Columbus scraps light rail plans after Smart City win
Though a vocal group of Columbus resident have fiercely advocated for light rail transit throughout the city, it looks like such plans won’t come to fruition after the capital city won the $50 million Smart City Challenge.
In its application for the federal grant, the city writes, “The City of Columbus plans to leap-frog fixed rail.”
Columbus is the biggest U.S. city without any form of rail transportation, but that actually might have helped its case for why future transportation technology should be implemented here. After all, many of the major cities Columbus beat to receive the Smart City grant, including San Fransisco and Portland, Oregon, already have rail transit, but still struggle with congestion.
City leaders say light rail is a technology of the past, but on the other hand, new technology like driverless cars still has kinks, and could be expensive to implement.
Fortunately, Columbus has a leg up on the competition, thanks to the $40 million in federal funds, $10 million from Vulcan Inc. and $90 million from local donors.
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1/27/16: New City Council President ponders light rail in Columbus
Columbus City Council President Zach Klein engaged in discussion about rail-driven mass transit for Columbus, including the possibility of a light rail system.
Klein, who took office this month, showed off his pragmatic side, raising questions about who will pay for the new transit infrastructure, how the system will be enacted, and whether or not Columbus residents are willing to pay for light rail at all.
“Are you ready to open your pocket to make this happen for the city of Columbus? … I think we’re ready to have those conversations as a community,” Klein said.
Should Columbus pursue new solutions to mass transit? Let us know what you think below, or on Facebook or Twitter @614NOW!
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