JOINT USE OF TRACK BY ELECTRIC RAILWAYS AND RAILROADS: HISTORIC VIEW

Transit agencies are considering operating light rail or commuter railroad service on existing freight railroad tracks because of the high capital costs to construct new exclusive trackage for passenger service. A number of institutional, regulatory, and technical barriers, among them the buff strength of passenger carrying cars, must be overcome to allow joint use of railroad track. Case studies are examined: San Diego Trolley, Baltimore Central Light Rail Line, South Shore Line, and others. Historic cases will be examined to illustrate how joint operation was handled from 1900 to the 1950s. Also noted are examples of rulings as to what is a railroad. A number of Interstate Commerce Commission decisions turned on whether an electric railway was an interurban railway or a railroad that was part of the general steam railroad system of the United States. In general, the proportion of railroad interchange freight revenue to passenger revenue was the deciding factor. The nature of freight service has been crucial to joint use. Whether it is line haul, local, slow, or fast governs how much time it will occupy the joint track. Axle loading may be important for design, construction, and maintenance of joint track. Frequency, the time of day, and the time sensitivity of the freight are important. Careful analysis of a railroad's needs has to be done and the plan developed to meet those needs; otherwise, the railroad company does not allow joint use. Only one vestige of joint use remains: the South Brooklyn Railway. Two new-start LRT lines, San Diego and Baltimore, have joint operation, separated temporally. Their example can provide guidance for present LRT planners. Can the several barriers to joint use in the United States be overcome to make LRT and other forms of rail transit more affordable, yet safe? History and current overseas experience indicate that they can.