NTRAC Final Study - Nebraska Department of Roads - State of ...

CHAPTER 4 – TECHNOLOGY OPITONS
Intercity rail: Amtrak
What are not so numerous are examples of BRT. However, enough urban places have
implemented some form of enhanced bus operations to establish a menu of available
technologies ranging from traffic light priority hardware and software, through various types of
surface street lane reservations (curb and median bus lanes, transit malls), up to exclusive
busways. In Los Angeles, all three may be found:
Expedited surface bus operations on Ventura and Wilshire Boulevards
Highway lanes limited to buses and car pools on the San Bernardino Freeway
Exclusive busway on the Harbor Freeway
Service Performance
The system built must accommodate initial forecast passenger loads and be expandable to handle
future growth. These are both important capabilities. The forecast passenger volumes for the
corridors under discussion are likely to be in the lower range of passenger capacity requirements.
However, during some special events, such as for university of Nebraska football games, demand
for travel between Omaha and Lincoln will be higher than normal and very peaked.
The capacities of the candidate technologies are presented in Table 4-2 and include a range of
capacities for rail technologies for commuter rail and LRT. The values in Table 4-2 can then be
correlated to the passenger demand forecasts being prepared as part of the present study when
they become available.
Table 4-2: Peak Load Point Capacities of Candidate Technologies
Candidate Technology
Number
of Seats
Per
Vehicle
Comfortable
PHPD* Load
Initially
Using Reserve
PHPD* Capacity
Ultimately
Using Ultimate
PHPD* Capacity
Commuter/Intercity rail 80-400 (a) 1,200 1,420 6,000
Light Rail Transit
- Line Haul Service 80-240 (a) 9,600 14,400 20,000
Bus Transit:
- Local bus
- Express Bus
- Bus Rapid Transit
35
50
65
4,200
6,000
7,800
Notes:
* PHPD: Peak hour in the peak direction at the peak load point on a line.
(a) Seats per single unit and for a train
5,040
7,200
9,360
6,300
9,000
20,000
The assumption used for the commuter rail alternative was four trains per hour per peak
direction. This provides 15-minute service during the peak periods with a maximum train
consist of 5 car lengths of single deck coaches. The commuter/intercity rail capacity can be
increased by utilizing double-deck coaches or lengthening the train. However, it is anticipated
that neither double-deck nor long trains will be required for any of the corridors under
investigation.
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NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY
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WILBUR SMITH ASSOCIATES