This is the first time I have seen a report on this web that has several large errors.
1. Streetcars and Historic Trolleys: You state they almost always operate in the street, this is simply no longer true. These vehicles are Steel Wheel on Steel Rail technology which means they operate on Railroad Track, anywhere the tracks are bulit IE: Street, Curb, Median, Private RofW or a railroad without active freight operations. Today these are called Ultra-Light-Rail and Heritage Streetcars. Data:Light Rail Now
2. Interurbans, were not and never have been "Streetcars or Trolleys", they were railroad size electric passenger and freight operations usually centered around a central City. The Oklahoma Railway and Texas Electric Railroad for example operated over 100 miles of trackage each. The ORY from OKC: reaching Guthrie OK, El Reno OK and Norman OK. The TERR from Dallas reaching Waco, Denton and FT. Worth. Modern heavy LRT applications have more in comon with Interurbans then with Heritage Rail, in fact Portlands MAX line to Gresham is over the trackage of the old Portland Traction Company. The Pacific Electric Railroad operated over 1,200 miles of freight and passenger service in the Los Angeles basin.
Source: Books: When Oklahoma Took the Trolley, The Texas Electric Railroad and Ride the Big Red Cars
3. Vancouvers SKYTRAIN is NOTHING like Jacksonvilles Skyway except for elevation and name. SKYTRAIN is a true rail car on steel rails. It is called Medium-Rail-Transit as it provides very close headways. Vehicle ride quality is considered equal to Portlands MAX LRT and while it´s individual car capacity is lower.
4. FRA Compliant Light Rail Vehicles can and do operate over freight railroad trackage. As long as there is a clear seperation of track occupancy times. The new proposed FRA/FTA policy: "It basically states that shared-track operation that temporally separates FRA-compliant and non-compliant rolling stock may be permissible, but is subject to FRA waiver application and approval. If the rail transit tracks are connected to the 'general railroad system' and the transit trains and railroad trains operate on the same tracks but in completely separate time windows, transit operators must apply for a waiver. It's not clear if San Diego and Baltimore-now operating temporally-separated joint use-would be grandfathered without waivers." FRA data Railway Age Magazine (new)
5. Commuter Rail is a variation of a Standard FRA compliant rail passenger car, not unlike Amtrak. NTSB Data for 2006 shows railroad collisions are down 40.9% and derailments down 15.5%. NTSB data for 2003 shows Airlines had 2.25 deaths per 100 million passengers, Rail had 2.50 deaths per 100 million, Transit .33 per 100 million, Automobiles 1.48 per 100 million. Broken down differently in 2000, the same figures are Bus 2.4 per 100 million, LRT 1.0 per 100 million and rail .8 per 100 million. Total deaths in 2004 equaled 380 Airline, 14 Commuter Flight, 63 Air Taxi, 636 General Aviation, 22,505 Automobile, 2,161 motorcycle, 9,932 Lt Trucks, 621 Over-Road trucks, 21 Bus, 1 monorail, 87 commuter rail, Heavy Rail 80, and 30 LRT.
Ocklawaha
