Light Rail Jacksonville

Promoting Intelligent Rail and Skyway Transit in Jacksonville

Capital Funding

Brand new Pacific Electric Interurban car, is raised to have the trucks rolled under and installed.

Sample Streetcar System Costs and Benefits
The below table shows summaries of capital costs and in some cases identified benefits for modern and heritage streetcar systems:

Potential Sources of Capital Funding for Heritage Trolley operations

FTA New Starts
Portland’s heritage cars and maintenance facility were paid for by 80% UMTA funding as part of the Banfield Light Rail project. New starts money is one of the best potential sources of capital funding, however resources are limited and many cities are competing to receive such funding for light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, or other transit projects.
FTA Small Starts
The reauthorization of the highway bill (TEA-LU) enacted by Congress in 2005 contained a new source of funding for streetcar projects referred to as "Small Starts." Inspired by the success of the Portland Streetcar and other downtown heritage or new streetcar systems, the program is aimed at smaller projects than traditional regional light rail projects and includes economic redevelopment as a means of justifying such projects. The following link is to a PDF version of a presentation introducing the Small Starts program given by Jeff Boothe of the Community Streetcar Coalitioni at the APTA Heritage Trolley and Streetcar Subcommittee meeting in Dallas in September, 2005:
 
TEA-21 Enhancement funding
The Dallas heritage trolley operation received grants of $5.5 million in 1994 from the ISTEA program, the predecessor to TEA-21 (See Dallas)
Build track and wire at same time other infrastructure work being done (street reconstruction, sewers, other buried utilities)
In Dallas voters passed a bond bill to finance street improvements along the proposed extension of the heritage trolley line, and officials planned to build track as part of the project. (See Dallas)
Sale of naming rights to stations, cars
Used in Tampa (for an operating endowment—see Tampa)
Municipal assessments on developers
As developers stand to reap financial benefits from a heritage trolley system, a city government may opt to require a contribution toward the heritage trolley system in return for the right to develop along the line.
Voluntary investment by developers of parcels along line
In Dallas, developers of Cityplace contributed $1 million toward extension of the heritage trolley line to serve their complex  (See  Dallas)
Development of adjacent land
Conceivably the organization building a heritage trolley line could be given the right to develop parcels along the line, using profits to help pay for the line.
Foundation grants
In Galveston, the local match for federal funding used to build the heritage line was contributed by two foundations, one of which later funded the entire cost of an extension of the line. (See Heritage Trolleys in Memphis
Park funding – if line passes through park
If a heritage trolley line passes through a national or state park, funding from park service sources may be available to help with the line. This approach is being pursued in Lowell (MA), where the National Park Service owns the current heritage trolley line, and may be pursued in San Francisco, where proposed a heritage trolley extension would pass through another national park.
Hotel/motel tax
In New Orleans, part of the 20% local funding to match FTA new starts money for reintroduction of streetcars to Canal Street came from extending a local sales tax to the hospitality industry. The hotel and motel operators supported the measure as they felt the streetcar line would be an added tourist draw, as has been the case with the other two streetcar lines in New Orleans.
Donations from private sources
One quarter of the $6 million cost of the New Orleans Riverfront line opened in 1988 came from private sources.
In Portland (OR) heritage trolley service along the downtown portion of the light rail line was funded initially by business taxes, business sponsorships, and other private monies, plus farebox revenues. This included interest from a city trust fund established in the middle of the 1980s through a Local Improvement District tax of businesses along the route. Four businesses have already agreed to be “car sponsors” by paying $100,000 each ($20,000 a year over a course of five years) for the right to advertise (or sell advertising) on and inside their designated car. In addition, eight other businesses have made donations of $30,000 each as “station sponsors” in exchange for recognition in Vintage Trolley literature and in signage at stops along the route
Donations for local match
Private sources may provide contributions in kind rather than cash contributions. In New Orleans, an oil industry firm donated oil pipe worth more than $1 million to be used as overhead wire support poles on the Canal Street route. This donation counted as part of the local match to FTA funding.
 

Operational Funding

Potential Sources of Operating Revenue for Heritage Trolley operations

Fares
Not all heritage trolley operations charge fares, but if fares are charged they can cover some operating expenses. Typically, fares will not cover a very high percentage of operating costs.
Advertising on cars and/or stations
As with other public transit operations, advertising can be displayed in heritage trolleys in the traditional racks running above the windows along the edge of the ceiling, and/or on larger panels on the exterior sides or dashes of the car.
Traditional transit subsidies
General operating subsidies from governmental sources may be available for heritage trolley operations, as for conventional transit operations.
Charter fees
Heritage trolleys can provide a suitable venue for holding a rolling party or providing group transportation to a special event. Fees for such charters can cover direct operating costs and contribute to general operating expenses. In Melbourne, Australia a dinner tram is operated, on which a multi course meal is served at a premium price as the car rolls through the city. If a heritage line is of sufficient length to enable such an operation, it could be a money maker.
Sale of naming rights to stations, cars
Tampa used this approach to help build the endowment that will support operation of the heritage line. (See Tampa Project Description). Sale of naming rights could also contribute to capital costs.
Holding celebrity benefit events to raise funds
Portland held an inaugural event at the beginning of heritage service selling tickets for $100 to $250, and raised $30,000 toward the fund for operations. (See Portland’s New/Old Trolleys)
Building an endowment to support operations
Tampa raised an endowment from private sector contributions for naming rights to cover operating costs of the line. (See Tampa Project Description).
Combined tickets to sporting, theatrical, or other special events including trolley fare
Joint marketing arrangements with attractions served by a line may provide a source of income and another way to expose riders to a heritage trolley line for the first time. In Geneva, Switzerland, the city streetcar system gains revenue from a share of parking fees paid by users of parking garages along the streetcar line. In exchange, parkers have the right to use the streetcars free for a specified period of time. A similar arrangement could be used as an incentive for drivers to park at the end of a heritage line, then ride downtown, thus reducing auto congestion in a central area.
CMAQ
Tampa planned use of CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds) toward operating expenses in the initial years of the heritage trolley. (See Tampa Project Description).
Tax on businesses benefiting from line
Portland implemented a Local Improvement District tax for businesses along the heritage trolley route. Tampa similarly enacted a tax applying to businesses in the 300-acre area to be served by the heritage trolley line (See Tampa Project).
Voluntary contributions from businesses benefiting from line
If owners of businesses served by a line feel it contributes to their business, they may agree to regular contributions toward operating expenses.
 

Trolley Museum Building Construction in PA.

Minimize Cost by Using Inexpensive Approaches

Planning

Use existing rail rights of way where possible
Several heritage lines have been built using existing, but unused, railroad track or rail rights of way in full or in part. This provides obvious benefits in reducing the cost of constructing the line. Examples are the waterfront or riverfront lines in Seattle, New Orleans, and Memphis. Such track will normally have to be repaired or replaced, but the cost is still much less than acquiring a right of way and building new track where none had existed before.
Reuse abandoned (paved over) track
Hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of abandoned streetcar track remain under the pavement in cities all over North America. At the time of streetcar abandonment there often were insufficient funds to remove the rails, so for expediency they were simply covered with asphalt. Heritage trolley lines in Dallas and Tucson (as well as in Manchester, England and in Stockholm, Sweden) have uncovered existing rails and used them for part of their route. Though such track can often be found, it can have serious limitations. First, utility construction since abandonment will frequently have crossed the right of way resulting either in a gap in the rails or new pipes, conduits, or manhole covers where the rails formerly ran. Second, rails at the time of abandonment may have suffered from years of deferred maintenance from cash-strapped street railway companies so may be worn or uneven. Third, heavy salt use in areas with a harsh winter climate may have corroded the rails. And fourth, electrolysis, a form of corrosion caused by the electrical current that powered the trolleys, may be another source of deterioration. Nonetheless, particularly in warmer climates, investigating the presence of abandoned rails is a worthwhile activity when planning a heritage line along city streets.
Present utility operators may have maps showing where rails remain under pavement, and trolley museums or other historical sources will have maps of former lines showing where tracks once ran.
Another view of Museum Construction in PA.
Single track with passing sidings rather than double track
Streetcar lines can be built in either a double-track configuration, with one track serving cars running in each direction, or in a single-track configuration, in which one track serves both directions, with occasional passing sidings (where the track splits into two with a switch at each end so cars traveling in opposite directions can pass one another). Obviously, single track is less expensive to build but is inadequate if service is so frequent that opposing cars need to pass one another frequently. From the earliest days of horse drawn streetcars, companies built single track wherever they could, subsequently upgrading to double track if traffic increased sufficiently. This practice is followed today in the construction of light rail lines. In cities such as San Diego, Baltimore, and Portland, long stretches of single track were constructed in the initial stages of new light rail systems and mostly have been doubled as ridership grew.
Heritage operations can use similar practices to keep costs down. In Seattle, Tucson, and Tampa the routes are largely single track with passing sidings.
Click here for a further discussion, with illustrations, of the single track option.
Collect and reuse paving stones
Streetcar tracks running in pavement were very often surrounded by bricks or granite paving blocks. Recreating this appearance not only lends an air of historical authenticity but also can provide the advantage of discouraging automobiles from driving on the tracks, as motorists tend to avoid rougher surfaces. Just as there are miles of abandoned streetcar track beneath pavement, there are miles of paving blocks still intact. As streets undergo major reconstruction, contractors can be asked to salvage and separate the paving blocks. These can be reused in construction of a heritage line, saving the cost of new paving blocks or of alternate types of payment. The city of Portland saved and stockpiled such blocks for some years prior to construction of the tracks used by the light rail and heritage cars through an older downtown district.
Reuse second hand track material and overhead poles
Second hand rail in good condition and usable wooden cross ties can often be found for little more than the cost of disassembling and removing them. Typical sources are abandoned railroad sidings or branch lines. Trolley and rail museums have obtained track materials from such sources for decades. Track switches (where two tracks diverge) or crossings may or may not be suitable for trolley use and second hand rail may not be ideal for areas where the track is in pavement, but still considerable savings can potentially be obtained by finding used track material.
Similarly, poles suitable for supporting the overhead wire may also be found second hand. Standard wooden telephone poles were commonly used to hold trolley wire, though steel poles were normally used in downtown sections. Local telephone or electrical utilities may be a source of usable second hand wooden poles. As well, in many cities the original steel poles that held up the trolley wire were kept after trolley abandonment to hold streetlights, signs, or guy wires. In some cases these poles were decorated with ornate period caps making them particularly desirable for return to their original purpose. Searching the city that will host the line or neighboring cities may uncover such poles which potentially could be obtained for reuse at reasonable cost.
Also span wires (that support the contact wire) can , with necessary permission, be attached to buildings along the line, as was often done in construction of streetcar lines a century ago. Wire can also be attached to existing utility poles with suitable permission from the owner.

Construction and Operation

Encourage volunteer labor in construction/operation
Trolley museums, since the movement began with the founding of the Seashore Trolley Museum in 1939, have built the equivalent of heritage trolley lines (normally in rural settings) using almost entirely volunteer labor as well as material, often second hand, acquired at little or no cost. A number of urban heritage lines (Tucson, Fort Collins, and Fort Smith as examples) originated from this same volunteer preservation perspective. In some cases, notably Tucson, the volunteer labor has even extended to constructing track in urban streets. Though the work involved in constructing track, setting poles for overhead wire, and suspending that wire is physically demanding and requires special skills, if a heritage operation can find volunteers with sufficient motivation, great progress can be made at very low cost.
Similarly, volunteers can play an active or role in regular operations and maintenance, or handle these functions in their entirety. In heritage operations such as Dallas and the cities mentioned above, volunteers perform all operating and maintenance functions. In others they share or supplement paid staff.
Even in a major city such as San Francisco in which the city’s transit operator operates the heritage trolley line, volunteers contribute greatly. The volunteer nonprofit Market Street Railway performs a variety of functions: They serve as advocates in planning roles for creation and expansion of the service; their volunteers acquire and restore cars to be used in the operation; and still other volunteers ride cars in regular service to serve as hosts and help keep the cars clean.
Use low cost construction techniques and second hand material or facilities with long lives
Again following the trolley museum example, second hand components can be used in the construction of heritage lines if funds are not available to purchase new material.
Normally, the highest cost item in construction of a heritage line is building track running in street pavement or crossing streets. A very large component of the cost is relocating utility lines (water, sewer, gas, steam, electricity, phone, or cable television lines) that are laid beneath the pavement but close enough to the surface to interfere with track and the associated foundation. To the extent that track can be located where utility relocation can be minimized construction costs can be reduced. Similarly, a track design that minimizes the needed depth of excavation will be less expensive to build (such an approach was used in the new Portland downtown streetcar).
A number of heritage lines have reused existing buildings for car storage and maintenance facilities saving the cost of building from scratch.
Secure donated services
In addition to the efforts of volunteer enthusiasts mentioned above, a heritage line may be able to secure volunteer help from firms or employees of firms in fields that offer services similar to those needed by a heritage line. As an example, union employees of an electric utility in Tucson volunteered to install and maintain the overhead wire for the heritage line and their firm agreed to allow the employees to use bucket trucks and other equipment as they performed this task. Conceivably, agencies or firms with skills in street, building, or track construction could provide similar support if approached. If the entity developing the heritage line is organized as a nonprofit with 501(C)3 status, such donations may be tax deductible for the commercial concerns that provide them.
Another source of donated labor, though generally for periods as short of a day or time, is work release programs run by correctional departments. Frequently non-violent offenders may have their sentences reduced if they perform community work, under supervision of guards. Often the participants are very happy to perform the work both to reduce the boredom of their incarceration and for the possible reduction in sentence. Availability of funding for the guards and for transport, along with competition from other potential users, are key factors in whether this source of labor is available.
Military or National Guard
A source of large scale donated services, principally in construction and other labor intensive tasks is the military. A number of trolley museums have used this source over the years  Both active duty and reserve units frequently undertake community service projects as training exercises. Units from the Army, Navy Construction Battalions, or Marines are the most likely sources, but other branches may be suitable sources as well. Projects undertaken in the past include track construction or maintenance, site preparation, and building construction. Substantial lead time may be necessary to secure these services, but those planning heritage lines are encouraged to contact local military and National Guard units to explore this possibility.
 
  

Welcome

Recent Videos

No new videos

Recent Forum Posts

No recent posts