Kansas City Behind In Light Rail

Even with a voter approved plan, the Kansas City metro region is only beginning to talk about light rail construction -- to its determent, argues one columnist.

1 minute read

July 31, 2007, 7:00 AM PDT

By jongalloway


"Sorry I missed my old buddy Clay Chastain's light-rail tour the other week.

But while Clay was showing city officials and the media his proposed rail route, I was on a fact-finding mission to see how other cities are dealing with their mass transit problems.

OK, that's not entirely true. I was on vacation.

But you know what they say about travel. It's a learning experience, even if all you learn sometimes is which hotel chain has the better "free" breakfast bar.

During this road trip to the Pacific Northwest, I saw how cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland and Seattle are doing transit-wise.

Unlike us, they're way beyond the talking stages on light rail and how it might jibe with commuter rail and all the rest."

Thanks to Jon Galloway

Sunday, July 29, 2007 in The Kansas City Star

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