Simulating Performance for One-Dedicated-Lane Light Rail System – A Case Study

This paper develops a study of the concept of a one-dedicated-lane light rail system with real world data from the Valley Transit Authority (VTA) two-dedicated-lane rail system using a simulation model. The model analyzed 14 train stations in the San Jose area that included the downtown plaza. The results showed that a one-dedicated-lane is feasible even at the different service time periods that the VTA light rail encounters throughout a weekday. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was performed on the two different track configurations, different headways, and service-time periods to determine the effect they have on train speed. From the analysis, the results showed that headway has a significant effect on train speed. Our results demonstrated a promising potential of the concept of a one-dedicated-lane Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or light-rail system for efficient operation, as an end-state or as an intermediate state of a two-dedicated-lane, space-efficient system, i.e. 150–250 words.