NORTH AMERICAN TRANSIT IN TRANSITION

The article reviews the state of North American rail transit where there are a total of 7 metro in service and 2 planned, 5 metro and light rail transit (LRT) in service, 14 LRT in service or under construction and 14 LRT planned. Each system is outlined, with a more detailed description given of some of the most interesting schemes. With the reduction in Federal funds, new schemes have favoured locally-financed LRT schemes and because American manufacturers have not kept up with technical developments, major orders are being placed in Canada, Japan and western Europe. Some 35 per cent of a sales tax in Los Angeles county is to be used to construct a rail system to serve the main residential and employment centres. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) of San Francisco is to be extended to nearly double its existing 116km network, by two stages. The 29.4km network in Sacramento will come into operation in 1986; Banfield's 24.3km LRT is also due to open in 1986. A 50km long automatic metro based on that of Lille in France, is planned for Orlando, and recently the metro in Washington has been extended to cover 96km of its planned 160km total length. Linear motor powered trains are being used in Toronto on a new 7km link, and Philadelphia plans to convert one of its existing train routes to a high-quality LRT. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03735346
• Corporate Authors:

  IPC Transport Press Limited

  Quadrant House, The Quandrant
  Sutton, Surrey,   England 
• Publication Date: 1985-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: p. 40-45
• Serial:
  • Railway Gazette International
  • Volume: 141
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: DVV Media Group
  • ISSN: 0373-5346
  • Serial URL: http://www.railwaygazette.com/about-us.html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction projects; Federal government; Finance; Financing; Light rail transit; Line extensions (Rail transit); Networks; Public transit; Railroad transportation; Rapid transit; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation networks
• Geographic Terms: Canada; United States
• ITRD Terms: 244: Financing; 1054: Network (traffic); 744: Public transport; 1173: Rail bound transport; 1181: Rapid transit system; 8122: USA; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Construction; Finance; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00394460
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM