'Limited LRT Connections' with the General Railroad System How Small-Scale, Shared-Use Arrangements Advance U.S. Joint Operations Practices

摘要

Aprincipal conclusion of TCRP Report 52 is that there is potential in North America for joint light rail-railroad operations, but under limited and controlled circumstances. The question of where these circumstances could exist in the United States that would be similar to Europe and Japan remains difficult to answer. It is argued that U.S. light rail transit agencies, by obtaining approvals and abilities to design, construct, operate, and maintain light rail-freight rail shared-use arrangements on small scales, are North America's counterpart to Europe's extended evolution toward mixed traffic on shared track. San Francisco's new Third Street light rail extension illustrates this trend. The median running alignment crosses two lightly used freight industry leads. Unique operating, safety, and cost challenges exist at each rail-to-rail crossing. Shared-use arrangements were possible because of low freight volumes and a 3-year negotiated willingness by the Class I railroad to lease the two primary crossings in exchange for maintenance of the freight track and shared liability. The project outcome is a blend of railroad and transit design and operations. This outcome is possible because the transit agency expanded its capability to manage shared assets with both railroad and transit regulatory standards. By building expertise to manage assets shared by the general railroad system, light rail agencies are incrementally advancing U.S. capability to implement more complex shared systems at a future stage.