March 7th, 2008 · No Comments

As millions of China’s citizens rise into the middle class, it will be interesting to see which wins out — the automobile or urban rail.

Some urban rail definitions:

• Street rail is any modern urban electric rail system that runs mostly on city streets, mingling with auto and pedestrian traffic. The cars are lightweight and run singly or in pairs.

• Light rail runs mostly on its own dedicated right-of-way, though it may take to the streets in short sections. Several cars may be coupled together.

• Heavy rail, found only in the largest cities, runs entirely in subways or on elevated right-of-way. The platforms are usually level with the car floors, and trains are longer.
• Commuter rail runs on regular railroad lines, and the cars are pulled (or pushed) by locomotives. The largest urban rail systems may combine all four modes.

Further information on urban rail:

• Books by William D. Middleton. The Interurban Era, Time of the Trolley, and Metropolitan Railways: Rapid Transit in America

• Transit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden is a colorful compendium of maps for dozens of heavy- and light-rail system maps, from Adana to Zurich.

• The American Public Transportation Association packs its web site with information on all forms of urban transit.

• The North American Light Rail web site offers a grab bag of news, photos, system maps, and links.

• Dave Dobbs’, Light Rail Now is an unabashed rail advocacy site, full of information and news.
• See also the websites for Sacramento’s Regional Transit; Portland’s TriMet; Dallas’ DART

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