The article “Transport hub puts end to St. Louis’ ‘Am-shack’.” (11/23, Local) showed the advantage of a transportation hub for that community. While Kansas City’s effort for light rail has been sidetracked, studies continue that should include a more serious look at our need for a transit hub.
Past disagreements over the specific route for light rail in the vicinity of Union Station seem to be controversial. Our Union Station currently handles intercity rail service and will likely handle expanded service that may come about. Therefore, I hope that study committees will seriously include centralizing all our transportation ticketing and transfer exchange at Union Station. This should include local bus, light rail, inter-city bus and even possible air tickets as well as inter-city rail.
Fred Kramer
Kansas City
LIGHT RAIL IS A DEAD ISSUE IN KC. tHERE IS NO PLAN YET PUT FORTH THAT IS WORTH THE PAPER IT IS PROPOSED ON.
Posted by: solomon | December 04, 2008 at 12:12 PM
"This should include local bus, light rail, inter-city bus and even possible air tickets as well as inter-city rail."
You'll never make the last two work. In our extreme security environment related to air travel, you'll never find a way to handle ticketing 20+ miles from the terminal. Additionally, inter-city rail doesn't work because of the high level of use that our "heavy rail" already sees with freight. As anyone who's ever taken the LONG Amtrak ride to St. Louis will attest, the rails are already full, and freight trains get the right-of-way.
Using Union Station as a hub for buses and light rail make work in the future, but as the voters of KC seemed to have recognized, it's probably better to focus of the $8 billion in required improvements to infrastructure before we decide to play "keeping up with the Joneses" with light rail proposals.
Posted by: Marctnts | December 04, 2008 at 07:46 AM