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Monday, November 2, 2009

Trouble on the tracks
John J. Matheussen, CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority, addresses a public hearing last year. (Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer)

A plan to restore trolley service along east Market Street to link Center City with the Delaware River waterfront seems problematic on several fronts.

Beyond the danger of snarling downtown traffic, the surface line would duplicate service provided by buses and the Market-Frankford subway.
 

Another big-picture concern is that any plan to run trolleys up and over I-95 would saddle the waterfront for decades with the ugly, existing scissor ramps leading down to Columbus Boulevard.
 

Straddling I-95 with a new rail bridge might also deter city officials from pursuing a better solution for the highway: to bury or cover it. As long as I-95 stands as a barrier to Center City, it will complicate and possibly stymie efforts to create the thriving waterfront envisioned by Mayor Nutter and city planners.
 

There are other problems as well: The projected ridership is low. As such, the project fails to qualify for federal funding. At an estimated cost of $500 million, a big question is where will the money come from?
 

Delaware River Port Authority officials are banking on the city’s congressional delegation to “change” the funding formula in Washington in order to qualify for federal funds. That’s not a slam dunk.
 

For now, DRPA is moving forward with its plan, announced last week, to use Market Street as the Center City link to the waterfront. The next stage is a two-year process during which DRPA staff plan to do preliminary engineering and environmental studies.


In the first stage, trolleys would run along tracks in the middle of Columbus Boulevard from Pier 70 north to Girard Avenue, linking two casinos planned for the waterfront. It is hoped that the project will be more than a casino run.
 

Any trolley service should be part of the master plan for the waterfront that’s being developed by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. The design of the route into Center City should be coordinated with that planning effort. If that means delaying the rail line, then bus service could be used in the interim.
 

It would make more sense for riders to reach Second Street on the El, then transfer to the waterfront line — preferably underground. That would meet the goal set by Nutter’s transportation deputy, Rina Cutler, to tie in the new line with the main transit system.
 

To his credit, DRPA chief John Matheussen says his agency will look at using the subway line along Market Street. Since there’s no federal money yet for this project, there’s ample time to get the design right.
 
Posted by Inquirer editorial board @ 2:00 AM  Permalink | 2 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:47 AM, 11/02/2009
    Being able to remove a bus line in order to use a trolley seems advantageous for future planning. It's expensive, but we have the stimulus money to put into infrastructure projects that meet the needs of the city in its current form now. I urge caution against underground transfers, a failure in Philly. Above ground stations are cleaner, cheaper to maintain, and can be more easily upgraded. Users seem to adapt to weather conditions. Underground stations in Philly all have high negative use.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:12 AM, 11/02/2009
    Yes, but for 500 million (not counting ongoing operations costs), they could hand out $10 "cab fare to waterfront" vouchers at the rate of projected ridership for well over 10 years. Could operations costs make cab fare vouchers a better deal over the design life of a trolley line? I am hung up on the price they want to pay; 200 million would be a "go"; 500 million, and it fails my smell test.
    — phillygoat


2 comments
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