I am thrilled that the Hiawatha line is doing so well. I was skeptical because I believed that the population density was not as high as I thought would be necessary.
As we plan for the future, I agree that using existing railroad right-of-ways should be done where possible, even if it involved constructing a parallel road alongside the railroad tracks. It should have happened along Hiawatha where the CN tracks are rarely used. What I don't understand is the use of steel rails and wheels. The Paris Metro, when I last rode it some time ago, uses rubber inflatable tires on some/all of its lines. In fact, they not only ride on rubber tires, they also have rubber tires on the sides of the cars with a "vertical axis" that are designed to keep the cars from swaying back and forth on curves. It gives a very smooth and quiet ride. And when the next line is laid down here, I would assume that just laying an exclusive concrete roadway would be much cheaper than having to lay railroad track. There might also be an appreciable savings in the cost of the cars and their maintenance. In the design of the route, it might also allow for the occasional use of existing highway right of way when the cost of bypassing that becomes prohibitive. Ray Marshall Hiawatha REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
