Boise/Treasure Valley Light Rail Proposal
Hello, I am a senior in High School with plans to major in Transportation Engineering and I've come up with a proposal for a light rail system into the treasure valley and Boise.
Link to Map: Click Here
Why it would make sense
- Population Growth
- Recent Traffic Congestion
- Environmental Impact
- Economic Growth
General Info
If you want the video version of this post: https://youtu.be/xCYjvnqw_4o
The light rail would include 4 lines with service to almost all parts of the Treasure Valley. Majority of this rail network runs along Highways and busy streets. There are a total of 37 stations with stops such as the Boise International Airport, Boise State, Sports Stadiums/arenas and more! In cases where the light rail doesn't run next to a highway, it goes through downtown streets and residential streets. Obviously that isn't ideal, but there is no real way around it.
- Red Line: Boise Airport - Star
- Yellow Line: Boise Airport - Star (different path)
- Blue Line: Caldwell - Downtown Boise/State Capital
- Green Line: Kuna - Northern Boise/Garden City
(all lines are imagined if they were all built for this purpose/no old railroad lines used)
Physical Station Design
Generally, the stations will be "small", due to limited space. There will be fare gates at each station which will use a special ticket/card to take payment. These cards can be acquired at every station and be loaded with money also. The fare gates would be similar to Seattle's new fare gates (see below) and stations would include benches, nature, roofed areas to protect from rain, timetables for light rail trains and possibly art as well. (see below)
Fares
- The "Entry" to ride is $2
- After that, the cost increases $.15 every station or $.20 in Kuna, Nampa and Caldwell (further and less stations)
- Children and Seniors get 50% discounts
- There are machines at every station to buy and load up transit cards.
- You only pay once you are leaving your destination station
Train Models/Ideas
Trains will be around 3-4 cars only, because of the size of the Treasure Valley. These trains would run fully on electricity. Possible models include: Alstom Citadis and Siemens s200
Conclusion
I believe this can be a successful project in Boise in future years, if the Treasure Valley's population continues to grow, we can see this project in the future. This project will bring our community together and help them travel from point A to point B in a swift, safe, and fun new way!
(I also don't know how much it would cost but if you can estimate please leave a comment!)
I've spent a lot of time on this idea/project and would love to hear your feedback on it!