OVERVIEW OF RECENT LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT ACTIVITY

The momentum of the late 1970s continued into the 1980s. Today, more than ever, light rail transit appears on local rail planning agendas. Virtually all North American cities contemplating rail transit today are thinking in terms of light rail technology. These cities include Los Angeles/Long Beach, Denver, Detroit, Portland, Sacramento, Santa Clara County, and Vancouver. Urban Rail in America, a recent study by the Regional Plan Association, estimates that, based on potential travel volumes, 10 other U.S. cities are candidates for light rail lines: Seattle, Honolulu, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati. Light rail also seems to dominate the thinking of vehicle suppliers. No fewer than eight manufacturers are competing for what promises to be a sizable market for new light rail cars over the next decade. According to Railway Age, a replacement market for more than 600 vehicles, together with the equipment needs for more than half a dozen new or expanded systems, could generate orders for more than a thousand new cars by the end of the decade. (Author)