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	Light Rail Information: updated 1 August 2016

Light Rail Information

What is Light Rail?

Midland Metro in Birmingham

Mike Taplin, a Vice–President of the LRTA and International News Editor answers:–
First, when we say tramway we mean streetcar in the American way of using words. For instance, there is a streetcar line in Seattle running from the Waterfront to the train depot. In Portland they have a light rail line running from the city centre to the eastside (and now a new line to the westside). These lines are light rail because they are mostly segregated from other traffic, passengers get on and off at stations rather than in the street, and the cars run faster. However there is no definite border line between streetcar and light rail — they merge gradually from one to another, and as a streetcar system gets upgraded it becomes light rail. A lot of this is to do with planning jargon; streetcars are seen to be old fashioned whereas light rail is trendy!

See Mike Taplin’s extensive article The History of Tramways and Evolution of Light Rail which explains this in detail. Also the comprehensive World Systems List is updated to June 2011.

Light rail is:–

• Clean and green — enhances the environment — no emissions at street level
• Safe — many times safer than car travel
• Speedy — short journey times
• Avoids traffic congestion — through segregation and priority
• Smooth — no violent movements vertically, laterally, or backwards/forwards
• Comfortable
• Compatible with pedestrians in pedestrianised areas
• Civilising — a city transported by light rail is a more human, more livable place
• Acceptable and accepted — only rail borne modes can in practice get people out of cars
• Re-assuring — tram lines give confidence that service operates
• High capacity — only heavy metros have higher carrying capacity
• Affordable — the cheapest and best value form of quality mass transit
• Reliable — can keep going when snow or ice defeats road vehicles
• Versatile — can run at high speeds on segregated way and can penetrate narrow historic centres
• Adaptable — can cope with steep gradients and tight curves
• Inspiring — modern light rail can be aesthetically breath-taking
• Space age technology based on sound foundations and experience of 100 years
• Capable of going underground, or overground or "at grade" (on the surface) — whichever makes best sense

Most modern light rail systems

• Offer frequent services that rival convenience of car
• Offer "seamless journey" interchange from/to feeder services and to and from train services
• Offer level boarding with easy access for everyone, including wheel-chair users
• Offer Park & Ride so outer commuters need not drive to city centres
• Offer through ticketing for day and regular users

See also Light Rail Systems

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