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[KevinKorell]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Regional Transit (RT) officials have recommended closing its Green Line light rail system indefinitely as part of the agency’s third round of cuts in the last decade, The Sacramento Bee reports.

 

RT opened its $44 million Green Line only four years ago; however, the line currently averages only 440 boardings a day with limited service, and costs RT $330,000 annually to operate.

 

The list of potential service cuts, most of them to bus lines, would take place in January 2017. RT officials say they also are considering eliminating some administrative positions to help reduce operating costs by $2 million a year. A final RT board decision on the cuts is expected in late June. For the full story, click here.

Keywords

budget woes   Green LIne   Sacramento Regional Transit District   shortfall   

 

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[KevinKorell]

Sacramento, CA Bee, 5/20/16:

 

 

Light-rail Green Line may shut in Sacramento to save money

 

 

Sacramento Regional Transit opened its $44 million Green Line four years ago with celebratory fireworks and speeches hailing it as the first step toward bringing light-rail service to North Natomas and the Sacramento International Airport.

 

Now, struggling with persistent money woes, RT officials have recommended closing the Green Line indefinitely as part of the agency’s third round of cuts in the last decade. The line currently averages only 440 boardings a day with limited service, and costs RT $330,000 annually to operate.

 

 

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[KevinKorell]

Well if the expected development did not materialize in 4 years, then this is probably a worthwhile decision.  If the existence of the one mile extension of light rail from downtown to the Township Nine project did not result in a passenger base to fill the trains, then it may have been a mistake to start the line when they did.  The plans to extend to Natomas and the airport are well in the future.