u.s. DEPÄRTMENT OF COMMERCE Natiol Technical Information Serr.ce PBBO- 1 03641 Light Rail Transit State-of-the-Art Overview (u.s.) Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, MA May 77 ".." .,-"~ ~.. ~I:'" " ¡:) n -1 ': ': t. 4 1 LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT REPRODUCED BY NA TIOl-1AL TeCHNICAL INFORMTION SERVICE, u. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SPRINGFIELD, VA. 22161 ,.' Of TR-I",s,o ~..,.,'- 0+,.zc~ .C1; "f~ TECHNOLOGY SHARING IS A PROGRAM OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ..1,1".) ..,..CC S'-IT¡S 0\ ..' l- , 18111 . " Technical keport Documentation Pai- ~_._-._' 3. Recipient'i CatCllog No. 1. Report No. 2. Government Acce..ion No. OOT-TSC-OST-79-4 -pe, Yó -/¿:~:J ~ ~/ 5. Report Dote 4. Title and S"btitle May 1977 Light Rail Transit: State-of-the-Art Overview 6. Performing OrgClni zotion Code 8. Performing Orgoni zotion Report No. 7. A"thor' I) OOT-TSC-OST-79-4 9. Perf&.,ming Orgonizotion Nome and Add,e.. 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) U.S. Department of Tranportation OI001/R0907 Research & Special Program Administration 11. Cont,oct 0' G,ont No. Transportation Systems Center, Technology Sharing Offj ce Kendall Sauare. Cambridtæ. Mass. 02142 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 12. Sponio,ing Agency Nome ond Add,e.. Final Report U.S~.Department of Transportation July 1933 - May 1977 Office~of the Secretary Office of the Asst. Secretary for Governental Affairs u. Sponio,ing Agency Code Washinpton D.C., 20590 15. S"pplementory Not., 16. Ab.troct This document presents an overview of light rail transit, an urban transit alternative which has the potential to help fill the need for flexibility in public transportation. Existing and proposed U. S. and Canadian light rail transit systems are described with a his torical perspective. The tedinical components and service characteristics of this mode are analyzed. The document also deals with a number of planing and implementation issues, including economics of operation, and various environmental and social concerns. 17. KeyWo,dl 18. DI.tr¡bution Stotement DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC Standard Light Rail Vehicle (SLRV) THROUGH THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL Presidents t Conference Committee Car (PCC) INFORMATION SERVICE, SPRINGFIELD, Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) VIRGINIA 22161 21. No. of Pog" 19. Sec,,'lIy Cloliif. (of this ,ito,t) 20. 5scu,lIy Ci...if. (of thl. ,.".) 8' ¿) ~~ Unclassified Unclassified ;; ;:~ r;:; Form DOT f 1700.1 (8-721 Reprotion of completed pogo authorized fOREWORD As part of its ongoing commitment to the principle of technology sharing, the U.S. Department of Transportation has initiated a series of publications based on research and development efforts sponsored by the Department. The series comprises technical reports, state-of-the-art documents, newsletters and bulletins, manuals and handbooks, bibliographies, and other special publications. All share a primary objective: to contri- bute-to a better base of knowledge and undarstcmding throughout the transportation community, and, thereby, to an improvement in the basis for decision-making within the community. This title in the series presents an overview of light rail transit, an urban transit alterna- tive which has the potential to help fil the need for flexibility in public transportation. The documen~ is designed to make more accessible the body of knowledge that now constitutes the state-of-the-art of light rail lIdnsit. A 5pecial feature is the inclusion of supplementary material to serve as a source-b~ok for further information. iW ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report is jointly sponsored by the following organizations: . OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Office of R&D Policy . TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER Technology Sharing Program Office . URBAN MASS TRANSPORTATION ADMINiSTRATION A special acknowledgment is made to the light rail transit operators and planners and to the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Light Rail Transit whose review of and comment on this document is greatly appreciated. Preceding page blank iii CONTENTS FOREWORD,page; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, page ;;; FIGURES, page v;; OVERVIEW OF LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT,page 1 Revived Interest in Light Rail Transit,page 1 Advantages, page 2 Historical Perspective, page 4 Existing and Proposed U.S. and Canadian Light Rail Transit Systems,page 7 v II TECHNOLOG!CAL COMPONENTS AND 5ERVICE CHAHACTERISTICS,page 11 Technological Components, page 11 Vehicles, page 11 Track, page f5 Right-of-Way,page 17 Power Distribut:on, page 20 Stations, page 22 Shops and Storage Facilities, page 23 Traffic (Signal) Control,paae 23 Service Characteristics, page 23 Frequency page 23 Speed, page 24 System Capacity, page 24 I;xpress and Local Service, page 25 !ntermodal :nterface, page 25 Safety, page 25 III PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES,page 29 Planning Criteria, page 29 Applications, page 30 Cost Requirements, page 32 Implementation Period, page 34 Environmental and Social Issues, page 34 Summary, page 35 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL APPENDIX A: Details of Existing U.S. and Canadian Light Rail Transit Systems APPEND'X B: References APPENDIX C: Suggested Periodicals and Other Sources of Current Information APPENDIX D: UMTA Policy Statement on Light Rail Transit APPEND IX E: Glossary vi FIGURES 1. Characteristics of Three R ail Transit Modes, page 3 2. u.s. and Canadian Streetcar and Light Rail Transit System Descriptions, page 6 3. Geographical Distribution of Existing and Proposed U.S. and Canadian Light Rail Transit Systems, page 8 4. The Standard Light Rail Vehicle, page 74 5. Comparison of Four Light Rail Vehicles, page 76 6. Example of Light Rail Transit Capital Costs for Various Operating and Right-of-Way Characteristics, page 33 vii , .1( "'4)""",;.',1\:\"!,j")",~'",!¡\,I'"'(~¡",,,'.:~r;;ó:'I:'::,;";l~~j¡::;;,;_\\Jii;:)~(~\¡~):fi\~;~~~.i¡¡r Chronology of Urban Transit 1819 HACKNEYSæßS DILIGENCES 1827 rHORSE DRAWN OMNIBUS 1832 I HORSE DRAWN STREET RAILWAYS I 1886 LXPER1~E.E'~!f=1863 I ~ELECTRIC 1935 STREET PCC RAILWAYS STREETCAR l SUBWAYS 1868 IELEVATED RAILWAYS 1873 ICABLE STREET RAILWAYS ~ErRl;ECJ§£§B:~li~~ 1893 ESCALATOR PATENT 1859 ~ PRO!9~1§ I MOVING PAVEMENTS 1912 ==i MOTO R BUS JITNEY 1914  1966 FIRST OILWELL 1859 ~  1896 DIESEL ENGINE =:IPEOPLE MOVERS MODERN DIESEL BUS 1941  1970 RR BLOCK SIGNALS 1867 ~  1888 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINES == rnL-A-~ 1973 ELECTRIC INDUCTION MOTORS 1892 ~ STANDARD LIGHT RAIL VEHICLE DESIGNED i -- I I I I 1 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 Source: Adapted from N.D. Lea Transportation Research, Lea Transit Compendium, '/0/1 No.1, 1974 viii I OVERVIEW OF LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT 1 revived interest in light rail transit IN RECENT YEARS, the growing need to move people in and around urban areas economically and with minimum disruption to the quality of urban life and environment has stimu lated an interest in various transit alternatives. I n I ight of the national interest in energy conservation, the need for transit alternatives has become even more pronounced. In the realm of conventional mass transit, both new and extensions to existing rail rapid transit systems are being planned and constructed. Improvements in bus and com- muter rail services are also being planned and implemented in many urban areas. The interest in transit alternatives has also focused on techniques for making better use of existing transportation reS~iJl'ces such as the designation of exclusive lanes for buses and carpools, and the establishmi!nt of demand responsive transportation services, specialized services for the transportation disadvantaged, and subscription bus service. Evaluation of these transit alternatives, as they relate to specific applications, is necessary if citizens are to receive the best transportation service for their tax dollars. lThis state-of-the-art overview, derived largely from documented research and personal contacts, concentrates on streetcar and light rail transit systems as they exist in the U.S. and Canada. For a detailed assessment of light rail transit lir;cluding European systems). the reader is referred to Reference 55. -," ,,' _.''''''''''~'''~'''I.'",,' '"",, k"""."\,",";""\i'.~i...'""';,,,,~,,JI_~~''''I'''''i..'I It is this renewed interest and evaiuation of various transit alternatives which has inten- sified the interest in another alternative, light rail transit, a generic name for a transit mode consisting of electrically powered steel-wheeled rail vehicles ?perating predomiriantly on exclusive rights-of-way. This latter characteristic is the primary feature which dis- tinguishes light rail transit from the electric streetcar - streetcars typically share right-of- way with óther vehicular traffic on public, o;ten congested roadways- Light rail transit is an intermediate-capacity, intermediate-speed mode capable of operating at passenger volumes, and service levels, between those of hilly-separated rapid transit and those of transit opr.ating on public streets or roadways in mixed traffic. It is characterized by flexibility which prf)vides planners with a variety of options in locating and/or relocatinçç routes, and in selecting and utilizing a number of different operating procedu res. ad van tages Light rail transit has the potential of meeting transportation needs within many urban areas, Recent reports have cited a number of advantages of light rail transit, in contrast to several of the other possible alternatives (references 47. 52, and 54, DeGraw). The attributes most often cited are: . Light rail transit offers flexibility in right-of-way selection. It can be used under- ground in subways. at grade either on exclusive