FYI
St Louis has Metrolink.
Conclusion:
A metrolink system could be built to service commuters in STL at a cost equal to 1.5 years of fuel usage. This would save the commuters about $4.5 billion annually (ignoring maintainence cost) at $3 per gallon and 1.1 billion gallons or 25 million barrels of oil per year of fuel.
If extrapolated to all metro areas (100) in the US What would be the effects
With less wear and tear POV’s will last longer and be in less demand
But their will be huge offsetting demand for new metrolink cars
Fuel prices will plunge due to our great reduction in fuel usage
a 450 billion public works project will employ teaming millions
The US trade deficit will vanish due to $450 billion annual fuel savings
The speed limit on Metro area highway systems could be eliminated.
Calculations:
Metrolink project construction has cost $1.2 billion since 1993.
metrolink daily ridership is 68,000 passengers on 48 miles of track
metrolink cost $1.2B/48=$25M per mile
Ridership is 68000/48=1416 riders per mile per day
Rolling stock consists of 87 cars with 72 seated passengers and 106 standing passengers
rolling stock of 87/48= 1.8 cars per mile
The state of Missouri collects taxes on 4.5 billion gallons of fuel a year
@ $.17 per gallon the total tax revenue is $700 million per year
@ 3 per gallon less .36 total tax the total cost of fuel is 4.5B*(3-.36)=$12 billion
assumptions
commuter required by law to ride expanded Metrolink
½ total fuel cost is gas for diesel trucks
½ remainder are commuter fuel costs in major metros STL, KC
assume KC and STL mass transit projects are similar in scope
Applying fuel savings In one year of $3B
Applying fuel taxes $1.4B (Mo keeps the fed tax for this project)
A metrolink expansion yearly project budget of $4.4B is reasonable.
Amounting to $4.4B/$25M= 176 miles of new metrolink track per year and 319 new cars
The metrolink expansion would utilize the major commuting corridors
In STL these are I270, I70, I55, I170, HW40, I44 which total about 150 miles
and feeders from O’fallon, chesterfield Valley Park, and Festus total about 80 Miles
a total of 230 miles of track is required or about 1.5 years payback on fuel savings.
Including KC then a 3 year payback is projected
NOW THE FINAL MILE.
POV’s are used by the commuter to get to/from door step and metrolink station.
Businesses will required by law to provide shuttle service to/from nearest metrolink station
So that commuters are not inconvenienced POV’s will be allowed to be used on assigned days.
The law will require all POV’s to have an electronic tag system so compliance can be enforced.
The law requires collection of ride tickets by POV on per mile basis within metrolink service area.
The electronic tag fee collection software coding looks like
if your work place (cubical) is within the metrolink service area
then your commuting privileges are regulated and all your POV’s require tags
if your POV is within metrolink service area
if the time is between 6AM and 10AM or 4PM and 6PM M-F
if day is not POV assigned day
if your POV is greater than 5 miles from metorlink station
then charge is $1 per mile for commuting
total STL metrolink would consist of 280 miles of track 406 cars
having 29000 seated passengers and 43000 standing passengers totaling 72000 passengers
double check 230 miles of 6 lane highway with 4 car length (80ft)separation
the highway systems has capacity of 23052806/80=91000 passengers
focus on z