Debate over Elevated Rail

Would somebody please explain why we can’t build a light rail line on the existing railroad bed that follows Chandler and Burbank boulevards instead of foolishly building a monorail in the middle of a freeway or even more foolishly tunneling a subway under that existing railroad bed?

It would have been cheaper and easier than either the subway or the freeway line, and if all crossings were built above or under the streets, the quiet of the communities wouldn’t have to be constantly shattered by train horns.

Also, if we build the line in the middle of the Ventura Freeway, does this mean that all the stations will be conveniently located in the middle of the freeway and accessible only be a system of stairs and bridges and whatnot? This in and of itself would seem to discourage potential riders, especially the elderly (which, being 29 years old, is a group I am likely to join long before the line is completed).

TRACY THIELEN

Burbank