater horizon and a lot of new projects to consider from now to 2050. The Mid-Coast Corridor is the only light rail project currently in an advanced stage of planning in the region, with two possible BRT corridors to follow. The 2050 plan that was recently released also hinted at a possible Los Angeles 30/10 style funding mechanism, but for 50/10. This would mean an upfront loan to complete the 50 years of projects in 10 years and pay that back over time with an additional sales tax.

St. Louis has a strong advocacy community and the region has benefitted by building more fixed-guideway transit than many other similar regions in the Midwest. Facing budget cuts in 2009, a majority of voters in the region approved an increase in sales tax to pay for operations and to fund some of the planned expansion that had been part of a long-range system plan, Moving Transit Forward, which was updated in 2010. However, it is believed that this funding will not be enough to fund major capital projects expanding light rail over a short period of time. It’s likely that this region will go line by line as the money becomes available but service will continue on the transit network and will be hit less than other regions which haven’t raised more money since the downturn.

Facing a shrinking region Cleveland has made a lot of progress recently, completing a dedicated lane bus rapid transit line on Euclid Avenue. One extension of the existing heavy rail system is in Alternatives Analysis, but the others in the long range plan have stalled and may not be picked back up for many years. There is a movement to extend the BRT “Health Line” into the Euclid community and East Cleveland, but that project is still in the preliminary planning stages. There are plans on the books for a regional commuter rail network and extensions to existing light rail lines that would connect major employment centers, however funding is short and the region must decide what its priorities are for investment. If the Euclid corridor is any indication, it is still possible to make smart investments in shrinking cities, however budget issues must be taken into account.

The Orlando Region as of now does not have any fixed-guideway transit but it does have the most powerful member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on its side pushing for the first segment of the Sunrail commuter line to be constructed. Currently, light rail and bus rapid transit corridors are under study and with the construction of the Sun Rail commuter line it is expected that these will jump up in the planning queue as soon as it is under way.

The Tampa region rejected a sales tax measure for transit expansion in the 2010 general election. However, one of the opponents and major players in the region has begun discussions on how to build a line to the airport with existing funding sources without raising taxes. It has been proposed that this be a demonstration line, which might be of interest to outside funders. Two lines are in the planning books here, with many other corridors under consideration in the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) master plan adopted in May of 2009. Additionally, regional transportation agencies such as TBARTA cover a larger area than transit agencies and control planning and coordination for all investments.

Pittsburgh has put together an impressive network of dedicated lane bus rapid transit networks and light rail. Currently the region is building a connection that is missing from the North Side of the river to the central business district. Additionally, there are plans in the works to connect Oakland and Pittsburgh downtowns, two of the largest employment centers in the region only a short distance apart but unconnected by fixed-guideway transit. Connections between the two would greatly benefit the region. Pittsburgh received a Tiger II planning grant to look at one portion of a proposed commuter rail corridor that would connect downtown Pittsburgh to Arnold and New Kensington along the Allegheny River as well.

The funding for Sacramento Regional Transit has traditionally been a rollercoaster waiting for the state government to fund the system each year. However, with budget issues each year this arrangement has been costly for service and expansion. The FTA is waiting for this to clear up before it funds the South Corridor extension. This hasn’t deterred the transit agency from planning or even deciding to construct extensions to the current system. The downtown to Natomas line is now going to be built in segments, with the first segment through the Sacramento Railyards redevelopment project opening soon. Additional extensions will be paid for as they go and a sales tax vote has been long discussed and looms on the horizon to serve as a better funding source than state appropriations.

The Charlotte region has been very ambitious in the last decade and has a massive planned system to be completed by 2030 however funding has dwindled with the economic downturn. Discussions now revolve around how to build corridors incrementally so that they can keep up the progress of building lines. Commuter rail and light rail corridors on the North Side are likely to be cut down to more manageable sizes while a small segment of streetcar is being constructed as the first part of a major crosstown connection. The political will for the city which has closer ties to the county than most regions will continue as long as the lines they open are successful. The South Corridor success in ridership and redevelopment has given them hope that further expansion will continue shaping their city in a different way than other southern cities and will attract talent. Already commentators in Tampa and Atlanta are decrying how far behind Charlotte they have become in infrastructure investment of this type.

Expansion continues relatively unabated and the system that was planned in the 1970s as LUTRAQ is almost built out. A new high capacity transit plan has been completed for the next 30 years and planning begins on the new pieces of the system soon. In addition to the regional light rail network, the streetcar network planned and envisioned by the city is a brand new way of thinking about redevelopment and transportation synergy in cities. Portland is not perfect as everyone might think. Funding issues still continue and neighborhoods still protect their views and way of life from large projects. Portland has also been the most successful at getting federal funding to complete their goals. With a new congress and a new transportation bill it is still yet to be seen how transit and regional transportation funding will be handled. The region is also figuring out how to build a new river crossing between Portland and Vancouver. This crossing would include light rail and a new auto bridge however the debate over whether the bridge should be built is ongoing.

The City of Cincinnati and the greater Ohio-Kentucky region are becoming very focused on urbanism and transit issues. Grants and funding have been assembled for the first segment of a downtown streetcar that is expected to bring redevelopment and vibrancy to the downtown area. While opponents are still trying to knock the project off, it looks pretty close to a done deal with funding assembled and the city council on board. Future plans for bus rapid transit regionally to compliment the downtown streetcar are in the works. However, after a light rail election loss in 2002 the voters still seem a bit skeptical. Even with the loss, the long range plans call for maintaining rights of way for future rail lines around the city as well.

In 2008, the region completed SmartMoves, a strategic plan for building the transit network in Kansas City which identified a mix of urban and commuter corridors that could make up the transit network for the region in the future. The Troost MAX BRT line began operating in early January 2011, and though operating dollars for future expansions are scarce, the region is moving ahead with planning. Five of the lines identified in the SmartMoves plan are currently in the Engineering or Alternatives Analysis stages, including a downtown Kansas City Streetcar that would link up with the planned commuter rail lines.

A major light rail election was lost here in 2000 by a large margin and the conversation has not come up much since. But recently the local transit agency hired Keith Parker from Charlotte and begun looking at ways to expand their rapid transit network. A downtown streetcar line is in planning and high density corridors in the city are being studied for bus rapid transit. Unlike other cities in the state, the transit agency only has access to a half cent sales tax instead of a cent. While an election isn’t imminent, it’s possible that the agency and region could ask for the other half from voters while trying to build a rapid transit network.

Indianapolis’ business community has recently come up with a plan called Indy Connect, to expand transit and build commuter rail and bus rapid transit lines within the city. However funding will be needed to build such a plan and while an some locals want a sales tax election, state legislators have said that they would not give them the authority to hold such an election to ask voters for funding. This puts the plan on hold but also gives regional leaders time to build up more political capital and form a plan for getting a sales tax or other funding measure passed. A downtown streetcar has also been proposed by a nonprofit organization.

The Columbus region was moving towards building a light rail or bus rapid transit line on their major north south corridor. However, the cost effectiveness ratings was too low to receive New Starts funding, so planning for transit expansion had to start over. Since that time, streetcar plans connecting downtown and Ohio State University were developed but have since stalled, and officials have mentioned that plans are now off the table. Innovating financing techniques such as event ticket taxes were heralded as possible ways to pay for the system but as of now it is on hold. In late 2010, the transit agency (COTA) announced it was now considering a bus rapid transit network modeled after Cleveland. Recently, FTA awarded the region a grant to perform an Alternatives Analysis on one corridor.

The Las Vegas region has made a concerted effort to push less expensive transit options or have private operators develop transit alternatives. For example, the Las Vegas Monorail is a completely private operation. The operator declared bankruptcy in 2010, however, which put a planned expansion to the airport on hold. The transit agency (RTC) is planning several true bus rapid transit corridors and received a TIGER award from the DOT in February 2010 to begin construction of the Sahara Express BRT line. Two other BRT lines are moving forward to construction as well.

The Milwaukee region got a huge boost when Mayor Tom Barrett devised a plan to appropriate funding the FTA had given the region in the 1990s. Today, the 91.5 million is being divided between building a city streetcar and expanding commuter bus options in the region. However even with that win, transit has a tough road ahead. The current Governor turned down over 0 million in funding for passenger rail upgrades between Milwaukee and Madison and the State has also been reluctant to approve funding for a commuter line that would connect Milwaukee with Chicago via Kenosha. Given the governor’s focus on road construction, an unsupportive county and hostile politics towards transit in the state, the region needs a few wins to move forward.

Austin recently opened its first commuter rail line and its working on rapid bus corridors in the region. A rail line for the central city is also planned but an election required to build it has been pushed back a year. Further expansion to the existing lines is planned but funding has not been programmed and development could be slow. Engineering on the center city rail line is moving forward and is likely to gain more momentum going into the bond election.

The Front Range has probably been the most successful transit expansion project outside of the Dallas region. The plan to build 70 miles in 7 years is under way and future plans for expansion are already starting to bubble through. Funding is in place for most of the expansion with a half cent sales tax passed in 2006 and fluctuating fuel surcharges for operating costs have kept the agency afloat while other agencies suffer from the economic downturn.

The Triangle region was turned down by the FTA to fund a commuter line to connect the two regions. Given the polycentricity of the region, it’s probably harder to serve with fixed-guideway transit than others around the country but a plan has been circulating on how to build out such a system. An election is expected soon to give the Triangle a similar taxing authority to Charlotte and develop a regional transit network. However Wake County is wavering and indicates it might not participate.

The Norfolk region was flying high until recently when a book keeping scandal necessitated a pause in the extension an under construction light rail line from Norfolk to Virginia Beach. The right of way had been purchased but misrepresentation to FTA about costs might set the region back on its ambitious rapid transit plans. A new long range plan with a number of corridors and costs is expected in the coming months and will open up a discussion about funding.

Nashville opened up its first commuter rail line to little fanfare and limited ridership. While it was done inexpensively, the line has come under fire for underperforming and operating on a limited schedule. However, the region is doing planning for a number of corridors radiating out from the central city and is doing multi-modal studies on them to see if transit is feasible. In December 2010, the FTA awarded Nashville a grant to perform an Alternatives Analysis on one corridor. Additionally, given the findings of a study by CEOs for Cities, Nashville is at the head of a conversation about how and why people spend more time in traffic and on the road than they should due to regional development patterns.

The Greensboro region in North Carolina consists of both Greensboro and Winston Salem. Both downtowns are looking at central city circulators and commuter rail that would connect them to the Triangle region. While many of the other regions around the country have a more defined center, this area consists of many smaller centers which makes transit more difficult to pursue.

Recently the Louisville MPO took all of their transit lines out of the long range plan because there was limited funding to move forward. The local transit authority has maintained the transit lines in their long range plans, but with very limited funding, the region is focusing on a new bridge connection to downtown Louisville and increasing frequency on the most popular bus lines to 15 minute headways in the hopes that one day down the line these corridors might be upgraded to BRT.

The Jacksonville region to date has experienced fixed-guideway transit in the downtown. The people mover circulates workers in the central city from the edges where parking lots mostly dominate. However recent discussions have shifted to promoting bus rapid transit networks and commuter rail. Seeing this as a lower cost approach, the region expects to start planning for a network.

Thanks to the passage of a local ballot initiative in May of 2011, The Rapid is on track to build the first Bus Rapid Transit project (called the Silver Line) in the state of Michigan. Pending a project construction grant agreement from the FTA (expected in early 2012), the Silver Line is expected to start operating in 2014. The Silver Line will connect southwestern Kent County with the “Medical Mile” in downtown Grand Rapids. The Rapid has also conducted a feasibility study for a proposed downtown Grand Rapids streetcar line. The study will be revisited in the summer of 2012.

The Central Connecticut region has been struggling with building the Hartford New Britain Busway for a while. The project has undergone serious cost increases and has been sitting on the Final Design level at the federal transit administration for a while. There are several other BRT corridors in preliminary planning stages, but the ridership estimates were not encouraging and planners are waiting to see if the performance of the Hartford New Britain line will make the case for future transit investments in the region.

Memphis has a downtown streetcar circulation system but in the last decade has been looking to expand. Their first expansion went to a major medical center that moved right after the line was completed and another line to the airport has been in planning for a while but was just dropped because of funding issues. The funding issues revolve around the main fact that the city doesn’t have a dedicated revenue source for transit operations. And while they have a fairly smart program called centers and corridors, it is fairly safe to say that it will be a while before Memphis is ready for more expansion.

This region is the surprise region of 2010. Their plans for downtown and reconnecting with the waterfront are fascinating. A sales tax measure that was first passed in 1993 was renewed by voters in 2009 to include 0 million for a downtown streetcar. The City believes they can build the first phase of the line without federal funding if necessary, but do plan to seek assistance to extend the line up to 15 miles as they acquire more funding. The state legislature approved the creation of transportation authorities that have the ability to tax and find other revenue sources for the system. Recent musings by council members to redirect the money have opened up the debate again so it will be interesting to see what happens.

This region in South Carolina has corridors in planning but does not have a concrete regional transit plan.

Richmond is the birthplace of the electric streetcar and is currently looking into a number of different corridors including Broad Street. This line is most likely to be a bus rapid transit line but other corridors around the region could be light rail or commuter rail.

After Katrina, New Orleans has been rebuilding and thinking about transit expansion. Current plans call for expanding the streetcar network along three major corridors, connecting downtown to some of the closer neighborhoods. The Loyola/UPT line received a federal TIGER grant that will pay for the construction of the line, while the other two hope to obtain federal funding.

The Birmingham region is looking at bus rapid transit lines in major radial corridors and a circulator with a dedicated lane downtown. Previous plans to build a streetcar have stopped and the bus corridors are being planned in concert with freeway upgrades. It’s possible that these could be express buses instead of dedicated transitways but planning will continue. There have been rumblings recently by the mayor about asking the state to help fund light rail and bus projects.

While Buffalo has a number of plans on the books, local sources say that none of them are close to moving into the next stage of planning. Each of the corridors would be helpful in increasing the range of Buffalo’s existing light rail line, however extensions are dependent on funding which the region, like many others, is in search of for projects.

Albany is planning a small bus rapid transit line but has not indicated further development of a rapid transit program.

The city of Rochester is looking into developing a center city circulator but it is in the early stages of development. Regional plans suggest that further expansion is not on the books.

The Dayton region is home to one of the few trolleybus systems in the country. Electric buses that run on wires traverse this area that prides itself on its unique clean transportation options. Plans exist to use existing infrastructure of the overhead wires combined with streetcar tracks to build a streetcar network that would connect major destinations downtown. Operational funding is keeping this from moving forward.

The Fresno region in the central valley of California is known for its agriculture and over the last few decades has grown exponentially. As the region has grown farmland has been reduced by housing and other construction. Additionally air quality is often poor. Fresno is looking at building a downtown streetcar and several bus rapid transit lines. The City of Fresno is currently conducting a Public Transportation Infrastructure Study to examine the feasibility of these projects and identify possible funding sources.

The region completed a Regional Transportation Alternatives Plan in the early 2000s that identified a new BRT line in Sevier County as a transit investment priority for the region. The plan also identified a desire for several intercity lines that would connect Knoxville to Nashville, Atlanta and Bristol. However, these plans have not been taken off the shelf since the initial report was published.

A vote in 2006 approved funding for transportation plans around the region including a downtown streetcar circulator that would connect a major redevelopment project to downtown and the University of Arizona. Once completed, the network based on this initial line will act as expansions. While there are many that question the necessity for a streetcar, there is much support as well. The greatest support came from the federal government who gave Tucson a number of grants to complete the work. However it’s possible that the amount of support received for the first corridor will be hard to come by in the future. Plans for future expansions are robust, but they require more spending.

The city recently adopted a Downtown Master Plan that calls for a new streetcar line and a commuter rail spur that will eventually out into the suburbs. This plan does not identify costs or funding sources, however. The transit agency (Tulsa Transit) and MPO (INCOG) have also looked at several major corridors for either bus rapid transit or commuter rail but nothing has moved beyond the preliminary feasibility study stage.

Honolulu is moving forward with its first rapid transit project after a local tax was put in place to fund it. As one of the densest cities in the country, Honolulu is well suited for the improvements though until the final construction is done, opposition in the state will try to stop the train. The rapid transit project is the first core segment for a future system that will connect redevelopment areas with downtown Honolulu.

The region lays out a new transit network in their 2035 long range transportation plan, including a downtown streetcar, a commuter rail line and several BRT corridors. Though all of these projects are in the early planning stages, FTA recently awarded Omaha a 0,000 planning grant to begin the alternatives analysis for the streetcar, which would align with the “Omaha by Design” initiative to make the city a more sustainable place.

South of Tampa, this region is linked into the greater Tampa region as well. Planning for bus rapid transit lines has been taking place and the North South Corridor is in engineering and seeking small starts funding.

Harrisburg has been planning the CorridorONE project for many years and recently has had it renamed to the Red Rose Corriodor. The line would reach all the way to Philadelphia and be a main transportation corridor into western parts of Pennsylvania. While the Red Rose Corridor has funding in place for construction, concerns arise over operations. Five corridors are planned for the region but no money has been found for their construction at this time.

After a number of years promoting streetcars the region is going to move more towards regional light or commuter rail. This decision was made after pushback from the community over Mayor Dave’s streetcar plan and tensions between the county executive’s plans for a regional rail line and the streetcar plan clashed. Funding for the project is hoped to come from a new Regional Transit Agency and federal funding. The process is far along and prospects for a successful election are good, however anti-transit sentiment in the state is currently strong. A passenger line between Milwaukee and Madison was just cancelled.