Urban rail transit
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Urban rail transit is a wide term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, which sometimes overlap because some systems or lines have aspects of multiple types.
Types
Tram
A tram, streetcar, or trolley system is a rail-based transit system that runs mainly or completely along streets (with
The term "tram" is used in most parts of the world. In North America, such systems are referred to as "streetcar" or "trolley" systems. In Germany, such systems are called Straßenbahn, which literally translates as "street train" or "street railway".
Light rail
A light rail system is a rail-based transit system that has higher capacity and speed than a tram, usually by operating in an exclusive
The term "light rail" is the most common term especially in Americas, but German systems are called Stadtbahn, which translates to "city railway".
Rapid transit
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In most parts of the world, such systems are known as a "metro", short for "metropolitan", which is itself short for "
. Other less common names include "T-bane", which stands for "tunnelbana" (in Scandinavia, literally tunnel track) and "MTR" (mass transit railway).Monorail
A monorail is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail, as opposed to the traditional track with two parallel
The term possibly comes from 1897,[4] from German engineer Eugen Langen, who called an elevated railway system with wagons suspended the Eugen Langen One-railed Suspension Tramway (Einschieniges Hängebahnsystem Eugen Langen).[5]
Commuter rail
A commuter rail,
Though many European and East Asian commuter rail systems operate with frequencies and rolling stock similar to that of rapid transit, they do not qualify as such because they share tracks with intercity/freight trains, or they have at grade crossings. For example,
Automated guideway transit
Automated guideway transit systems tend to operate with medium passenger capacities.
Larger systems span a variety of conceptual designs, from subway-like advanced rapid transit (ART) systems to smaller (typically two to six passengers) vehicles known as personal rapid transit (PRT) which offer direct point-to-point travel along a switched network.[6]
Funicular
A funicular is a cable-driven inclined railway that uses the weight of descending cars to help pull the ascending cars up the slope.
The term funicular derives from the Latin word funiculus, the diminutive of funis, meaning 'rope'.[7]
Cable car
A cable car, in the context of mass transit, is a system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable that runs at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping the cable as required. Cable cars are distinct from funiculars (whose cars are permanently attached to the cable) and cable railways (which are similar to funiculars but have rail vehicles that are attached and detached manually).
Classification issues
Transit agencies' names for lines do not necessarily reflect their technical categorization. For example, the Green Line in Boston is referred to as a subway although it is mostly made up of above-ground portions. Conversely, the Docklands Light Railway in London, C Line in Los Angeles, and some metro lines in China are referred to as "Light Rail" but qualify as rapid transit because they are fully grade-separated and provide a high frequency of service.
Many cities use names such as subway and elevated railway to describe their entire systems, even if they combine both methods of operation. Slightly less than half of the London Underground's tracks, for example, are actually underground. The New York City Subway also combines elevated and subterranean stations, and the Chicago "L" and the Vancouver SkyTrain use tunnels to run through central areas.
Other types of services
Guided bus
A
Economics
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2010) |
In a 2006 article, the political scientist Ted Balaker and the urban planner Cecilia Juong Kim stated that public rail transit provides certain benefits for a community but also that the goals of policymakers are not often met. They also note some American economists claim that contrary to popular belief, rail transit has failed to improve the environment, serve the poor, or reduce highway congestion in the United States. They also claim economists are somewhat more optimistic about rail transit's impact on economic development.[8]
See also
- Passenger rail terminology
- List of tram and light rail transit systems
- List of town tramway systems
- Streetcars in North America
- List of North American light rail systems by ridership
- Medium-capacity rail system
- List of premetro systems
- List of metro systems
- List of automated train systems
- List of North American rapid transit systems by ridership
- List of rail transit systems in North America
- List of monorail systems
- List of suburban and commuter rail systems
- List of United States commuter rail systems by ridership
- List of funicular railways
- List of bus rapid transit systems
- List of United States local bus agencies by ridership
- List of trolleybus systems
- List of airport people mover systems
- Lists of rapid transit systems
References
- ^ Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
- ^ "tram – definition". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tram – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015.
- ^ "Etymology Online entry for monorail". Etymonline.com. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ "Dictionary.com definitions of monorail". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-309-28344-1.
- ^ "funicular". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ Balaker, Ted; Kim, Cecilia Juong (September 2006). "Do Economists Reach a Conclusion On Rail Transit?". Econ Journal Watch. 3 (3): 551–602. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
Further reading
- "Electric Railway Transportation", Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (January 1911) 37 (1): 1–202 – 17 articles by experts in 1911.