Transportation Research Record 1036 51 ensure that the delays at the faregates do not exceed the headways. Based on the 1980 data, the estimated number of additional aisles needed to avoid patron delays in 1989 will probably be between 30 and 54. '-' The actual number of faregate consoles required will = •• be affected by the revised patronage projections for • 1989 and the type of AFC equipment selected to aug­ 80 • ment the present system. These two factors could \ easily cause the required number of faregate consoles \. to double. At the same time, the exit time criteria 60 - established for the various lines have a significant •• impact on the number of additional faregates needed. Fairly stringent criteria were used in the current 40 - ••• analysis to maintain equitable conditions for all the lines. Changing the exit time criteria on those •• lines with longer headways would reduce the number •• of faregates needed on the system by 20 percent or 20 •• •• more • ••• •••• 0'--~~..__~~----1~~~..L~~~••••••'--~~"'-"'--• L-~-'- 10 20 30 40 50 60 ADDITIONAL FAREGA TES NEEDED FIGURE 2 Additional faregates needed to reduce system Publication of this paper sponsored by Cammi ttee on noncompliance index. Rail Transit Systems. Planning an Integrated Regional Rail Network: Philadelphia Case VUKAN R. VUCHIC and SHINYA KIKUCHI ABSTRACT Regional (commuter) rail systems, which serve the growing suburban areas, have had increasing ridership in many cities. In response to this growing need for high-quality regional transit service, many European and Japanese cities have upgraded their old commuter lines into regional rail systems with diametrical networks, regular schedules, and services integrated with local transit. Com­ pletion of the Center City Tunnel in Philadelphia in late 1984 connected two previously separate sets of lines (Western--formerly Pennsylvania and North­ ern--formerly Reading), combining them into an integrated regional rail system. The methodology, process, and major results of the planning for the regional rail systems are presented in this paper both in general terms and in their application to the Philadelphia system. Analysis of passenger requirements, operational factors, and economics has shown that the radial lines should be converted into diametrical (through) lines with fixed train routings and clear designations (such as R-1, R-2, and so forth). Extensive data concerning the system's physical characteristics, operations, and passenger volumes were col­ lected and presented in many tables, charts, and diagrams. An elaborate meth­ odology for selecting line pairs was developed. The guidelines for pairing included balancing of capacities and frequencies, minimizing track path con­ flicts, considerations of potential for through travel, capacity of tracks on the trunk section, operational characteristics of the two connected lines, and so forth. The recommended set of lines is presented with the basic data con­ cerning its lines including their lengths, cycle times, headways, and train consists for peak and off-peak hours. 52 Transportation Research Record 1036 Spatial spreading of our cities has resulted in were either disinterested or directly opposed longer commuting among different points throughout (Southern Pacific in San Francisco) to any improve­ metropolitan areas. For many y e ars, the dominant ments of their lines. Moreover, the old-time prac­ opinion was that the a utomobile was the best mode tices and mentality, typical for many of these for serving all regional trips and that transit organizations, resisted most changes. services were being neglected by riders. However, in spite of this neglect, most regional (commuter) rail systems have recently demonstrated their strong Regional Rail System Characteristics ability to attract riders. There are two major rea­ sons for relative success and increasing need for In many European and Japanese cities, the interest r egional rail transit : (a) regional rail lines serve in and support f or local r ailway serv ices have al­ the areas of greatest growth- - outlying suburbs of ways remained strong. Through their improvements major cities, (b) high speed, comfo rt, reliability, (mostly since World War II), the concept of regional and safety make these systems more competitive with rail--a modernized version of commuter railroads-­ the automobile than most other transit modes. has evolved. Regional rail systems are characterized Although the strong ability of regional rail by the following features: systems to attract ridership has now been demon- strated, the systems have, in most cities , faced .L . Nei.:works cons i st o f e l ectrified diametrical s evere financial problems and their role has re- lines through a central city with several stations mained far less i mportant than t he i r pctcnti~l would in ! t ; indicate. Our regional rail systems carry several 2. The utilization of centrally controlled doors, times fewer passengers than comparable systems in high-platform stations, and several other charac­ many cities in other countries, such as Cophenhagen, teristics similar t o those of rapid transiti Hnmh11rg, Munich, Sydney, and Toronto. The reasons 3. Convenient transfers (joint stations, coordi ­ for this underutilized potential and for the f inan­ nated schedules, and integrated fares) with all other cial problems lie in the fact that the characteris­ transit servicesi and tics of regional rail systems in most of our cities 4. Clock headways and regular, reliable service have not changed much from those of the commuter throughout the day. railroads, which they used to be (decades ago). This paper contains a summary of a major study With t hese character is tics , r e gional rail systems that was made to provide information to be used in become integral parts of regional transiti they integrating two separate rail systems into one still have dominant flows during the peak hours, but regional rail system in Philade lphia 1.1. 1 • I n t he the ir role for noncomrnut ing trips increases sub­ process , the differences between commute~ railroa ds stantially. and regional rail systems were defined a nd a r e in­ The best example of a conversion from commuter to cluded. Extensive data on physical, operational, and regional rail system is t he S-Bahn in Munich. In ridership characteristics of the Philadelphia system 1972, its two stub-end terminals were connected with are also included, but the major emphasis is on the four stations by a tunnel through the CBD, and methodology for planning the new network: determina­ regular, electrified services were introduced that tion o f line pairings (i.e., how the f ormer radial were fully integrated with rapid t ransit , ligh t lines should be interconnected into diametrical rai l, and bus . Daily ride rship on this S-Bahn, which ones). was 150, 000 in 1971, had grown to 590 ,000 by 1982. Similar improvements and ridership increases have bee n ach ieve d i n Fra nkfurt, Hamb urg, Paris , a nd ma ny THE EVOLVING CONCEPT OF FEG!Oi~/IL Rl\U. Japane se cities. Commuter Railroads ' Networks , Service , and Role REGIONAL HIGH- SPEED RAIL SYSTEM IN PHILADELPHIA Traditionally, most large North American cities had It could be said that the era of modern regional a number of commuter rail services provided by rail systems in the United States started with the several railroad companies. Their radial lines opening of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system terminated in stub-end terminals on the fringes of in Oakland , California. By ils ne t work, form, a nd the central business district (CBU). The lines were service, BART is more similar to the S-Bahn in Munich often independent of each other, and their coordina­ or the Rcseau Express Rcgionalc in Paris than to tion and joint fares with regular transit services rapid transit systems in Chicago, Philadelphia, and (bus, streetcar, and rapid transit) seldom existed. even New York. The Washington, D.C., Metro system The services were heavily commuter-oriented, con­ will also have a somewhat regional character. How ­ sisting of a large number of trains serving during ever, among the cities with existing commuter rail­ the peaks, and minimal service, if any, during off­ roads, Philadelphia is the first to upgrade its peak hours. Headways were typically irregular, with system into a Regional High-Speed Line (RHSL) system. various express runs, usually also at irregular intervals. Such networks and services have existed in Boston (North and South stations), Chicago (seven System Description different companies), New York (several systems with stub-end stations--Grand Central and Hoboken--and The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Author­ one through station--Pennsylvania) and Philadelphia ity's (SEPTA) RHSL Network, shown to scale in Figure (Suburban Station and Reading Terminal). Because of 1 and schematically in Figure 2, consists of two this type of network and service, these railroads previously separated networks. The Western (or ex­ were predominantly serving trips into and out of Pennsylvania) Division consists of 6 lines that CBDs, most of them to and from work. The percentage converge from the west into the 30th Street station uZ i...Lj_.t:JO rnaU.t:: {v.L '"vi..~u:a t'l.. U.tJVOCO WctO yuj_i..t:: OJllg_L_L, 011U i..1::?LH1.i11dl..~ .LU l..i1t:: u11Ut::L':1LUU.11U Du~u1.i..io11 o'-.a'-.lv11, and ef~orts to attract them were minimal. west of City Hall. The Nor t hern (or e x-Reading) In addition to the purely radial network and Division consists of 7 lines converging from the commuter-oriented schedules, there were organiza­ north into the elevated Reading Terminal which is tional problems: private railroads, which were usu­ east of City Hall. The entire network has a length ally not fully compensated for passenger services, of 344 km (214 mil, 189 stations, and a fleet of 343 Vuchic and Kikuchi 53 Western Division Lines Northern Division Line s (Ex-Pennsylvania lines) (Ex-Reading lines) AP: Airport NO : Norristown MH: Marcus Hook rw: r.h~ s tn11t Hill West WC: West Che ster CE: Chestnut Hill East PA: Paoli DO: Do ylestown IR: Ivy Ridge WA: Warminster TR: Trenton NE: Ne wtown 5 10 mile• FIGURE 1 Philadelphia regional high speed lines (RHSL) network.