We got a nice write-up in the Courier-Journal today, with many nice quotes from public officials. Train ride may spur look at line serving Louisville, Fort Knox

There's been a lot of confusion about Commuter Rail and Light Rail. They are both forms of passenger rail, but there the similarity ends. You can't call one the other!

Commuter Rail goes over longer distances than Light Rail. For example, compare the system maps of our proposal to the T2 Light Rail plan from 2002. The system we're proposing for Jefferson, Hardin, and Meade counties would travel from here to Elizabethtown via Fort Knox. It would not be a Louisville project, but a Kentucky project. Contrast that to the T2 light rail line we almost build a few years ago, that went from downtown to just outside I-265. That would have been purely urban and suburban.

The Wall Street Journal: Bush to Sign Bill to Nearly Double Amtrak Funding Next Year, Congress Will Consider Altering the Ratio That Heavily Favors Spending on Highways Over Mass Transit.

Senator McCain voted against the increase, Senator Obama voted for the increase.

LEO has the best article about the Music City Star tour.

Fox also covers us.

Photo courtesy Metro Jacksonville
 

Kentuckians Seek to Learn the Secrets of Success of the Nation's Least Expensive Commuter Rail System

On Friday, September 26th, local transportation professionals, public officials, press, and interested citizens journeyed from Louisville to Nashville to tour the Music City Star commuter rail system. This lucky group took a guided round-trip tour of the Music City Star rail system, toured the rail yards, talked with Music City Star personnel, and learned how Nashville managed to build the least expensive commuter rail system in the country at the bargain-basement cost of $1.3 million per mile.

Tour group and Nashville officials pose in front of train at Lebanon, TN

Update: registration is now closed.

You are invited to join us for a ride on Nashville's Music City Star commuter rail system on September 26th. This fun & informative trip includes tickets both for the train itself, and for a charter bus leaving from Louisville. For travel details, see the Nashville Trip page. To buy tickets by credit card, press the button:

 
Image courtesy Metro Jacksonville

With very little money, Nashville has a functioning commuter rail system: the Music City Star. Check out this excellent article at Metro Jacksonville that details how the system was built on such a modest budget. Many of the comments at the end of the article are quite illuminating as well.

Image courtesy MetroJacksonville.com

Extra: So do you want to ride this train? CART is organizing a bus voyage to see and ride the Music City Star in September. Click on the "Nashville Trip" link in the top right corner for details as they come in.

CART Members Help Run Futuristic Transit System!

Historic inspection of system by Jefferson, Hardin, and Meade county officials to occur on November 8th. Thanks to the generous contributions of CART members and other concerned citizens, we now have enough money to run an inspection train and inspection bus along the Dixie Highway corridor. For three glorious hours, Louisville will have something resembling a commuter system along Dixie Highway, out to Fort Knox, and south to Elizabethtown.

This day will not have been possible without the generous contributions of the following entitites:

Photo courtesy Brian Wiggins
www.pbase.com/savethewave

If you're only now learning of this fundraising drive, but you still want to contribute, rest assured the CART General Fund has been greatly depleted from jump-starting this venture. By joining CART today, you'll ensure CART has the funds to seize future opportunities to promote public transportation.

The New York Times did a big piece on the rising tide of popularity for streetcars:"Downtowns Across the U.S. see Streetcars in Their Future"