Commuter rail in Charleston
In a letter to the editor of the Post and Courier, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley talks about commuter rail in Charleston. Anyone who travels our busy roads knows that something needs to be done to reduce congestion and since everyone seems to love their cars and dismisses current mass transit choices (CARTA buses) as a poor alternative, the roads will likely become even more congested as the Charleston area continues to grow. With gas firmly over $3 per gallon today, commuting by train might be a convenient alternative.
The idea of a commuter rail running from Summerville to Charleston with a middle stop around Centre Pointe in North Charleston and near the airport and I-526 would be outstanding. The railroad tracks run adjacent to the town square in Historic Summerville and since a train station would have to be built, I think that additional residences nearby including live work townhouses would be a practical addition and also add to the charm of downtown Summerville.
I lived in the Charlotte NC area prior to moving to Charleston many years ago and rail was just getting started there when I left for Charleston. I lived at Lake Norman and the rail line north of Charlotte was located in the charming town of Cornelius and live/work townhouses was exactly what was built in downtown Cornelius near the train station.
Commuter rail is feasible here
A recent letter to the editor indicated confusion about the differences between light rail and commuter rail. Since these terms are quite often used interchangeably and because they are very different, that is commuter rail is very different from light rail, I would like to explain the difference.
Commuter Rail: This is what our community is working on. Here, existing rail tracks are used, essentially no new railroad right-of-way or rail track infrastructure is needed, which drastically reduces system construction costs. The commuter rail entity enters into a contract with existing railroad operators to use the rails during commuter hours, say 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., or whatever the community decides. Comfortable railroad coach cars are purchased for this purpose and the commuter rail operates during the hours that people are commuting to and from work. It does not operate during other times of the day. It is designed to provide convenient, safe, much more expeditious and more affordable means of getting to and from work.
Medium size metropolitan areas around the country are developing commuter rail systems. They are financially feasible and compared to highway construction quite a bargain. It is estimated that the cost of widening I-26 is about $40 million a mile. The cost of commuter rail in Nashville, Tennessee was $1.5 million a mile. There are capital costs with commuter rail which would be building stations and of course acquiring the rolling stock.
Light Rail: This is usually only feasible in very large metropolitan areas. It may well be a system that the Charleston area will need a generation from now and, of course, if gasoline continues to climb, maybe even sooner than that. But now and for the foreseeable future, a light rail is not an option. It is far more expensive, as it requires dedicated rights-of-way, that is expensive land would have be acquired, a new system of rail infrastructure would have to be constructed and the rail cars would be operating around the clock. Light rail is many times more expensive than commuter rail and is not feasible for the Charleston area at this time or in the foreseeable future, as I said.
However, commuter rail is. We would be able to take thousands of cars off the interstate and other busy roads during commuter hours, allow commuters who go to and from the exact same place every day a comfortable, safe, convenient and relaxing way to get to and from work. And, considering the cost of gasoline, automobile ownership, taxes, insurance and parking expenses, we would save a commuter a huge amount of money every year.
We will be working very hard on the commuter rail proposal and I look forward to working with the community to help bring it to fruition.
JOSEPH P. RILEY Jr.
Mayor
City of Charleston
Photo credit, Tyrone Walker, Post and Courier file.