"The study finds that a San Francisco-only subway would attract between 160,000 and 180,000 daily riders, roughly equal to the average weekday ridership of the entire BART system in Q4 2025. It goes on to state that a 'regional rail' system that continues on to the Peninsula and East Bay could have 310,000 daily riders."
"Frequent, driverless trains have proven their worth with systems such as the SkyTrain in Vancouver, the automated lines of the Paris Metro, or the Copenhagen subway. The most recent examples are the REM in Montreal and Honolulu's HART system. This is also the preferred option for the planned Sepulveda line in Los Angeles."
"What the presentation does not articulate is that emphasizing regional connectivity could collapse the universe of possible solutions to one option: large, heavy, and expensive 'conventional' trains designed to meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) design standards, meant to protect intercity trains during collisions with freight trains or vehicles at railroad crossings."
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority presented a draft regional connections study for a Geary/19th Ave Subway to connect western neighborhoods to downtown. The study projects 160,000-180,000 daily riders for a city-only subway, increasing to 310,000 with regional rail extending to the Peninsula and East Bay. However, prioritizing regional connectivity may exclude automated light metro systems, which have proven successful in Vancouver, Paris, Copenhagen, Montreal, and Honolulu. Conventional trains required for regional service must meet Federal Railroad Administration standards designed for intercity and freight train safety, adding significant cost. The study's conclusions will shape future planning phases, potentially leading to years of delays and billions in unnecessary spending compared to cost-effective alternatives.
#automated-light-metro #regional-transit-planning #geary19th-ave-subway #cost-effective-transit-solutions #driverless-train-technology
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