The Federal Transit Administration has announced that it is providing capital funding for twelve transit projects in 2020. Eight of the projects are bus-rapid transit and the other four are extensions of existing rail lines.
The Trump Administration’s proposed 2019 budget called for “winding down” the New Starts (capital grants) program “by limiting funding to projects with existing full funding grant agreements only” (p. 87). Congressional authorization for the New Starts program expires this year, and the budget called for “eliminating discretionary grants programs” including New Starts.
The administration’s proposed 2021 budget calls for renewing the BUILD program (formerly known as TIGER), which is a discretionary grants program, but says nothing about New Starts. This presumably means that the administration still wants to not renew it.
Despite the budget proposals, Congress has appropriated more money for New Starts that the administration wants to spend. The projects approved this week will actually be funded out of 2018 appropriations.
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The funded rail projects include a 2.6-mile extension of the Los Angeles Purple Line subway, a 5.5-mile extension of a Phoenix light-rail line, and a 7.8-mile extension of a suburban Chicago commuter-rail line. The BRT projects are in Albany, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Ogden, Pittsburgh, St. Petersburg, and Vancouver. In view of declining transit ridership none of these projects are really worthwhile, but the administration is under pressure to spend the appropriated funds and these probably do less damage than starting new rail projects. If transit ridership collapses, BRT routes can easily be reopened to general traffic.
The twelfth project really shows how absurd rail transit is. Portland’s Red light-rail line goes from the airport to the westside suburb of Beaverton. Portland’s Blue light-rail line goes from the eastside suburb of Gresham to the far western suburb of Hillsboro. The two lines share tracks between Gateway and Beaverton.
Now TriMet wants to extend operation of the Red line trains another 7.8 miles into Hillsboro. These trains will use the same tracks and the same stations as Blue line trains already use. Yet making this extension is somehow costing $200 million and it won’t open until 2023 at the earliest. If these were buses, the extension would cost virtually nothing and could start tomorrow. At least the administration hasn’t approved funding for Portland’s Southwest light-rail line, a new route that would cost at least $2.6 billion.
“more money … the administration wants to spend.”
“the administration is under pressure to spend”
“If these were buses, the extension would cost virtually nothing and could start tomorrow.”
Statements like these—and I have no doubt they’re true—indicate transit funding is more about spending than it is about mobility.
“The administration … calls for renewing the BUILD program”
Never is a discretionary program the best way to address local or regional needs. Discretionary programs place grantsmanship above mobility.
Nevertheless, “winding down” the New Starts program is a baby step in the right direction. A full grown adult step would be to drive a stake through its heart.