Light Rail Defined
Tracks for light rail transit are generally constructed with the same types of materials used to construct “heavy rail,” “commuter rail,” and railroad freight systems. Also, light rail vehicles may be as massive as transit cars on heavy rail systems. Consequently, the term “light rail” is somewhat of an oxymoron and often misunderstood. Therefore, for the purposes of this book, it is appropriate to define light rail transit.
The ReDefined of light rail transit is:
An electric railway system characterized by its ability to operate single or multiple car consists along exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways or in streets, able to board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-floor level and normally powered by overhead electrical wires.
To expand that definition:
Light rail is a system of electrically propelled passenger vehicles with steel wheels that propelled along a track constructed with steel rails.
Propulsion power is drawn from an overhead distribution wire by means of a pantograph other current collector and returned to the electrical substations through the rails.
The tracks and vehicles must be capable of sharing the streets with rubber-tired vehicular traffic and pedestrians. The track system may also be constructed within exclusive rights-ofway.
Vehicles are capable of negotiating curves as sharp as 25 meters [82 feet] and sometimes even sharper, in order to traverse city streets.
Vehicles are not constructed to structural criteria (primarily crashworthiness or “buff strength”) needed to share the track with much heavier railroad commuter and freight equipment.
