Light Rail
DEL Engineering has practical and professional experience in urban light rail design and has participated in master plan preparation for passenger transport systems. We have expertise in the following areas:
● Geometric planning
● Depot planning
● Station and stop planning
● Hydrologic and drainage planning
● Preparing master plans and zoning plans
● Traffic design
Light rail provides critical mass transportation in city centers. It is quieter than other forms of public transportation, more affordable than traditional railways and subways, and can be built more quickly. It is faster than buses and other vehicles on the road, has frequent stations and easy access, and tends to enhance the areas in which it passes through urban renewal benefits.
At the same time, light rail construction and planning presents unique challenges. Its location in the city center means it occupies valuable above-ground real estate. Rail tracks and stations require complete and accurate planning so that they don’t take up more room than necessary, yet provide maximum safety and comfort. While the speed of light rail systems is a benefit, it necessitates planning to allow its integration into vehicular and pedestrian traffic while ensuring complete safety and planning deceleration, acceleration and stops at stations.
Light rail systems are, by nature, integrated into a network of roads, bus lanes, intersections and traffic lights, thus planning their routes requires thorough familiarity with both the infrastructure and needs of urban transportation and traffic.
Main challenges of building a light rail
Land
A light rail in a city’s center occupies valuable territory, since it is located above-ground. Railway tracks and stations require complete and accurate planning, in order not to take up unnecessary space and yet provide maximally safe and comfortable travel.
Traffic Integration
A light rail does not stand as an independent unit but is integrated into a network of roads, bus lanes, intersections, and traffic lights. Planning routes and integrating the train into traffic is a challenge that requires thorough familiarity with both the infrastructure and needs of urban transportation and traffic. This requires the reduction of existing roads, and thereby service on these roads.
Speed
As a rule, a light rail is much faster than buses and other vehicles traveling on the road. At the same time, its integration into an urban space alongside pedestrians and other means of transportation necessitates planning its speed in a way that will allow it to be integrated into the traffic while ensuring complete safety and planning deceleration, acceleration, and stops at stations.
DEL Engineering has practical and professional experience in urban light rail design and has participated in master plan preparation for passenger transport systems.
