Atlanta Streetcar Boondoggle

The first question is where do you park your car if you want to ride the streetcar.

 

Specifications for tram-style Streetcars may be summarized on the Streetcar Project Executive Summary as follows:

Travel function: Local, with connectivity and distribution to other systems

Market: In-town/urban core

Construction disruption: Minimal/moderate

Potential for economic development: Significant

Passenger capacity per vehicle (projected): 95-110 (standing and seated)

Typical maximum speed: 25-40 mph

Typical average speed: 15-to-20 mph

Power system: Overhead electric/on board electric motors

Guideway: Shared with other traffic on street lanes

Capital costs per mile: $18 million (single-track alignment) to $25 million (double track alignment)

Operating costs per service hour $107.00

Cost per Ride is $1.

Fare revenue with 100 passengers per car at $1 per ride is $100 per car.

If 4 cars are running full, they would generate $400 per day.

If the 4 cars do 4 round-trips a day they would generate $1600 per day.

If operating costs remain at $107 per hour and the 4 cars operate for an 8 hour day, operating cost would be about $800 per car or $3200 per day.

If construction costs are $100 million, amortized over 10 years would be $100 million divided by 3650 days or $2,740 per day plus $3,200 per day operating costs or $6,280 per day. 

If the streetcar has 1600 riders per day, the actual cost per ride is $6280 divided by 1600 riders per day calculates to $3.925 per ride.

The annual taxpayer cost of maintaining this boondoggle would be $6280 cost per day times 365 days a year or $2,292,200 per year if you use my assumptions. 

If Disney did this, they would go broke.  That’s why Disney tickets are $100 per day.

Atlanta needs to figure out whether they are a city or a theme park.

That would mill and resurface 15 miles of two-lane asphalt road.  Which would you prefer ?  We are already paying for empty buses and MARTA trains.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader