WASHINGTON — Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson joined national mayors Friday to call for a new train of thought in America, to "rail-volutionize" transportation by putting more emphasis on trains.
He joined U.S. Conference of Mayors leaders in a press conference urging more Amtrak funding. In a separate seminar session for mayors, he also called for expansion of local rail systems nationwide to ease congestion, improve air quality and improve mobility for those who don't drive.
And to keep communities happy while building all those new rails he envisions, he told of good and bad lessons learned in Salt Lake City during construction of the TRAX light rail.
"Main Street was a disaster. It (TRAX) was built in an arrogant manner there without much concern for the businesses or people," he said before his presentation. "The University of Utah line extension was totally different. We worked hard with people along that line, and were able to reduce impacts and keep them happy."
He warned mayors that bad experiences with the Main Street construction almost killed all other spurs, and urged them to learn from that. "If you don't do it right, it will threaten the future of additional lines," he said.
And Anderson said America should be looking to add many more lines.
At the press conference, he and other mayors complained that the House has approved only $762 million for Amtrak next year, and the Bush administration wants only $521 million. They said Amtrak needs at least $1.2 billion to operate without further service cuts.
"We think America needs a balanced transportation system, and Amtrak is a key component," said Kenneth Bar, mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, and chairman of the Conference of Mayors Transportation Committee.
Anderson said America should actually be looking to expand Amtrak and other local and regional rail service, and not merely maintain or cut it.
"Europe has shown the success and importance of regional and national rail systems. Until the United States commits to sufficient funding for rail, our transportation system will continue to be out of balance with an over-reliance on highways," he said.
Anderson lamented to mayors in a seminar that while Europe was expanding its rail system in the past century, America was busy pulling up rails and building highways. He said that has led to an out-of-balance system that causes congestion, pollution and lack of mobility for people too young or old to drive, or too poor to afford a car.
He told mayors that in 1918, Salt Lake City actually had 146 miles of trolley tracks and 26 different rails spurs "that went to almost every part of Salt Lake." He said it was all torn out by 1946, and was one of 100 trolley systems in America purchased by tire and rubber companies and removed.
He noted the Salt Lake Valley now has a 14-mile north-south light rail line, and a 2.3-mile spur to the University of Utah. He said that while many predicted Utahns would not ride light rail, ridership on the university line has been 200 percent above projections and ridership on the north-south line has been 40 percent above.
He noted that voters along the Wasatch Front approved tax increases to help pay for expansions of rail service, and that a commuter rail system is also planned there. He said that shows rail can be popular anywhere.
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