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The TLDR is that the city isn’t focusing on getting costs down on things that have produced good (Metro) or promising (Automated Light Rail) results. It is focusing on things that didn’t end up being great investments (BRT) or that we haven’t done (Trams).
Based on the experience in Quebec City, trams are expensive AF to build here. RapidBus is something the city should look into, it sits between a BRT and a buslane. Easy to roll out quickly. When routes hit capacity, skip the tram and go straight to metro/REM.
My understanding is that trams are much more cost effective long-term than buses, because the rails last much much longer than asphalt or even concrete.
They also have other benefits:
- Smoother, less bumpy ride
- Bigger capacity than buses, with the possibility to add up to 5 cars
- Don’t have to wait at traffic lights (We can install sensors to detect a tram is coming and switch the light so that it can go ahead without waiting. That’s technically doable for an BRT/SRB, but it’s more complex and as you can see, they didn’t do it for SRB Pie-IX…🙁)
- Less noisy
- Easier to electrify
- Easier to automate (make them self-driving)
- No tires means less pollution
- Grass can be added between the 2 rails, making it more pleasant looking, absorbing heat and noise
- Level boarding make them more accessible
- and more
You can see this thread for more benefits: https://www.reddit.com/r/notjustbikes/comments/qftru7/why_trams_and_trains_over_buses/