Passenger Trains > Commuter rail and economic growth

The Wall Street Journal has an article today about how auto traffic into major metro areas has become a negative for growth. And a turn off to companies looking to move there.

In places like Las Vegas, Nashville, and Miami, more than 80% of rush hour traffic is automobiles, mostly single occupants.

Miami and Nashville both have some commuter rail. Miami is expanding its rail services. Other cities on the list include San Francisco and New York.

I wonder how the slow pandemic response to work, and lower tax collections affects these conclusions?

Posted from Android

Add Jacksonville FL to that list of cities where "more than 80% of rush hour traffic
is automobiles, mostly single occupants." However, Jacksonville is close to 100% !
Another point - Commuter rail increases property values. Shortly after NJ Transit
began The River Line service between Camden and Trenton, property values in
on-line communities like Burlington increased by about 25% within one year!

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> I wonder how the slow pandemic response to work,
> and lower tax collections affects these
> conclusions?

I visited Japan in middle of the pandemic (2021). I rode trains and drove on the highways in Tokyo. I rode the Yamanote Loop Line, and the car I was in was empty! (I have video proof I'll post later) Infamous Tokyo traffic jam was tame, as I only had to deal with one congestion on a 2 hour drive.

I did the same last year (2022). While the pandemic fear lingers on, things are back to normal commuting-wise. Crunched by people on the overcrowded Yamanote Line, and the expected 4 pockets of congestion on the same "2 hour" drive that added 1 more hour of travel.

My point? There's something amiss here in the U.S. Our society was "transformed" into the Great Automotive Society post-WWII, so leaders need to deal with it accordingly. San Francisco Bay Area, despite the passenger rail network, is not doing so well, so automobile = negative growth (commuter rail = growth, implicitly) narrative to me is propaganda to cover up civic mismanagement, which is why I brought up Japan, where leaders listened to the people, hence the pandemic recovery is doing OK, trains AND automobiles.

If our leaders can't manage the Great Automotive Society they built, shame on them. Don't exploit the "crisis" and promote commuter rail where it might not be needed. Taxation, high or low, makes no difference when leaders and decisions are stupid.

CPMorris Wrote:
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> Add Jacksonville FL to that list of cities where
> "more than 80% of rush hour traffic
> is automobiles, mostly single occupants." However,
> Jacksonville is close to 100% !
> Another point - Commuter rail increases property
> values. Shortly after NJ Transit
> began The River Line service between Camden and
> Trenton, property values in
> on-line communities like Burlington increased by
> about 25% within one year!

Burlington City is a delightful little town.  I believe I posted pictures of the light rail in downtown a few years ago

CPMorris Wrote:
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> Add Jacksonville FL to that list of cities where
> "more than 80% of rush hour traffic
> is automobiles, mostly single occupants." However,
> Jacksonville is close to 100% !
> Another point - Commuter rail increases property
> values. Shortly after NJ Transit
> began The River Line service between Camden and
> Trenton, property values in
> on-line communities like Burlington increased by
> about 25% within one year!

I would be willing to bet property values in areas of the Jacksonville area, namely St John's county, have increased far more over the last couple of years than areas with rail traffic. Since 2018 my house is worth over 150% what I paid for it.  No public transit anywhere close to it either.  

With public transit somewhere close to it, your house 
might be worth over 250% what you paid for it since 2018.

What  date? Paper?  Thanks

CPMorris Wrote:
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> With public transit somewhere close to it, your
> house 
> might be worth over 250% what you paid for it
> since 2018.
Doubtful

Posted from Android

The cities and states that have the most people moving to them have little, if any, commuter rail or public transportation. Obviously, they are doing just fine without costly rail projects. The public chooses to drive and are leaving “transit cities” in droves.

Posted from iPhone

SanDiegan Wrote:
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> The cities and states that have the most people
> moving to them have little, if any, commuter rail
> or public transportation. Obviously, they are
> doing just fine without costly rail projects. The
> public chooses to drive and are leaving “transit
> cities” in droves.

That's not exactly true. Most of the growth cities (Austin, Seattle, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Tucson, Charlotte) are growing their rail transit systems along with the population.

CPMorris Wrote:
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> With public transit somewhere close to it, your
> house 
> might be worth over 250% what you paid for it
> since 2018.


Nice try, but no.  People do not move to Florida for public transit.  

Tampa is also on the list of cities / counties growing their transportation systems to accommodate massive growth. Adjacent St Petersburg is also beefing up its bus network.