Transit provides an alternative to driving, especially important with gas prices on the rise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the proposed map the final system plan, or will there be changes to routes?
A new Transit Authority will decide exactly where specific routes will go. The route of the Green Line will not change, because that is being built on an existing rail corridor. The exact routes within the rapid transit corridors might change in some places, but the location of the corridors themselves is fairly well established. The local bus routes could be changed over time to ensure that the most effective passenger service is being provided to accommodate passenger demand, traffic patterns, and population shifts.
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What is the cost of this system?
The cost to build the bus and rail system is approximately $1.3 billion over the first 10 years. We estimate it will cost approximately $150 million per year to operate and maintain this system once it is fully built out in 2025.
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How will this proposed transportation plan be paid for?
A combination of federal, state and local dollars, as well as transit fares, will likely be used to build and operate the transit system. It will be up to the Indiana State Legislature to determine what kind of local funding will be used, but a group of local elected officials, civic and business leaders proposed that counties have the option of implementing a 0.3 percent (3/10ths of a percent) increase in their local option income tax via a referendum to help fund the local share.
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How will the new tax affect the average resident of Marion or Hamilton County?
The proposed tax of 0.3 percent — 3/10ths of a percent — would only apply to "taxable income" such as wages and income, just like the current local income tax does. So after taking into account typical exemptions and deductions, a family of four making $50,000 a year would pay about $10 a month for this new transit system.
The tax would not affect most seniors or those out of work, since Social Security benefits and unemployment benefits are generally excluded from state and local taxes.
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Will people who live in other counties have to pay the new tax before the transit system gets built in their communities?
No. A county's residents must first vote to become part of the new Transit Authority before they would be subject to the new tax. And the decision to put the question on the ballot in the first place is also made at the local level — not by anyone outside of the county.
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Why does the plan only start in Marion and Hamilton Counties? When will other counties be allowed to participate?
It is proposed that the first phase of the regional system be built in Marion and Hamilton counties for two reasons: First, extensive feasibility and design studies have already been completed in those communities, including the current federal alternatives analysis of the Green Rapid Transit Line, Blue Rapid Transit Line, and Red Rapid Transit Line and IndyGo's recent Comprehensive Operational Analysis on its system. Second, the backbone of the transit system will be built in those two counties.
But while that build out is happening, phase one of the plan also calls for system design and feasibility studies to start in neighboring counties, particularly Johnson and Hendricks counties — to evaluate the level and kind of service that those communities desire.
When other counties are ready to connect to the system, their residents can vote to opt in when it makes sense for them. That decision will be made by the local elected officials and residents of those counties on a timetable that works for their communities.
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Why isn't there a rail line from downtown Indianapolis to the airport in the first phase?
The plan contains two rapid transit routes from downtown to the airport terminal: (1) nonstop express bus service from the terminal to downtown using the I-70 corridor; and (2) Rapid Transit service from the airport terminal to downtown via Washington Street.
The Federal Transit Administration just awarded Indianapolis a $2 million grant to study, among other things, the feasibility of adding a light rail line to these routes. Preliminary estimates suggest that such a rail line could cost nearly $1 billion, given the configuration of the airport runways and the need either to go around them or under them. The study will also determine the full extent of the demand for such service and whether the current level of potential ridership would make that investment cost effective. This work will be done in concert with the ongoing planning that the Indianapolis International Airport is undertaking.
When a rail line to the airport becomes feasible from a financial and demand perspective, the new Transit Authority will be able to incorporate that service into the system design.
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How does this compare to what other cities have/are done/doing in terms of mass transit?
Keep in mind that Central Indiana's transit system is bare bones so we have a lot of catching up to do. Our current bus system no longer ranks in the top 100 systems in the country in terms of size. Whether you look at Indianapolis as the 14th largest city in the U.S. or as the 23rd largest metro area – this ranking shows that we are very behind. Many of our closest peer cities such as Columbus, Louisville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Charlotte have much larger bus systems and many have already instituted rail based transit or are in the process of doing so.
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When will this be built?
Assuming a funding source is secured, the first phase of the plan will be built within 10-years or by 2025. That includes everything on this map.
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What is the difference between bus, express bus and bus rapid transit?
The bus system has been greatly enhanced. The bus system includes much more cross-town service with fewer transfers, increased operating hours, average wait times between buses of 10-20 minutes and seven-a-day-week service. For more direct service, the plan also includes express bus – both to destinations within downtown Indianapolis and to surrounding counties. This is "non-stop" or "limited stop" service meant for point-to-point travel, primarily targeted at commuters. Bus Rapid Transit operates more like light rail and has been added to highly traveled areas. BRT runs every 7.5 to 15 minutes and controls traffic signals to reduce travel times. It also has frequent stops, like light rail service. Check out a video we put together to help explain this better.
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What will happen to IndyGo under this plan?
IndyGo will become part of the new Transit Authority as bus service expands in Marion County and is offered in Hamilton County and other neighboring communities. Many regional transit systems have separate divisions for bus and rail services, and IndyGo's drivers, staff and equipment will become part of the Transit Authority's bus division.
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How much will it cost to ride the rail and bus system?
It is too early in the planning process for us to provide a specific cost to ride transit. We do expect it to be in line with the cost of other cities – which is currently between $3 and $4 per day. We also anticipate a modern ticketing process so passengers can purchase one ticket for trips on bus or rail.
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Is there a difference between the Central Indiana Transit Task Force and "Indy Connect?"
They are different aspects of the same overall planning initiative. After the Central Indiana Transit Task Force released its initial plan in February 2010, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, working with IndyGo and the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, led a public outreach campaign about that plan under the brand name "Indy Connect." Over the course of 2010, more than 200 public meetings were held to educate the participants on the benefits of mass transit and to elicit their feedback on the specific plan - as a result over 10,000 comments were received and analyzed.
In late 2010, based on this feedback and additional analysis, a revised version of the regional transit plan was issued. Over the past year, the Task Force and its public sector partners have been refining the transit plan, working with state and local elected officials to reach a consensus on not just the design of the system, but also the most feasible funding mechanism and the structure of a new Transit Authority that will operate the regional system. The plan presented here is the culmination of that entire effort.
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