Rail-planks

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* Transit advocates, such as Save Our Transit, need to attack the lack of operational funding -- but also need to attack boondogle capital projects too. For many years, the transit advocates have made a decision to not raise a voice in protest to the capital spending of PAT.
* Sending the T to the lower North Side to service the stadiums is not wise. It should be stopped.
:Going under the river seems to be much like Boston's Big Dig. Boston's tunnel under the bay is leaking and had unbelievable cost over runs.
:Pedestrians should be walking over the closed Clemente bridge on game days. Foot traffic helps the whole city. 
* The Gateway Center's T-stop, tracks, platforms, and subway entry from the streets above need to be totally rebuilt and that is a waste of money. The turn-around needs to replaced with this plan. So the cost of doing a new station is re-spent on a station just completed some years prior. This is not an antiquated t-stop. 
* A re-do the Convention Center stop (not near Pennsylvanian) is too expensive and comes Too little upside.
If the Light-Rail went to CCAC North Side -- we've got a different matter, IMHO. But the T-expansion plan isn't to serve CCAC North Side, sadly. Or, even to AGH, different story. 
2. I would favor the T-expansion along the busway where it was to go to the east. Go to The Strip, back of Oakland, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Highland Park. Why not to the east?
3. I think HEAVY RAIL is easier to do and we've got the rail lines now. There are one-car steetcars, deisels that could go a few different routes. In the past it was easy to get a train from Sewickley to town. Or from McKeesport to town. One line goes from Mon Valley to Ohio Valley. The rail road wanted to sell the rights of all the lines through Pittsburgh. Another line goes from Hazelwood to Oakland (Panther Hollow) to Butler up and along Route 8. Another route goes to Natrona Heights, Oakmont, Verona, Aspinwall (over river), and to Strip District. There is a guy that owns that line. That is the one to get started ASAP.
==Links==
* Rail
category:Platform_Planks_from_Mark_Rauterkus