Light Rail Bro PDF
Light Rail Bro PDF
Light Rail Bro PDF
A
s its surname
An aerial LRT that time, but it was generally
indicates, Light Rail
structure in
Transit (LRT) is a understood to mean an urban
Baltimore.
transit mode. Its middle name rail transit form that was
Photo courtesy of
Parsons Brinckerhoff reflects that fact that it runs on leaner and less costly than
rails. Why is it called “light”? other rail modes.
That depends on who and A formal definition was
where you ask. adopted in 1989 and placed in
LRT surface
trackage in San
Jose.
Photo by
2 Wm. H. Watts
An underground LRT
station in Portland.
Photo courtesy of LTK
3
metal wheels. These rails
I
n North America LRT
emerged as an identified offered a much gentler ride for
transit mode in the 1970s, passengers and significantly
but long before it existed in reduced the effort required of
name it existed in fact. Its roots the horses to move the cars.
extend back more than a Moreover, the fixed guideway
hundred years. provided by the rails made it
feasible to use mechanical
power—in place of the
OMNIBUS MODE horses—from a remote
Transit service in the larger location.
cities of the United States and
Canada began in the 19th
century with the advent of the CABLE CARS
omnibus. The omnibus was an Some of the larger cities started
enclosed, wooden-wheeled to develop cable car lines. The
wagon pulled by horses; it cars that served these lines were
traveled on streets that were propelled by a “grip” instead of
unpaved or that had, at best, a being pulled by a horse. The
rough surface made of stones grip was a device placed
or timber. For those travelers beneath the car that protruded
who could not afford their own through a slot between the rails
horse and buggy, the omnibus and into a chamber below the
was the only alternative to street surface. The chamber
walking. contained a moving cable that,
when clamped by the grip,
would move the car forward. It
HORSECARS
was a functional method of
As the 19th century progressed, propulsion, but it was
new technologies started to cumbersome. Before these
emerge. Metal rails were cable car systems became
installed in the streets to provide widespread, the more advanced
a smooth riding surface for technology of electric traction
4 carriages that rolled on flanged emerged.
ELECTRIC TRACTION extinction. The seeds of LRT
had been planted.
Streetcars
Once the concept of
Developed in the 1880s, electric electrically powered railways
traction technology allowed had been discovered, it was
electricity—used to power applied in a variety of ways.
onboard electric motors—to be Some main line railroads
conducted to the streetcars by electrified portions of their
means of an overhead wire. The trackage to gain the benefits of
electric streetcar proved to be so clean and powerful electric
superior to its predecessors, traction. This versatile power
both the horsecar and the cable source also made it feasible to
car, that electric railways were extend local railway lines
constructed rapidly throughout beyond urban boundaries into
the continent in all the large new and future suburbs and, in
cities and even many of some cases, cross county to
moderate-sized ones. As the other urban areas. The resulting
electric rail lines grew, high-speed, interurban lines
development of cable railways offered service that was
faltered while the omnibus generally cheaper and more
mode moved swiftly toward frequent than the service
A scene in downtown
Newark during the
streetcar era.
Photo by Albert L.
Creamer, courtesy of
National Railway
Historical Society,
5 New Jersey chapter.
offered by parallel railroads Trolleys
with the same destinations.
The major application of
electric traction, however, was
Elevated Systems on the urban street railways that
had supplanted the omnibus
In the largest cities, where
mode. The horsecar was
major streets became congested,
redesigned with electric motors
railways were installed on
beneath the floor, and a device
structures above the streets.
on the roof that trolled the
New York and Chicago started
to build their elevated overhead wire and collected
systems—also called “L” energy to power the motors.
systems—as early as the 1870s. Early on the trolling device
For the most part, these systems came to be known as the trolley,
used trains of railroad-type cars a term that eventually identified
pulled by small steam the cars, the wires, and the
locomotives, although in a few entire mode. In all the large
cases, by cable. These elevated cities, including the three that
lines were ideal candidates for were developing subways, the
electric traction and were electric trolley became the
quickly converted. dominant transit mode and
would remain so for decades.
During the second quarter of
Subways the 20th century, the internal
This new power delivery combustion engine and the
method also opened other pneumatic tire were refined, and
opportunities for urban paved streets and highways
transport. As the 20th century were being constructed
dawned, Boston, New York, throughout the metropolitan
and Philadelphia began to place areas with public funds. These
railway tracks and stations in improvements inspired a return
enclosed subways beneath the of the omnibus and family
streets—a concept that would buggy, each with much
have been unthinkable with improved motive power and
6 animal or steam power. running gear. The electric
trolley slowly forfeited to the subways in their core areas.
automobile not only its Pittsburgh and San Francisco
dominance of the roadways but constructed lengthy trolley
also much of its patronage. tunnels under steep hills at the
Concurrently, the bus not only edge of their downtown districts
became practical, but being a to connect street trackage there
lower capacity conveyance it with growing residential areas
was more appropriate on the on the other side of the hills. In
weaker lines where riding had Cleveland and New Orleans the
dwindled considerably. lines that survived were those
In the decade before World which had long stretches of
War II and in the two trackage in separate surface
immediately after, it became a rights-of-way.
matter of survival of the fittest By the beginning of the last
for the trolley mode. Ridership quarter of the 20th century only
decreased as automobile use those seven cities in the United
increased and many of the States and Toronto, Canada,
interurban lines were rendered had surviving trolley lines.
unprofitable—all but a few It was at this time that the
succumbed. The majority North American public
of streetcar lines in urban transportation community
areas were either converted to reawakened to the potential of
bus operation or simply LRT. The depletion halted and
abandoned. the trend reversed. New systems
The trolley lines that were were initiated at an average rate
least vulnerable to the erosion of nearly one per year (Table 1).
were those that had substantial Just before the close of the
sections of trackage that were 20th century two new
on separate rights-of-way, free systems—one focused on
of the increasingly congested Salt Lake City and the other on
street traffic. During the early Jersey City—began passenger
decades of the 20th century, service and brought the total
Boston, Newark, and number of operating systems
7 Philadelphia built trolley to 23.
TABLE 1 Dates of New LRT System Openings Since 1975
City Date
8
areas of Boston, Cleveland,
N
orth American LRT, as
we know it today, New Orleans, Newark,
represents a blend of Philadelphia, San Francisco,
design and operating practices and Toronto. All of the other
and parallels the development systems (16 at present and
of the mode in Europe, Asia, growing) are of the Second
and Australia. Today’s systems Generation type.
can be categorized into two Some LRT operating
types: agencies like to give special
names to their light rail lines.
❚ “First Generation” systems
For example, Portland’s system
have evolved from earlier
is called MAX, which stands for
trolley and tramway lines that
Metropolitan Area eXpress, and
remained in operation
Salt Lake City’s is named
throughout their
TRAX (TRAnsit eXpress). In
transformation.
San Diego the light rail line is
❚ “Second Generation” systems
simply designated Trolley, but
were designed afresh
in San Francisco riders travel on
(occasionally utilizing
the Muni Metro. St. Louis
portions of abandoned trolley
refers to their system as Metro
or railroad lines, or both).
Link, and Calgary passengers
In the United States and jump on the C-Train.
Canada there are seven First Regardless of type or name,
Generation systems. They all LRT systems have the
operate in the metropolitan following basic elements:
10
TRACKWAYS Surface LRT trackage may
also be constructed along a
L
RT trackways can be street right-of-way, commonly
constructed in a variety in segregated lanes but
of configurations. As occasionally within vehicle
with other electric railway lanes used by general traffic.
modes, they can be placed on Sub-surface trackways are
the surface of the ground, below generally positioned below
the surface in an open cut or in a streets and follow the street
subway, or above the surface on pattern, but they can also follow
an embankment or aerial an independent alignment and
structure. pass under structures, parks,
A surface LRT trackway may bodies of water, or other
be physically separated from railways. Aerial trackways may
vehicle and pedestrian traffic by also follow street patterns, but are
means of bridges or more likely to trace a different
underpasses. It may also cross alignment, crossing above streets,
roadways and walkways at rivers, and other rail lines.
grade, in which case the In northern climates
conflicting movements are provisions for snow and ice
temporarily separated by removal must be included in
appropriate control devices, system designs and operating
usually automatic crossing gates plans.
or traffic signals.
A crossing controlled
by automatic gates
on Philadelphia’s
LRT system.
Photo courtesy of
11 Jack W. Boorse
A surface station in
San Jose.
Photo by Wm. H. Watts
12
cars operating on those systems
T
he versatility of LRT as
a mode is in no small negotiate these gradients
measure attributable to without difficulty. LRT cars
the capabilities of the railcars could be designed to climb a
that have been developed to slope of 12 percent and indeed
serve the lines. Sometimes some predecessor streetcar
referred to as light rail vehicles lines had such gradients.
(LRVs), trolleys, or trains, LRT However, 10 percent is now
cars can be tailored to the needs considered the limit from the
of specific operating perspective of passenger
environments. comfort. Exotic technologies
Where the tracks are with rubber tires or linear
constructed along, above, or induction propulsion are not
below a public street network, needed to conquer precipitous
the presence of adjacent track profiles.
buildings or other structures The use of external electric
may necessitate track power not only provides the
alignments that include sharp cars with the muscle needed to
turns and steep grades. A curve climb steep trackage, it also
radius of 25 meters (82 feet) is gives them the ability to serve
the customary minimum for enclosed passenger stations
new LRT lines, and longer radii that may be located inside
are preferable where conditions buildings or, more commonly,
permit. However, it is possible underground where an onboard
to design cars to negotiate combustion engine could cause
curves with a radius as short as a health risk. The electric power
11 meters (36 feet). also provides the ability to
While a maximum gradient maintain air conditioning or
of 5 percent is considered a heat in the car during layovers
desirable design criterion, there without wasting fuel.
has been a need on some new Today’s LRT cars come in a
systems to include track variety of shapes and sizes. Of
segments with gradients as those currently operating in the
13 steep as 7 and 8 percent. The United States, body widths vary
A Buffalo LRT car with
a one-piece body more
than 20 meters in
length.
Photo courtesy of
Parsons Brinckerhoff
from 2.6 to 2.9 meters (8.5 to Fort Worth, New Orleans, and
9.5 feet). The lengths of the one- Philadelphia.
piece cars range from 15 meters Individual cars of either type
(50 feet) to 20.4 meters (67 feet). can be assembled into a short
When the length of the body train that is controlled from the
exceeds that range it is split front car. A three-car train of
into two or three sections. articulated cars operated by a
Those sections are hinged to single driver can safely trans-
each other so that the car is able port more than 400 passengers.
to negotiate short-radius curves. Where conditions dictate,
These are called articulated cars individual cars or multi-car
and their lengths vary from 21 to trains can be and are operated
29 meters (70 to 95 feet). in mixed traffic.
Most North American LRT Although, to date, it has only
systems use articulated cars. been implemented on a test
Boston, San Francisco, and track, completely automatic
Toronto operate mixed fleets operation without an onboard
that include some shorter cars operator would be feasible on
with traditional one-piece track segments that are fully
bodies. One-piece bodies only separated from the roadway
14 comprise the fleets in Buffalo, network.
An articulated car
negotiates a sharp
turn in San Francisco.
Photo by Wm. H. Watts
A stationary lift at a
station in San Jose.
Photo by
16 Wm. H. Watts
its freedom from engine noise, with platforms about one meter
vibration, and odor. above the rails because that was
LRT cars can be especially the traditional car floor height.
friendly to passengers with These high platforms exist in
disabilities. Some cars carry two forms. The more common
lifts like those in new buses to is a full-length version that
assist the boarding and alighting provides level boarding at every
of mobility-impaired door. The less common form is
passengers. Others have the mini-high platform
stationary lifts at the stations. (sometimes called a high
However, an increasing block), which serves only the
number of LRT systems are front door.
being designed to provide easy Today many of the new
access through level boarding. systems (and a few of the more
This type of boarding assures established ones) are acquiring
that the floor of the car at all or low-floor cars. These cars are
most of the doors matches the designed with floors that are only
height of the station platform. about 35 centimeters (14 inches)
Until recently, in order to high. This gives them the ability
achieve level boarding it was to provide level boarding at a
necessary to design stations low-platform station.
A high-platform
station in Edmonton.
Photo courtesy of
17 Jack W. Boorse
A mini-high platform
in Denver.
Photo courtesy of
T. R. Hickey
T
he operations and
maintenance center is
the focal point of an SIGNALS
LRT system. It includes a The movement of the cars or
control room from where trains is guided by signals. On
operations are coordinated, some systems all of the signals
accommodations for train crews are located alongside the
preparing for duty, and a trackway. These trackside
maintenance facility where the signals may include, or be
cars are inspected, cleaned, and coordinated with, traffic signals
repaired. The center can also along the line. On other systems
include administrative and only certain signals are installed
management offices. trackside, while others are
displayed on a console in front
of the train operator.
ELECTRIC POWER
SUPPLY
Two basic elements comprise
COMMUNICATIONS
the electric power supply: a
FACILITIES
network of traction power Communications facilities link
substations and a distribution the operations and maintenance
system. The power substations center with the train operators
receive high-voltage and other personnel. These
commercial electrical power facilities range from
and convert it to medium- conventional telephone lines to
voltage direct current. The the very newest wireless
distribution system delivers that technologies.
19
8 million passengers, while
S
ince the North American
resurgence of LRT a bus ridership grew to nearly
quarter of a century ago, 20 million. There were similar
operating experience generally results in San Diego, Portland,
has been favorable, particularly and St. Louis.
in some metropolitan areas that Used appropriately, LRT
previously had been without rail enhances transit efficiency. By
transit service. 1998 LRT trunk lines, each
Adding an LRT component 23 or more kilometers in length,
to a transit system does not had opened and were providing
drain passengers from the bus primary rail services in San
lines as some observers have Diego, Portland, Sacramento,
claimed. Rather, it encourages San Jose, St. Louis, and Dallas.
more people to use both bus and Previously, only buses served
rail transit. Adding LRT trunk these six cities. In 1998, these
lines and coordinating them systems operated more than
with a region’s buses to create a 3,000 buses in route service
multimodal, multidestination plus more than 500 small
transit system results in growth vehicles in demand-responsive
for both modes—even in the service; there were fewer than
low-density, auto-oriented cities 300 light rail cars. By providing
of the American West. high-capacity service on major
Sacramento provides a good routes, the LRT lines became
example. An examination of the highly productive,
Federal Transit Administration accommodating 22 percent of
(FTA) National Transit database total system boardings and
showed that in 1987—its last carrying 30 percent of
year of all-bus operation— systemwide passenger miles but
regional transit vehicles consuming only 17 percent of
carried fewer than 14 million the operating and maintenance
passengers. Eleven years later costs.
the system accommodated One-person operation of
more than 28 million riders. The trains (of up to four cars) makes
20 LRT trunk line attracted over it possible for an LRT line to do
the work of many buses. Using generate passenger volumes
LRT results in greater that require fully grade-
efficiency, even after taking into separated heavy rapid transit
account the cost of added staff systems. Commuter railroads
to maintain the tracks, stations, are best suited to longer radial
electrification, signals, and corridors linking cities with
other fixed facilities. However, their more distant suburbs. LRT
achieving these economies of is a medium to high-capacity
scale requires a high level of mode that fits well into many
ridership. That is why it makes metropolitan areas with good
sense to provide LRT service on productivity.
a transit system’s high-demand One way of measuring the
primary corridors and to operate productivity of a transit mode is
buses (or even smaller vehicles by calculating the number of
in local shuttle and circulator passenger kilometers produced
service) where they are the per transit employee both
better choice on secondary onboard and for support. A
radial lines and crosstown and productivity comparison of the
feeder routes. measurements for five urban
Only the largest, most transit modes is shown in
densely developed cities Table 2.
Annual Passenger
Mode Kilometers
Average Passengers
Mode Per Unit
22
New residential,
retail, and office
development around
the Hazard Center
LRT station in San
Diego.
Photo courtesy of San
Diego Metropolitan
Transportation
Development Board
23
Whether you are a
W
hat lies ahead for
LRT? The transportation professional, an
beginning of the elected official, a civic leader,
21st century will see continuing or a citizen of a metropolitan
expansion of the LRT mode in area who is interested in the
North America. Fifteen of the betterment of your community,
23 systems now in operation are we urge you to learn as much as
actively extending or upgrading you can about this fascinating
their lines. There are currently and increasingly popular transit
eight future new systems in mode.
various stages of planning or
design.
24
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
http://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/
LRT News
www.nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/ (June 2000)
LRTNews/LRTv15n1.pdf
http://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/ (Dec. 1999)
publications/LRTNews/lrtv14n2.pdf
http://www.nas.edu/trb/ftp/epubs/lrtv14no1.pdf (Sept. 1999)
http://www.nas.edu/trb/publications/lrtv13no8.pdf (Dec. 1998)
AMERICAN PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
http://www.apta.com/
25