INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT STUDIES PROGRAM: REPORT ON THE SPRING 1999 MISSION. TECHNOLOGY AND JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF COST-EFFECTIVE TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN THE ASIAN PACIFIC REGION

This digest summarizes the Asian Pacific region mission performed under Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project J-3, Transit Studies Program. The report includes transportation information on the cities and facilities visited, lessons learned, and discussions of policies and practices that could be applied in the United States. The two-week mission, April 8 - April 25, 1999, involved visits and discussions with transportation providers in Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo, all of which are in Japan, and Hong Kong. In particular, this mission explored technological innovations, joint development efforts, planning issues, disaster recovery plans, intermodal connections, public-private partnerships, and customer service marketing strategies. Following an explanation of the International Transit Studies Program and a brief introduction to this mission, this digest is divided into three main sections, a glossary, and an appendix. The first section presents transit profiles for each city visited, including information on public and private suppliers of transportation services. The second section focuses on lessons learned by mission participants regarding the main transit strategies and technologies. The third section summarizes the policies and practices applicable to the United States. The glossary defines acronyms. The appendix lists the names of the study mission participants and their titles and affiliations at the time of the mission.