calculates the cost of travel timesavings. Given that the proposed 11-mile
light-rail line essentially replaces, and travels at about the same speed as,
the limited-stop bus, and given that the proposed light-rail line doubles the
wait-time for riders getting on and off the bus between the mile-apart
light-rail stops, and given that the proposed light-rail line connects the 2
downtowns, the University of Minnesota and Snelling Avenue at a much slower
speed than the freeway express bus, no amount of calculation, however large,
can conceivably show that the proposed light-rail line saves travel time.
Furthermore, during rush hours, when the proposed train in the middle of
University Avenue would pass by every 7½ minutes in each direction, traffic
would back up at every major intersection, adding travel time, not saving it.
Without measurable savings of travel time, the Federal Government does not fund
public transit projects. The cost of the proposed light-rail line isnât 25
or 24 or 23 dollars per hour of travel time saved. The cost of the proposed
light-rail line is a billion dollars, or more, for countless hours of waiting
for a bus and sitting in traffic. Even if some wealthy donor gave the project
a billion or more dollars the proposed Central Corridor Project would not be
cost-effective in terms of travel time saved.
So how does the Met Council manage to save travel time in a cost-effective
manner? According to Mark Fuhrman, the Central Corridor Project Manager,
calculating the CEI for the proposed 11-mile light-rail line requires a 10-12
hour computer run.