Interactive: Animated map of Norfolk's light rail

to this looming financial disaster. Using HRT's inflated passenger estimates above, 1 659 840 passengers will ride the trolley each year. If HRT can get $5 per ride (unlikely), it will generate only $8.4 million per year- not enough to cover operating costs, let alone capital costs which will far exceed the $232 MM budgeted. I suspect that far fewer people will ride this foolish waste of resources.

I hope that the Beach Council is wise enough to resist the pressure to extend this Tracked Titanic. Haven't we learned from Nauticus, the Soccerplex etc etc etc? This won't be a monkey on the backs of the taxpayers, it will be King Kong.

The reason it was not extended first out to ODU and NOB is because no extinct lines exist that go out that way, the cost would be so much more to start with that. The starter line goes through downtown and out to the VB line. This was chosen because an old Norfolk Southern line already exist that simply needs to be revamped to allow for light rail, this means very little eminent domain compared to carving a new line through the urban jungle. Also a maglev is the most expensive form of rail both to construct and to operate. It would be nice, but very unpractical. If a rail is ever taken out to NOB i'd imagine the line would mirror a line already active...one that takes coal from the ports to beside harbor park. The hardest rail to build would be one out to ODU, possibly a rail could go to lamberts point then branch off down powhatan to ODU.

As usual, Virginia Beach city council is sitting on their hands and doing nothing. This system is the future but city council would rather wait on "something." VOTE THE BUMS OUT and elect someone who is not afraid to move forward.

I guess the legislators think Norfolk is looking pretty smart now in regards to Light Rail. Va. Beach's decision to not participate in light rail a number of years ago is probably the stupidest decision ever made. After all, 2/3 of the original proposed light rail was to be in Va. Beach. If construction was currently proceeding in Va. Beach as in Norfolk, a connection would be forthcoming from Towne Center to Lynnhaven Mall and the Oceanfront. But at the time Va. Beach was to scared of anything connecting its city to the perceived rife rafe in Norfolk.

How is this system any different than running buses? It would have to be regional to have any affect on traffic, and, as was stated, it should be elevated and service the military bases. The military is the areas largest employer, if you can make it convenient for those people to use it, then that's 10s of thousands of cars off the roads during peak commute times.

I am for the light rail. With the high gas prices, I would be willing to travel by light rail. My only hope is that it can expand to places like Suffolk, Newport news, etc. ANGELO

It should be elevated and maglev. Speaking of which, I visited the American Maglev technologies website the other day, and to my surprise there is a new test track in Georgia. And a picture of Alberts and the head guy of ODU there. Did ODU give back improved control systems technology? What's going on with that? That is where the excitement is, not Norfolk Trolly 2.0, redeployment of history. Atlanta has MARTA, they don't even need the Maglev.

Why is it that the initial route for this light rail system do not include ODU or any of the military bases? Who decided what the initial route would be and why? I must have missed that information in one of the earlier VP articles.

Virginia Beach needs to get with it, or Norfolk needs to allow Virginia Beach to add on to the Tide. Just think, having this lightrail system going to the beach. It will pass Town Center also. More persons are likely to go the Norfolk Tide games from the beach, if they would not have to worry about traffic. It would be better to pay now for adding, then later, and the benefits that both cities would incur would be great for this area.