The high cost of Calgary’s low-cost transit

The episode, aside from the awfulness of the accident, highlighted one of the costs of a city grown dependent on commuter rail. When serious disruptions occur, the repercussions can be enormous: tens of thousands of people can be made late for work or appointments when a train crashes into an automobile, as happens occasionally, or when a pedestrian is seriously injured or killed on the track, which, sadly, seems to happen nearly as often. It makes it all the more urgent to consider a report put out this week by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy providing a critical analysis of the costs of Calgary’s widely celebrated C-Train system and recommending that its expansion be halted in favour of more flexible, responsive and affordable alternatives. It’s something other cities, most of which these days seem to be fixated on LRT build-outs, should seriously consider, too.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/04/01/kevin-libin-the-high-cost-of-calgarys-low-cost-transit/