Login
or
Register
Home
»
Trains Magazine
»
Forums
»
Transit
»
Bus conversion that allows it to ride the rails?
Edit post
Edit your reply below.
Post Body
Enter your post below.
<p>In addition to heavy commuter rail for some of its suburban communities, i.e. those served by existing rail lines, Adelaide, South Australia, built a unique guided bus transit way.</p><p>The transit way consists of two concrete rights-of-way that look a bit like troughs. They abut each other, so they require less space than a normal two lane highway. Each right of way, which has a wall that appears to be a couple of feet high, if I remember correctly, is just wide enough to accommodate a bus. Once in the trough the bus is guided by a set of wheels that jute out from the front of the bus and touch the sidewalls. They steer the bus while it is in the trough. All the driver has to do is keep the bus rolling and look out for any buses ahead of him or her. The system does not require any signals, since the buses only go about 55 mph, and there are no blind curves on the system. It is like driving in traffic without having to steer or change lanes. It appears that the system was built on a former rail line. </p><p>Buses enter the transit way from downtown or one of the suburban communities served via a dedicated approach ramp. There are several exit points along the way (the driver must take control of the bus when exiting the system or passing through the exit point). Upon exiting the transit way, the driver runs a street route through the neighborhood that is served by the bus.</p><p>The beauty of the system is that for the run to or from the suburbs, the bus has an unimpeded right of way, which means that it can clip along nearly as fast as most light rail trains. The Charlotte trains, as an example, are restricted to 55 mph, while the Dallas trains are restricted to 60 mph. Moreover, because the bus can exit the system and travel along neighborhood or downtown routes, passengers don't need to change from a train to a local bus or downtown circulatory. </p><p>I suspect people favor the train over the bus because it is quicker. A bus, unless it can run on a dedicated right of way, is simply a big car. However, if it is as quick as a train, I suspect most people would not care whether they are on a comfortable bus or a comfortable train. </p><p>I don't know how much the Adelaide system cost, but I suspect that it was less than building a two track train system, especially given that it did not involve tearing up any downtown streets, as was the case in Dallas and Houston, as well as most other cities that opted for light rail. I understand that several German cities have a system that is similar to the Adelaide system, but I don't know their names. </p><p> </p>
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag
Update Reply
Join our Community!
Our community is
FREE
to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Login »
Register »
Search the Community
Newsletter Sign-Up
By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our
privacy policy
More great sites from Kalmbach Media
Terms Of Use
|
Privacy Policy
|
Copyright Policy