PLANNING FOR LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the comparative assessment of LRT with respect to other public modes in terms of operating cost, capacity and speed and examine the feasibility of operation in Indian cities, keeping in view the energy efficiency and higher carrying capacity. Many cities in the world have been operating the LRT due to its low-noise, excellent riding comfort. LRT has excellent performance on light curves and is very adaptable to urban streets. LRT offers a wide range of capacities between 20,000 and 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd), can climb steep gradients, negotiate sharp curves and can be operated in mixed traffic conditions. Developed countries have encouraged the use of LRT and many cities in the developed countries have pursued modernisation and conversion of their conventional tramway network to LRT. Construction of LRT systems has also begun in Manila. Automated Guideway Transit Systems have been introduced in Kobe, Japan. For the covering entry of this conference, see IRRD abstract number 843191.