At 11:46 -0600 8/07/2002, Vigen, Gary wrote: >Arlington, TX has repeatedly rejected public transportation over >the last 20 years thru referendum. It has the honor of largest US >city without >public transportation.
The city where I live, Rennes, in west part of France, has the honor of being the smallest city (200 000 inhabitants) in the world with a metropolitan... And for the moment the most modern one - it started up last March. It is what I believe is called a light rail system, trains made with two cars of a total capacity of 80 passengers, fully automatic (no driver); frequency every 2 minutes during peak hours, 3 minutes normal time, 5 minutes at night and during week ends; only one line of total length 8 km. When this metropolitan was planned, of course there has been some opposition: cost, not enough clients, heavy construction works, etc. But there was a majority in favor of its construction. According to the results of the first few months of exploitation, this metropolitan is a success: the occupancy is high, around 80 % in average, the profitability correct (the sales of tickets (1 euro) covering all exploitation costs + reimbursement of loans over 30 years); car and bus traffic in the congested historic center of the city significantly reduced; business and shopping downtown more frequented; etc. So that a second line is under planning. Now I admit that the conditions in Rennes are quite different from those in Salt Lake City or Arlington! Louis
