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Nashville MTA storm damage

 
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timecruncher



Age: 73
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 456
Location: Louisville, Kentucky

PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:14 pm    Post subject: Nashville MTA storm damage Reply with quote

I posted this on the Pittsburgh transit forum, but I don't know how many of you watch that site, so here it is again:

Take a look at this photo album of the devastating flooding of the Cumberland River in Nashville back in May. They were able to borrow enough buses from MATA in Memphis and Metro up in Cincinnati to resume service, but you can see that their operation was pretty much done in by the severe flooding.

I never cease to be amazed by how quickly transit manages to restore and resume normalcy of operations after such unexpected events. MTA is one of four cash-starved transit agencies in a state that refuses to properly provide for urban transit service. That they were able to restore and resume service in short order is nothing short of phenomenal.

In spite of being under-funded for day-to-day operations, MTA is one of the sharpest transit agencies in the country, made even more amazing because of the typical southern bias against public transportation.

My hat's off to Nashville MTA for doing what it does so well!

http://www.nashvillemta.org/PDF/NashvilleMTAFlood2010.pdf

timecruncher
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ripta42
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Age: 44
Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 1035
Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA

PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for sharing here! Looks like a real mess. Does the agency's insurance cover flood damage to the fleet and facilities?

Also, what was the purpose of those ex-Metra gallery cars outside the garage (slide 3)?

What's the Pittsburgh forum? I though Dave shut down the AMCAP board some time ago.
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timecruncher



Age: 73
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 456
Location: Louisville, Kentucky

PostPosted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Music City Star bought more gallery cars from Metra than they needed to there would be a parts supply. I don't know if these were simply spares or if they were being stripped for parts, but the cars were parked adjacent to MTA's garage last time I was down there.

I'm fairly certain that all of Star's equipment are ex-C&NW cars, built in the late fifties and early sixties, and still decent enough. They didn't do much to them but paint them, clean 'em up, make sure a/c was working and maybe replaced floors.

Don't know if daily ridership has hit 1,000 yet. It has been below expectations, which is suprising, because the route is well-placed for population centers and because I-40 is an absolute zoo during peak hours. Transit must struggle in the "old south" because of long held notions that it is for "those" people (fill in the blank). Nothing like a little bigotry to keep people from benefitting from well-designed and well-run transit. MTA has a nice system, run on a shoestring and kept immaculately clean and well-maintained by one of the best transit managers in the country.

timecruncher
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Harvestman



Age: 29
Joined: 17 Mar 2015
Posts: 15
Location: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 12:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Old thread - but thanks so much for providing a link to that PDF. I had heard that some SORTA buses were used for recovery efforts but didn't see much else on it.

I can't see any numbers, but judging from the paint schemes, most of those Phantoms are probably at MidWest Bus by now, if they were considered "spare" enough to be sent down there.
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