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B-211567 1 (1983-04-26)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabmyt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 RESOURCES, COMMUNITY. April 26, 1983 AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION B-211567 Mr. Robert H. McManus Associate Administrator for Grants Management 121319 Urban Mass Transportation Administration Department of Transportation Dear Mr. McManus: Subject: UMTA could take steps to reduce costs in the development of light rail projects. Large amounts of Federal dollars are being spent towards the development of light rail systems in Buffalo, NY; Portland, OR; and Pittsburgh, PA; and a number of other cities are con- sidering similar systems. Pittsburgh's $480 million light rail project consists of reconstructing 12.5 miles of an existing streetcar line, con- structing a subway for the 1.1 miles of the system in the down- town area, developing a new vehicle maintenance and storage facility, purchasing 55 new light rail vehicles, and rehabili- tating 45 existing streetcars. The system, being constructed by the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT), will run from downtown Pittsburgh to South Hills Village and serve 16 stops and 13 stations, four of which will be in the downtown segment. A stop is usually just a location on a street where the vehicle stops to pick up passengers, while a station has platforms, passenger waiting areas, parking facilities, and in some cases connections with feeder bus lines. We made a review of the development of the Pittsburgh light rail system to identify what actions were taken to hold down the costs of the system and to ensure that the most effective use is being made of the Federal funds. We found that the decision to upgrade the existing street- car system and other actions held down the costs of the Pittsburgh system. However, several additional steps could be taken to further reduce costs and could also be applicable to other systems. The areas where we believe actions are needed are (1) the use of value engineering, (2) guidance on appro- priate criteria to justify the need for high-level stations, and (3) development of realistic ridership projections. (345572) 0 0?5502/

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