From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 14-Aug-14 12:22, Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
   > But Stephen cannot find any federal standard for "light rail" or   
   > "heavy rail" that doesn't exist.   
      
   I can't?  There's this from the Federal Transit Administration:   
      
   "Commuter Rail (CR)   
   A transit mode that is an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban   
   passenger train service consisting of local short distance travel   
   operating between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Service must be   
   operated on a regular basis by or under contract with a transit operator   
   for the purpose of transporting passengers within urbanized areas   
   (UZAs), or between urbanized areas and outlying areas.   
      
   Such rail service, using either locomotive hauled or self-propelled   
   railroad passenger cars, is generally characterized by:   
   •   Multi-trip tickets   
   •   Specific station to station fares   
   •   Railroad employment practices, and   
   •   Usually only one or two stations in the central business district.   
   It does not include:   
   •   Heavy rail (HR) rapid transit, or   
   •   Light rail (LR) / streetcar transit service.   
   ...   
   Heavy Rail (HR)   
   A transit mode that is an electric railway with the capacity for a heavy   
   volume of traffic. It is characterized by:   
   •   High speed and rapid acceleration passenger rail cars operating   
   singly or in multi-car trains on fixed rails   
   •   Separate rights-of-way (ROW) from which all other vehicular and foot   
   traffic are excluded   
   •   Sophisticated signaling, and   
   •   High platform loading.   
   ...   
   Light Rail (LR)   
   A transit mode that typically is an electric railway with a light volume   
   traffic capacity compared to heavy rail (HR). It is characterized by:   
   •   Passenger rail cars operating singly (or in short, usually two car,   
   trains) on fixed rails in shared or exclusive right-of-way (ROW);   
   •   Low or high platform loading; and   
   •   Vehicle power drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley or   
   a pantograph."   
      
   Commuter rail and light rail have similar definitions in various parts   
   of the Code of Federal Regulations, but not as elaborate.  "Rapid rail"   
   seems to be the FRA/ADA term for FTA's "heavy rail".   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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