UA Professor Wants Regional Leaders to Revisit Commuter Rail

Remember talk of a commuter rail along the north-south corridor of Northwest Arkansas? Steve Luoni, the Steven L. Anderson Chair in Architecture and Urban Studies at the University of Arkansas, sure does.

Luoni, as you may or may not remember, was advocating for commuter rail a few years back, but his plea seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

“I think regional leaders are still cool to the idea,” he said.

And here’s why.

A 2014 study by engineering firm URS Corporation, titled Northwest Arkansas Transportation Alternative Analysis, concluded the region is not ready for commuter rail. The reasons why are predictable: lack of ridership and funding.

According to the report, commuter rail along the existing Arkansas and Missouri Railroad right-of-way could cost as much as $664 million. A new location could cost as much as $2.2 billion. Ouch!

But the 130-page study doesn’t suggest Northwest Arkansas give up. Instead, the region is encouraged to unite and a gradually become “transit ready.”

It should be noted that the downtown Rogers master plan by Gateway Planning includes a transit station at the intersection of First and Cherry streets.

While commuter rail appears to be dormant for now, Luoni says that might not always be the case.

“When we see the next generation of leadership, it will be a much more serious discussion,” Luoni said. “I think the old guys don’t get it, but I think it will re-emerge as a hot topic.”