STA presents light rail options

05:05 PM PDT on Friday, September 30, 2005

Reported by Sten Walstrom | sten@krem.com

SPOKANE - After years of talk and study the Spokane Transit Authority's getting closer to putting a vote to the public. The question will be how much local taxpayers would be willing to pay for a mass transit system.

STA has narrowed down the options for a mass transit system to a handful, with each balancing cost versus potential benefits. The most expensive plan is a dual track electric system that would transport commuters between downtown Spokane to Liberty Lake through Spokane Valley.

This premium option is similar to systems in Portland and Salt Lake City and would cost an estimated $650 Million.

Cheaper options include using diesel trains and sharing parts of the track instead of building two tracks for the entire length of the transit corridor which could cut the cost significantly.

Another option wouldn't use light rail at all and would rely on a bus rapid transit option that, while the least expensive, would not get commuters to their destinations any faster and – according to light rail supporters – wouldn’t help drive economic growth like a light rail system would.

Backers of a light rail system in Spokane would eventually like to expand the transit corridor all the way to Coeur d’Alene.

The transit authority will do a scientific study gathering people's opinions on all of the options after the first of the year. They'll use that data to then decide on when - or whether - to put a light rail proposal up for a vote.