Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/01/2016

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Table 1-1 U.S.COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEMS RANKED BY RIDERSHIP Average Rank by Weekday Route Year Ridership System Major Cities Served Ridership Miles Stations Opened 1 Long Island Rail Road New York 352,000 700.00 124 1836 2 Metra Chicago 304,700 495.00 240 1984 3 Metro-North Railroad New York 298,500 384.00 120 1983 4 New Jersey Transit Rail New York.Philadelphia 276,459 951.00 162 1983 5 MBTA Commuter Rail Boston 130,600 368.00 133 1973 6 SEPTA Regional Rail Philadelphia 127,200 289.00 150 1983 7 Caltrain San Francisco/San Jose 41,400 77.00 32 1987 8 Metrolink Los Angeles 39,600 512.00 55 1992 9 MARC Train Baltimore/Washington D.C. 33,700 187.00 43 1984 10 Virginia Railway Express Washington D.C. 19,200 90.00 18 1992 11 Tri-Rail Miami 163,300 72.00 18 1987 12 NICTD South Shore Line Chicago 12,100 90.00 20 1903 13 Sounder Commuter Rail Seattle/Tacoma 10,100 80.00 9 2000 14 A-Train Denton 8,600 21.00 6 2011 15 Trinity Railway Express Dallas/Fort Worth 8,200 34.00 10 1996 16 UTA FrontRunner Salt Lake City 5,800 44.00 8 2008 17 NCTD Coaster San Diego 5,000 41.00 8 1995 18 New Mexico Rail Runner Express Albuquerque 3,900 97.00 13 2006 19 Altamont Commuter Express San Jose 3,000 86.00 10 1998 20 Shore Line East New Haven 2,200 59.00 13 1990 orthstar"lane Minneapoiis 6 2009 22 Capital MetroRail Austin 2,000 32.00 9 2010 23 Westside Express Service Beaverton 1,600 15.00 5 2010 24 Music City Star Nashville 1,000 32.00 6 2006 Source: Eco nomic&Planning Systems,Inc. Commuter Rail TOD Commuter rail TOD opportunities are also different than those associated with light rail or heavy rail systems due to its more limited scope, both in terms of frequency of service as well as the portion of the region that easily can be accessed by transit. Both factors limit the accessibility premiums that translate to increases in real estate market demand and higher land values. The nature of the commuter-freight rail corridor can also be less compatible with adjacent TOD. The sound levels associated with diesel locomotives and horns are louder, there are often larger transit parking fields, and the frequency of freight rail trains all creates land use impacts that are less compatible with residential and office-based employment development. The existing land development pattern in commuter rail corridors is also often not compatible with TOD, as it can include manufacturing and distribution uses requiring direct rail service as well as other heavy industrial uses which have located near like uses and away from residential and community serving commercial uses. Despite these limitations, there remains a great deal of interest in TOD at commuter station locations, and in particular on these newer lines where the land use and development pattern is less fully built out. There are a number of principles that apply to capitalizing on TOD opportunities at commuter rail station locations. A station area plan is key as it provides direction for the preferred land uses to be developed within a station influence area over a long- term time horizon of 20 to 25 years. The typical area of influence is approximately a half-mile radius modified by logical roadway and geographic features. In addition to the land use element, the plan should be grounded by a market study that identifies the potentials for TOD land uses. 1-5