Informed but opinionated commentary and analysis on urban transportation topics from the Secret Worldwide Transit Cabal. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty.

Our Mission: Monkeywrench the Anti-Transit Forces

 
MONORAIL FACTS AND FIGURES - 3

From the Cabalmaster:

The following list compares operating cost per passenger for U.S. and Japanese fixed-guideway urban transport. Average travel distance is shown for reference. Systems are arrenged in rank order, as before.

Toyohashi (streetcar, 1999): $0.35, 0.4 mi.

Nagoya-Guideway Bus: $0.39, 0.1 mi.

Tokyo-Toei (streetcar): $0.70, 1.6 mi.

Tokyo-Tokyu Corp (streetcar, 1999): $0.78, 1.5 mi.

Tokyo-Toei -- Ueno Park Monorail (1999): $0.79, 0.3 mi.

Nagasaki (streetcar): $0.80, 2.0 mi.

Okayama (streetcar): $0.89, 1.1 mi.

Seattle Monorail: $0.91, 0.9 mi.

Hiroshima-Urban lines (streetcar, 1999), 0.93, 1.6 mi.

Hiroshima-Miyajima Line (LRT, 1999): $0.95, 3.5 mi.

San Diego: $1.12, 6.5 mi.

Salt Lake City: $1.20, 8.1 mi.

Boston (LRT): $1.21, 2.1 mi.

Tokyo-Eidan (HRT): $1.23, 4.9 mi.

New York-NYCT (HRT): $1.25, 5.0 mi.

Matsuyama (streetcar, 1999), 1.27, 0.9 mi.

Toyama (streetcar, 1999): $1.31, 1.7 mi.

Shonan Monorail: $1.32, 2.1 mi.

Enoshima El Ry (LRT): $1.34, 2.2 mi.

New Orleans (streetcar): $1.38, 2.5 mi.

St. Louis: $1.38, 6.7 mi.

Kagoshima (streetcar): $1.38, 2.1 mi.

Osaka "New Tram" (ICTS): $1.39, 2.9 mi.

Boston (HRT): $1.41, 3.4 mi.

Kumamoto (streetcar): $1.42, 2.1 mi.

Osaka (HRT): $1.47, 3.8 mi.

Osaka-OTS Line (ICTS): $1.51, 0.6 mi.

Atlanta (HRT): $1.51, 6.0 mi.

Nagoya (HRT): $1.56, 3.7 mi.

Tokyo-Saitama "New Shuttle" (ICTS): $1.57, 3.9 mi.

Philadelphia-SEPTA (LRT): $1.58, 2.5 mi.

Kyoto-Keifuku El Ry (streetcar, 1999): $1.59, 2.8 mi.

Fukuoka (HRT): $1.59, 3.3 mi.

Tokyo-Toei (HRT): $1.59, 5.8 mi.

Kitakyushu Monorail: $1.64, 3 mi.

Los Angeles (HRT): $1.66, 2.7 mi.

Denver: $1.67, 4.2 mi.

Portland: $1.70, 5.8 mi.

Hakodate (streetcar): $1.73, 1.9 mi.

Sapporo (streetcar): $1.77, 1.5 mi.

Osaka-Sakai (streetcar): $1.78, 2.1 mi.

Tokyo "Yurikamome" (ICTS): $1.79, 4.8 mi.

Chicago (HRT): $1.79, 5.7 mi.

Yokohama (HRT): $1.83, 5.1 mi.

Sapporo (HRT): $1.84, 3.7 mi.

Kitakyushu-Chikuho El Ry (LRT): $1.86, 3.5 mi.

Yokohama "Kanazawa Seaside Line" (ICTS): $1.87, 2.7 mi.

Washington, DC (HRT): $1.87, 5.5 mi.

Kobe (HRT): $1.90, 5.9 mi.

Memphis (streetcar): $1.92, 0.8 mi.

New York-PATH (HRT): $1.94, 4.3 mi.

Inuyama "Meitetsu Monkeyu Park Monorail": $1.94, 0.5 mi.

Sendai (HRT): $1.97, 3.2 mi.

Philadelphia-SEPTA (HRT): $1.98, 4.5 mi.

Osaka Monorail: $2.03, 4.2 mi.

Los Angeles (LRT): $2.06, 7.0 mi.

Kochi (streetcar): $2.07, 2.5 mi.

Tokyo-Tama Monorail: $2.19, 3.5 mi.

Buffalo: $2.21, 2.4 mi.

San Francisco-Muni: $2.23, 2.6 mi.

Sacramento: $2.24, 5.3 mi.

Hiroshima "Astram Line" (ICTS): $2.25, 4.9 mi.

Tokyo Monorail: $2.25, 7.2 mi.

Chiba Monorail: $2.46, 2.5 mi.

Takaoka (streetcar): $2.56, 3.3 mi.

Philadelphia-PATCO (HRT): $2.69, 8.8 mi.

Baltimore (HRT): $2.70, 5.2 mi.

Kyoto (HRT): $2.74, 3 mi.

Dallas: $2.87, 5.3 mi.

Seattle Waterfront Streetcar: $3.01, 1.0 mi.

Tokyo-Seibu Ry Yamaguchi Line (ICTS): $3.13, 1.5 mi.

Newark-Jersey City (NJT LRT): $3.13, 2.5 mi.

Otsu-Keihan El Ry (LRT, 1999): $3.14, 2.9 mi.

Baltimore (LRT): $3.38, 7.0 mi.

San Francisco-BART (HRT): $3.40, 13.0 mi.

Kobe "Portliner" and Rokkoliner" (ICTS): $3.40, 2.5 mi.

Cleveland (HRT): $3.41, 7.4 mi.

Miami-Metromover (ICTS): $3.56, 1.0 mi.

Miami (HRT): $3.61, 7.8 mi.

Cleveland (LRT): $3.68, 5.8 mi.

Yukarigaoka (ICTS): $3.69, 1.3 mi.

Pittsburgh: $3.78, 4.5 mi.

Jacksonville monorail: $4.44, 0.4 mi.

San Jose: $4.82, 4.5 mi.

Gifu (streetcar, 1999): $4.88, 3.5 mi.

Komaki "Peachliner" (ICTS): $5.78, 3.3 mi.

New York-Staten Island (HRT): $6.14, 6.3 mi.

Detroit (ICTS): $7.29, 1.2 mi.

Hiroshima-Skyrail System (ICTS): $22.17, 0.7 mi.

We TransitCabalists are delighted that several Japanese streetcar operators defy the conventional wisdom that urban transit cannot exist as self-supporting private business. Despite the relative disadvantages of small cars, single-car operation and low maximum speed, streetcar operations in Hakodate, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Okayama, Tokyo-Tokyu Corp and Toyama all return operating surpluses.

IF one can attract a sufficient volume of short-distance trips (extremely short, by U.S. standards)

. . . and IF one can charge a sufficiently high fare (the "minimum" fare charged by the Kitakyushu Monorail, for travel between certain pairs of adjacent stations, works out to more than $4 per mile!)

. . . then one can operate a streetcar system as a self-supporting business, and turn a tidy profit as well.

However, we would not advise that anyone try doing this in almost any U.S. or Canadian urban travel market. Nagasaki averages $0.82 in revenue per passenger, and Okayama manages to collect an average of $1.17 from each passenger (these figures are lower than they once were, owing to Japan's long recession). However, the average streetcar passenger travels just 2.0 miles in Nagasaki, and 1.1 miles in Okayama. Although the "nominal" fares appear equivalent to those charged typically in the U.S., fare per mile works out to $0.40 - 1.10. These figures are well above the fares that consumers in most U.S. and Canadian urban travel markets would be willing to pay.



posted by The Cabalmaster, Master of All Transit-dom 8/07/2002 04:32:00 PM