Light Rail versus "Streetcars"

How does light rail differ from traditional streetcars/trams in terms of operation, design, et cetera?

Hi,

LRV's come in two varieties, low platform and high platform. High platform LRV's require their own stations as a subway does to enter and exit the cars. Low platform LRV's operate as the old streetcars do. They run the streets and people enter and exit from the street. No special devices needed. If the LRV is handicapped friendly, it will have special attachments to raise and lower a wheelchair into the vehicle. As far as I know, all LRV's are articulated. They have three trucks, one in the back, one in the front and one in the middle where it articulates.

High-platform LRVs also do street-running. Note the C-Train in Calgary, Canada. Low-platform LRVs also run mostly on reserved alignments (such as New Jersey's light-rail routes).

SEPTA, in Philadelphia PA, has non-articulated LRVs. The ones that operate on their Subway-Surface system use trolley poles and are single-ended; the ones that operate out of 69th Street Terminal use pantographs and are double-ended.

Hi Alan,

In Southern California, all high level LRV's that operate on city streets are provided with high level platform stations. They also have ramps for the handicapped passengers to get a wheelchair from streetlevel up to the platform. Not cheap, but effective. The high level station also affords the passengers protection from getting run over by following cars and trucks.

Irish Chieftain wrote:SEPTA, in Philadelphia PA, has non-articulated LRVs. The ones that operate on their Subway-Surface system use trolley poles and are single-ended; the ones that operate out of 69th Street Terminal use pantographs and are double-ended.

Examples:

• Subway-Surface
  
  Media/Sharon Hill
  
  Surface Route 15 uses LRVs in PCC bodies, named PCC II.

Zagreb, Croatia has 100% low platforms, and a mix of street running and dedicated ROWs.

pennsy wrote:LRV's come in two varieties, low platform and high platform. High platform LRV's require their own stations as a subway does to enter and exit the cars. Low platform LRV's operate as the old streetcars do. They run the streets and people enter and exit from the street.

Portland uses both "high-level" and "low-level" LRVs interchangeably. The 100-series (Bombardier high-floor) cars required wheelchair lifts at all stations; after the introduction of the 200 series (Siemens low-floor) cars, the wheelchair lifts were removed as wheelchairs and other mobility devices could roll onto the newer cars.

While Portlanders like to claim there is a "difference" between MAX and Streetcar, from a technical standpoint in the transit field and for federal purposes, Portland Streetcar is still Light Rail. It's just a smaller vehicle than MAX, purpose built for a shorter distance and slower speeds. Just like Streetcar, there are sections of MAX where it is "street-running"; although usually in a separate - but not separated - lane. On the Steel Bridge, MAX and cars do share lanes (it's quite hilarious to watch an out-of-towner accidently drive behind a MAX train, as they have to slow to 10 MPH across the bridge while cars pass on the outside lane at 35 MPH); and in Hillsboro MAX operates in a lane that is shared with automobiles making left turns. Likewise, Portland Streetcar has a number of stretches where it does not operate in a shared lane with automobiles.

And nobody enters a LRV – MAX or Streetcar – "from the street". Both Streetcar and Light Rail in Portland uses dedicated loading platforms – which in downtown Portland are shared with sidewalks – but never the street.

Tacoma, Washington (Sound Transit LINK Light Rail) uses the same vehicles as Portland Streetcar - but they soundly call their system light rail.

pennsy wrote:As far as I know, all LRVs are articulated. They have three trucks, one in the back, one in the front and one in the middle where it articulates.

Portland Streetcar articulates, but only has two trucks. The center section of the vehicle is supported by the two ends.

wigwagfan wrote:

pennsy wrote:As far as I know, all LRV's are articulated. They have three trucks, one in the back, one in the front and one in the middle where it articulates.

Portland Streetcar articulates, but only has two trucks. The center section of the vehicle is supported by the two ends.

That's interesting.

Here's a diagram of the Inkeon-Skoda T-10 car, used by Portland Streetcar and Sound Transit (Tacoma LINK).

As others have already noted, the difference between "light rail" and "streetcars" (or trolleys) is very blurry in some cases; in fact as noted above, streetcars ARE a form of light rail.

I tend to think to think of streetcars/trolleys as standard bus-sized vehicles that aren't articulated and light rail trains as longer vehicles that are true "trains" (2 or more cars). Streetcars/trolleys are much more likely to run on streets (hence the name) while light rail often has dedicated right-of-way. Those rules aren't hard and fast by any means. As an example, Baltimore's light rail (which is called just that - light rail) tends to have multiple (usually 2) long cars linked together when running. However, the current shuttle, light rail "train" between Penn Station (Baltimore's primary Amtrak and MARC commuter rail station) and the Mount Royal/University of Baltimore stop is a single car. It is still considered light rail rather than a streetcar/trolley. In addition, the Baltimore light rail runs at-grade on Howard Street, a significant north/south street in Charm City, for about a 2 mile stretch in downtown Baltimore.

Incidentally, Baltimore's light rail has low level platforms.

The Toronto Transit Commission operates two types of light-rail services.

Articulated streetcar and high-platform LRT.

The Boeing SLRV was offered as both articulated and non-articulated, with the non-articulated being standard short length.

Buffalo, NY runs high-level LRVs with stairs that drop down from the body to accommodate low-level (above-ground) stations.

Found this pic.

As they have evolved, Light Rail Lines have many of the characteristics of the old interurban lines--- significant private right of way separated from other vehicular traffic, though sometimes including significant street running, a somewhat higher running speed than the typical city streetcar line, much more use of MU ( or articulated-- or articulated MU) cars than was common on most city streetcar systems and, as Pennsy has pointed out, the use of stations rather than streetcorners as boarding and alighting points for passengers.---None of these characteristics are absolutes, or are exclusive-- many light rail lines pick up passengers at streetcorner locations on those street running portions ( as did the old interurbans), but IMHO the major difference is the preponderance of PRW on most Light Rail Lines, and the use of train type equipment vs the mostly streetrunning single unit type of operation common on the old streetcar systems. ( BTW-- though considered LRV's, the Philadelphia Units, particularly the city units which have been applied to the Subway-Surface Lines, could also be considered modern streetcars).

I think Portland is going to render your comparison out the window if future planning goes as many hope it to (I, however, am a cynic of the view).

MAX was indeed built on an old Interurban route from Ruby Junction to Gresham (Portland Traction Company); and again from Beaverton to Hillsboro (former Oregon Electric Railroad). Within Burnside (Ruby Jct. to Gateway TC) is dedicated median routing; from Gateway TC to Lloyd Center is alongside a freeway (actually it's inbetween the I-84 Banfield Freeway and the Union Pacific's Graham Line); from Lloyd Center to Galleria/12th; and continuing to Goose Hollow is dedicated lane street running; Goose Hollow-Beaverton is new alignment (including a tunnel), but much of it alongside freeways.

Portland Streetcar is currently all street running except for a small stretch between Gibbs and River Parkway. However, if Streetcar ever extends south from SoWa towards Lake Oswego, it would likely be built on the old Southern Pacific Red Electric route, which was another interurban line (and competitor to the aforementioned Oregon Electric route).

So, MAX and Streetcar basically replicate the roles of both the old trolley/streetcar lines, and the old interurban lines.

However, as I've previously mentioned, the former Red Electric route south of Portland to Lake Oswego has been seriously encroached upon; so that even a Streetcar would be difficult to actually build south; the Streetcar is limited to 40-45 MPH - which isn't a problem, the route would force cars to run much slower; and it's unclear how many stops would be feasible southward towards Lake Oswego. (Most of the people in those neighborhoods have no problem occupying their garages with some rather expensive, Italian automobiles, Hummers, Escalades, and of course a boat or two, an RV, etc.)