Urban rail in America: An exploration of criteria for fixed-guideway transit

Abstract

This study reflects the view that under certain conditions rail systems may be cost-effective, offer many advantages, and provide a high quality of service. The purpose of this study is to help define such conditions. This study sketches an outline of a national program: roughly a 50 percent expansion of the rapid transit system and a 150 percent expansion of the light rail system, which would require $22 billion at 1980 costs. The study shows that such expenditures can be covered by hard savings in land, energy, labor and passenger travel time. The study is directed to explore what range of travel volume may be sufficient to warrant what type of fixed-guideway investment; to indicate the location of urban corridors having such a travel volume; to offer a rough assessment of the national market for fixed-guideway facilities; and to aid in focusing local alternatives analyses on the most promising locations.

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