Memphis — LRT Route Decided

Rail Transit Online, June 2006

The Memphis Area Transit Authority board of directors has bowed to protests from the business community and residents of the Cooper-Young district by voting not to build a future light rail line to the airport through their neighborhood.  Also rejected was a deviation of the Cooper-Young route on Central to East Parkway serving the Mid-South Fairgrounds.  Instead, the tracks would connect with the existing streetcar line on Madison and run along Pauline and Lamar to Airways and into Memphis International Airport.  Cooper-Young business owners opposed LRT because they feared customers would be driven away during construction, parking would be reduced once the trains were running and light rail would adversely affect the neighborhood atmosphere.  A consultant study also citied noise, vibration and other environmental impacts.  The project would cost an estimated $400 million — all three alternatives have about the same price tag — and would use modern LRVs instead of the vintage streetcars employed on the existing Main Street and Riverfront lines.  Average weekday ridership would be about 11,000 in 2025.  The federal government would pay approximately 50 percent of the capital cost but the local share still has not been assured, placing the scheme’s future in doubt.