STREETCAR EXTENSION WAS SMALL CHANGE COMPARED TO MLR

The streetcar extension cost $148 million, of which $75 million came from the Federal Transit Administration. Obtaining the federal monies proved frustrating and impossible under the George .W Bush administration, with federal officials uninterested in a vehicle that was neither faster, nor cheaper to build, than a bus. Streetcar advocates have argued that their system increases public transit ridership, that it is cheaper to operate, and that it spurs development along its route. Since it was first launched, they say, private developers have built more than 10,000 housing units and 5.5 million square feet of commercial space within a block of the streetcar route.
Eastside Connection