The non-existent case for CenterLine
Why should we pay so much for project that's likely to be used by so few?

By CHRIS NORBY and BILL CAMPBELL
Orange County Supervisors

Public projects should be determined by public need - not the availability of public money.

The $680 million in federal funds identified to help build the $1.2 billion CenterLine project seems its supporters' strongest argument - "If we don't get the money, it will go to Syracuse or Cleveland," or "Orange County pays so much to Washington, we've got to get back our fair share."

This is true, but the federal government will still pay only part of the costs; $520 million in construction costs must still be paid from state and local funds. Sacramento is severely cash-strapped, and the Measure M half-cent sales tax reauthorization in 2011 is hardly assured. There is also the $14 million in annual operational costs, which could become much higher.

The real question is not the availability of public money, but whether there is a public need for CenterLine.

Who would actually ride it?

CenterLine would run from the Santa Ana train depot to UC Irvine, via the Civic Center, South Coast Plaza and the airport. But Metrolink already connects Santa Ana to Irvine, in just 13 minutes, while the CenterLine would take 40 minutes, making stops and fighting traffic along the way. UCI students from Los Angeles or Fullerton would never stop at Santa Ana to board CenterLine when they could stay on Metrolink and be in Irvine while the CenterLine was still struggling down Bristol.

Is it needed to get from the Santa Ana depot to the Civic Center? There are already convenient bus connections covering that distance just as quickly as would CenterLine.

Would South Coast Plaza shoppers use CenterLine? Hardly. Property owners won't allow the tracks through the area unless they are either underground or land is forcibly acquired by eminent domain. The nearest CenterLine stop would be the northeast corner of Bristol and Sunflower. South Coast Plaza shoppers wouldn't walk that far when OCTA buses come and go right at the mall's main entrance.

Would luggage-toting travelers really use CenterLine to access John Wayne airport? Would you?

CenterLine would be a largely at-grade system that would make frequent stops at traffic lights and to pick up passengers. Far from being a rapid "light-rail" system, it would serve as a local collector similar to a bus. It would draw some passengers from existing bus routes, and certainly would siphon millions of dollars from bus operations. It would do nothing to alleviate freeway congestion.

New rail systems must have the advantage of speed over both cars and buses. Metrolink takes real commuters off the freeways and connects regional centers far more quickly than a CenterLine. We could expand Metrolink service and bus connections from its stations at a fraction of the cost of building CenterLine.

New highway projects, like the extension of the 57 Freeway, the Foothill South completion and the visionary Riverside-Orange County tunnel promise real traffic relief. The OCTA board has approved a purpose and needs study for the 57 extension between the Santa Ana and San Diego Freeways, completing a missing link that would save motorists untold hours currently wasted sitting in jammed traffic.

If we must build new rail, let's give it regional clout to actually take commuters out of their cars. Let's look at ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transit Intermodal Center), where air travelers could actually check their luggage as they board high-speed rail direct from Anaheim to Ontario airport. Let's look at the old P.E. right-of-way, stretching from Santa Ana to Cypress, and on into L.A. County. This right-of-way is owned by OCTA and has been studied for rail or a bus expressway.

Certainly, Orange County should get our fair share of federal transit dollars, but only for a project motivated by public need, not just the availability of public money.

Let us build something because we must, not just because we can.