Sprinter shutdown may be saving money
Sprinter shutdown may be saving money
- March 16, 2013
- David Brownstone, economics professor, is quoted in the U-T San Diego March 16, 2013
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From U-T San Diego:
With North County’s Sprinter light rail shut down over brake problems, a fleet of
replacement express buses crisscrossed the roadways this week, ferrying some passengers
to their destinations faster than the light rail system used to — and potentially
for a lot less money. David Brownstone, professor of economics at UC Irvine who
studies transportation economics, said it’s nearly impossible to say the Sprinter
is the frugal pick today. Ridership has steadily increased on the train since it opened
in March 2008 but is still thousands of daily passengers below initial projections.
The cost-effectiveness of a mass transit system, Brownstone said, is “a function of
density and how many passengers you’re carrying.” North County, with suburban neighborhoods
scattered far from train stations, isn’t set up to offer strong rail ridership. And
building rail lines is far more expensive than buying buses. “For most areas with
that kind of density, you’re better off with buses,” Brownstone added. “It’s usually
cheaper to solve (transit demand) with dedicated buses.”
For the full story, please visit http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/16/sprinter-bus-nctd-north-count....
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