01672570

Component

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/175112.aspx

Downtown distribution has been a major concern for transit systems since electric traction began in the late 19th century. Congestion between transit vehicles and street traffic predates the automobile. To address these operating issues, several large cities placed streetcars underground, and a few provided new grade-separated entry into the city center. The modern light rail era has seen both street running and off-street access. This paper discusses downtown access for modern light rail transit (LRT) lines. It sets forth the trade-offs between operating speed and reliability, costs, and environmental and other effects. It briefly reviews the past experience of downtown distribution for light rail lines and electric interurban railways with light rail characteristics before discussing present-day developments. Most modern light rail lines use street access, saving capital cost at the expense of lower speed. Two of the four newer systems with downtown subways use previously existing tunnels. For transit authorities, the choice between downtown street running and subways involves trade-offs between capital cost and operating considerations, particularly speed and interactions between trains and traffic. For customers, the trade-offs are mainly between the speed and ease of physical access to downtown stations and running time through the downtown area. Finally, for cities, the trade-offs involve the quality of downtown rights-of-way versus the total alignment that a given investment level can provide.

01613496

English

pp 225-241

2016-9

Transportation Research Circular

13th National Light Rail and Streetcar Conference

9780309450591

Digital/other

References; Tables

Alternatives analysis; Central business districts; Electric railroads; Light rail transit; Light rail transit grade crossings; Subways

Design; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

May 9 2018 10:20AM

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• Achieving Optimal Results from New Light Rail Lines: Lessons from Three Decades of Experience
• Advancing Safety Rules Compliance: Proactive Management Through Simplified Data Analysis
• Block Rail: Current Best Practices and Experience on Recent Projects
• Compromise: A Necessary Element of Sacramento’s LRT Starter Line
• Denver Regional Transportation District’s Central Rail Corridor Capacity Improvements
• Double-Tracking Baltimore’s Light Rail Transit System
• Ergonomics and Visibility in the Tramway Driver’s Cab
• Expanding Metrolink Through Town Centers and Residential and Urban Environments Across Greater Manchester
• Getting a Safer LRT Through a Better Design of Its Insertion in Public Space
• Importance of Bus Connections to Light Rail Accessibility Gains
• Inserting Streetcars into Pedestrian Areas: French Examples
• Insertion of the Purple Line
• Integration of METRO Blue and Green Lines with Buses: Restructuring Bus Service Around New High-Frequency LRT Lines
• Key Directions of the Modernization of Tram Systems in Central and Eastern European Countries
• Key Role of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan in the Development of Light Rail Train Networks in Central and Eastern European Countries: Case Study of LRT Networks in Romania
• Light Rail Hubs in a Multimodal Transport Environment
• LRT Safety in France: How Are Pedestrians Involved?
• METRO Green Line Transit Signal Priority: Implementation and Lessons Learned
• Mitigation of Hazards for Street Running and Semiexclusive Light Rail Rights-of-Way
• Onboard Energy Storage System Applications on Streetcar Projects
• P3 Experiences and Lessons Learned from the Maryland Purple Line Project
• RandstadRail: From a Traditional Tram System to an Integrated Tram and Light Rail System in the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam–The Hague
• Safety Management in European LRT Systems: Some Tools for Collecting and Using Accident Data
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Twin Peaks Tunnel Trackway Improvement Project
• State of the Art in Light Rail Alternative Power Supplies
• Streetcar Institutional Models: Comparison of Experience with Transit Coordination
• Transit Signal Priority Implementation in Phoenix