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Commuter Railroading and Light Rail TransitCommuter railroading has always been an important means of travel for folks heading to and from the workplace. However, only since the 1970s have most commuter rail operations been handled by city, state, or federal agencies as prior to that time it was the private freight railroads’ responsibility. This soon changed following the collapse of the intercity passenger rail business in the 1960s and early 1970s, which prompted the creation of Amtrak in the spring of 1971.
Another service that is making a big comeback is the old interurban lines (trolleys), today also known as light rail transit or LRT for short. Essentially the same thing as the venerable trolley, which during the first half of the 20th century could be found in virtually every medium-sized town throughout the country, these single car or small trainset operations use much lighter rails (hence their name) to serve a local city or region. LRT services have become increasingly popular, just within the last 10 years and have begun popping up all over the country in cities like Charlotte, Austin, Norfolk, Minneapolis, and Portland among others. You can also still find traditional trolley cars operated in New Orleans, San Francisco, and even on SEPTA in Philadelphia. One of the biggest benefits to LRT operations, particularly compared to “heavy rail” services, is the lower cost of building and operating/maintaining such systems. Still, even though heavy rail services are more expensive (such as what is offered by NJ Transit and Sound Tranist) to operate many of these trains continue to be full, or nearly full, and are becoming increasingly popular for commuters heading too and from work as gas prices rise. And, likewise, over and over it is proven that if the service is offered, the passengers will come. For instance, ridership projections for new trains, whether they be LRT, commuter rail, or long-distance operations continually prove to be too low.
Two of the most proactive states regarding passenger and commuter rail services include North Carolina and California. Both are doing a magnificent job developing passenger rail corridors in their respective states, particularly North Carolina. If you are interested in seeing how a passenger rail network should be properly implemented, planned, and carried out have a look at what the Tarheel State is doing. For instance, the graph below (information courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics), while only showing the years between 2002 and 2004, illustrates that commuter rail and LRT are increasingly being used by the public (the numbers reflect the percent of travelers that used commuter rail/LRT compared to the total number of transportation types, such as plane, bus, vehicle, etc.). However, what the graph doesn't show is the numbers between 2005 and today, which are even higher due to increased services and continually rising gas prices.  For an idea of just how many new commuter rail and LRT projects are either in the works or under way please visit this page at Light Rail Now!, the premier resource on the web covering commuter railroading. In any event, below you can find more information about many of the current commuter and light rail operations around the country (more coming soon): Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Sound Transit's Sounder Commuter Rail System Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Virginia Railway Express (VRE)
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