Heavy rail (also called metro rail, subway, rapid transit, or rapid rail) is an electric railway on devoted rights-of-way that handles many passengers at once. Tracks may be placed in subway tunnels (like in New York City), on elevated structures (like in Chicago), or on fenced-off, ground-level tracks that do not cross roads.
Heavy rail runs at high speeds and accelerates rapidly with the assistance of modern power systems and sophisticated signaling. Its passenger rail cars operate either singly or in multi-car trains on fixed rail. Passengers generally pay a flat fare or a zone-based fare at fare gates in stations. Passengers board from high platforms that are even with the floor level of the car.
Executive Summary
Heavy rail works best in very dense urban settings, where large populations primarily want to move toward and within a major city’s central business district. Heavy rail needs a population of 3 to 15 million people to be successful.1
Heavy rail is the dominant transit system in very large urban areas in North America, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco.
New York City, New York
The New York City subway is one of the world’s oldest, most iconic, and busiest rapid rail transit system in the United States. New York City opened the first elevated line in 1868 and the first underground line 25 years later in 1904. Today, the New York City Transit Authority operates a system composed of 232 miles of routes and 468 stations. In 2013, the system had an annual ridership of more than 1.7 billion.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago’s heavy-rail system is called the L (short for elevated). Eight lines and 145 stations now make up this system, which first opened in 1892 by the Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad. The Chicago Transit Authority acquired the right to operate the system in 1947. After the acquisition, ridership became remarkably stable for nearly 40 years. By 2012, the annual ridership exceeded 231 million.
Costs, ridership, and densities (both job and population) are strongly related. The following table3 presents the minimum population density that is required to support a heavy-rail system. The different costs per mile are based on an analysis of 24 urban rail systems in the United States.
Heavy rail operates from an electrified third rail rather than overhead wires because it works better in subway tunnels that have limited space. Most heavy-rail systems offer stops every 5 to 10 minutes during peak hours4 and have a maximum speed of 80 mph. Heavy rail requires larger stations, more infrastructure, and more separation for safety than other rail transit modes. This is because of their third-rail power distribution, frequent service, and high operating speeds.5
Heavy rail uses longer trains than light rail to move more passengers. Spacing between stations must be longer than with light rail as well. This is due to the distances required for accelerating and decelerating. Stations are usually spaced at least 3 miles apart.2
Heavy-rail transit is extremely expensive to build due to the need to build tunnels, elevated structures, or other fully devoted rights-of-way. However, high ridership offsets high costs. Although a heavy-rail system is, on average, more than four times as expensive as a light-rail system, heavy rail costs less per rider and per passenger mile.6
A heavy-rail transit plan needs both public and policy support. Supportive public policies ensure that heavy rail’s benefits are maximized throughout the implementation process. Care should also be given to zoning and parking near stations and corridors. When heavy rail is well planned, development can cluster around stations and along corridors, often revitalizing urban areas.
Other social impacts also need to be considered thoroughly before opening a heavy-rail line. Heavy-rail systems have come under attack for generating noise and vibration, getting too crowded at peak times, and posing a safety risk at some stations. Opposition may also arise due to right-of-way purchasing disputes.
Transit agencies and state departments of transportation are responsible for evaluating existing service, assessing service gaps, choosing a priority corridor, and ensuring solid funding sources for heavy-rail implementation.
Metropolitan planning organizations and city planners can work with stakeholders, neighborhoods, and community groups to address citizen concerns, get support from decision makers, and encourage supporting policies.
The timeline for implementing heavy-rail transit varies based on several factors including:
Overall, heavy-rail planning, implementation, and construction are time consuming. Forming a well-connected network is difficult to accomplish in a short period of time. The implementation process of heavy-rail transit includes:
Heavy rail’s capital costs vary from a low of $50 million per mile to a high of $250 million per mile. Its labor costs are also relatively higher than other modes. Many heavy-rail systems require two employees per train and station attendants. Subways require additional heating and cooling systems, resulting in higher electricity and infrastructure costs.
Data needs for heavy-rail implementation cover a broad range of factors. Demographics, land use plans, travel pattern data, and trip purpose data are needed to conduct market research and a ridership forecast. Operating costs, construction costs, and hardware/software maintenance data are necessary for investment studies. Physical environment and surroundings data are needed to perform environmental review and project construction.
Transit Cooperative Research Program. Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, Second Edition. Washington, D.C., 2003.
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