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STATUS OF NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEMS: YEAR 2003 UPDATE

John W Schumann, Francis E. Loetterle

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Abstract

When the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sponsored its first light rail transit (LRT) conference in 1975, only remnants remained of North America’s once vast system of city streetcars and intercity, interurban electric railways. Totaling just 200 miles (320 km), these “legacy systems” of one to a few lines ran in seven U.S. cities and Toronto, Canada. Since 1975, there has been a rebirth of interest and activity in LRT, with such services operating now in 24 U.S. cities plus three each in Canada and Mexico. More are under construction, being designed or planned. This paper reports on the progress of U.S. and Canadian LRT projects since the last LRT conference was held in 2006.

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What this paper is about

When the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sponsored its first light rail transit (LRT) conference in 1975, only remnants remained of North America’s once vast system of city streetcars and intercity, interurban electric railways. Totaling just 200 miles (320 km), these “legacy systems” of one to a few lines ran in seven U.S. cities and Toronto, Canada. Since 1975, there has been a rebirth of interest and activity in LRT, with such services operating now in 24 U.S. cities plus three each in Canada and Mexico. More are under construction, being designed or planned. This paper reports on the progress of U.S. and Canadian LRT projects since the last LRT conference was held in 2006.

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Available abstract

When the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sponsored its first light rail transit (LRT) conference in 1975, only remnants remained of North America’s once vast system of city streetcars and intercity, interurban electric railways. Totaling just 200 miles (320 km), these “legacy systems” of one to a few lines ran in seven U.S. cities and Toronto, Canada. Since 1975, there has been a rebirth of interest and activity in LRT, with such services operating now in 24 U.S. cities plus three each in Canada and Mexico. More are under construction, being designed or planned. This paper reports on the progress of U.S. and Canadian LRT projects since the last LRT conference was held in 2006.

Key concepts: Interurban, Light rail transit, Light rail, Transit (satellite), Public transport, Geography, Transport engineering, Rail transit

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STATUS OF NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEMS: YEAR 2003 UPDATE — Research Paper | ScholarLens