Property Values Increase Next To DART Tracks

[AlanB]

One topic that we’ve talked about in the past on this forum, are NIMBY’s (Not In My BackYard). They create many hassles and hurdles that Amtrak, Commuter RR’s, and many Lite Rail services must overcome to start up train service. In many cases, NIMBY’s have actually managed to squash a rail service from starting.

One of the NIMBY’s biggest arguments against rail service is, how much it will decrease the value of their homes. Well once again this argument has been proven false, just like it was proven false many years ago here in NYC. The following quote is from Progressive Railroading.com, and it proves that all real estate values go up, when trains serve the area. The case study in this article is the DART system in Dallas, Texas.

Office properties near suburban DART stations increased value an additional 53 percent and residential properties near DART stations increased value an additional 39 percent compared with similar properties not served by rail.

You can't get that rate of return from the stock market, let alone from your bank.

 

[saxman]

Good article. Many people don't realize this. I would like to know how building a freeway effects the property it goes by. I think alot of people think rail decrease the value because when you ride you see alot of peoples backyards. They also think about how Hollywood has made trains unsafe through bad neiborhoods, which is where all the "thugs" hang out at night.