Asheville Metro System

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that Asheville, NC is my favorite city in the USA, if not the world. Actually I used to live in Buncombe County (the seat of which is the city of Asheville) for many years.


It is NO secret that many major American Cities are severely lacking when it comes to metro systems (transit systems such as: light rail, monorail, subways, etc.). As someone who has traveled a good amount, particularly to Europe, I have seen for myself just how backwards the USA is in this regard.

I fully understand that Asheville, NC is a small and fairly unimportant city, from an economic standpoint. However, it is a very popular tourist destination and could possibly benefit from a small metro system of its' own in the future.

So with that in mind, I decided to see if I could design a metro system for the Asheville area. Here is what I have come up with so far:

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Created with: Google Earth

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Created with: Beno Metro Creator

As you can see in the maps I have posted above, there are a total of three lines: Red Line (#1), Blue Line (#2) and Green Line (#3). Both the Red Line and the Blue Line are based off of already existing tracks (owned by Norfolk Southern). On these lines MPI MPXpress diesel commuter trains (or similar) would be used, such as what is used for the SunRail in Orlando, FL.

However, the Green Line is an elevated monorail line and thus a totally new transportation structure. It would be built in the highway median (the only space for it) and be connected to stops via gangways. This line would cost anywhere from $280M to $650M (based on cost per-mile figures I found from around the world) but, the whole system would be almost useless without this line. It would actually be the longest monorail system in the USA and 2^nd longest in the world. The type of monorail I have in mind is similar to the ones found at Disney World and Disneyland.

Quick Overviews:

#1: Red Line: Black Mountain to Woodfin – Diesel Commuter Rail (MPI MPXpress) 19.3mi

#2: Blue Line: Arden to Enka - Diesel Commuter Rail (MPI MPXpress) 17.4mi

#3: Green Line: West Asheville to Asheville Airport – Over Highway Elevated Monorail 18.6mi

Do note that I am aware that I have not set aside a designated area for storage and maintenance facilities. But, that track can be crossed later. 

Also, I has an idea for a streetcar line (similar to what is found in downtown Portland, OR) that line would run from the Biltmore Station to the Downtown Asheville Station. However, in reality a rapid bus line would be a better fit.

While I know my idea for an Asheville Metro will probably never happen, I would still like to get feedback from readers. Please let me know what you think by posting comments is the "Comments" section below. :D