(Scripps Media/RTV6)
The IndyGo Red Line rapid transit project in Indianapolis is a disaster that doesn’t work and is wrong for our city, according to WIBC host Tony Katz.
Indy’s rapid transit project is based on a similar system in Albuquerque, New Mexico – a project that 770 KKOB radio host Pat Frisch says has been a complete nightmare for that city.
Pat joined Tony Wednesday morning to discuss the challenges that came with Albuquerque’s rapid transit bus system, why it doesn’t work, and what Hoosiers can expect moving forward.
Frisch:
“We are into the third year of nothing, other than they’ve gone through Central Avenue, which is a 9-mile stretch. They’ve put in the platforms, because the busses fit the platforms, but the busses suck. They’re supposed to get 275 miles; they’re only getting 177 miles.
So what the city did here is that they told the company that builds the buses to take them back. Now there’s big talks of a potential lawsuit here and there.
I want to read a quote to you from Bernie Toon, who is the transit director for the city of Albuquerque. Toon said, ‘What we found during the first week was that buses had air conditioning outages and door malfunctions. We were communicating these issues to BYD when bolts began to fall off doors, and rear doors would open during bus operation without any action by the driver. As a result, our mechanics started to look for the causes of these problems and began identifying new problems.’”
Meanwhile, Indy’s own rapid transit project is already months behind schedule and millions over budget, and local businesses in the project’s path of construction are suffering economic consequences of Red Line’s intrusion on their respective areas. So much for progress, and we’re just getting started.
Click the link below to hear Tony’s full interview with Pat Frisch.
