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Best Light Rail Systems

Urbanrailfan

By Urbanrailfan
in Urban Transit

What is the best LRT system?  

124 members have voted

  1. 1. What is the best LRT system?

    • St. Louis
      5
    • San Francisco (MUNI)
      19
    • San Diego
      6
    • New Orleans (streetcars)
      9
    • Denver
      6
    • Dallas
      18
    • Portland
      33
    • Boston (Green Line)
      21
    • San Jose
      2
    • Minneapolis
      5

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PghUSA Town

PghUSA

Posted
Posted

Pittsburgh's LightRail/Subway system downtown:

NS_MAP_9-04_med.jpg

Pittsburgh LR/subway facts:

Completed in 1987 (roughly a decade after streetcars were closed)

Cost $937 million

83 LR vehicles

1,718,400 vehicle miles operated

15.4 mph is average speed

25 mile system

429 Weekday trips

24,000 Average weekday ridership

73 above ground stations (with 2 under construction)

3 subway stations (with 1 under construction)

In addition to the Light Rail Pittsburgh also has two cable car (incline) systems

combined route is 10,430 feet average speed is 5.8 mph, 4 cars, 47,500 vehicle miles operated.

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urban addict 20324 Hamlet

urban addict 20324

Posted
Posted

I like SF's Muni Metro light rail system, it's modern and I always used to ride the M-line all the way downtown when I used to live in SF, and boy, the trains were sometimes crowded (high ridership.) The N-line is currently being extended down 3rd street in the Bayshore area of SF. San Diego's system I heard was the most sucessful system in US, but just south of SF, there's what's called the least efficient system in US, San Jose light rail; but it's improving.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

I've never actually been on a light rail system in America before. I have been on the Docklands Light Rail in London, but it seemed like a regular train to me. So I can't say what my preference is :) But here are some pics I found on the internet from the Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA):

LRTLinz.jpg

Linz, Austria

LRTGren.jpg

Grenoble, France

LRTStgt.jpg

Stuttgart, Germany

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Scott Hamlet

Scott

Posted
Posted

I could be a homer and vote Boston, but Boston is not the best.

I voted for Portland. Portland is a model that the rest of the country should be studying.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sorry I couldn't resist... :cry:

The Mattapan/ Ashmont on the Red Line is actually really cool though that doesn't comprise a "system"

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tsoutside Unincorporated Area

tsoutside

Posted
Posted

In the future, call your polls "In America..." because many cities in the world contain LRTs far better then anything the Americans can build.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But it's not that Americans CAN'T build anything better it's that we haven't made it a priority for decades. In the past, many US cities had world-class light rail "streetcar" systems including the least likely of all cities: Detroit and Los Angeles.

I voted for San Francisco but now I'm having second thoughts. SF MUNI is probably one of the more extensive urban light rail systems in the US but in my years of using it, it's far from reliable. Of course, I've only experienced other cities' light rails as a visitor so I can't make a long-term comparison. My most pleasant experience on a light rail has been the St Charles streetcar in New Orleans. I can't wait to take the Canal Street streetcar next time I visit!

BTW, what is the "T" in Boston? I took it when I was there from Cambridge to Newberry St...?

How about the metro in Paris? Is that a subterranean light rail system (as opposed to 3rd rail like NYC subway and BART)?

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tsoutside Unincorporated Area

tsoutside

Posted
Posted

BTW, I've read that the problem with San Jose's light rail (really Santa Clara County's since it goes through other cities) is not with the system itself but rather poor decisions made by the Transit Authority. For example, the TA purchased way more LRVs than were necessary and that was what nearly bankrupted them.

And the light rail line that goes into Milpitas and east San Jose has heavy ridership, apparently.

In any case, the main problem with light rail in Silicon Valley is the decentralized nature of industry there. There are a few areas with concentration of industry but there are also office parks literally everywhere.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

Posted
Posted

BTW, what is the "T" in Boston? I took it when I was there from Cambridge to Newberry St...?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The T is Boston's transit system. Most Bostonians when referring to "The T" are talking about the subways and trolleys, but it also applies to the buses, commuter rail, and ferries. Cambridge to Newbury? Did you take a bus, or two trains?

How about the metro in Paris? Is that a subterranean light rail system (as opposed to 3rd rail like NYC subway and BART)?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Paris Metro runs on rubber tires but it is considered to be a heavy rail subway. I *think* it uses a third rail to draw power. The rubber tired trains are on a guideway, the rubber tires just make it quiter. Montreal uses the same system.

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pdxstreetcar Whistle-Stop

pdxstreetcar

Posted
Posted

BTW, I've read that the problem with San Jose's light rail (really Santa Clara County's since it goes through other cities) is not with the system itself but rather poor decisions made by the Transit Authority. For example, the TA purchased way more LRVs than were necessary and that was what nearly bankrupted them.

And the light rail line that goes into Milpitas and east San Jose has heavy ridership, apparently.

In any case, the main problem with light rail in Silicon Valley is the decentralized nature of industry there. There are a few areas with concentration of industry but there are also office parks literally everywhere.

It was actually doing fairly well, but the dot-bomb crash slaughtered it. I think the ridership was about 30000+ in 1999/2000 now its around 22000. The biggest problem with the San Jose system is the low density office parks, expressways and parking lots that parallel the line (and these were all built after the line was built). As a result they reduced the frequencies on the light rail and bus system while also killing off most bus routes which made the problem even worse. Fares have gone up drastically in a short amount of time.

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pdxstreetcar Whistle-Stop

pdxstreetcar

Posted
Posted

Portland's light rail system isnt all that extensive but what makes it so great is the quality of service, the acceptance in the community, its high number of choice riders (those who have cars but ride transit, 77% of TriMet's riders are choice riders), the public policy and planning connected to light rail, plus it was one of the first LRT systems in the US (1981: San Diego, 1984: Buffalo, 1986: Portland).

Portland LRT System overview, history, design & future

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ironchapman City

ironchapman

Posted
Posted

I picked New Orleans.

I picked them because I like streetcars.

Chattanooga has something of a system. By that, I mean that they have a streetcar like thing that goes up Lookout Mountain. It is the main way for people to get up there, if you are a tourist.

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JivecitySTL Whistle-Stop

JivecitySTL

Posted
Posted

Call it hometown bias, but St. Louis's MetroLink was rated America's most successful light rail system by some independent agency. I see why though-- the trains are always crowded because they serve some very key points of interest, and the new Green Line expansion will bolster that even more (opening in 2006). It's a great system.

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