BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- The designers of 10 different mass transit systems showed nearly 100 Tristate residents and government leaders how they might someday travel between riverfront destinations or commute to work on elevated rail or personal rapid transit lines.
The presentations were part of a Saturday symposium sponsored by the Advanced Elevated Rail Committee of Forward Quest, a Northern Kentucky group studying the area's future.
"Today it is more important that Cincinnati be linked to Northern Kentucky for its survival than Northern Kentucky needing to be connected to Cincinnati," Corporex Co. Chairman Bill Butler said in opening remarks. "An ideal system is one that can serve the (riverfront) loop and also go out to the airport."
WEB SITE
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A Web site at www.netinstructor.com/aerc is maintained by the Advanced Elevated Rail Committee and includes additional information about elevated rail systems.
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Presenters at the Embassy Suites conference included companies from Japan, England, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota and South Carolina. Their ideas range from high-speed magnetic train systems to personal rapid transit lines -- slower people movers that use individual cars for non-stop trips.
Part of the meeting's purpose was to generate interest in elevated rail as an alternative to light rail as the best transportation system for the Interstate 71 corridor. The light rail system, which could cost $1.2 billion, is favored by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.
Elevated rail supporters say their option is less expensive and more efficient because the trains are automated, without the need for drivers. Bids submitted to the Advanced Elevated Rail Committee range from $3 million to $33 million per mile. Personal rapid transit systems were the least expensive option.
"Getting from here to the airport is a challenge, and light rail cannot do it," said Pete Trenary, spokesman for Dallas-based Aerorail Development Corp., one of the presenters. Aerorail produces a system that operates on magnetic levitation.
The symposium is also being watched by state officials planning for Kentucky's future transportation needs. Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton sent his representative, Sally Davis, to deliver his support for mass transit.
"He sees some real possibilities for it, and not just here," Ms. Davis said.
She read a statement expressing Mr. Patton's interest in elevated rail as a way to connect communities, put people in touch with better jobs, and improve the quality of life in Kentucky.
