NCTCOG Transit Plan

[aggiejames22]

Does this NCTCOG plan reflect plans from FTWA, DCTA, and DART? Or is this a dream that the group things needs to happen? Does FTWA and DCTA have a 2030 plan like DART does that this is based off of? The graphic says everything is "pending funding" but I think that even if the funding was there, Arlington would still complain with the "UPRR" line running through it.





http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/aggiejames22/NCTCOGplan.jpg

[aggiejames22]

Linky:

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/transit/planning/rnt/maps.asp

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/mtp/2030/2009Amendment.asp

[dfwcre8tive]

That's the dream plan, pending funding (and future demand). Right now all the black lines on that map are scheduled through 2030 by DART, DCTA, or FWTA. The Cotton Belt Line (blue line) is also in the works.

[electricron]

It's a pipe dream or wish list by NCTCOG planners.........
What many don't realize is that DART's, FTWA's, and DCTA's rail plans must also be on the NCTCOG plan to qualify for any Federal or State funds. Same thing holds true for TXDOT. What usually happens, when a local agency finds the funds to study or build new corridors, NCTCOG modifies its plans to accommodate, so that corridors qualifies for Federal and State funds. If they didn't, there would be several very angry transit agencies and state departments around.
Personally, with the extremely bad news from the last legislative session, although Transporation and Highways will have to be looked at again at the next, I don't think NCTCOG is ever going to find the funds to build their wish list of rail projects....The only real hope, imho, to find the funds to build and operate these additional rail corridors is for non-member cities to join DART, FWTA, and DCTA. The funding mechanisms already exists in State law, all that's required is for non-member cities to bite the bullet and join one.
The only additional viable transit agency that I see that may form in the near future would be a Collin County Transit Authority, setup similar to DCTA. Allen, Frisco, and McKinney would have to join it to raise significant funds to build any rail projects. Plano having already joined DART really puts a huge dent in the amount of funds it could raise.
Earlier this year, NCTCOG was arguing that if the Local Option Tax bill failed, which it did, they would have to remove these additional rail corridors from their 2030 plans, because there was no way they could fund them. I'm surprised they haven't removed them yet, along with the northern half the the outer loop. I don't think, imho, the northern and western halves of the outer loop can be built unless these rail corridors are built too, from an air quality point of view (epa). What I'm suggesting is that NCTCOG is taking credit for environmental positives coming from the rail corridors so that many lanes of highways can be built. Without these postives coming from all the rail corridors, there's no way all the highway lanes in the plan can be built...

[GreenzaLine]

And then there's Exhibit 16-10 (http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5439/exhibit1610.png), "Rail Corridors Identified for Further Evaluation."

But since funding is so tight, I guess this amounts to little more than a preliminary sketch for Mobility 2130. Such a shame...