Seattle's 'Rail Madness'?

A WSJ columnist blasts Seattle for its misallocation of public money to poorly devised rail projects at the expense of ‘real’ transit projects that improve mobility.

1 minute read

December 26, 2005, 7:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"...[N]owhere is the misallocation of public money more evident than in public transportation, where Rail Madness eats billions that could otherwise be devoted to truly efficient transportation technologies.

Consider Seattle's version of Boston's Big Dig: The city's downtown bus tunnel is closed -- two years ahead of schedule -- for rail retrofit. Sound Transit, a regional agency, is obsessed with building a cost-ineffective light-rail system. It is preparing to bore twin tunnels five miles further northward, which will require moving between 121,000 and 167,000 dump-truck loads of dirt. Never mind that voters have not yet approved funds or a plan for a rail system going that far or beyond."

[Editor's note: This article is available to non-subscribers for a period of 7 days.]

Thanks to PreservingtheAmericanDream listserv

FULL STORY: You Can't Hear Those Rails A-Hummin'

Saturday, December 24, 2005 in The Wall Street Journal

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