Light Rail, Streetcars & Light-Metro – A Primer.

First published in the RftV blog in 2011, it is still pertinent today.

Updated and edited for March 2016.

Due to many people posting, on various blogs, absolute rubbish about light rail, it is time again for a quick primer on streetcars, LRT and SkyTrain.

Question: What is the difference between LRT and a Streetcar or tram?

Answer: Today the difference between LRT and a streetcar/tram is the quality of rights-of-way, where a streetcar operates on-street in mixed traffic, light rail operates on a reserved rights-of-way (R-O-W), such a boulevard or a streetcar/tram only HOV lane on-street, which gives LRT an unimpeded transit route and faster commercial speeds. Today, there is little difference between a modular tram or streetcar and light rail vehicle except for motor size.

Q: What is SkyTrain?

A: SkyTrain is a proprietary unconventional light-metro system system first designed and marketed by the Urban Transit Development Corporation ICTS/ALRT), a once Crown Corporation of the Province of Ontario, which is now marketed by Bombardier Inc. (ART) , who hold the technical patents; the engineering patents are held by SNC Lavalin.

SkyTrain is considered an unconventional railway because it is powered by Linear Induction Motors and is incompatible to operate with any other transit system, save itself. The Canada Line light-metro and SkyTrain are incompatible in operation. There are only 7 ai???SkyTrainai??? type systems in operation around the world, despite being first marketed in the late 1970ai???s and the number will be reduced to 6 when the TTC will soon replace the Scarborough RT, with either LRT or a subway.

Q: What is light metro?

A: Light-metro was originally supposed to bridge the gap of what old streetcars could carry and what ridership would justify a heavy-rail metro. Modern LRT has made light-metro almost obsolete by bridging the bus ai??i?? metro gap at a far cheaper cost.

Automatic (driverless) light-metros, with its higher construction and operating costs just canai??i??t compete against modern LRT and the mode is now a niche transit system, on the verge of total obsolescence.

Q: Is SkyTrain cheaper to operate than LRT?

A: No, SkyTrain costs about 40% to 60% more to operate than comparable LRT operations. A recent example of costs not borne by light rail is the now over $6 million annual maintenance costs just for escalators and elevators at SkyTrain stations.

SkyTrain does notAi?? pays its operating costs from fares.

The provincial government subsidies the SkyTrain network by about $250 million annually.

Q: How fast can LRT operate?

A: Generally speaking, LRT can operate as fast as its R-o-W will permit. Streetcars or trams, with stops every 300 to 5oo metres generally have smaller motorsAi?? (there is no need for larger, more expensive motors) giving maximum speeds of 60 to 70 kph, while light rail vehicles has larger motors, giving speeds of 80 to 110 kph.

Q; What about the claim that Skytrain is faster than LRT?

A: SkyTrain seems to be faster than LRT because TransLink has designed SkyTrain to be faster by having fewer stations per route km. Fewer station on a transit route attracts fewer customers. Studies have shown that over all journey times for trips under 7 km. are actually faster by streetcar, than by a metro.

Q: How much does LRT cost to build?

A: Light rail can be built as cheaply as under $10 million/km using TramTrain; $25 to $35 million/km. for a streetcar; $30 million/km + for light rail. TransLink has always gold-plated light rail with all sorts of added costs to drive up the cost of construction to be as close to Skytrain it can.

Q: What is the capacity of a light rail vehicle (LRV)?

A: Today, the capacity of a transit vehicle in North America is put at 5 persons per metre length of vehicle. In the past a transit vehicles capacity was put at all seats filled and 4 persons per metre/sq., but this calculation doesnai??i??t address the fact that in North America people are bigger; that there is a constant movement of people entering and exiting the vehicle; and that most North American customers demand seats.

Q: What is the capacity of LRT and/or streetcar line?

A: The capacity of a tram/streetcar line is dependent on vehicle size and headway’s. In Karlsruhe Germany, the main tram route through the city was seeing peak hour capacities in excess of 30,000 persons per hour per direction, which is 15,000 more than the maximum capacity ofAi?? the present Expo/Millennium Lines! The line is now being relocated in a subway, but it does show the threshold that demands a subway today. Today, most light rail lines are able to handle 20,000 pphpd.

Q: What is TramTrain?

A: TramTrain is a tram/LRT vehicle that has the ability to both operate on mainline railways or streetcar track. Since being introduced in 1994, there are now 3 times as many TramTrains in service that SkyTrain type systems.

Q: What is BRT?

A: BRT or bus rapid transit is a bus that operated on its own guideway or bus way, either guided or not. True BRT costs about 30% less to build than modern LRT, yet has not demonstrated any real advantage over LRT. BRT lines mainly seem the political way of tarting up express bus service and trying to sell it to the public as rapid transit. in most cases, the public are not fooled.

A reserved rights-of-way enables LRT to obtain commercial speeds of that of a metro.