W. K. Lis
Superstar
The Canadian federal government is very reluctant to fund public transit. Only recently it promised to pay about ⅓ of the $1 B cost of the Sheppard LRT. But very reluctantly. The province is paying the other ⅔.
Compare that with France.
Click on this link for an article on France. They use the United States for comparison.
Compare that with France.
France programs massive investment of as much as €21 billion (CAD $31 billion) for urban electric rail transit development
Click on this link for an article on France. They use the United States for comparison.
The government of France has announced plans to award major capital grants to help fund investment in new public transport systems, according to a recent report in Tramways & Urban Transit (TAUT, June 2009), the authoritative international magazine about light rail and urban rail transit developments published by the British Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA). "It gives the reasons as both to improve the environment and support the national economic recovery" says the magazine's report – adding that this new spurt of urban electric rail investment "is the first stage of an announced 1500km [930 miles] of new tramway covering just provincial cities across the country."
In what's described as the "first stage" of a massive investment in new tramway (light rail/streetcar) development, the French government has committed funding within a "financial envelope" of €1 billion (about US $1.4 billion) to support a list of 57 tramway projects. In addition, the government also announced a commitment of €15 to €20 billion (about $21 to 28 billion) for capital funding to help finance "a state-of-the-art 130km [81-mile] automated metro for the capital of Paris, which will have a total of 60 stations and be known as Arc Express." This "ambitious project" could be completed by 2020, says the TAUT report.
France's commitment to urban rail transit eclipses by far the USA's rail transit funding gestures, which seem puny by comparison. Even with the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package, America, with about 5 times France's population, has committed only about $8 billion – and that's for both high-speed intercity rail passenger projects and "inner-city rail". In other words, with about 5 times France's population, the USA has committed less than one-third as much central government spending for this crucial public transport program – despite all the "yak" about a "green economy", reducing carbon emissions, addressing the "peak oil" crisis by reducing dependency on petroleum, and the need to shape more efficient urban development and transport patterns and reduce the ongoing costs of mobility.
In contrast, the magnitude of France's current urban rail development program already under way is staggering:
• Electric trolleybus projects in 5 cities...
• Metro expansion in 2 cities (in addition to Paris)...
• Electric tramway (light rail streetcar) development in 30 cities...
France has been encouraging urban rail transit development – especially light rail tramways – by leaps and bounds. Over the past couple of decades, "new start" tramways have been installed and "legacy" tramway systems upgraded in more than a dozen French cities. (See, for example, our collection of articles at France – Rail Transit, Light Rail, Tramway, and Public Transport Developments.)
Currently, according to the LRTA's summary A world of trams and urban transit – A complete listing of Light Rail, Light Railway, Tramway & Metro systems throughout the World, totally new tramway projects (i.e., "new starts") are under construction in six more French cities:
• Angers — completion scheduled for 2010...
• Brest — completion scheduled for 2012...
• Le Havre — completion scheduled for 2011...
• Reims — completion scheduled for 2011...
• Toulouse — completion scheduled for 2010...
• Tours — completion scheduled for 2013...
France has also been aggressively developing tram-train operations – light rail services that run as trams (streetcars or more advanced LRT systems) on urban streets and reservations, then share "heavy rail" railway lines with intercity rail passenger trains. This type of operation is currently adamantly prohibited in the USA by the Federal Railroad Administration, but it has become widespread in Europe, where it's been operating safely and efficiently for nearly two decades.
Currently, in addition to those operating and planned, new tram-train systems are under construction in two French cities that already operate brand-new urban tramway systems:
• Mulhouse — completion scheduled for 2011..
• Nantes — completion scheduled (in stages) for 2010-2013...
And, in addition to its existing new tramway system, Lyon has a more advanced, high-performance LRT system also under construction, due for completion in 2010.
Bottom line: While the United States excels among the world's advanced countries in procrastinating, dreaming, and dithering in terms of urban rail transit development, France is moving rapidly and aggressively to actually put in place a comprehensive, efficient, cost-effective, and highly "green" network of urban electric metros, trolleybus lines, and tramways that will provide lower-cost public transport, ensure quality urban mobility, dramatically minimize petroleum dependency, and help reduce carbon emissions for generations to come.
Light Rail Now! NewsLog
URL: http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_newslog2009q4.htm#LRT_20091210
Updated 2009/12/10