A consultant is in the midst of making suggestions to the Port Authority's mass transit system so as to make things more efficient and user-friendly, and part of that deals with eliminating little used stops on the trolley line and increasing the speed the vehicles move along the track. The consultant also found that the trolley's per passenger operating cost is about 40 percent higher than peer agencies with a per passenger cost of $5.43.

That's nearly the same statistic that was found in another consultant's "Business and Organizational Review" where the light rail's operating cost per passenger trip was $3.89 for PAT, $2.92 for the peer average (not the same peer group as the present study). That implies that light rail operating cost per passenger trip has gone up 40% since the first study, in 2004.

Talk about being asleep at the switch. Despite numerous Allegheny Institute studies, the Governor's task force, a near strike and a contentious labor negotiation PAT is just now getting around to the business of looking at its trolley system, and there's no guarantee that the suggested improvements will be implemented or deliver any savings. The additional Overbrook line did little to attract new riders, the North Shore Connector extension will only add to operating costs, and the Authority is still pursuing its dream of developing real estate near the trolley stops in order to attract more riders. The focus ought to be on curtailing the growth in light rail costs. And since much of that is labor related, that discussion is off of the table until the next contract.