KPMG Audit: New Seattle Street Cars and Connecting Rails May Not Fit Existing LightRail Lines. 3

[racookpe1978]

From KIRO Seattle, MyNorthWest staff writers

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/ne...e-too-big-for-citys-existing-tracks/797558523

Mayor Jenny Durkan first hinted that the new streetcar sizes were a problem earlier in July, telling KUOW: “…one of the things we know is that the new streetcars, as designed, are longer than the current ones we have, and heavier,” Durkan said. “They won’t fit in the maintenance barns, for example, we are not sure if they will fit on the gauge of rail that’s there.”

The city has asked the independent auditor to go back for additional assessments. It aims to determine if the old streetcar system can work with the new one that Seattle has partially bought into, and almost constructed. For example: Can a larger, heavier streetcar line up with existing stations designed for smaller vehicles? Or, can the older, lighter cars work on the new tracks?

The mayor is also asking if the city can retrofit the old tracks for the new streetcars.
Seattle streetcars

The city warns that there may be additional capital shortfalls to complete the streetcar connector. Mayor Durkan’s office notes that the first analysis from KPMG was more in depth than expected and raised more questions than answers. For example, it has also been discovered that the streetcar lines are more expensive to operate than previously expected. Seattle’s 2017 streetcar budget was $500,000 short, primarily due to the South Lake Union line.

The auditor is now developing an updated assessment on the Seattle streetcar system. That report will address:

Capital costs of building the streetcar connector.
Cost of delaying construction until sometime in the future.
Can the larger streetcars fit into Seattle’s existing maintenance barns?
Current and forecasted operations and maintenance costs for South Lake Union, First Hill, and the city connector streetcar lines.
Current streetcar ridership numbers, and projected ridership estimates for existing and proposed lines.
Answer the question: Will there be more budget shortfalls given updated O&M costs, and ridership updates?

In tandem with the streetcar construction project, the city intended to complete utility work along the route. It still plans to complete some of that work despite the issues with the streetcar. A water main will be replaced along the southern portion of First Avenue.

© 2018 Cox Media Group.

One. It appears that the KPMG "marketing group" is selling the old adage: "More studies are needed" as the first line of the first report.

Two. If these questions (compatibility of the new light rail cars on the old rail lines, length of the maintenance building, compatibility of running old cars on the new connecting rails between the two original lines, cost and rate of return of the new project against the number of riders and price per ride) then the entire political justification of the entire project MUST be criticized strongly. And probably condemned from the first proposal at the first political meeting.

 

[thebard3]

I still believe there is a distinction here; whether this situation is the result of
1)- An engineering oversight.
2)- A lack of engineering oversight.
I think #2 is more applicable.

Brad

It's all okay as long as it's okay.

 

[dik]

thebard3: I think you're correct... else, they need a bunch of new engineers.

Dik