The system takes shape
There’s going to be a lot of University Line content in this blog for the next two months or so. Why? Because it’s the biggest dashed line left on this map (use this pdf for printing or better viewing, or click above for a larger jpg). Alignments have been chosen for the North, Southeast, Harrisburg, and Uptown lines. But that decision still remains for the University Line. And the options are significantly different in terms of what places they serve and what they connect to.
I show this map for a different reason, though: to remind us all that we’re talking about a system. METRO plans lines individually. But they will all connect. Everything you see on this map — 8 suburban METROExpress corridors, 2 commuter rail lines, and 6 urban transit corridors — is in METRO’s plans for 2012. And if you’re anywhere on this system, you’ll be linked to the jobs, universities, shops, museum, restaurants, shops, and neighborhoods along the University Line. So we all have a stake making sure it’s built in the right place.
This map, in other words, is a reminder that the University Line isn’t just a line on a map. This line will help determine how all of us (and our children, and their children) can get get around this city for 50 years or more.
About the map: this is a CTC document, not a METRO document. The dashed segments (mainly the University Line, but also portions of the Harrisburg and Uptown lines) have not had an alignment determined yet. For the remaining unbuilt segments, the solid lines have had alignments chosen by the METRO board (but that doesn’t mean they might not change). Station locations are from METRO documents, but in many cases they are not final. I made up the station names; the METRO board didn’t choose station names on the Main Street line until after the line was under construction. I’ll keep updating this as those dotted lines turn solid. Comments? Corrections? Visit our forums.