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Urban rail systems: Analysis of the factors behind success

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  • Ela Babalik-Sutcliffe

Abstract

Investment in urban rail systems has increased rapidly over the past decades. While there have been some successful systems, a significant number have failed to be as successful as expected in improving public transport and urban environment. These experiences have led to a considerable debate in the literature about the effectiveness of new urban rail systems and whether it is worthwhile investing in them. While these debates continue, political support for metros, and particularly light rail systems, is still strong, and investment in them is very likely to continue. Hence, it is extremely important to understand the factors that make these systems successful. The paper presents the findings of a research aimed at identifying these factors based on the analysis of eight new urban rail systems: four in the USA, three in the UK and one in Canada. The paper presents the results of the performance analysis of the case studies as well as a detailed analysis of the factors that affected the performance of each system. Based on the case study analysis, a comprehensive list of factors that make urban rail systems successful is presented. The analysis also facilitates a comparison between the experiences of the three countries, and focuses on the effects of different operating environments and different planning approaches on the performance of urban rail systems. The paper concludes with a comparison of the findings of this research to those of previous studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ela Babalik-Sutcliffe, 2002. "Urban rail systems: Analysis of the factors behind success," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 415-447, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:transr:v:22:y:2002:i:4:p:415-447
    DOI: 10.1080/01441640210124875
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    9. Atkinson-Palombo, Carol & Kuby, Michael J., 2011. "The geography of advance transit-oriented development in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, 2000–2007," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 189-199.
    10. Cheng, Long & Huang, Jie & Jin, Tanhua & Chen, Wendong & Li, Aoyong & Witlox, Frank, 2023. "Comparison of station-based and free-floating bikeshare systems as feeder modes to the metro," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    11. Lane, Bradley W., 2008. "Significant characteristics of the urban rail renaissance in the United States: A discriminant analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 279-295, February.
    12. Valenzuela-Montes, Luis M. & Soria-Lara, Julio A. & Navarro-Ligero, Miguel L., 2016. "Analysing stakeholders' perception of Light Rail Transit as an opportunity to achieve sustainable mobility in Granada (Spain)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 391-399.
    13. Currie, Graham & Delbosc, Alexa, 2011. "Understanding bus rapid transit route ridership drivers: An empirical study of Australian BRT systems," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 755-764, September.
    14. Kelly, Charlotte & May, Anthony D. & Jopson, Ann, 2008. "The development of an option generation tool to identify potential transport policy packages," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 361-371, November.
    15. Forouhar, Amir, 2022. "Rail transit station and neighbourhood change: A mixed-method analysis with respect to neighbourhood context," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Carlos Bueno-Suárez & Daniel Coq-Huelva, 2020. "Sustaining What Is Unsustainable: A Review of Urban Sprawl and Urban Socio-Environmental Policies in North America and Western Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-36, May.
    17. Matsunaka, Ryoji & Oba, Tetsuharu & Nakagawa, Dai & Nagao, Motoya & Nawrocki, Justin, 2013. "International comparison of the relationship between urban structure and the service level of urban public transportation—A comprehensive analysis in local cities in Japan, France and Germany," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 26-39.
    18. Tim Schwanen, 2015. "The Bumpy Road toward Low-Energy Urban Mobility: Case Studies from Two UK Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-26, June.
    19. Zimny-Schmitt, Daniel & Goetz, Andrew R., 2020. "An investigation of the performance of urban rail transit systems on the corridor level: A comparative analysis in the American west," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Seidenglanz, Daniel & Kvizda, Martin & Nigrin, Tomáš & Tomeš, Zdeněk & Dujka, Jiří, 2016. "Czechoslovak light rail — Legacy of socialist urbanism or opportunity for the future?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 414-429.
    21. G. Currie & A. Ahern & A. Delbosc, 2011. "Exploring the drivers of light rail ridership: an empirical route level analysis of selected Australian, North American and European systems," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 545-560, May.
    22. Basnak, Paul & Giesen, Ricardo & Muñoz, Juan Carlos, 2020. "Technology choices in public transport planning: A classification framework," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    23. D. Knowles, Richard & Ferbrache, Fiona, 2016. "Evaluation of wider economic impacts of light rail investment on cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 430-439.
    24. Alpkokin, Pelin & Topuz Kiremitci, Sabahat & Black, John Andrew & Cetinavci, Sukru, 2016. "LRT and street tram policies and implementation in turkish cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 476-487.

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