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So says light-rail lightning rod Clay Chastain.
“We stand to lose $500 million to $800 million in possible federal money by going on the cheap with streetcars that don’t qualify for federal funding,” Chastain says. “That’s huge! That’s forcing the entire cost on local taxpayers.”
There is a new federal funding source for streetcars, but as the Portland, Ore., office of transportation found, the amount of federal money is limited to around $75 million. And the overall system cost is limited to about $225 million to $250 million. Portland, by the way, is considered one of the premier light-rail and streetcar cities in the country.
But streetcars are just too slow and too small to take the place of light rail, Chastain says.
“There are no streetcars that go over 45 mph, and they can’t use a ground-level power supply system that’s a beautifying and pioneering rail technology. They have to use the antiquated and unattractive overhead pole and wire power system,” Chastain says. “Can anyone imagine themselves putt-putting along in a streetcar to the airport?”
The cool-looking color illustration of an attractive streetcar on the cover of Sunday’s Star was impressive, Chastain concedes, but it was missing one thing: the uncool and unattractive overhead poles and wires needed to make the thing go.
“You’re not going to see overhead poles and wires on our light-rail system,” Chastain says. “Streetcars have a benefit to feed a light-rail system, but they are secondary to a light-rail system. And if we put streetcars in instead of light rail, we’ll be a secondary city. Portland (Ore.) has a very small streetcar system, but it also has over 50 miles of conventional light rail. Their streetcar system doesn’t take the place of light rail.”
Streetcar travel times might compare favorably to light rail on short runs, but, “they’re not designed for high speed,” Chastain says. “They’re designed for stop-and-go. The streetcar is not something you want to ride for any distance.”
Portland streetcar project manager Vicky Diede agrees with Chastain’s assessment of streetcars versus light rail.
“If you want to move large groups of people longer distances at higher speeds, light rail is the way you should go,” Diede says.
Chastain and his wife/attorney, Valerie, flew into KC last week at the request of civic leaders to discuss and consider possible refinements to his light-rail plan. By the way, there’s nothing new about Chastain agreeing to a starter line; he has said from the get go his plan could be built in stages, with the first being a starter.
Cocktail napkin alert
With the better part of two decades working on and now overseeing Portland’s streetcar system under her belt, Diede has had numerous dealings with Chastain. Her take on the man of Clay?
“I’ve always felt that Clay is pretty solid,” she says. “I mean, he does his homework, and he asks very good questions. I think he’s a pretty good guy. He’s also tenacious.”
Critics of Chastain’s voter-approved light-rail plan last year characterized it as having been conceived on the back of a cocktail napkin. Small world, Diede says.
“I have to tell you, that’s where our streetcar project started,” she says. “That’s where a lot of projects like this start.”
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