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The Covid 19 pandemic has caused dramatic disruptions in the public transport sector that has seen a stark downturn in many cities across the globe, calling into question previous efforts to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions by expanding this sector. Especially, the current surge of individual car use is worrying and the question remains which users might be able and willing to substitute public transport by cycling. This effect is interesting to study for the case of Hanover Region, because of the well-developed biking infrastructure that makes biking a viable alternative to individual car use. In this paper, we analyze survey data from June 2020 on the use of transportation modes before and during the pandemic in the Hanover Region. We ask if and how the over 4.000 participants substitute public transport and what characterizes those who chose biking over individual car use. We use multivariate regression models and find evidence that Stadtbahn (local light rail) and bus are substituted by bike, car and working from home, while train use is not significantly replaced by car and seems to be positively related to bike use. The data also shows that women have a higher level of fear of infection than men have during public transport use and therefore reduce public transport use more. Moreover, income displays a positive effect on increased car use while cycling is independent of socio-economic indicators but instead driven by the eco-consciousness of users. Surprisingly, we find that car use was increased in particular by residents of Hanover city, while it was decreased by residents of less densely populated urban areas in the region.

This paper examines the impact of the opening of a light rail transit (LRT) line on commuting patterns in adjacent neighborhoods in a case study on Charlotte, North Carolina. The results show a reduction in commuting distance experienced by higher-wage workers, while it is increased for lower-wage workers after the opening of the city’s first LRT line. These results are expected as the alignment of the LRT line connects higher income neighborhoods to the areas with significant shares of higher-wage jobs. Low- and medium-wage workers in the LRT accessible neighborhoods did not seen a significant improvement in the spatial separation between their work place and place of residence after the opening of the LRT, which may conflict with goals of increasing accessibility for the transit dependent population.

The inner and middle suburbs of Adelaide South Australia have low levels of public transport use and high levels of private motor vehicle use for commuting compared to the inner and middle suburbs of Australia’s other major cities. A major reason for this is an absence of a rapid transit system in the region and the subsequent reliance upon bus commuter services in mixed traffic. The state government has proposed reintroducing light rail ’trams’ into inner and middle suburbs as radial routes connected to the central business district. The justification for the reintroduction is largely concerned with enhancing the city’s global image and facilitating urban infill. This article uses evidence from a literature review and statistical and physical analyses to ascertain the appropriateness of four common public transport systems, buses in mixed traffic, heavy rail transit, light rail transit and bus rapid transit for a central area of Adelaide South Australia where a new light rail line is proposed. This article argues ‘Curitiba’ styled bus rapid transit is the best option for the area because it is far less expensive than light or heavy rail, it has the potential to provide a rapid transit option for significantly more existing residents in the area, and would be more reliable and convenient for the people in its catchment. In doing so it can also provide a more equitable service.

One often sees large park-and-ride (P&R) facilities surrounding major transit stations. These parking facilities provide a practical way to increase ridership, but it is less clear how well they serve broader sustainability goals. For example, using scarce station area land for transit-oriented development (TOD) rather than parking may provide a better approach to reducing vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT). This research represents an effort to explore the relative VKT reduction associated with P&R as compared to TOD. A survey of transit users in Charlotte, NC is used to estimate the VKT generated by users of P&R facilities at light rail stations. The estimated VKT is then compared to the VKT that is predicted to occur under hypothetical scenarios in which these parking facilities are replaced with TOD. At four of the seven stations examined in this study, replacing a P&R facility with a moderately dense housing (100 units per hectare) is predicted to result in a net VKT reduction. On the other hand, there is no feasible scenario in which a net VKT reduction can be achieved by replacing the suburban terminal parking structure with TOD. To the degree that VKT reduction is an important outcome of transit provision, the results of this research indicate that conversion of P&R to TOD (or forgoing P&R in the first place) should receive strong consideration at some stations, even in highly auto-oriented contexts such as Charlotte.

Appraisal of a regional public transport project : A document and interview analysis on a light rail case in Sweden

Light rail transit (LRT) has a reputation for being cleaner and healthier than automobiles. However, few studies have examined the effects of mode shift from automobile to LRT. This paper investigates to what extent mode shift from car to LRT can reduce personal exposure to PM2.5, BC, and UFP. Simultaneous measurements on LRT and automobile were conducted under four plausible commuting scenarios in Los Angeles, California from October to November in 2014. As a robustness check, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to test the effects of confounding factors. Under the closed ventilation and low traffic condition, personal exposure measurements inside LRT were significantly higher than in automobile for BC (+40%, p < 0.01) and UFP (+27%, p

Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia, is experiencing a population boom and rapid urbanization. Passenger demand on the Addis Ababa Light Rail Train (AALRT) in recent years has not been matched by the equivalent available capacity, thus maintaining system performance is an increasing challenge. The objective of this paper was to assess the performance of Menilik Square LRT Station in terms of the number of passengers boarding the train mainly during peak hours. Capacity utilization of the rolling stock at the station in terms of passengers carried, number of trains that arrive at the station during peak hours and passenger volumes per train during peak hours has been analyzed. Data collected from the AALRT authority office for the month of November 2019 has been used to conduct the analysis. It has been discovered that there is overcapacity utilization during peak hours with 400 excess passengers, for a design capacity of 8000 passengers. Finally, it is recommended to minimize the dwell time at the station and minimize the headway between the trains to increase the throughput at the station thus minimizing overloads per train.

Public transit has often been proposed as a solution to the spatial mismatch hypothesis but the link between public transit accessibility and employment has not been firmly established in the literature. Los Angeles provides an interesting case study – as the city has transformed from zero rail infrastructure before the 1990s to a network of 103 Metro stations in 2016 consisting of subway, light rail, and bus rapid transit servicing diverse neighborhoods. I use panel data on tracts, treating route placement as endogenous, which is then instrumented by the distance from the centroid of each tract in LA to a hypothetical Metro route. Overall, I find proximity to Metro stations increases labor force participation and employment for residents, which is robust to using both a binary and continuous measure of distance. Additionally, I find evidence that increased job density in neighborhoods near new transit stations is contributing to the employment increase.

This paper estimates the value firms place on access to city centers and how this has changed with COVID-19. Pre-COVID, across 89 U.S. urban areas, commercial rent on newly executed long-term leases declines 2.3% per mile from the city center and increases 8.4% with a doubling of zipcode employment density. These relationships are stronger for large, dense “transit cities” that rely heavily on subway and light rail. Post-COVID, the commercial rent gradient falls by roughly 15% in transit cities, and the premium for proximity to transit stops also falls. We do not see a corresponding decline in the commercial rent gradient in more car-oriented cities, but for all cities the rent premium associated with employment density declines sharply following the COVID-19 shock.

I study the effect of transit access on neighborhood incomes by exploiting a quasi-experimental setting of an extensively planned, but only partially built urban rail system in Dallas. I show that neighborhood income in census tracts that received rail access increases compared to neighborhoods that were promised to receive access, but did not due to funding cuts. The treatment effect is positively correlated with initial neighborhood income and negative for the poorest tracts. This reconciles gentrification and “poverty magnet” effects of rail infrastructure found in the earlier literature and highlights the role of transit as a potential incubator for income segregation.

•On a per-exclusive-guideway-km basis, LRT capital costs are about double those of BRT.•As BRT guideways become more complex, their guideway costs tend to converge with those of LRT.•The main difference in capital costs between BRT and LRT is in Professional Services.•BRT running on exclusive ROW provides service competitive with that of the automobile and LRT.•LRT support is partly shaped by a common alternative: BRT-lite with little dedicated right of way.

Magnesium (Mg) and their alloys show potential in railway rolling stock applications due to their attractive mechanical properties, developed manufacturing processes, cost efficiency, and affluent resource reserve. In particular, high-strength Mg alloy components are important to lightweighting efforts in the railroad industry. In this review, Mg alloy processing technology for railroad vehicles is discussed with emphasis on energy savings, manipulation convenience, and reduction in friction/wear, vibration, and fatigue damage. It is shown that a Mg alloy train has a theoretical 8.6–12.6% comprehensive weight reduction potential in the equal-strength and equal-stiffness condition, where low-speed trains (metro, light rail train, tram/trolley car, monorail car, suspension train/schwebebahn etc..) exhibit a larger energy-savings than high speed trains. It is evident that the regulations of fabrication, processing, post treatment, assembly/installation, protection, and maintenance/replacement of Mg alloy components for the railroad industry all need further research and development. Keywords: Mg alloys, Lightweight train, Energy savings

Previous work has examined a new light-rail line or upgrades to existing rail infrastructure. However, the following is the first examination of the value of an extension of a light-rail line. The analysis relies on repeat sales of houses in Bayonne, New Jersey, where the first sale occurred before the 2008 announcement of a southern extension to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to 8th Street in Bayonne, and the second sale occurred after the opening of the station in 2011. Our results show that the 8th Street Station had no statistically significant impact on annual house price appreciation. That is, we find no evidence that properties closer to the station showed more price appreciation than properties further from the station.

This study uses property-level repeat sales transaction data to test for the presence of a premium for single-family homes within half a mile of stations on the METRO Blue Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the premium for station proximity varies substantially depending on control group and period definitions for “after” light rail. Using homes in the rest of Minneapolis as controls yields growing positive premiums from proximity to light rail stations, while using homes in neighborhoods similar to those near stations yield smaller premiums that fade to zero over time.

This paper is focused on the identification of, and the dynamics associated with, neighborhoods that are more prone to undergo socioeconomic and demographic changes following rail transit investments. Utilizing data from 9 metropolitan areas that have invested in light rail between 1980 and 2010, a k-means clustering approach is used to construct discrete multivariate neighborhood typologies. Together with Markov chains, we are able to examine transitions between neighborhood types before and after the opening of a station. Results for affected neighborhoods are compared to city-wide transitions to uncover differences. Our findings suggest that there is a significant difference in transit and non-transit neighborhood transitions. There also appears to be a difference in trajectories between Walk-and-Ride and Park-and-Ride neighborhoods. While neighborhoods are largely stable over time, impoverished neighborhoods are most likely to experience changes (such as gentrification) following the opening of a transit station. The most affluent neighborhoods are the least likely to experience change but are associated with the most probable trajectory of change featuring densification. Finally, there is little evidence that socioeconomic ascent following station openings is associated with significant changes in racial composition. Knowledge about neighborhood dynamics associated with transit investments can aid policy makers and planners in achieving socioeconomic goals of transit investments.

This study was designed to estimate and compare the air pollution exposures experienced by commuters in six common transportation modes utilized by California residents, and to evaluate the impact of practical exposure mitigation strategies in reducing commute exposures. We measured concentrations of fine particle matter (PM 2.5 ), black carbon (BC), and ultrafine particles (UFP) for 161 commutes between April 2014 and November 2015 in Sacramento, CA. We collected measurements for six modes including single occupancy vehicles, high occupancy vehicles (multiple occupants), buses, light rail, train, and bicycling. The largest average concentrations for most pollutants were measured during train commutes and the lowest average concentrations were observed during light-rail commutes. Mitigation options were explored for personal vehicles, bicycling, and train commute modes. We found that ventilation settings of personal vehicles can reduce in-vehicle PM 2.5 , BC, and UFP concentrations by up to 75%. Similarly, bicycle route choice can reduce exposures by 15–75% with the lowest concentrations observed during commutes on dedicated bicycle paths away from traffic sources. Train commuters experienced UFP concentrations an order of magnitude greater when the locomotive engine was pulling the rail cars versus pushing the rail cars. We found that UFP concentrations during bus, bicycling, and train commutes were 1.6–5.3 times greater than personal vehicle commutes, while light rail commutes had 30% lower UFP concentrations than personal vehicle commutes. The largest exposure per mile occurred during bicycle commutes with PM 2.5 , BC, and UFP exposures of 1.312 μg/mile, 0.097 μg/mile, and 3.0 × 10 9 particles/mile, respectively. Train commutes experienced the largest exposure per mile of all of the combustion-derived transportation commute modes. BC accounted for 5–20% of total PM mass across all commute modes with an average fraction of ∼7% of PM 2.5 .

Areas around Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations offer ideal conditions for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Relatively dense, mixed-use neighborhoods can have positive impacts on mobility, health, and perceptions of neighborhood safety among nearby residents, primarily through walking activity for both transit and other purposes. To examine how station areas may attract new activity, this study analyzed changes in walking around station areas among people living close to an LRT station before and after the opening of a new transit system. This study examined walking behavior among the subset of 214 participants living within one mile of one of 13 LRT stations from among a sample of residents living close or further away from a new LRT line in Seattle. They completed a survey and a travel log and wore an accelerometer and a GPS for 7 days both before (2008) and after the opening of the Seattle area LRT (2010). Walking bouts were derived using a previously developed algorithm. The main outcome was the individual-level change in the proportion of daily walking within one quarter Euclidean mile of an LRT station. Overall walking decreased from before to after the LRT opening while station area walking did not change significantly, indicating a shift in walking activity to the station areas after the introduction of LRT. Increases in the proportion of station area walking were negatively related to participants' distance between home and the nearest LRT station, peaking at0.25 mile and decaying beyond0.75 mile. Male gender, college education, normal weight status, less access to cars, and frequent LRT use were also significantly associated with greater positive changes in the proportion of station area walking. The shift in walking to station areas after the completion of light rail provides evidence that the local proximate population is attracted to station areas, which may potentially benefit both transit use and TOD area economic activity. The residential catchment area for the shift in LRT area walking was0.75 mile of the LRT stations.

In this paper we examine the effect of light rail transit on the residential real estate market in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Norfolk's Tide light rail began operations in August of 2011 and has experienced disappointing levels of ridership compared to other light rail systems. We estimate the effect of the Tide using a difference-in-differences model and consider several outcome variables for the residential housing market, including sale price, sale-list price spread and the time-on-market. Our identification strategy exploits a proposed rail line in neighboring Virginia Beach, Virginia that was rejected by a referendum in 1999. Overall, the results show negative consequences from the constructed light rail line. Properties within 1500 meters experienced a decline in sale price of nearly 8%, while the sale-list price spread declined by approximately 2%. Our results highlight the potential negative effects of light rail when potential accessibility benefits do not out weigh apparent local costs.

The article considers the project a new railway station on problematical soils of Astana, as well as light rail LRT Project. This article includes a summary of dynamic and static tests of driven and bored piles. Also, it is given the methodology for determining the bearing capacity of piles. As an example of these methods, the results of the dynamic, static and new PDA (Pile Dynamic Analyzer) test of teamwork and piles of soil carried out on the construction site “The new railway station in Astana” and Project light railway LRT (Light Railway Transport) planned to build in time for the World Expo in Astana EXPO-2017. This paper presented a short description of changes to the concept of Kazakhstan pile foundation design and to use PDA and DLT and SLT pile load tests. By georadar survey was funded the areas which reported a hard rock at a depth of 16 meters and other soil layers.

In this paper authors described methodology and results of multibody system simulations which covered rides of tram model through experimental track with measured geometry. Chosen European tram wheel profiles were examined in terms of intensity of tyre wear. The track was composed of various actual track sections from one of Polish cities. The influence of following parameters on wear was investigated: flangeway clearance, conformity of wheel and rail shapes, number of contact points and equivalent conicity. Performed research allowed the authors to specify the necessary objective function for optimization process of a new light rail vehicle wheel profile, which was briefly described in this paper. Several optimization results were described and discussed regarding wheel tyre wear intensity.

This research explores the impact of a new light rail line on small businesses and small business owners' ability to stay in business. Employing a mixed-method approach including business turnover analysis, surveys, and in-depth interviews in a case study on Charlotte, North Carolina, this research offers insights on the economic development challenges faced by business owners during and beyond the construction phase, showing how the construction of a light rail can permanently alter accessibility and visibility of affected businesses. Contrary to the positive impacts and benefits of light rail transit often celebrated in literature, this study shows that the significant challenges faced by small businesses during and beyond the construction phase have caused commercial displacement and altered the commercial landscape in some neighborhoods along the line. This research highlights the importance of examining practices during the construction phase to assess light rail's impacts on commercial areas. It also offers a deeper understanding of displacement processes, and aims to identify effective strategies for business retention and mitigation programs to support small businesses.

This research analyzes the relationship between bike-sharing and public transit using bike-sharing data collected in Cologne, Germany. The selected system is one of very few in Germany that is organized as a free-floating system, which allows the generation of more detailed data. A construction site in the light rail network causing multiple disruptions in the public transit network offered the possibility to detect changes in bike-sharing usage that occur in the corresponding period. Applying negative binomial regression, spatial and temporal usage patterns are analyzed to identify connections to the public transit network and other factors influencing the usage of bike sharing. The analysis suggests the existence of a spatial relationship between bike-sharing and public transit. Therefore, an intermodal use of both means of transport can be assumed. The short-term changes in the public transit network caused by the construction site only have minor impacts on the usage patterns. Other factors that affect the usage structures could be identified. Proximity to universities as well as the number of certain points of interest nearby, such as food outlets and shops, promote bike-sharing use. Higher temperatures are also positively correlated, while rain reduces usage. The findings of the study can be beneficial to integrate bike-sharing into urban transport systems, especially regarding public transit.

This paper examines the impact of urban light rail systems on congestion, travel time and pollution. Drawing on data from mid-size European cities, I estimate the impact of supply changes for the entire sample and applied a differences-in-differences analysis to a sample of cities that did not have rail systems in the initial year of the considered period. I find evidence that an increase in the supply of rail transport leads to less congestion, less travel time and less pollution. Furthermore, cities with a new rail system have on average 7% less congestion, 1% less travel time and 3% less pollution than cities with no rail systems. The results suggest that light rail systems have been successful in containing the negative externalities associated with car traffic in mid-size European cities.

Light rail transit (LRT) systems constitute one of the most sustainable public transportation modes and transit agencies have increasingly constructed LRT lines along the median of roadways to reduce land acquisition costs and traffic conflicts. Despite these conveniences, few studies have examined the air pollution and noise exposures for passengers on LRT station platforms within freeway or arterial medians. In response, we monitored particle number count (PNC) concentrations and noise levels on 17 station platforms in the Los Angeles metro system in summer 2012 and assessed differences between freeway and arterial platforms. We visited each station on average 7 times for approximately 19 min with two teams carrying a full set of instruments. As expected, impacts were higher on green line platforms in the center of a grade-separated freeway compared to blue line platforms in the center of an arterial due to being in close proximity to greater traffic volumes. Overall, freeway-arterial platform differences were 35,100 versus 20,000 particles/cm 3 for PNC and 83 versus 62 dBA for noise. This average noise intensity on green line platforms was four times that on blue line stations. We also found that PNC concentrations were significantly higher at open air monitoring platform positions compared to standing under a shade canopy (about 2000 particles/cm 3 higher), but that noise levels were significantly lower at open air positions compared to under canopy positions (about 3.2 dBA lower). Results identify important factors for transport planners to consider when locating and designing in-roadway LRT platforms.

Many studies have aimed to assess the impacts of major transportation investments, such as freeways expansions and light rail presence on property value. Yet, few studies have attempted to understand the impact of active transportation investments on housing prices. This study attempts to understand the relationship between a new bicycle sharing system and home sale prices in Montreal, Canada. Using multiple sales for units in multifamily housing that are reported in the Multiple Listings Service (MLS) of Montreal between 1996 and 2012 we develop step wise multilevel longitudinal hedonic regression models analyzing this relationship while controlling for various spatial and temporal factors that are known to impact home sales. Our results show that the presence of a bicycle sharing system in a neighborhood with 12 stations serving an 800-meter buffer is expected to increase the property value for units in multifamily housing by approximately 2.7 percent. Policy makers wishing to improve the local urban environment while benefiting from economic gains can work on increasing the availability of bicycle sharing systems as this will likely result in increasing property values, improved neighborhood health, and a more vibrant urban environment.

Ground-borne vibrations and noise, originated at the train/tram wheel–rail interface and transmitted through the rails to the ground, may cause significant disturbance to people passing by or residing alongside the railways. This paper presents a case study on the evaluation of the effectiveness for mitigating ground-borne vibration and noise by floating slab track system (FST). The underpass located at a major road junction in front of Konya Metropolitan Municipality building serves to thousands of people every day. The Konya Light Rail makes a curb right on top of the underpass, which generates considerable amount of noise and vibration to the environment. In this study, the noise and vibration acceleration measurements were taken before and after the FST system installment in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the isolation work. The collected acceleration data were analyzed and the resulting vibration velocity levels were compared. It was found that the vibrations and the ground-borne noise due to the passage of the trams were reduced considerably. The FST system was found to be quite successful in absorbing the vibrations. A noise level reduction up to 26 dBA was measured after replacing the old rail system with FST.

This paper illustrates the influence of partisan politics on transit projects delivered through public-private partnerships (PPPs) by analyzing two case studies of light rail projects in Spain. The use of public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements to deliver urban transit projects is supposed to reduce the influence of politics on project-level decisions. However, the paper illustrates how relevant decisions about these light rail projects were based primarily on political considerations, starting with the decision the deliver the projects through PPPs. Our analysis shows how the influence of political considerations have impacted on a range of factors that affect the performance of these projects, including the route selected and the integration of the system into the wider transit network and urban landscape.

In a recent analysis, Bhattacharjee and Goetz (2012) assert that the development of a light rail system in the Denver, Colorado metro area resulted in short-term reductions in traffic on some highway routes in Denver, and that it reduced the growth of highway traffic on major highways near the light rail network by 10% age points between 1992 and 2008. We point out several flaws in their analyses and reanalyze their data. We find no credible evidence that development of light rail reduced highway traffic, nor that it reduced the growth of highway traffic. We also show that light rail, by a large margin, carries too few passengers to have the effect that they assert.

Light rail is a modernisation of old tram systems and a popular tool in urban development strategies throughout many European cities. Light rails continue to be built despite often having poor socio-economic returns — other similar modes could provide the same transport function at a lower cost. Through a case study, this article explores the main vision and rationalities behind light rail projects in two mid-sized European cities — Bergen and Angers — and considers how this vision has materialised in various ‘light rail scapes’. The article argues that the city shapes the light rail project, but also that the light rail re-configures and shapes the urban structures, design and planning practices within the city based on its materiality and spatial interaction with it. This means that light rail projects need to be rethought as complex urban development projects instead of just simple ‘pieces of infrastructure’. Ultimately, this work seeks to shed light on a number of ideas for future light rail research and practice.

This article focuses on the development of the Czechoslovak ‘rychla tramvaj’ (‘fast tram’) systems in Prague, Bratislava and Brno. Its aim is to examine whether these systems meet the requirements of light rail and whether it is possible to continue their development as a functional light rail city transport system. A further aim is a detailed analysis of the conditions and contexts affecting the gradual development of ‘rychla tramvaj’ schemes in three selected metropolises in the former Czechoslovakia. Urban development in Czechoslovakia was affected by the socialist planning system that constructed large housing estates on the edges of metropolises during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, many commuters had to be moved between them and city centres daily; therefore, the necessity for high-capacity ‘rychla tramvaj’ connections became apparent. After socio-political changes in 1989, a market economy was introduced and the trends of commercial and residential suburbanization have modified the spatial structure of the cities, and mobility has begun to be increasingly dependent on cars. In response to this, city councils departed from further development of ‘rychla tramvaj’ schemes. Currently, the emphasis on sustainable mobility is apparent, principally because of smart city solutions, an environmental focus and a common European transport policy; thus, municipalities are rediscovering the virtues of light rail lines again. Because the ‘rychla tramvaj’ systems from the 1970s and 1980s are still in operation, transforming them into modern light rail systems appears to be a convenient and cheap solution.

The article makes a case for introducing light rail systems in medium-sized towns and cities in Central Europe and analyses the feasibility of such a project. This is particularly important in the context of the paradigm of mobilities and the idea of sustainable development. Contemporary urban planning has yet to find a satisfactory answer to the question of how to diminish the negative consequences of individual transport without placing inordinate limitations on the natural human desire for mobility. It would seem that the increasingly negative effects of car use – for which bus transport provides no attractive alternative – are fast creating a need for a means of public transport that is not only separated from street traffic, but that is also effective and environmentally friendly. These requirements are met to the fullest extent by light rail systems such as trams, tram-trains and various hybrid solutions.

Public transport investment is normally targeted at increasing accessibility which land rent theory identifies and will in turn increase land values. There is a clear policy interest in how much land values increase following a new transport investment so as to establish if there is sufficient land value uplift to capture and to help pay or contribute to investment plans. Identifying an uplift for residential land has been well studied in the context of new light rail systems and bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in developing countries but there is little evidence for BRT in developed countries. This paper has two objectives. First, to examine long term impact of BRT in a developed world context in Brisbane, Australia. Brisbane's BRT uses an open system design which contrasts with the closed system design of the successful BRT systems in South America and elsewhere, including the BRT in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Second, BRT in Brisbane was introduced to a network already dominated by a radial heavy rail network and this investigation recognises that the uplift from BRT introduction may therefore be different to a BRT in a single mode city. A third motivation is to consider the spatial distribution of uplift which is an essential pre-requisite to understanding the distributional impact if uplift is used to contribute to infrastructure provision. Spatial modelling is used to examine the accessibility impacts of the BRT at a global level. This is followed by Geographical Weighted Regression, used to examine the spatial distribution of accessibility using a local model. The results show that there is greater uplift in Brisbane, as compared to that identified by studies of Sydney's BRT which is likely due to the greater network coverage of BRT in Brisbane and less strong competition of rail. Land value uplift is also spatially distributed over the network giving higher uplift in some areas than others and lower values than typically found with rail based systems in developed countries. However, the degree of uplift is relatively low, with proximity to BRT stations attracting more uplift than proximity to train stations.

As decision-makers increasingly embrace life-cycle assessment (LCA) and target transportation services for regional environmental goals, it becomes imperative that outcomes from changes to transportation infrastructure systems are accurately estimated. Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies have created interest in better understanding how public transit systems reduce emissions. Yet the use of average emission factors (e.g., grams CO 2 e per distance traveled) persists as the state-of-the-art masking the variations in emissions across time, and confounding the ability to accurately estimate the environmental effects from changes to transit infrastructure and travel behavior. An LCA is developed of the Expo light rail line and a competing car trip (in Los Angeles, California) that includes vehicle, infrastructure, and energy production processes, in addition to propulsion. When results are normalized per passenger kilometer traveled (PKT), life-cycle processes increase energy use and GHG emissions up to 83%, and up to 690% for smog and respiratory impact potentials. However, the use of a time-independent PKT normalization obfuscates a decision-maker’s ability to understand whether the deployment of a transit system reduces emissions below a future year policy target (e.g., 80% of 1990 emissions by 2050). The year-by-year marginal effects of the decision to deploy the Expo line are developed including reductions in automobile travel. The time-based marginal results provide clearer explanations for how environmental effects in a region change and the critical life-cycle processes that should be targeted to achieve policy targets. It shows when environmental impacts payback and how much reduction is achieved by a policy-specified future year.

This work aims to measure the reduction of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions in atmosphere by replacing the modal urban bus by Light Rail Vehicle (VLT). In order to accomplish this objective, a case study in Brasilia, Federal District, in the stretch of VLT which passes on Via W-3 South was conducted. The Theory of Externalities that discusses the right to ownership of private and public goods and responsibilities about the positive and negative externalities caused by the agents and individuals of society was used to support the analyses. It was used the Top-Down method, which allowed the calculation the direct emissions of CO2. The values obtained on the reduction of CO2 emissions were converted into values of carbon credits as a way to economically measure such reductions. The results showed a significant reduction in CO2 emissions per year and consequent environmental benefit.

Evaluating the environmental effects of the transportation infrastructure is vitally important. Many studies have verified the effects imposed by intra-city rail transit (metro, light rail or subway) on air pollution, but seldom pay attention to the environmental effect of inter-city railway. This paper takes the high-speed railway (HSR) in China, which was newly opened in 2015 and 2016, as a quasi-natural experiment and quantifies how HSR affects air quality along highways. Based on the difference-in-differences estimation, carbon monoxide, one of the main pollution sources from automobile, has experienced a 0.047 mg/m3 reduction (4.3% of the mean) in the areas close to those highways affected by newly-opened HSR, relative to the areas not affected by HSR. However, there is no evidence that the opening of HSR affects PM2.5 or ozone. Heterogeneity analysis supports that the air pollution reduction resulted from the substitution effect of HSR on highways.

In this article, we examine the effects of rail transit investments on residents' stated mobility intentions and perceptions of neighborhood changes using a survey analysis in Charlotte, North Carolina. We ask residents in neighborhoods along a new light rail line about their reasons for residing in their current neighborhood, thoughts about moving and the light rail's effect on their neighborhood. To control for city-wide housing market pressures, responses from one station-adjacent neighborhood are compared to responses from residents in a similar neighborhood elsewhere in the city while controlling for individual characteristics. Using a mixed-methods research approach, we find that while residents attribute some changes in their property values and rents to the light rail, it is only one of many factors affecting their neighborhood. Light rail also does not appear to affect residents' stated propensity to move out of these neighborhoods. Survey respondents' view of the light rail's effect on their neighborhood is also positive, on average. We find that the stated likelihood of moving is not related to the distance to the station nor to how frequently a resident uses the light rail. This article contributes to debates on transit-induced displacement and gentrification and provides context to neighborhood-scale quantitative analyses from residents' perspective.

A growing number of studies examine the affordability benefits of living near transit, especially fixed-rail, with the assumption that transportation benefits of transit neighborhoods outweigh increasing housing costs. Yet these studies only compare housing and transportation costs. This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the influence of new light rail on changes in discretionary income in urbanized areas. We examine such changes from 2000 to 2010 at the block group level, comparing light rail neighborhoods (LRNs) and Non-LRNs, across 20 U.S. urban areas that opened light rail stations between this time period. Using descriptive statistical measures and OLS regressions, we find that while discretionary income decreased overall, neighborhoods with light rail provide a positive influence on discretionary income. Overall, our findings suggest light rail neighborhoods provide greater affordability benefits than non-light rail neighborhoods.

This paper reviews the performance of Australasian BRT to identifying factors that can best improve performance. Between 2006 and 2013, Australasian BRT corridors increased from 4 to 10 while ridership tripled and now accounts for over 145 M boardings p.a. The Brisbane busway network dominates; it represents 70% of Australasian system ridership. Australasian BRT is characterised by a range of designs ranging from substantive busway infrastructure (e.g. Brisbane) to low order on-street BRT systems (Melbourne SmartBus). Analysis suggests both large-scale busways and the cheaper on-street BRT have characteristics which generate good ridership performance. Principle factors influencing ridership performance are high service levels, low speeds (although direction of causality is unclear), shorter stop spacing, segregated rights of way, modern accessible vehicles, lower fares, system integration and pre-boarding ticketing (the latter is not fully applied in Australasian BRT contexts). Operationally segregated rights of way act to improve BRT operating speeds and reliability compared to on-street BRT. Evidence shows BRT ridership growth has outstripped non-BRT transit ridership changes in all cities studied. Although BRT ridership has grown at a higher rate than light rail/tram in Australia, it performs less effectively per route km and per vehicle km than light rail, primarily due to lower service levels.

Since the year 1994, when the city of Valencia reintroduced the tramway (more specifically, the second generation of trams, known as Light Rail System), this means of transport has been introduced in many urban areas in Spain. It is an innovative transport system that substantially improves the features of the old trams that crossed Spanish cities until 1976. The technical characteristics of this means of transport make it a sustainable alternative for urban settings, as it produces less acoustic and environmental pollution, and it is safer than other modes of transport. In comparison with the underground and the bus, the Light rail offers an intermediate transport capacity, which makes it adequate for medium-sized cities or certain zones within large metropolitan areas. Finally, the modern design of these modern trams, together with the urban regeneration of the zone where it circulates, is frequently used to improve the image of a city. In 2012 there were 16 Light Rail Systems in 13 Spanish cities (Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Parla, Sevilla, Vitoria, Bilbao, Murcia, Tenerife, Zaragoza, Jaen, and Velez-Malaga). However, in some cases these Light Rail Systems have involved high costs of implementation and operation that the respective financing entities (Public Administration and/or private enterprise) can hardly face. Moreover, they are functioning at a much lower level of demand than their capacity, meaning they could be considered an economic and social failure. At this point in time, two decades after the introduction of Light Rails in Spain, there is a need to analyse the factors that may have influenced the success or failure of this novel type of transport. Although such an analysis should be approached from diverse perspectives, the present contribution focuses on the influence of private financing in these projects. More specifically, a qualitative and quantitative analysis is carried out to determine if there is a significant relationship between the percentage of private participation in financing this transport system and a series of relevant variables: total investment, cost per unit of length, operating and maintenance costs, percentage of length underground, passengers’ demand, investment per passenger, fares and subventions, etc. In view of the results, it will be assessed whether the private funding behind the Light Rail Systems in Spain has proven efficient for society.

This study analyzes the positive and negative relationships between housing prices and proximity to light rail and highways in Phoenix, Arizona. We hypothesize that the accessibility benefits of light rail transit (LRT) and highways accrue at nodes (stations and highway exits specifically), while disamenities emanate from rail and highway links as well as from nodes. Distance decay of amenities and disamenities is captured using multiple distance bands, and hypotheses are tested using a spatial hedonic model using generalized spatial two-stage least-squares estimation. Results show that proximity to transport nodes was associated significantly and positively with single-family detached home values. As a function of distance from highway exits and LRT stations, the distance-band coefficients form an inverted-U pattern consistent with a positive longer-range distance–decay accessibility effect minus a smaller and shorter-range distance–decay disamenity effect. The positive accessibility effect for highway exits extends farther than for LRT stations. Coefficients for the distance from highway and LRT links, however, were not significant. We also test the effect of highway design on home values and find that below-grade highways have relatively positive impacts on nearby houses compared to those at ground level or above.

The RMR system is still very much applied in rock mechanics engineering context. It is based on the evaluation of six weights to obtain a final rating. To obtain the final rating a considerable amount of information is needed concerning the rock mass which can be difficult to obtain in some projects or project stages at least with accuracy. In 2007 an alternative classification scheme based on the RMR, the Hierarchical Rock Mass Rating (HRMR) was presented. The main feature of this system was the adaptation to the level of knowledge existent about the rock mass to obtain the classification of the rock mass since it followed a decision tree approach. However, the HRMR was only valid for hard rock granites with low fracturing degrees. In this work, the database was enlarged with approximately 40% more cases considering other types of granite rock masses including weathered granites and based on this increased database the system was updated. Granite formations existent in the north of Portugal including Porto city are predominantly granites. Some years ago a light rail infrastructure was built in the city of Porto and surrounding municipalities which involved considerable challenges due to the high heterogeneity levels of the granite formations and the difficulties involved in their geomechanical characterization. In this work it is intended to provide also a contribution to improve the characterization of these formations with special emphasis to the weathered horizons. A specific subsystem applicable to the weathered formations was developed. The results of the validation of these systems are presented and show acceptable performances in identifying the correct class using less information than with the RMR system. Keywords: Rock mass classification system

Park-and-Ride (PNR) facilities are a commonly used means of making a transit system more widely available. However, given that a PNR passenger must drive for part of the trip, this approach to transit provision has an ambiguous influence on vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT). The impact of PNR on VKT is highly dependent of how PNR users would choose to travel if the PNR facilities were not available. Given that this issue has received little attention in a US context, we use the light rail system in Charlotte, North Carolina as a case study to examine the potential impact of PNR removal on VKT. Using a travel survey of PNR passengers, we estimate the VKT currently generated while driving to and from the rail stations and then estimate how VKT would change under various PNR removal scenarios that assume different behavioral responses. We find that, under the most realistic scenarios, PNR removal would lead the average PNR passenger to increase her driving by 8–15 VKT per round trip.

This study uses a unique data set derived from parcel data and aerial photographs to estimate the effect of the introduction of light rail transit (LRT) on land use in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We measure detailed changes in land use before and after construction of the METRO Blue Line and exploit heterogeneity in starting land use type and neighborhood characteristics to examine the differential effects of proximity to light rail across space. Results show that properties within ½ mile of operational LRT stations experience a small increase in the likelihood of land use change relative to when the LRT is under construction, but neither construction nor operation of the line appears to affect land use change relative to the time before construction. Within the corridor, proximity to LRT increases the likelihood of land use change on single-family and industrial properties, but appears to have no effect on vacant land, commercial properties, and multi-family properties.

Ultracapacitors are popular as an energy storage device for the light rail regenerative power system. However, the control of the DC/DC converter is a challenging problem to meet the fast charging/discharging of ultracapacitors. In this paper, a precise discrete-time converter model and an explicit model predictive control scheme is proposed to address this issue. A converter model is presented by using a υ-resolution method, which can capture the hybrid nature of the ultracapacitors in the form of piecewise affine. Based on this model, an optimal control problem with the constraints of the duty cycle and the system parameters is formulated. Then the control law is calculated by using multi-parameter programming. The resulting explicit solution can be easily stored and utilized in a lookup table. The proposed scheme can reduce the amount of on-line calculation and achieve the real-time control of the system. Simulation and experiment validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Light Rapid Transit (LRT) systems are often backed not only because they satisfy basic mobility functions, but because they can revitalize urban centers, affirm the legitimacy of state planners, support innovation and even cultivate an image of a city or region as progressive and modern. In this study, we argue that electrified, automated LRT systems can fulfill private functional frames, private symbolic frames, societal functional frames, and societal symbolic frames. In particular, we argue that light rail can fulfill private functional frames (making passengers feel safe, offering a cheap and efficient mode of transport), private symbolic frames (signifying political identity or exclusionary planning), societal functional frames (environmental stewardship), and societal symbolic frames (such as modernism or innovativeness, or the lack of it). Essentially, these frames encompass not only what light rail is and does, but what it means and represents, and even some of its failures and challenges. The article then identifies ten specific frames associated with two case studies of automated light rail systems, the established Docklands Light Rail (DLR) in the United Kingdom, and the emerging Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in Poland. We find that the DLR is not only a vital part of meeting (functional) demand for mobility, it is innovative and exciting to ride, legitimation of a conservative approach to project development, a social injustice (to some), an environmentally friendly alternative to cars, and a perceived magnet for global investment into the greater Docklands area. Similarly, the PRT is not only a reliable and safe mode of transit, but also a technical marvel, a monopoly breaking symbol, a clean and sustainable form of mobility, and a reflection of either progressive Polish innovation and entrepreneurship, or enduring failure.

Cutterhead maintenance is usually required when the gauge cutters (over-cutters) wear down to the shield diameter. In soft ground pressurized shielded TBMs, inspection of gauge cutters usually involves complete stoppage of the operation. This can be a dangerous, costly, and time consuming process. In this study, a novel approach has been developed to monitor gauge cutter wear by considering the relationship between the overcut length and the length of the gauge cutters. By using the proposed testing system, frequent monitoring of gauge cutter length is possible at appropriate intervals during ring builds or maintenance without the need to enter the harsh environment of the excavation chamber. This monitoring system was used within an EPB TBM during the excavation of the University Link Light Rail Tunnel (U230) in Seattle, WA.

This paper discusses the potential for energy savings in heating and ventilation of light rail vehicles. We present the results of a detailed monitoring campaign on one articulated tram in Ghent, Belgium. The results give insight in the energy use for heating and ventilation in light rail as a function of ambient weather conditions. After several months of monitoring, changes in the HV strategy were implemented and the monitoring was continued. Based on this monitoring data, an energy-use model was constructed for HV both before and after the heating and ventilation strategy changes. These models then served as input for a Monte Carlo simulation, providing average energy savings over 1 year as a result of the optimized heating and ventilation strategy.

The paper examines, using English Census data, the impacts of four light rail schemes opened between 1991 and 2001 on car ownership and travel mode along the rail corridors. The effects of these schemes are isolated by comparing the changes in the new light rail corridors with those in ‘control’ areas. Control areas represent what would have occurred in the light rail corridors if the schemes had not been built. Despite two schemes achieving and even exceeding the forecast ridership, the proportion of households owning multiple cars increased in the light rail corridors and typically by more than in the control areas. Growing rail shares in the light rail corridors have mainly come from buses and the evidence for light rail reducing car use is less clear. This latter finding is of particular significance, given that a major justification for investment in light rail rather than bus schemes is their presumed ability to bring about major modal shift by attracting substantial numbers of car users.

This paper provides evidence on the impact of a sub-urban transit-oriented development (TOD) on surrounding single-family home prices. Using a dataset that inventories single-family home sale transactions surrounding Ohlone Chenyoweth TOD in San Jose, CA, the paper employs hedonic regression to estimate the effect of the TOD on home prices. Controlling for the effects of the distance from the light rail line, the station and other transportation facilities, the impact of the TOD on home sale prices is statistically significant at p = 0.10 level, with an average home sale price increase of $21,000 (or 3.2%) for every 50% reduction in the distance between the home and the TOD. Further, the paper finds that the TOD’s price effect dissipates after 1/8 mile. Finally, housing prices within 1/8 mile of the TOD were 18.5% higher than the prices more than 1/8 mile from the TOD during the post-TOD construction period; 7.3% higher during the TOD construction period and not statistically different in the pre-TOD construction period.