3 ms·

Yet Dallas is still home to the longest light rail system in the world. The trains are not an issue, it's how decentralized the people are. The value is simply

Yet Dallas is still home to the longest light rail system in the world. The trains are not an issue, it's how decentralized the people are. The value is simply not there to justify the project in most people's eyes (and won't benefit most people).

serhei 9y ago
Longest? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DART_Light_Rail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DART_Light_Rail -> System Length 93 mi (150 km) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne -> System Length 160 miles (250 kilometres) However, your point that the decentralization plays a difference is very valid. The Melbourne network is a dense grid which serves a much more compact area whereas the Dallas system consists of a small number of lines that stretch very far out into the low-density suburbs. Hence, far fewer people are near a DART station.
- kodablah 9y ago
  Tramways such as Melbourne's are a bit different in definition [0]. 0 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail vs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
  - chrisabrams 9y ago
    Having played Mini Metro for over 100 hours, I can attest that a light rail and a tram are not the same ;)
  - serhei 9y ago
    Fair enough. But you've made me very curious to see a widely-agreed-upon list of which systems qualify as light rail according to a definition that excludes trams. (Wikipedia does not attempt to make any distinction -- e.g. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_transit_systems https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_...) Edit: another example of Wikipedia not being able to agree with itself on a distinction -- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail_in_North_America https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail_in_North_America lists the Toronto streetcar system as "the busiest LRT system in North America" even though it's definitely a traditional tram system with mostly street-running. Below it calls it a light rail ('in the case of Toronto, actually streetcar').

serhei 9y ago

Longest? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DART_Light_Rail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DART_Light_Rail -> System Length 93 mi (150 km) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne -> System Length 160 miles (250 kilometres) However, your point that the decentralization plays a difference is very valid. The Melbourne network is a dense grid which serves a much more compact area whereas the Dallas system consists of a small number of lines that stretch very far out into the low-density suburbs. Hence, far fewer people are near a DART station.

kodablah 9y ago
Tramways such as Melbourne's are a bit different in definition [0]. 0 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail vs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
- chrisabrams 9y ago
  Having played Mini Metro for over 100 hours, I can attest that a light rail and a tram are not the same ;)
- serhei 9y ago
  Fair enough. But you've made me very curious to see a widely-agreed-upon list of which systems qualify as light rail according to a definition that excludes trams. (Wikipedia does not attempt to make any distinction -- e.g. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_transit_systems https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_...) Edit: another example of Wikipedia not being able to agree with itself on a distinction -- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail_in_North_America https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail_in_North_America lists the Toronto streetcar system as "the busiest LRT system in North America" even though it's definitely a traditional tram system with mostly street-running. Below it calls it a light rail ('in the case of Toronto, actually streetcar').