Mass Transit 2 the Disneyland Resort

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Caltrain seeks new deal with California High-Speed Rail (San Mateo Journal)

Instead of building a completely separate set of grade-separated tracks on the San Francisco Peninsula, the new proposal seeks to share some tracks and build passing tracks for high-speed trains to get around commuter trains running between San Jose and San Francisco. It’s also far less expensive, an important consideration since the bullet train project still lacks most of the funds it will need.

Metro's The Source | Transportation News & Views

[sediment]

Take a look at the map and you will wonder why everything is taking so long to get done in California.



In this link, you will see Mexico is likely to have better rail service than California does. President of Mexico outlines plan to rejuvenate passenger rail service - The Washington Post

That's a cool map, but an HSR is not supposed to merely replace current services, but it's supposed to take people out of airplanes and/or their cars. I think maps of business/tourist travels by car and by plane might be a lot more useful.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Before Its Time: Burbank’s Experimental Monorail - CityThink - Los Angeles magazine

Burbank had a monorail from 1910-12, over a hundred years ago...

[swampymarsh]

Malina:Which is pretty much what I said. You can also take the Metrolink or Amtrak to the Anaheim station and get the ART to Disneyland or take the Metro bus to Harbor. Nobody ever said that the service wasn't there; just that it wasn't convenient. The trains stop running fairly early and they're so rare that they are all but useless on the weekends, so people don't use them.

That's why something like the Angels Express would be so helpful. Angels Express throws extra trains on the schedule and makes it convenient for guests, which is why it's seen as a viable option. The OC Fair and the Dana Point whale festival have also worked with Metrolink to provide special service.

Something like a Disneyland Express Train would get passengers, if they knew it was there, wouldn't require several transfers and wouldn't require them to leave the park at 7 to avoid missing the last train.

Malina has a great point. The quote is taken from a thread about parking, Space: Are advanced parking garages the answer? but better discussed here.


I think the answer may be that unlike the Angels, Ducks, and those festivals, that Disney doesn't need to drive attendance by making it easier to get to DLR and would rather people drive. Make money off the parking fees. Where as the sports teams and festivals need to fill seat get attendees to the events.

If there wasn't a reason not to do it that Disney or Metrolink have it seems like a train+shuttle program would be a no brainer.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

As the other thread points out, Disney is hesitant to build and maintain more parking garages on its limited California real estate. Their parking is already at the seams but they don't want to regret blocking out the area between GardenWalk and the Main Entrance Plaza. Why?

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Great news, LA can build now and repay later:

(Repay through Measure R dollars, voted by LA County voters)

America Fast Forward (AFF) is an initiative by Metro and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to expand transportation funding in order to accelerate projects here in Los Angeles County and around the nation. AFF has two parts: the first is an expanded federal loan program that Congress adopted last year; it features government-backed low-interest loans.

The other part is a bond program that would provide very low-cost bonds to transportation agencies in exchange for tax credits to those who sell the bonds. The graphic [at the link below] explains it best.

Obama Administration endorses America Fast Forward bonds program | Metro's The Source

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Nearly five years after Peninsula cities first sued to block California's high-speed train from running along the Caltrain corridor, a judge has dismissed the case in a long-awaited victory for bullet train backers.

California high-speed rail finally wins Peninsula lawsuit after five years - San Jose Mercury News

Judge Kenny in 2009 and again in 2011 ruled in favor of the Peninsula cities, forcing the rail authority to spend about a year each time revising its plans slightly while still keeping the same Peninsula route. The rail opponents last year again tried to force rail officials to redo their plans for a third time -- but Kenny said in Thursday's ruling that enough was enough.

"The judge has essentially said this time, 'Yeah (the state) got it right,'" said Stuart Flashman, an attorney representing the Peninsula cities. "I'm not 100 percent surprised. Each time when you go back and do this again, it gets a little harder."


Atherton Vice Mayor Jerry Carlson, however, has not resigned himself to the bullet train coming through his town. He notes that the state still needs tens of billions of dollars to extend the line to the Bay Area.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Here Are SoCal's 40 Planned Transportation Projects - The Commute - Curbed LA

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Disney Expansion Plans Are Reason for $319-Million Streetcar Proposal - Voice of OC | Orange County's Nonprofit Investigative News Agency: OC North

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

It looks like Downtown Los Angeles is also getting a streetcar:

The Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar Loop is Officially a Go - Downtown Streetcar - Curbed LA

[swampymarsh]

It looks like Downtown Los Angeles is also getting a streetcar:

The Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar Loop is Officially a Go - Downtown Streetcar - Curbed LA

All it needs to do is go 5-7 blocks more to Union Station and it would be useful. Also actually reaching the Convention Center would help.

It's a terrible tourist line in a non tourist city.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Also it runs right above the existing red line subway, rather than breaking ground on areas without any mass transit. But it could some day be the backbone of a more extensive system.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Los Angeles City Council approves operating funds for downtown streetcar (City of L.A. website, Item 18)

The Council voted on Wednesday to use $352.4 of Measure R local return funds — the 15 percent of Measure R that goes back to cities on a per capita basis — to pay for operating a downtown Los Angeles streetcar from the years 2017 to 2046. That assumes, of course, the project is built. Downtown residents last November voted to tax themselves to fund half the cost of the project with the remainder of the money being sought from a federal government grant. The cost of the project is expected to be $125 million.

Metro's The Source | Transportation News & Views

[swampymarsh]

Also it runs right above the existing red line subway, rather than breaking ground on areas without any mass transit. But it could some day be the backbone of a more extensive system.

Maybe but it's really redundant since their are trains and subways in the area too.

It really seems like a waste of funds that would of been better spent on the existing rail ines.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

While it's not my favorite project, it's growing on me.