This is a speculative idea, not in any way policy or position of STAR.

What if we ran the core downtown light rail system as though it were a streetcar? The downtown area could have 5 to 10 minute headways (or 7.5 minute), making it like an effective streetcar system (which the current proposed streetcar/light rail is not). This service would overlap with, not replace the regular end to end service with 15 minute frequency.

The extent stations might be Arden/Del Paso on the north Blue Line (because it has a number of bus connections), City College on the south Blue Line (currently underutilized) or maybe just 16th Street, Sacramento Valley Station on the west Gold Line (currently underutilized), and 65th Street on the east Gold Line (also a number of bus connections). The map below shows this extent (pdf).

The service might also skip low ridership stations, focusing on high-ridership stations, though that would make scheduling with the regular full system 15-minute schedule. Note that Green Line is not mentioned. Until there is actual development to justify service on the Green Line, it should be left alone. There will be, someday, but not in the near future.

Implementing this would require some changes to light rail infrastructure. There would need to be crossovers, for changing trains to the other track, at each of the end point stations. Conflicts with motor vehicle traffic from shared used lanes should be greatly reduced. The entire core system would need to be double-tracked, with the Hwy 160 bridge being a significant single-track pinch point.

There are no doubt equity arguments for shorter or longer segments. We welcome comments!

• SacRT light rail