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TRB Committee AP075, Light Rail Transit

Welcome to the home page of the Light Rail Transit Committee, formally designated as Committee AP075 of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). TRB is an arm of the National Academies of Science. The committee comprises transit professionals engaged in development, operation, and evaluation of light rail transit systems, and the purpose of this site is to facilitate the exchange of information among committee members. Here you will find the committee's journal - LRT News, references to /Transportation Research Record /articles that grew out of research papers sponsored by the committee, reports by working groups of our Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems (AP075[1]), among other information. We also will post here calls for new research. As we expand this site, we hope that it will assist you in your light rail transit responsibilities. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

The Emergence of Light Rail Transit as a "New" Transit Mode

Light rail transit emerged as a discrete rail mode in the 1950s and 60s in northern Europe as metropolitan regions rebuilt their war-ravaged streetcar systems with the objective of achieving many of the qualities of heavy rail at lower cost. The new mode differed from traditional streetcars and interurbans in several respects. The new mode emphasized the separation of rail and auto travel lanes or alignments wherever possible. It also emphasized the operation of one-crew-member trains that were composed of several high capacity cars. Streetcars had been operating in these cities with small cars, sometimes formed into trains of two, or three cars, the lead car of which was staffed with two crew members, and the remaining cars with one crew member each. Light rail also emphasized the provision of more and wider doors on cars, and the utilization of all doors to board and alight large passenger volumes quickly. New fare systems, particularly barrier-free, proof-of-payment (POP) systems are often a part of this transformation. The intent of these attributes was to develop networks of intermediate capacity, higher-speed routes with lower operating costs that could function as backbones of regional transit systems in some cases, and to supplement traditional heavy rail systems in others. Multi-modalism involving seamless transfers thus was another attribute of light rail that set it apart from streetcars. (See Thompson, 2003: http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/circulars/ec058/ec058.pdf)

The Birth of the Light Rail Transit Committee

This committee was founded within the TRB in 1974, initially as a subcommittee, to advance these ideas for application in North America. The committee branded the European ideas as, "light rail," in 1974 and expanded the definition of light rail to include traditional streetcars. It then organized a national conference that was sponsored jointly by the TRB, the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA), and APTA to promote study of the European concept. The conference took place in Philadelphia in June 1975. The first application of the European light rail ideas to an all-bus North American city opened in Edmonton, Canada in 1978 and in the US the first system opened in San Diego three years later. Subsequently, light rail has spread throughout the continent through new starts, the rebuilding of remaining streetcar systems to incorporate some if not all of the European ideas central to light rail, and through expansion of the original new start systems. New traditional streetcar lines also have been built, primarily as central city circulators. The process of light rail and streetcar expansion continues as this is written.

Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems

The committee sponsors one active subcommittee. Informally referenced as the Streetcar Subcommittee, it is officially designated as the Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems AP075[1]. The subcommittee meets annually in Washington, DC during the TRB Annual Meeting and mid-year meetings are arranged when conditions indicate an opportunity for good attendance.

The subcommittee is very active throughout the year through its Working Groups. All of these groups are engaged in continuing research and two, Streetcar Electrification and Trackway Infrastructure have produced written reports of their current findings which are posted on this site under Research. Listing of current members of the subcommittee can be found under Members following the listing of the members of our parent committee. Individuals interested in participating in the activities of subcommittee AP075[1] are invited to contact the Chair (Jack W. Boorse) or the Secretary (Glen Bottoms).

AP075[1]-web




		Call for Papers Twelfth National Conference on Light Rail Transit Salt Lake City, November 11-13, 2012 Sponsored by: American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Transportation Research Board (TRB) For more information, visit Call for Abstracts Twitter			Welcome TRB Committee AP075, Light Rail Transit Welcome to the home page of the Light Rail Transit Committee, formally designated as Committee AP075 of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). TRB is an arm of the National Academies of Science. The committee comprises transit professionals engaged in development, operation, and evaluation of light rail transit systems, and the purpose of this site is to facilitate the exchange of information among committee members. Here you will find the committee's journal - *LRT News*, references to /Transportation Research Record /articles that grew out of research papers sponsored by the committee, reports by working groups of our Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems (AP075[1]), among other information. We also will post here calls for new research. As we expand this site, we hope that it will assist you in your light rail transit responsibilities. We welcome your comments and suggestions. The Emergence of Light Rail Transit as a "New" Transit Mode Light rail transit emerged as a discrete rail mode in the 1950s and 60s in northern Europe as metropolitan regions rebuilt their war-ravaged streetcar systems with the objective of achieving many of the qualities of heavy rail at lower cost. The new mode differed from traditional streetcars and interurbans in several respects. The new mode emphasized the separation of rail and auto travel lanes or alignments wherever possible. It also emphasized the operation of one-crew-member trains that were composed of several high capacity cars. Streetcars had been operating in these cities with small cars, sometimes formed into trains of two, or three cars, the lead car of which was staffed with two crew members, and the remaining cars with one crew member each. Light rail also emphasized the provision of more and wider doors on cars, and the utilization of all doors to board and alight large passenger volumes quickly. New fare systems, particularly barrier-free, proof-of-payment (POP) systems are often a part of this transformation. The intent of these attributes was to develop networks of intermediate capacity, higher-speed routes with lower operating costs that could function as backbones of regional transit systems in some cases, and to supplement traditional heavy rail systems in others. Multi-modalism involving seamless transfers thus was another attribute of light rail that set it apart from streetcars. (See Thompson, 2003: http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/circulars/ec058/ec058.pdf) The Birth of the Light Rail Transit Committee This committee was founded within the TRB in 1974, initially as a subcommittee, to advance these ideas for application in North America. The committee branded the European ideas as, "light rail," in 1974 and expanded the definition of light rail to include traditional streetcars. It then organized a national conference that was sponsored jointly by the TRB, the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA), and APTA to promote study of the European concept. The conference took place in Philadelphia in June 1975. The first application of the European light rail ideas to an all-bus North American city opened in Edmonton, Canada in 1978 and in the US the first system opened in San Diego three years later. Subsequently, light rail has spread throughout the continent through new starts, the rebuilding of remaining streetcar systems to incorporate some if not all of the European ideas central to light rail, and through expansion of the original new start systems. New traditional streetcar lines also have been built, primarily as central city circulators. The process of light rail and streetcar expansion continues as this is written. Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems The committee sponsors one active subcommittee. Informally referenced as the Streetcar Subcommittee, it is officially designated as the Subcommittee on Light Rail Circulator Systems AP075[1]. The subcommittee meets annually in Washington, DC during the TRB Annual Meeting and mid-year meetings are arranged when conditions indicate an opportunity for good attendance. The subcommittee is very active throughout the year through its Working Groups. All of these groups are engaged in continuing research and two, Streetcar Electrification and Trackway Infrastructure have produced written reports of their current findings which are posted on this site under Research. Listing of current members of the subcommittee can be found under Members following the listing of the members of our parent committee. Individuals interested in participating in the activities of subcommittee AP075[1] are invited to contact the Chair (Jack W. Boorse) or the Secretary (Glen Bottoms). AP075[1]-web

Call for Papers