For specific light rail systems, many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name, see List of light-rail transit systems. The following is a list of cities that have Tram / light-rail systems as part of their Public transport system

Light rail or light rail transit (LRT) is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems. Tenerife Tram ( Tranvía de Tenerife) is a Tram service based on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Tenerife (previously known and spelled as "Teneriffe" in English before mass tourism adopted the Spanish spelling a Spanish Island, is the largest Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Manchester Metro redirects here - for the Manchester Metroshuttle free bus routes see Metroshuttle or First Manchester Manchester Metrolink Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street (a busy shopping area and on the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, is the Public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco California The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems serving urban or older Suburban areas Various terms are used for Passenger rail lines and equipment A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway The term is used to refer to modern streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features that usually use electric rail cars operating mostly in private rights-of-way separated from other traffic but sometimes, if necessary, mixed with other traffic in city streets. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway An electric multiple unit or EMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using Electricity as the motive power A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or

Light rail, unlike rapid transit, is not fully grade-separated from other forms of traffic and thus is a step below a true rapid transit system. Grade separation is the process of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights ( ^[1][2][3]

Contents 1 Definition of light rail 2 Categories of light rail 3 History 4 Comparison to other rail transit modes 4.1 Rapid rail transit 4.2 Streetcars or trams 4.3 Heritage streetcar 4.4 Typical rolling stock 4.5 Light metro 4.6 Train operation 4.7 Floor height 4.8 Power sources 5 Pros and cons of light rail 6 Tram and light-rail transit systems around the world 7 Capacity of light rail versus roads 8 Costs of light rail construction and operation 9 Variations 9.1 Trams operating on mainline railways 9.2 Third-rail power for trams 10 Gallery 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

Definition of light rail

See also: Passenger rail terminology

The term light rail was devised in 1972 by the U. Various terms are used for Passenger rail lines and equipment S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany the term stadtbahn was used to describe the concept, and many in the UMTA wanted to adopt the direct translation, which is city rail. See also Light rail Stadtbahn (literally in German: city railway) or Premetro, is a Tramway or Light railway which However, the UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. ^[4] Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight, since the vehicles often weigh more than those on so-called heavy rail systems. The investment in infrastructure is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in its Glossary of Transit Terminology defines light rail as: "An electric railway with a 'light volume' traffic capacity compared to heavy rail. Light rail may use shared or exclusive rights-of-way, high or low platform loading and multi-car trains or single cars. " However, some diesel powered transit calls itself light rail, such as the O-Train in Ottawa, Canada and River Line in New Jersey, United States, which use diesel multiple unit cars. The O-Train was introduced in 2001 as a pilot project for light-rail service in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which had long depended exclusively Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The River Line (styled River LINE by NJ Transit and originally known as Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit or SNJLRT) is a diesel Light rail New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board Diesel In traditional transit terminology, these would be considered commuter rail lines.

Light rail is similar to the British English term light railway, long used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulation using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the Light railway refers to a Railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail" Light rail is a generic international English phrase for these types of rail systems which means more or less the same thing throughout the Anglosphere. International English is the concept of the English language as a global means of communication in numerous dialects and also the movement towards an international standard The word Anglosphere describes a concept of a group of Anglophone ( English -speaking nations which share historical political and cultural characteristics rooted

The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities in British and American English. This is a list of words and phrases having differing meanings in British and American English. The common British word for streetcar, tram, is commonly used in the United States to mean an aerial tramway,^[5] while the usual British term for an aerial tramway, cable car, usually means a ground-level cable car in the U. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable A cable car or cable railway is a Mass transit system using rail cars that are propelled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed S. The word trolley which is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States, is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in Britain. ^[6] Most former British colonies use the British term tram, but in Canada the American term streetcar is preferred. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. A Professional Transportation Planner ( PTP) is a personal certification recognized within the USA sponsored by the Transportation Professional Certification Board Inc ^[7]

The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in the late nineteenth century when Americans adopted German American rather than British terminology for their electric street railways. German Americans ( German: Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of Ethnic German ancestry German immigrants (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast) translated the German term straßenbahn (literally "street railway") into streetcar rather than tram. ^[8] A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams except Blackpool after WWII, seven major North American cities (Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Newark, and New Orleans) continued to operate large streetcar systems. The Blackpool tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England, and is the only surviving first-generation The Toronto streetcar system comprises eleven streetcar ( Tram) routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada operated by the Toronto Transit Commission As with many large cities a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed The Subway–Surface Trolley Lines are five SEPTA trolley lines that operate on public streets in Philadelphia and Delaware County, The San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, is the Public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco California The Pittsburgh Light Rail, commonly known as The T, is a Light rail system in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; it functions as a subway in Downtown The Newark Light Rail is a Light rail system under New Jersey Transit Bus Operations serving Newark, New Jersey. Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's Public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century ^[9] When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both the old and new systems. Portland, Oregon built all three types of light rail/streetcar/tram system: a high capacity light rail system , a low capacity streetcar system, and an aerial tram system. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Metropolitan Area Express (MAX is a Light rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U The Portland Streetcar is a Streetcar system in Portland Oregon that serves areas surrounding downtown. Description Route The tram consists of two stations and a single intermediate tower

The opposite phrase heavy rail, used for higher capacity, higher speed systems also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, as for instance in comparing the London Underground to the New York Subway. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire The New York City Subway is a Rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency Conventional rail technologies including high-speed, freight, commuter/regional, and metro/subway are considered to be "heavy rail". Various terms are used for Passenger rail lines and equipment A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway People movers and personal rapid transit are even "lighter," at least in terms of capacity. For the private automobile see People carrier A people mover or automated people mover (APM is a fully automated grade-separated Personal rapid transit (PRT, also called personal automated transport (PAT or podcar, is a Public transportation concept that offers on-demand non-stop Monorail is a separate technology which has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or

Categories of light rail

The most difficult distinction to draw is that between light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, many of the same vehicles can be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are:

1. The traditional type, where the tracks and trains run along the streets and share space with road traffic. Stops tend to be very frequent, but little effort is made to set up special stations. Because space is shared, the tracks are usually visually unobtrusive.
2. A more modern variation, where the trains tend to run along their own right-of-way and are often separated from road traffic. A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or Stops are generally less frequent, and the vehicles are often boarded from a platform. Tracks are highly visible, and in some cases significant effort is expended to keep traffic away through the use of special signaling, level crossings with gate arms or even a complete separation with non-level crossings. The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing At the highest degree of separation, it can be difficult to draw the line between light rail and metros, as in the case of Wuppertal's Schwebebahn hanging rail system or London's Docklands Light Railway, which would likely not be considered "light" were it not for the contrast between it and the London Underground. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway ||-||} Wuppertal (ˈvʊpɐtaːl is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR is a Light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of East London England. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Increasingly, light rail is being used to describe any rapid transit system with a fairly lower frequency compared to heavier mass rapid systems such as the London Underground or the Mass Rapid Transit in Singapore. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT (大众快速交通 or more commonly known as 地铁 Malay: Sistem Pengangkutan Gerak Cepat; Tamil: சிங்கை Singapore

Many light rail systems — even fairly old ones — have a combination of the two, with both on road and off-road sections. In some countries (esp. in Europe), only the latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal — sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks.

There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it is called "light rail") is the dominant form of urban rail development in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City and DLR in London and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have dispensed with the need for an operator. AirTrain JFK is an 81- Mile (13- km) People mover system in New York City that connects John F The Docklands Light Railway (DLR is a Light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of East London England. The Kelana Jaya Line (coloured Pink on the Kuala Lumpur transit map is one of the two light rail transit lines in the Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit System Kuala Lumpur (ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/ or often abbreviated as K For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operates the same trains as Vancouver, but uses drivers. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal The SkyTrain is a two-line urban mass transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario The Scarborough RT (sometimes shortened to SRT or RT) is a Rapid transit line in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario

Ultra light rail schemes are designed to offer high cost effectiveness and also easy deployment by using modern techniques and materials to dramatically reduce the weight of the vehicles. Ultra light vehicles cannot as a result co-exist with heavy rail or even most light rail systems as the light construction, comparable to that of a car or bus, is insufficiently strong to take an impact with a conventional train. It is however perfectly adequate in the event of collisions with road vehicles or other ultra light rail vehicles. Keeping the weight down allows for energy efficiency comparable with or better than a bus and regular stopping points using nothing more than a cheap petrol engine and flywheel. In addition the low weight reduces the cost of track and civil engineering and thus the otherwise high initial construction costs. Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built

History

Main article: History of Trams

See also: Light rail in North America#History of Streetcar and Light rail

Many original Tram and Streetcar systems were decommissioned in the 1950s and onward as the popularity of the automobile increased. Tram systems were common throughout the industrialized world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but they disappeared from many cities in the mid-20th century See also Light rail The term light rail was coined in 1972 by the U The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Britain abandoned its last Tram system except Blackpool by 1962. Blackpool (/ˈblækˌpul is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. ^[10] Although some traditional trolley or tram systems still exist to this day, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system. Modern light rail technology has primarily German origins, since an attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle was a technical failure. Boeing Helicopters (now Boeing Rotorcraft Systems) is a US aircraft manufacturer part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. After World War II, the Germans retained their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems (stadtbahnen). Except for Hamburg, all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. ^[11]

The renaissance of light rail in North America began in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta and San Diego, California. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The Siemens - Duewag U2 is a light-rail vehicle Originally designed for and used by the Frankfurt U-Bahn, the model of car was adopted by light Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Britain began replacing its run-down local railways with light rail in the 1980s, starting with Tyneside and followed by the Docklands Light Railway in London. Tyneside is a Conurbation in northern England, which is home to over 80% of the Metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR is a Light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of East London England. The trend to light rail in the United Kingdom was firmly established with the success of the Manchester Metrolink system in 1992. Manchester Metro redirects here - for the Manchester Metroshuttle free bus routes see Metroshuttle or First Manchester Manchester Metrolink

Historically, the rail gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge. The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. ^[11] An important advantage of standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauge also allows light rail vehicles to be delivered and relocated conveniently using freight railways and locomotives. Another factor favoring standard gauge is that low-floor vehicles are becoming popular, and there is generally insufficient space for wheelchairs to move between the wheels in a narrow gauge layout.

Comparison to other rail transit modes

With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers the widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to over-design that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. ^[12]

Rapid rail transit

For more details on this topic, see Rapid transit. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway

LRVs are distinguished from rapid rail transit (RRT) vehicles by their capability for operation in mixed traffic, generally resulting in a narrower car body and articulation in order to operate in a traffic street environment. Due to their large size, large turning radius, and often an electrified third rail, RRT vehicles cannot operate in the street. Since LRT systems can operate using existing streets, they often can avoid the cost of expensive subway and elevated segments that would be required with RRT.

Streetcars or trams

For more details on this topic, see Tram. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train

Conversely, LRVs generally outperform streetcars in terms of capacity and top end speed, and almost all modern LRVs are capable of multiple-unit operation. Particularly on exclusive rights-of-way, LRVs can provide much higher speeds and passenger volumes than a streetcar. Thus a single-unit streetcar capable of only 70 km/h (45 mph) operating on an shared right of way is not generally considered “light rail”. The latest generation of LRVs is considerably larger and faster, typically of length of 29 metres (95 ft) with maximum speed around 105 kilometres per hour (65 mph). ^[13]

Heritage streetcar

For more details on this topic, see Heritage streetcar. Heritage streetcars are development of Heritage railways that are becoming popular in the United States and other parts of the world

A variation many cities consider is to use historic or replica cars on their streetcar systems instead of modern LRVs. A heritage streetcar may not have the capacity and speed of an LRV, but it will add to the ambiance and historic character of its location.

Typical rolling stock

Type	Rapid Transit	Light Rail	Streetcar
Manufacturer	Rohr	Siemens	St. Louis Car
Model	BART A-Car	S70	PCC
Width	3. 2 m (10. 5 ft)	2. 7 m (8. 7 ft)	2. 5 m (8. 3 ft)
Length	22. 9 m (75 ft)	27. 7 m (91 ft) (articulated)	14. 2 m (47 ft)
Capacity	150 max	220 max	65 max
Top Speed	125 km/h (80 mph)	106 km/h (66 mph)	70 km/h (45 mph)

Light metro

For more details on this topic, see Medium capacity system.

A derivative of LRT is light rail rapid transit (LRRT), also referred to as Light Metro. Such railways are characterized by exclusive rights of way, advanced train control systems, short headway capability, and floor level boarding. These systems approach the passenger capacity of full metro systems, but can be cheaper to construct by using the ability of LRVs to turn tighter curves and climb steeper grades than standard RRT vehicles.

Train operation

For more details on this topic, see Automatic train operation. Automatic train operation (ATO ensures partial or complete automatic Train piloting and driverless functions

An important factor crucial to LRT is the train operator. Unlike rail rapid transit, traveling unattended with automatic train operation (ATO), the operator is a key element in a safe, high-quality LRT operation. The reason that the operator is so important is because the train tracks often run on roads with cars. If trains were automated on roads, a person wouldn't be there to stop the train if a car pulled in front of it. Light rail trains are actually very heavy to prevent damage from impacts with cars. Thus, a train with ATO is not “light rail”. The philosophy of light rail is that a qualified person should be on each train to deal with emergencies, and while that person is there, he or she might as well operate the train.

Floor height

For more details on this topic, see Low floor.

The latest generation of LRVs has the advantage of partial or fully low-floor design, with the floor of the vehicles only 300 to 360 mm (12-14 inches) above top of rail, a capability not found in either rapid rail transit vehicles or streetcars. This allows them to load passengers, including ones in wheelchairs, directly from low-rise platforms that are not much more than raised sidewalks. This satisfies requirements to provide access to disabled passengers without using expensive wheelchair lifts, while at the same time making boarding faster and easier for other passengers as well.

Power sources

Overhead lines supply electricity to the vast majority of light rail systems. Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the This avoids the danger of passengers stepping on an electrified third rail. The Docklands Light Railway uses a standard third rail for its electrical power. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR is a Light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of East London England. A third rail is a method of providing Electricity to power a railway through a continuous rigid conductor alongside the railway track or between the rails Trams in Bordeaux, France use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath the trams, making it safe on city streets. ( Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection and Alimentation par Sol ( APS) is a modern method of third-rail electrical Several systems in Europe, as well as a few recently-opened systems in North America use diesel-powered trains. Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum

Pros and cons of light rail

Main article: Tram system#Pros and cons of tram systems

All transit service involves a tradeoff between speed and frequency of stops. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train Services that stop frequently have lower overall speed, and are therefore less attractive for longer trips. Metros, light rail, monorail, and Bus Rapid Transit are all forms of rapid transit — which generally signifies high speed and widely-spaced stops. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or Bus rapid transit ( BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that through improvements to infrastructure vehicles and scheduling attempt to use A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway Trams are a form of local transit, making more frequent stops.

Tram and light-rail transit systems around the world

Main article: Tram and light-rail transit systems

Around the world there are many tram systems; some date back from the early 20th century but countless number of the old systems were closed down with the exception of many Eastern Europe countries in the mid-20th century. Throughout the world there are many tram systems some dating from the late 19th or early 20th centuries Even though many of the systems have closed down over the years there are still tram systems that have been operating much as they did when they were first built over a century ago. Some cities that have once closed down their tram networks are now in the stages of reconstructing their tramways. Most of light rail services are currently committed to articulated vehicles like modern LRVs, i. e. trams, with exception of large underground metrosystems. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train ^[14]

Capacity of light rail versus roads

One line of light rail has more than 8 times the capacity of one lane of freeway during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits which can be determined by traffic engineering. Traffic engineering is a branch of Civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods They usually experience a chaotic breakdown in flow and a dramatic drop in speed (colloquially known as a traffic jam) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds) behind another). ^[15] Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1. 2 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of the day. Rush hour at Shinjuku 02JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line]] A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which ^[16]. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum of about 2,400 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by using high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and introducing ride-sharing programs, but in most cases the solution adopted has been to add more lanes to the roads. In Transportation engineering and Transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane (or HOV lane) is a lane reserved for Vehicles with Carpooling (also known as car-sharing, ride-sharing, lift-sharing) is the shared use of a car by the driver and one or more passengers usually Simple arithmetic shows that in order to carry 20,000 automobile commuters per hour per direction, a freeway must be at least 18 lanes wide.

By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way, not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track ^[17] They can often be run through existing city streets and parks, or placed in the medians of roads. Tramway track is used on tramways or Light rail operations Grooved rails (or girder rails are often used in order to make street running feasible On divided roads including Expressways Motorways or Autobahns the central reservation (British English, median (North American If run in streets, trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on 2 minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle more than 30 trains per hour, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour per track. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signalling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Railway signalling is a system used to control Railway traffic safely essentially to prevent Trains from colliding. ^[18]

Most North American light rail systems are limited by demand rather than capacity and seldom reach 10,000 passengers per hour per track, but systems elsewhere in the world often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System is one of the highest capacity ones, having being upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and currently carrying up to 400,000 passengers per day on its Line #1. The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as the LRT, is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines ^[19] It achieves this volume by running 4-car trains of up to 1350 passengers at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour.

Costs of light rail construction and operation

The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects^[20] shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $15 million per mile to over $100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system is by far the most expensive in the U. S. at $179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet below ground level. ^[21] These result in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore MD, Camden NJ, Sacramento CA, and Salt Lake City UT) incurred costs of less than $20 million per mile. Over the U. S. as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $35 million per mile. ^[20] By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $20 million per lane mile for two directions. ^[22] Since a light rail line can carry 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,400 people per hour for a freeway lane during peak times, light rail delivers 4 times the congestion-reduction potential per dollar as incremental freeway lanes.

Combining highway expansion with LRT construction can save costs by doing both highway improvements and rail construction at the same time. As an example, Denver's T-REX (Transportation Expansion) project rebuilt interstate highways 25 and 225 and added a light-rail expansion for a total cost of $1. The Transportation Expansion Project or T-REX was a $167 billion venture that had a goal of transforming the way people in the metro Denver area commute within the areas of 67 billion over five years. ^[23] The cost of 17 miles of highway improvements and 19 miles of double-track light rail worked out to $19. 3 million per highway lane-mile and $27. 6 million per LRT track-mile. The project came in under budget and 22 months ahead of schedule. ^[24]

LRT cost efficiency improves dramatically as ridership increases. the Calgary, Alberta C-Train used many common light rail techniques to keep costs low, including minimizing underground and elevated trackage, sharing transit malls with buses, leasing rights-of-way from freight railroads, and combining LRT construction with freeway expansion. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 C-Train is the Light rail transit (LRT system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a result, Calgary ranks toward the less expensive end of the scale with capital costs of around $24 million per mile. ^[25]

However, Calgary's LRT ridership is much higher than any comparable U. S. city at over 250,000 rides per weekday and as a result its efficiency of capital is also much higher. Its capital costs were ⅓ that of the San Diego system, a comparably sized one in the U. S. , while its ridership is approximately twice as high. Thus, Calgary's capital cost per weekday rider is less than 1/6 that of San Diego. Its operating costs are also lower. A typical C-Train vehicle costs only $163 per hour to operate, and since it averages 600 passengers per operating hour,^[26] Calgary Transit estimates that its LRT operating costs are only 27 cents per ride, versus $1. 50 per ride on its buses. ^[25]

Variations

Trams operating on mainline railways

Around Karlsruhe, Kassel and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy-rail trains. Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River in northern Hessen, Germany, one of the two sources of the Saarbrücken (ˈzaːɐ̯ˈbrʏkn in German; Sarrebruck is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In the Netherlands, this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The RijnGouweLijn (The Rhine - Gouwe Line or RGL is a Light rail project in South Holland, Netherlands. This allows commuters to ride directly into the city centre, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having change to a tram. In France similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse and Strasbourg; further projects exist. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A tram-train is a light-rail Public transport system where Trams also run on main-line train tracks for greater flexibility Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région

Some of the issues involved in such schemes are:

• compatibility of the safety systems
• power supply of the track in relation to the power used by the vehicles (frequently different voltages, rarely third rail vs overhead wires)
• width of the vehicles in relation to the position of the platforms
• height of the platforms

There is history of what would now be considered light-rail vehicles operating on heavy-rail rapid transit tracks in the U.S., especially in the case of interurban streetcars. Length is the long Dimension of any object The length of a thing is the distance between its ends its linear extent as measured from end to end A railway platform is a section of pathway alongside Rail tracks at a Train station, Metro station or Tram stop, at which passengers may board Height is the measurement of vertical Distance, but has two meanings in common use A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In Australia "interurban" is a general term for Intercity rail. Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on the Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High Speed Line). The Lehigh Valley Transit (LVT was an Interurban Trolley that ran a forty five mile route from Allentown toUpper Darby Philadelphia Pennsylvania The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed third rail electric Railroad operating in the western suburbs of the U SEPTA Route 100, also known as the Norristown High-Speed Line, is an Interurban line system operating between Upper Darby and Norristown Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA is an administration in the United States Department of Transportation. e. subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. A notable exception is the New Jersey Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton, which has received an exemption on the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The New Jersey Transit Corporation (usually shortened to New Jersey Transit, NJ Transit or NJT) is a statewide Public transportation system serving The River Line (styled River LINE by NJ Transit and originally known as Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit or SNJLRT) is a diesel Light rail The City of Camden is the County seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. Trenton is the Capital of the US state of New Jersey and the County seat of Mercer County. Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail, began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad

See also: Karlsruhe model

Third-rail power for trams

Main article: Ground-level power supply

In the French city of Bordeaux, Citadis trams are powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The Karlsruhe model means urban and Heavy rail trains running on the same track Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection and Alimentation par Sol ( APS) is a modern method of third-rail electrical This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ( Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate The Citadis is a Low-floor Tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection and Alimentation par Sol ( APS) is a modern method of third-rail electrical ^[27] The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track, and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is only powered while it is completely covered by a tram. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International This minimises the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with a live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires. Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the

In practice the Bordeaux power system cost about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages, the system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day.

This third rail technology is being investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the Gold Coast Rapid Transit system. This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Rapid Transit system is a proposed rapid transport system for the Gold Coast, Australia. See the present draft report here.

Gallery

Changchun LRT, China	Shanghai Metro transit station, China	A METRO light-rail train approaching Preston Station in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. Changchun Light Rail Transit (Changchun LRT) is a mass transit system in the city of Changchun, China China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Shanghai Metro is the urban Rapid transit system of China's largest city Shanghai. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Texas (METRO operates Bus, Light rail, future Commuter rail, and METROLift (paratransit service in Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the	A LYNX light rail train from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. LYNX comprises a light rail line serviced by the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
A Calgary C-train at the Somerset-Bridlewood station	The Guadalajara urban L-train system (SITEUR), at first a trolleybus system, opened in 1976; the first line was opened in 1989 and the second line in 1994. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada C-Train is the Light rail transit (LRT system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality The Guadalajara Metro system, officially known as SITEUR (Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano, Spanish for Urban Electrical Train System, gives service to the Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.	A Flexity Swift light rail train between Cologne and Bonn. The Flexity Swift Tram is a light-rail vehicle manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia	A NET tram in Nottingham city centre. Nottingham Express Transit (or in short NET) is a light-rail Tramway in the Nottingham area in England. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England.
A DART Light Rail train operating in downtown Dallas, Texas, USA. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority (or DART) is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas ( USA) that operates Buses Light Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the	Sheffield Supertram, Sheffield. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England	A Tyne and Wear Metro train heading for South Shields calls at Kingston Park station. The Tyne and Wear Metro is a metro system serving stations in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside North Tyneside and Sunderland, South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. Although nominally "light rail" the high platforms and full segregation from roads and pedestrians places this system at the upper end of the transport genre which includes street trams.	New Flexity Classic tram in service on Glenelg line in Adelaide, South Australia. The Flexity Classic is a model of light-rail Tram manufactured by Bombardier. The Glenelg Tram is a route from the centre of Adelaide, South Australia to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country
Xochimilco Light Rail train approaching to Estadio Azteca station in Mexico City	Hudson-Bergen Light Rail trains at the Exchange Place stop in Jersey City	UTA TRAX train in Downtown Salt Lake City	Portland, Oregon's MAX Light Rail. The Xochimilco Light Rail (locally known as el tren ligero) is a Light rail line that services the south of Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Jersey City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. TRAX (full name Transit Express, though rarely used is a two-line Light rail system in Utah 's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City Downtown Salt Lake City is the oldest district Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Metropolitan Area Express (MAX is a Light rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U
Silesian Interurbans - Karlik (Route 41) in Bytom, Upper Silesia, Poland. Silesian Interurbans - one of the largest tram (streetcar systems in the world has been in existence since 1894 Bytom (Beuthen is a City in southern Poland with 188234 inhabitants (2007 Upper Silesian Industry Area (Upper Silesian Industrial Region ( Polish: Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy, GOP is a Conurbation in Upper Silesia Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

See also

Conduit current collection General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy H-Bahn Interurban streetcar Light rail in North America Light Rail Transit Association List of light-rail transit systems List of United States light rail systems by ridership List of town tramway (urban tramway, streetcar) systems Luas

Metro Light Rail Overhead lines Railway electrification system S-Bahn Third rail TTC Streetcar U-Bahn Urban rail transit

References

External links

• A movie of Armour's electric trolley, circa 1897 from Library of Congress
• Advances in Light Rail Technology
• List of Canadian urban rail systems
• Table of Light Rail Transit Agencies in the United States
• Commuter Rail, Light Rail & Rail Transit News
• Light Rail Central photos & news
• American Public Transit Association
• Federal Transit Administration (U.S.)
• Light Rail & Transit News Current news concerning light rail development and issues
• Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the U.S. National Research Council
• Connected Cities
• Light Rail Transit Association (GB)
• Light Rail Central (US/CA)
• Light Rail Now! (US) A pro-light rail web site, opposing monorails, "rapid" busways, and other "gimmickry" transportation systems
• Light Rail Netherlands (NL) in English, Nederlands, Русский, Deutsch, Français, Español
• [1] (US-PHX-AZ) Site shows every business within one block of all 28 stations under construction in Phoenix, AZ. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress Posted 11/8/2007
• Toronto LRT Information Page (CA) A pro-light rail web site aimed at the Greater Toronto Area
• Transit Miami

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