Light Rail Comes Of Age

Could this be the post-automobile century? Look around and you'll see light rail lines rolling off into the Phoenix desert, stretching along the Dallas plains, breaking ground in Salt Lake City, and drawing crowds in Denver. Whether "rail lite" or a "new wave," this phenomenon marks the fourth generation of rail. The 19th century brought the first and primary generation, the gas-short 1970s defined the second, and the early 1980s and 90s expansion led by San Diego and Portland, the third. Now new lines are being built in the most car-oriented cities in the nation. Sprawl is the enemy, and local dollars the engine.