01516462

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2419-05

The transit industry has experienced great declines in ridership since World War II from which it has recovered only partially since the 1990s. By contrast, commuter rail has flourished as a result of suburbanization, strong downtowns, and continued public support. With a focus on older systems, the study reported in this paper reviewed changes in population, downtown employment, and ridership and related these changes to the ways in which technology, public policy, ridership, and operations have affected commuter rail. Since about the 1990s, the number of commuter rail passenger miles in the United States has grown faster than the number of national highway vehicle miles traveled. Modern commuter rail ridership has reached (or has surpassed) the historic peak levels reached in 1929. Commuter railroads have met the demands of growing ridership through the use of cars with higher seating capacities, which have provided more frequent off-peak service, and through the adoption of such innovative operating plans as zone schedules. Even the rehabilitation of deteriorated tracks sometimes has helped to increase train throughput. Such improvements have enabled commuter railroads to accommodate more customers, although capacity will have to be increased where severe constraints exist. Continued public support will be essential to the future of commuter rail in most metropolitan areas.

01557109

14-0889

English

pp 40–49

2014

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309295543

Print

Figures (1) ; References (35) ; Tables (3)

Central business districts; Employment; Passenger miles; Population; Public policy; Railroad commuter service; Ridership; Suburbs; Technological innovations

North America

Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 2:22PM

• Are Park-and-Rides Saving the Environment or Just Saving Parking Costs? Case Study of Denver, Colorado, Light Rail System
• Do Light Rail Transit Planning Decisions Affect Metropolitan Transit Performance? Examination of Eight U.S. Metropolitan Areas with Light Rail Transit Backbones
• Impacts of Real-Time Passenger Information Signs in Rail Stations at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• International Study of Current and Potential Social Media Applications in Unplanned Passenger Rail Disruptions
• Is This Seat Taken? Multifaceted Research Study to Inform the Chicago, Illinois, Transit Authority’s Future Rail Car Seating Design
• Light Rail Transit Urban Insertion and Safety: European Experience
• Park-and-Ride Access Station Choice Model for Cross-Regional Commuting: Case Study of Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Canada
• Performance of Australian Light Rail and Comparison with U.S. Trends
• Public Transit Catchment Areas: The Curious Case of Cycle–Transit Users
• Rail Transit: Exploration with Emphasis on Networks with Ring Lines
• Strategic Station Access Planning for Commuter Rail: Balancing Park-and-Ride with Other Modes