INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT STUDIES PROGRAM, REPORT ON THE FALL 2002 MISSION: TRANSIT OPERATIONS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

This digest summarizes the mission performed October 17-31, 2002, under Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project J-3, International Transit Studies Program. The digest 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 mission focused on how transit agencies in Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia are adapting to the major social and economic changes that have occurred as these countries have moved from centrally planned economies to market-based economies. The team met with staff from agencies that plan and operate public transport systems in Warsaw and Gdynia, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Bucharest, Romania; and Moscow, Russia. The discussions covered financial and economic issues, market share, land use and right-of-way, specialized transit, and community support for transit.