Overview of the Light Rail Transportation System
There are different transportation systems in the society that help in ferrying individuals and goods from one place to another. Some of the transportation systems are preferred to others in the society citing the advantages associated with them. The light rail transportation is one form of transport that was highly regarded in the society citing the various characteristics associated with the kind of transport (Litman, 2017). The operation of the transit is primarily of exclusive rights-of-way different from the other forms of transportation. The individual tramcars or the multiple units are combined form the significant part of the transit that helps in facilitating its motion. The resultant train that comes as a result of such combinations is a train characterized by a lower capacity and speed compared to the heavy – rail passenger. Most of the passengers tend to use the light rail transit citing the capabilities associated with the rail and the amounts charged for the diverse services being offered by the transit. Most of the costs are moderate, and the services are widely spread. The driving of the light rails is mainly done electrically, and the transit is powered by an electric line drawn from overhead, a feature that significantly contributes in making the transportation system efficient. The light rails vary in terms of the capacity they can carry Ferry from one place to another (Le Vine, Zolfaghari and Polak, 2015). As a result, they tend to attain similar features to other light rails. For example, one can easily confuse the lower capacity carrying light rails with the tram systems. Apart from that, the higher capacity light rails can easily be confused with the metros. Both rails are used in ferrying individuals. However, in the recent past, there has been an increase in preference for the light rail transit citing their nature of rapid transit and the low frequencies involved in facilitating the whole transport.
The light rail transport system is known for being fast in offering its services in the society at a lower frequency (White, 2016). The result is that there is a reduction in the cost involved in facilitating the transport. In addition to that, the light rail transport has the capability of stopping regularly at various stopovers. Therefore, the short distance individuals moving from one place to another will experience comfort making use of the light rails and too be in a position to access different services through a particular city. The system of transport is mainly seen in cities that are less dense and the various suburbs that experience low traffic of passengers (Vuchic, 2017). When one has to compare the form of transport with the high top speed rail transit, the light rail transit is to some extent cheaper.
Characteristics of Light Rail Transit
Safety
The safety of a transportation system greatly contributes to determining how many individuals will subscribe to the form of transport. The safety of a transport system is in most cases determined by the number of fatalities who will be recorded in the case of an accident taking place (World Health Organization, 2015). The light rail transportation system is known for having the highest record of fatalities in the case of an accident. The fatalities will be higher compared to all other forms of transport except for those making use of the motorcycle. The current rate of fatalities is standing at 31.5 fatalities for 100 million miles travel. However, there is a need to be cautious when comparing the safety of the different modes of transport in regards to the number of fatalities, the main reason the great variation in the definitions regarding the safety. The light rail transport system has most of its fatalities coming from particular incidents rather than an accident. Some of the commonly experienced incidents are where the individuals get to fall in the transit station. The employees dealing with the railroads also form part of such incidents that claim the lives of many. Such occurs in the case of a fire in the workshed. Hence, one has to understand that the fatalities involved in a particular mode of transport do not have a direct correlation with the service transportation.
There is a significant variation in the cost involved in constructing a light rail. Some of the common factors that contribute to such a disparity in price are the amount of tunneling needed to take the whole construction process a success. Apart from that, the light rails have diverse elevated structures; such structures significantly contribute to the price of constructing a light rail to have a significant variation. According to previous research, one could state the price of coming up with a light rail as ranging between $15 million and $100 million for every mile. The soil condition that the light rail has to go over will to the prices varying from being cheap and going to the extent of being extra expensive. There has been the need for ensuring that the cost needed for constructing and maintaining the rails be reduced for the purposing of providing that the nation get to develop more. Different organizations have come up with different strategies that could help in such a purpose. The combination of the highway expansion and the construction of the light rails was one of the standard strategies that were associated with cutting the cost of expanding the light rails. The increase in ridership greatly contributes to increased levels of cost efficiency associated with light rails. Rail lines have similar construction and operating costs (Nash, 2015). However, the line will be termed to be more efficient if it ferries 20000 individuals than when it is ferrying 2400 people. The management will therefore, target to increase the ridership through their operation as a way of ensuring low maintenance cost is maintained. The rates at which the underground and elevated trackages are minimized have greatly served in the reduction of the cost needed in maintaining the light rails. Moreover, there has been the establishment of a plan to see to it that buses also share in the transit malls. The result will be that there will be the sharing of costs needed for the maintenance of the built malls. In the case of one carrying out a comparison with the buses, the light rail transport system is cheaper citing the low labor costs involved per passenger mile. Apart from that, the system of transport attracts a more ridership compared to bus services hence, can quickly recover its finances. The average speed associated with the form of transport is too faster compared to the buses. Despite the high costs associated with purchasing the light rails, the useful life associated with them is much longer and in some of the occasions, it has resulted to the reduction of the life cycle costs.
Advantages of the Light Rail Transportation System
The light rails are associated with the right of way types. In addition to that, they do also harbor the train control technologies within them. Such proper have contributed to it offering the widest range of latitude in the design, engineering and operation of the rails systems. Fast service contributes to the stable growth of the economy as most of the time needed for handling the diverse tasks will be appropriately managed (Pred, 2017). Apart from a fast service, comfort also promotes the ability of individuals to sustain their working for more extended periods. The Light Rail Transport System has always been guided by such a target in the society. However, it has been faced with a challenge of achieving the aim fully citing the need to avoid overdesigning of the transits. Overdesigning has always served as the primary cause for increased capital costs being incurred that go beyond the needed public necessities (Yang, A., 2016).
Effective dealing with the traffic is the primary target that has to be achieved to ensure an efficient running society with trade activities being done without much interruption. The traffic of individuals varies significantly all over the nation with some areas being densely populated while others being scarcely populated. Better placement of the nation calls for embracing a system that will work through all the conditions comfortably (Tatum, 2017). The Light Rail System has proved to be of much importance in achieving such a purpose in the society that has not been achieved by other forms of transport. The rapid rails transport system was once thought to achieve such an objective. However, the rapid rail transits are characterized by being large (Grube-Cavers and Patterson, 2015). In addition to that, their turning radius is so large obscuring their ability to make turn in large traffic areas. The case is different with the Light Rail Transport that ensures to cover upon such disadvantaging factors. The light rails have narrow bodies in addition to the articulation that makes such a function a success. Apart from that, the form of transport has the capability of making use of the streets that are already in existence. The result is that the high costs associated with expensive subways are cut significantly. Apart from that, the elevated segments that lead to the increased costs of coming up with the rails are also avoided, making the transportation system efficient.
The capacity ferried from one place to another greatly defines the efficiency of a transport system. A higher number of individuals being ferried for the same maintenance costs significantly contribute to increasing the efficiency. Light rail transits have proved to be efficient in operation in streets more than the streetcars as they have the capability of transporting a significant number of individuals from one place to another at a particular time (Neff and Dickens, 2017). Apart from that, their speed is significant in maintaining the fast levels of activity within the streets and ensuring that each person can attend to their activities within the stipulated time. Light rail can travel as fast as 105 kilometers per hour. There has been too windows for improvement on the light rail transportation system. The result was the production of the Light rail rapid transit as improved light rail transit. Apart from having the exclusive rights of ways, the transits also harbor an advanced train control system that makes it more easily controlled (Goswami, Mehjabin and Kashyap, 2015). The headway capability of the transit is also shorter. The floor leveled-type of boarding associated with the transit also attracts more individuals to make use of it in their transportation activities.
Challenges Associated with the Light Rail Transportation System
The operation of the light rail transits will only be efficient in the presence of a physical operator (Glickenstein, 2015). The factor creates a significant difference with the other modes of transport used within the street that in most occasions rely on automatic train operations. The operator is highly needed in a light rail transport system as they in lost share similar roads with the cars. Hence, an operator has to be present to ensure that it is stopped in the case of a car stopping in front of it. Light rails have embraced the philosophy of inhabiting a professional in each transit to deal with the emergencies. The individual present in the train should however, also be responsible for the operation of the Train (Van, 2016).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the light rails transit system is highly regarded in the society citing their efficiency in ferrying individuals from one point to another. The electric overhead that powers the general rail system greatly contributes to the effectiveness of the rail system. This is in addition to the increase in its speed and cutting down on the frequencies. The safety of the light rail transport system is big, however; it experiences the most substantial number of fatalities that come as a result of the different incidents associated with the light rail transport rather than accidents. The construction and operation costs vary greatly mainly due to the tunneling involved and the elevation structures used in the construction process. The construction of the light rails is however expensive, but it has a long life that significantly contributes to making its lifecycle long (Wells, Evans and Cheek, 2016). The light rail transport system has offered a great solution in dealing with traffic in dense cities. Its ability to make use of the already in existent roads contributes to making such a purpose a reality. Therefore, it relies on operators who help in its operation in such subways.
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