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Transit-oriented development (TOD) has been widely encouraged as a strategy to limit urban sprawl, increase urban density, and enhance neighborhood diversity. Federal and regional governments have been increasingly promoting such TOD in parallel with light rail transit (LRT) projects to foster sustainable transitions. Little is known, however, about the processes through which municipalities have made changes to existing land use regulations to achieve TOD goals. In this article we trace changes in municipal plans and bylaws surrounding a CA$7 billion LRT in Montréal (Canada) that opened in summer 2023, 7 years after its announcement. Specifically, we analyzed whether changes in municipal bylaws conformed to TOD plans recommended by the metropolitan government while exploring local barriers to zoning reform. Through policy and spatial analysis, we found that only a limited number of municipalities made sufficient bylaw changes between 2016 and 2022 to support TOD plans aimed at implementing mixed-use zoning, increasing urban density, and reducing parking ratios. Through an analysis of rezoning processes, we see an opportunity for improved multilevel cooperation, public engagement activities, and positive communication strategies in the process of building integrated transport and land use systems. These findings can aid planners and policymakers in understanding the importance of reforming municipal zoning bylaws and regional approaches to TOD, strengthening collaboration between different levels of government, and engaging in meaningful public consultation practices to foster an integrated transport and land use approach. If LRT projects are to be successful in meeting sustainability goals, greater engagement with land use regulations across multiple scales is needed to facilitate TOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly urgent need to decarbonize transport is leading to a much greater uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in countries across the world. Also, the installation and use of urban light rail systems (trams) is seen as a way of breaking the reliance of commuters on the internal combustion engine, and therefore car ownership. Due to the simplicity of design, most conventional tram systems use unidirectional substations to draw power/energy from the utility supply. Due to their very nature, the substations are not able to return excess regenerated energy from the trams back into utility supply, with this energy often being dissipated in dump resistors onboard the trams to prevent over-voltages on the tram system. This paper explores the possibility of using EV’s as temporary trackside energy storage systems on urban light rail systems through the use of bi-directional connection interfaces (chargers), which allow use of the vehicle battery in typical V2X scenarios. The paper uses the city of Sheffield (UK) Supertram network as an example network on which the effect of EV energy storage could be studied.

Sport organizations are engaging in more advanced environmental sustainability efforts to reduce their environmental impacts. In particular, sport organizations and venues can align their environmental goals with the surrounding city's environmental objectives. In this study, we examine the relationship between the city and the various sport venues given the city's agenda to reduce pollution by encouraging the use of public transport. Through ticket purchase data and GIS analysis, we examine how the city capacity helps sport venues fulfill their environmental goals to reduce the environmental impact from fan transportation. We identified the geographical fragmentation of sport fans and found that most fans live beyond five miles of a light rail station. This distance decay from the station makes fans reliant on another form of transportation. Researchers and practitioners can use this approach to leverage internal data and GIS analyses to understand the influence of geographical segmentation of their fans and the influence of this distribution on the environmental impact of fans. This analysis also provides the foundation for future researchers to further examine transportation behaviors of sport fans and the effect of distance decay from transportation stations on sustainable transportation choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use difference‐in‐differences approaches and parcel‐level data from Minneapolis to estimate the effects of light rail on land use change using alternate definitions of treatment area. Results using circular buffers corroborate previous findings that light rail has virtually no effect on land use change in our study area. In contrast, light rail increases the likelihood of land use change along arterial streets that cross the line at station areas. To accurately model the effects of public transit projects on urban land use, one must consider how potential riders access station areas, rather than assuming accessibility improves radially around a station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The literature on the impact of transit investment on land and property values reports mixed results of estimated value changes. It is well recognised that the data used (e.g., value of land or property) is one of the most important factors that may influence estimates of value changes. However, empirical research into the impact variation between different types of data (i.e., the observed values) is lacking. This study firstly investigates value uplift results variations when estimating the impact of a light rail system on different types of value, including property and land values. Two difference-in-differences models are employed to estimate how property sales price and underlying land assessed price change within catchment areas of the Gold Coast light rail transit as compared to control areas. The results indicate there are significant differences between the impacts of rail investment on property value (positive) and land value (negative). This indicates that one should not simply use property value as the proxy for land value or vice versa. These results have implications for schoalrs and governments to employ suitable strategies to generate revenue from the broader benefits brought by significant infrastructure projects - value capture for transport infrastructure. • Investigate value uplift variations due to different types of observed values. • Use DID models to estimate change in property and land values. • Find price premium of 6.2% on property value. • Find negative impact on the assessed value of land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public transport projects are expensive, long-lived and their funding is often a challenge. As a result, relevant authorities around the world are concerned in understanding the economic impacts induced by these new public transport projects and, in particular, whether any increases in land value which may follow an investment (referred to as land value uplift) can be 'captured' as a potential source of funding. Land value uplift can occur at different stages of a project and might not be only due to the improved accessibility of the project. This study focusses on understanding the complexity of land value uplift on residential properties resulting from three public transport projects in Sydney, Australia (two light rail projects and one heavy rail), as a way of providing insights to create evidence-based value capture policies. Multilevel models are presented comparing the affected or 'catchment' areas of the projects with what is referred to as a 'control area' where the investment has not had an impact. The total residential land value uplift is analysed prior and post implementation – and decomposed into what can be attributed to improved accessibility, property characteristics, neighbourhood characteristics, time series, and unobserved uplift. The results show that the anticipated value uplift before the projects' implementation is significantly higher for the heavy rail project (between 12 and 15 per cent after its construction process started for properties located within 800 m from the station) than for the light rail project (5.7 per cent only for properties located within 400 m from the station), but it is close to zero for the project that represents the anticipated uplift for a light rail extension project after its announcement. However, there is a significant value uplift for the light rail extension project after its implementation (around 6 per cent) which is mainly due to the accessibility improvements. The distance to stations also showed to be significant in the light rail and heavy rail projects, with properties closer to the stations having a higher anticipated value uplift. • Multilevel models to identify components of residential property prices in Sydney. • Assessment of the impact of new heavy rail and light rail transport projects. • Decomposition of accessibility, property and unobserved influence on value uplift. • Heavy rail projects have a significantly higher anticipated value uplift. • The extension of a light rail line has value uplift only after implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tram or light rail systems are heavily relied upon for passenger transit; however, low-carbon steel grades commonly used in special trackwork, such as in switches, are prone to wear, rolling contact fatigue (RCF), and deformation under cyclic wheel–rail contact. To address this, laser cladding can be used to apply a metal coating to protect the underlying substrate and rebuild the worn rail profiles. Laser cladding may also be applied to remove cracking by rebuilding the rail head. The tribological characteristics of light rail components after laser cladding with Stellite 6 and a newly developed martensitic stainless steel were investigated, using roller-on-disc wear testing. Analysis of the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear performance was undertaken to develop a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the laser cladding type on the wear and surface fatigue performance. Both cladding alloys significantly improved the tribological performance. These findings were compared to those for a laser cladded hypereutectoid rail type (reported in our previous study). It was found that laser cladding with a suitable alloy was an effective technique for improving the tribological properties, increasing the wear resistance, and increasing the retardation of cracking on both substrates. These findings suggest laser cladding may be used to repair light rail components, and this technique can be optimized to suit different rail grades. This makes laser cladding a flexible and versatile maintenance strategy, in both coating and repair applications, to prolong the operational lifetime of critical components for the railway industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2015, a new light rail transit (LRT) line opened in metro Portland, Oregon, USA. We used this natural experiment to conduct an interrupted time series analysis of the effects of LRT introduction on health care costs. We hypothesized that such costs would decline over time based on demonstrated health benefits of increased transit-related physical activity. We wanted to evaluate whether introducing new LRT would lower the trajectory of monthly health care costs generated by a large sample of members of an integrated health care plan living near a new LRT station (cases) relative to similar members who did not (controls). We hypothesized that new LRT would stimulate higher transit use and consequently, higher transit-related physical activity among plan members living relatively closer to the LRT. However, the new LRT did not lower health care costs as hypothesized, at least relative to prior costs and within the first 4.5 years after the LRT opening. Results were consistent across outpatient visit costs and medication costs, as well as when only the 10 percent most expensive health plan members were considered. Although we did not find evidence of transit-related reductions in health care costs, research into the potential influence of public transit on physical activity and downstream health care costs remains warranted. Mechanisms through which such influence manifests are complex. Our negative results based on extensive and objectively measured health care cost data will contribute to the accuracy and validity of future models of the societal benefits of public transit. • Health-related financial effects of public transit investment are understudied. • Light rail introduction had no significant longitudinal effect on health care costs among insured patients. • Negative studies offer important context for studies of the clinical and economic effects of public transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complete streets require evaluation to determine if they encourage active transportation. Methods: Data were collected before and after a street intervention provided new light rail, bike lanes, and better sidewalks in Salt Lake City, Utah. Residents living near (<800 m) and far (≥801 to 2000 m) from the street were compared, with sensitivity tests for alternative definitions of near (<600 and <1000 m). Dependent variables were accelerometer/global positioning system (GPS) measures of transit trips, nontransit walking trips, and biking trips that included the complete street corridor. Results: Active travel trips for Near-Time 2 residents, the group hypothesized to be the most active, were compared with the other 3 groups (Near-Time 1, Far-Time 1, and Far-Time 2), net of control variables. Near-Time 2 residents were more likely to engage in complete street transit walking trips (35%, adjusted) and nontransit walking trips (50%) than the other 3 groups (24% to 25% and 13% to 36%, respectively). Bicycling was less prevalent, with only 1 of 3 contrasts significant (10% of Near-Time 2 residents had complete street bicycle trips compared with 5% of Far-Time 1 residents). Conclusions: Living near the complete street intervention supported more pedestrian use and possibly bicycling, suggesting complete streets are also public health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tram or light rail systems are heavily relied upon for passenger transit; however, low-carbon steel grades commonly used in special trackwork, such as in switches, are prone to wear, rolling contact fatigue (RCF), and deformation under cyclic wheel–rail contact. To address this, laser cladding can be used to apply a metal coating to protect the underlying substrate and rebuild the worn rail profiles. Laser cladding may also be applied to remove cracking by rebuilding the rail head. The tribological characteristics of light rail components after laser cladding with Stellite 6 and a newly developed martensitic stainless steel were investigated, using roller-on-disc wear testing. Analysis of the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear performance was undertaken to develop a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the laser cladding type on the wear and surface fatigue performance. Both cladding alloys significantly improved the tribological performance. These findings were compared to those for a laser cladded hypereutectoid rail type (reported in our previous study). It was found that laser cladding with a suitable alloy was an effective technique for improving the tribological properties, increasing the wear resistance, and increasing the retardation of cracking on both substrates. These findings suggest laser cladding may be used to repair light rail components, and this technique can be optimized to suit different rail grades. This makes laser cladding a flexible and versatile maintenance strategy, in both coating and repair applications, to prolong the operational lifetime of critical components for the railway industry.

For only 1.7 miles of rail, San Francisco is spending $1.58 billion. Traveling from Chinatown to King Street, the premise for the project — one of the most expensive in the nation — doesn't stand up to critique. But even after decades of political maneuvering to make the project reality, the general public didn't learn about it until the boondoggle was unstoppable.

Abstract The objective of this paper is to analyze if there is any difference between the light rail systems in Spain according to whether they have been carried out through public financing or private financing (totally or partially). The importance of this study lies in the fact that, for decades, the public–private partnership has been proposed as an alternative to public financing of public transport projects in order to obtain additional financial resources, reduce the public deficit, and increase efficiency. However, there are hardly any detailed studies describing how these initiatives have turned out. Therefore, the present study analyzes if there is any difference in the main variables explaining the performance of light rail projects in Spain depending on their source of funding can be found. For this, the relationship between variables related to design, operation and costs of the projects, and the percentage of private financing were statistically analyzed. As the most relevant conclusion, we underline the fact that the investment per passenger increases when financing is completely private. This would indicate that the most cost-effective lines, from a social standpoint, were financed totally or partially by the public administrations, whereas the least beneficial ones for society were assigned to private enterprises. This finding provides an advance in the knowledge of the consequences of private participation in the financing of public transport projects, indicating, moreover, that the biggest beneficiaries of this type of projects might be the construction companies and the politicians involved.

Caltrans has recently funded a project, through the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University, about geometric and performance feasibility of using virtually only one dedicated but dynamically reversible lane to provide two-way Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or light-rail services at the same or similar service levels as those achievable with two dedicated lanes, along the median of a busy commute corridor with at-grade crossings and regular provision of left-turn lanes. This project extended that deterministic performance study in four complementary directions. We (i) developed two episodes of simulation/animation to facilitate understanding key ideas of the concept, (ii) addressed the “backward-compatibility” issue, (iii) developed speed control rules to absorb the impact of the stochastic demand (and the different distances between pairs of neighboring stops) on the performance of a closed system, and (iv) developed speed control rules and transit-signal-priority rules for an open system to ensure a green signal for all transit vehicles at any intersection. We believe that the next step in this line of research is to work on, simultaneously, deployment issues with city and transportation planners, acceptance issues with transit users, automobile drivers, other stakeholders (including the general public), design issues for actual deployment sites (based on inputs provided by the planners, transit users, automobile drivers and other stakeholders), and development of site-specific and high-fidelity study tools.

Funding of new public transport infrastructure is challenging because of the typically large up front costs. Funding bodies are keen to find new ways of delivering new infrastructure and several funding schemes have been implemented which are based on the way in which better public transport from new infrastructure improves accessibility and raises land values have been implemented. Value capture, the term for a funding mechanism whereby the increase in land value following new infrastructure, has been widely viewed as an alternative funding tool for future public transport infrastructure and has been practiced in a number of forms (e.g., Tax increment financing (TIF)). However, few studies have addressed the equity implications in relation to value capture funding schemes. This study investigates the equity implications using Gold Coast Light Rail Transit (GCLRT) stage one in Gold Coast, Australia as the case study. This case study is used to evaluate four different funding schemes based on previous and existing value capture strategies, such as land value tax, value capture strategies (e.g., TIF and special assessments), and a public transport levy. The paper considers vertical and horizontal equity. There is some evidence of high levy for low income households in the GCLRT catchment areas for value uplift based schemes. The conclusions of the paper contribute to implementation of value capture scheme for many cities in Australia and elsewhere wanting to implement similar funding schemes to fund transport infrastructure. • This paper explores the equity implications of different value capture funding alternatives. • This study investigates the equity implications using Gold Coast Light Rail Transit (GCLRT) stage one in Gold Coast, Australia as the case study. • Four schemes are considered (i.e., land value based, household based, value uplift based and combined land value and value uplift based scheme). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade light rail transit systems have become a popular mode of public transport in many cities around the world to upgrade the existing public transportation network, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to support neoliberal urban development strategies. The paper takes its starting point in the growing critical literature discussing the politics of light rail and related transport infrastructure projects in the context of neoliberalism. The paper uses the case of Aalborg, Denmark, to demonstrate how light rail projects are embedded in particular infrastructure imaginaries, which reflect wider political agendas of promoting urban development and economic growth. In the case of Aalborg, the city's spatial strategies have played an important role in constructing an imaginary of the city as the region's 'growth dynamo', which in turn have led to a growth-fixated conceptualisation of the city's spatiality, and contributed to rationalising the need for investments in light rail. The paper argues that light rail projects are first and foremost politically rationalised as important investments for facilitating urban development and supporting entrepreneurial city strategies of urban and economic growth, whilst their social objectives of providing affordable public transportation play a less prominent role in the contemporary imaginary of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High levels of pollution and congestion in urban centres are an increasing concern for local councils in the UK. Heavy goods vehicles delivering urban freight to city centres are a leading cause of this problem. This paper discusses the concept of using light rail networks to deliver freight to city centres from surrounding businesses. Specifically, various innovative designs are considered for the interior of the metro carriage and developed into visual models using Autodesk Inventor software. A full evaluation of all the designs developed is completed, resulting in a proposed design for consideration. The conclusion reached is that the proposed interior design is viable and coincides with the future metro fleet designs and concepts.