What Happened?
Taiwan is testing the first section of the Kaoshiung light rail transit line, the first in the world. The 8.2km, 14-station light rail line is scheduled to begin service in early 2015.
Goal
The electric light rail line in Taiwan will run a route that incorporates portions of two previous freight lines. The Kaoshiung light rail will be the first transit line to use electric tram cars that operate wirelessly.
Each tram car has rapid charge accumulators – the latest innovation in supercapacitators – to store power in between charges. While these supercapacitators hold less energy than a battery, they charge back up 10 times faster. This means the tram cars can charge up while stopped at stations along the route, rather than at the end or beginning, Focus Taiwan News reported.
When the entire electric light rail line is complete – expected by the end of 2017 – it will encompass a 22.1km circular route with 36 stations. The Kaoshiung Mass Rapid Transit (KMRT) lines will connect with the new electric light rail line, as well as a new rapid transit TRA commuter line. The overall goal of the electric light rail transit line is to:
- Reduce emissions and increase convenience
- Remove cars from crowded streets
- Stimulate economic development
The project will cost a total of $540.1 million; $209.4 will come from the Taiwanese government while the remainder will come from local sources.
Dallas Rail
There are talks of a high-speed rail project to connect Dallas and Houston, mimicking a similar rail project that links Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The high-speed rail line is projected to be up and running by 2021, with a main stop at a downtown terminal location, rather than outside the city.
The high-speed rail is expected to significantly increase the number of travelers daily coming into the city centers. As a result, the local transit system in Dallas must audit its capacity to ensure it has the resources to sustain the boost in ridership, Dallas News reported.
The Dallas City Council has approved a $983 million transit expansion plan that would build out its train system to coincide with the construction of the high-speed rail line. It will include improvement to existing rail transit infrastructure including:
- Adding extra cars to lines
- Extending platforms to support longer trains
- Creating a new light rail alignment downtown to expand track capacity
- Building out the two-mile downtown streetcar line opening in 2015
Many officials believe Dallas’ bus system must also be improved upon to run more frequently to better accommodate the rise in ridership.
Making the Grade
A study from the Regional Transit Authority analyzed the performance of public transit services in the 10 largest U.S. cities. Performance grades were determined by scores in five areas:
- Service coverage
- Service efficiency and effectiveness
- Service delivery
- Service maintenance and capital investment
- Service level solvency
Based on the study’s findings, Dallas ranked last out of the 10 cities analyzed with the highest operating cost per passenger trip at $6.52 with the biggest farebox shortfall per passenger trip at $5.62.
Driving Solutions
Gov1 has reported on transit initiatives worldwide to reduce congestion and improve efficiency.