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What To Consider When Planning Commuter Rail

Posted by: Christian Peralta Madera

1 August 2007 - 11:00am

Cities contemplating commuter rail systems should first look at the characteristics of other successful systems.

Christof Spieler offers eight criteria for the 'perfect commuter rail line' on his blog about transportation in Houston.

"20 U.S. cities have commuter rail lines. Should Houston be number 21? The best way to answer that question is to figure out what commuter rail does well. Those other cities can give us a good idea of why successful commuter rail systems are successful.

Here are eight criteria for the perfect commuter rail line. Only a few lines meet all of these. But nine of the top 10 commuter rail systems in the United States meet at least seven."

Among the criteria: the system should take advantage of an underused rail corridor in an area where highway capacity is scarce, serve more than commuters, and have a major city at each end.

Full Story: 8 habits of highly successful commuter rail lines
Source: Intermodality, July 31, 2007
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The increased attention to matters of urban design has forced the field to become alert to more aspects of the social and natural sciences, to transportation and civil engineering, water and waste management, zoning and public policy, and other areas earlier considered largely the responsibility of others.
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