Mass Transit
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?Siemens selected for OC Streetcar
The OC Streetcar project is estimated to cost $299 million, with funding coming from Measure M, Orange County?s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, and a mix of state and federal funding. OCTA has been working closely throughout planning and design with the Federal Transit Administration, which is considering a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to pay for about half of the project?s cost. Of that, $50 million was included in the President?s 2017 budget.
Because OCTA met all federal guidelines during project development, FTA officials gave OCTA written pre-award authority to move forward with the vehicle purchase. On March 23, Congress funded about $2.6 billion toward Capital Improvement Grants funding, which OCTA said ?is a promising signal for the OC Streetcar project to receive the FFGA.
The OC Streetcar will operate from the busy Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, along Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the former Pacific Electric right-of-way, to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. The route will serve Santa Ana?s central business district, which includes county and local government offices and courthouses in the Civic Center. It will also connect with many OCTA bus routes and Metrolink regional/commuter rail. It is expected to carry more than 7,300 passengers per day within its first year of operation, projected as 2020.?
https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/light-rail/siemens-selected-oc-streetcar/
The OC Streetcar project is estimated to cost $299 million, with funding coming from Measure M, Orange County?s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, and a mix of state and federal funding. OCTA has been working closely throughout planning and design with the Federal Transit Administration, which is considering a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to pay for about half of the project?s cost. Of that, $50 million was included in the President?s 2017 budget.
Because OCTA met all federal guidelines during project development, FTA officials gave OCTA written pre-award authority to move forward with the vehicle purchase. On March 23, Congress funded about $2.6 billion toward Capital Improvement Grants funding, which OCTA said ?is a promising signal for the OC Streetcar project to receive the FFGA.
The OC Streetcar will operate from the busy Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, along Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the former Pacific Electric right-of-way, to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. The route will serve Santa Ana?s central business district, which includes county and local government offices and courthouses in the Civic Center. It will also connect with many OCTA bus routes and Metrolink regional/commuter rail. It is expected to carry more than 7,300 passengers per day within its first year of operation, projected as 2020.?
https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/light-rail/siemens-selected-oc-streetcar/
daedalus said:
for simplicity let's assume 7,300 passengers per day for 365 days per year. that's 2,664,500 passengers per year. according to OCTA the streetcar fares will be similar to OCTA bus fares, which is $2.00 per ride. $5,329,000 in gross revenue per year means 56 years to pay back just the initial capital outlay of $299M without considering operational costs, maintenance, etc.
these buses might last 15 years if they're lucky.
sounds like a horrible use of public funds.
misslavender
New member
During a family car ride back home from an early Father?s Day dinner, my dad started lamenting about how SoCal traffic is getting much worse in the recent years. He?s so upset that infrastructures not a big focus, forcing everyone to drive their cars which obviously creates traffic, rather than having a good mass public transportation service in place. The 10 West is a complete nightmare on weekends, and to be avoided if possible. That?s just one recent example, I?m sure there are many others. He works in civil engineering building bridges, freeways, metros, and rails. Whenever they try to get a rail built, and it goes thru a county, there are so many impediments to getting that project approved and lifted off the ground.
First of all, a house that would need to be bought by the govt that?s currently valued let?s say at $300k, the owner will refuse to sell unless the govt pays $3 mil. And then many other houses impacted of course will ask the same sky high price. And if that rail goes thru a county, the county will ask for the project to build them 6 free bridges since it?s passing through their vicinity. With all these people asking for so much, it?s impossible to get anything approved. There?s just no way with how things work right now to get any efficient mass transportation service done. He?s just so disappointed in our system, and that we?re all suffering driving for example 30 mi in standstill traffic to work every morning. Let?s be real, the mass transit in place right now sucks and is not a very feasible option for majority of people.
I think coming up with mass transit that is priced competitively for people to conveniently give up their cars is highly possible, it?s just impossible to get these projects approved. Especially if it goes thru many counties where everyone?s asking for a piece of the pie.
First of all, a house that would need to be bought by the govt that?s currently valued let?s say at $300k, the owner will refuse to sell unless the govt pays $3 mil. And then many other houses impacted of course will ask the same sky high price. And if that rail goes thru a county, the county will ask for the project to build them 6 free bridges since it?s passing through their vicinity. With all these people asking for so much, it?s impossible to get anything approved. There?s just no way with how things work right now to get any efficient mass transportation service done. He?s just so disappointed in our system, and that we?re all suffering driving for example 30 mi in standstill traffic to work every morning. Let?s be real, the mass transit in place right now sucks and is not a very feasible option for majority of people.
I think coming up with mass transit that is priced competitively for people to conveniently give up their cars is highly possible, it?s just impossible to get these projects approved. Especially if it goes thru many counties where everyone?s asking for a piece of the pie.
OCAgentGold
New member
Its doesnt even work in the Bay Area. It helps up there because liberals are so willing to be martyrs ( so long as you notice ) but that bay bridge is backed up most of the day because the people who work in the city rarely can afford to live in the city. This the west, the wild west, people are independent, we cant just ride a train into an office and weld small wires together all day and ride the train home like commie Jerry Brown would like. A good start would be protected motorcycle only lanes. A lot more people would ride motorcycles if they didn't have to contend with cars. Take it from one who was hit by a car on the freeway.
Bringing back old thread. The last post was in 2018.
The only OC mass transit: Santa Ana street car scheduled to open in 2023. It is only four miles. (hmm) But the potential rumor they might extend it to the airport or Anaheim.
The Mass Transit article noted: More than a decade ago, Orange County transportation officials shelved plans for a larger, billion- dollar light- rail system that would have connected several cities with John Wayne Airport.
Plans for the CenterLine project ? originally a 28- mile track that would run between Fullerton and Irvine ? were first drafted in the 1990s, but the light- rail system that was touted as a symbol of Orange County 's urban maturity became so contentious that it was scaled down before ultimately being scrapped.
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail...-orange-county-is-finally-getting-a-streetcar
My comment: Just imagine if the CenterLine project went through. It would of connected to Fullerton to Irvine.
The only OC mass transit: Santa Ana street car scheduled to open in 2023. It is only four miles. (hmm) But the potential rumor they might extend it to the airport or Anaheim.
The Mass Transit article noted: More than a decade ago, Orange County transportation officials shelved plans for a larger, billion- dollar light- rail system that would have connected several cities with John Wayne Airport.
Plans for the CenterLine project ? originally a 28- mile track that would run between Fullerton and Irvine ? were first drafted in the 1990s, but the light- rail system that was touted as a symbol of Orange County 's urban maturity became so contentious that it was scaled down before ultimately being scrapped.
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail...-orange-county-is-finally-getting-a-streetcar
My comment: Just imagine if the CenterLine project went through. It would of connected to Fullerton to Irvine.