3 ms·
Tracks do last forever with normal maintenance and partial replacements. Rails do wear out, and are constantly being realigned and replaced, as well as ties, ba
by ucaetano 11y ago
Tracks do last forever with normal maintenance and partial replacements. Rails do wear out, and are constantly being realigned and replaced, as well as ties, ballast, signaling etc.
But your point about rolling stock is correct. The PCC street car was designed in the 30's to address that, being a mass-produced, modular system.
Also, the European streetcar systems went through the same economic hardships (and some much larger ones - the wars), even using the same PCC cars, but still thrive to this day.
So it is more about a policy driven by lobbying and intervention from auto manufacturers than purely business model and economics. Robert Moses had a really big hand in this as well...
- Shivetya 11y agostreet cars, falling under the light rail category, suffer a similar problem to heavy rail solutions. they are expensive to adapt to changes in usage. if the needs of the people change and the street car wasn't going that way you can't fix it quickly or cheaply.
- ucaetano 11y agoVery true, that's why they can't be a single solution to transit problems. They are good for serving some areas, and work well when mixed with urban rail, suburban rail and buses. Use rail for high-density areas that change only over multiple decades, and buses for low density, mutable areas.
- phil21 11y agoWhile this is a bug, it's also one of the most unnoticed and unspoken about features. If I'm looking for a house and access to reliable public transit is important to me, I'm going to want to buy in an area well served and expected to be well served 30 years from now as well. Track and train stations mean this is likely to be true. At least far more true than a bus route. In this manner city planners can't pull the social contract rug out from under you as easily.