WMATA Red Line Collision

[AlanB]

I know. I would consider WMATA a heavy-rail system. It seemed to me that ALC was making the all-too-common mistake of confusing heavy rail with commuter/regional/inter-city/long-distance rail. Too many people make it. I actually sat through a presentation by someone who was extoling the wonderful virtues of light-rail over heavy-rail. You know, things like greater frequency and much higher capacity.

Well lower capacity is why it is called light rail. Frequency however has nothing to do with anything.

 

[Spokker]

Light rail can be hard to classify. It's sort of one of those things where you know it when you see it.

In my neck of the woods there is a light rail line that is fully grade separated and a light rail line with sections that are street running, subway running and on an aerial. Versatility seems to be its strongest virtue.

 

[George Harris]

At one point in time, the "heavy rail" - "light rail" meant exactly that. The high volume subway systems like NYC used a heavier rail section, in their case, the 100 lb/yd 100ARA-B section, and light rail systems, such as street cars amd interurbams used much lighter weight rail, frequently 75 lb/yd or less, all the way down to 56 lb/yd. The exception being in streets, the rail section sometimes/freqently had a built in flangeway. This sort of stuff is called "girder rail" in this country and "grooved rail" in Europe. One of the most common of these weighted 128 lb/yd.