Light Rail Transit (LRT) or Light Metro Rail (LMR) Systems operates with Light Rail Vehicles (LRV). Those Light Rail Vehicles run in urban region on Streets on reserved or unreserved rail tracks as City Trams, elevated as Right-of-Way Trams or Underground as Metros, and they can run also suburban and interurban on dedicated or reserved rail tracks or on main railway lines as Commuter Rail. The invest costs for LRT/LMR are less than for Metro Rail, the diversity is higher and the adjustment to local conditions and environment is less complicated.
Whereas Metro Rail serves only certain corridors, LRT/LRM can be installed with dense and branched networks to serve wider areas.
In India the new buzzword for LRT/LMR is “METROLIGHT” or “METROLITE”.
The Indian Central Government proposes to run light urban metro rail ‘Metrolight’ or Metrolite” in smaller towns of various states. These transits will operate in places, where the density of people is not so high and a lower ridership is expected. The Light Rail Vehicles will have three coaches, and the speed will be not much more than 25 kmph. The Metrolight will run along the ground as well as above on elevated structures. Metrolight will also work as a metro feeder system. Its cost is less compared to the metro rail installations. In addition to less capital cost, the operation and maintenance cost of Metrolight would also be less making the system more viable.
Seeing the success of metro rail in India, several other cities with a lower projection of ridership are also aspiring for a rail-based mass rapid transit system, which could be fulfilled by the light urban rail transit called ‘Metrolight’ or “Metrolite” with lower capacity at much less cost.
To implement the ‘Metrolite’ system in smaller cities, the Central Indian Government will provide financial assistance to the states.
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