LCRT - Low Clearance Rapid Transit

[Harald.B]

LCRT is an innovative light rail concept, based on the idea of selective grade separation and minimizing the construction effort for underpasses. Recently I finished a first feasibility study and wrote a website explaning it (http://buschbacher.at/LCRTen.html), now I am interested in your opinion about it.

Low-Clearance Rapid Transit
Low-Clearance Rapid Transit (LCRT) is the concept of an innovative, efficient public transport system, offering nearly the quality of a metro nearly at the cost of a tram.

The extraordinary cost-benefit-efficiency of LCRT is based on the following five core elements of the concept:

Selective grade separation: Similar to metro lines, LCRT is completely separated from individual car traffic, but similar to trams, it is running mainly on street level. Only in the area of intersections, the tracks are lowered in order to pass under the crossing road.

Reduced vehicle height: The LCRT vehicles are constructed for minimum height: the clearance of the underpasses is only about 2,5 m instead of usually about 4 m. This is possible through low-floor tram technology, allocation of technical devices at the ends of the vehicle instead of rooftop equipment and catenary-free operation in the underpass area.

Elevated crossing roads: The underpasses are created not only by lowering the LCRT tracks, but also to some extent by elevating the crossing road...

 

[pdeaves]

Interesting concepts.

With only 70cm clearance, how do you evacuate in an emergency?

 

[Bletchleyite]

That concept could work in Milton Keynes, where it might fit through Redway underpasses with minimal modifications.

 

[Harald.B]

Interesting concepts.

With only 70cm clearance, how do you evacuate in an emergency?

You mean the 70 cm horizontal spacing between the vehicle and the wall of the underpass? This is the valid regulation e.g. for tram tunnels in Austria, so I suggest that somebody came to the conclusion, that this is sufficient for evacuation.

 

[randyrippley]

" It is not suitable for medieval city centres with heritage protection, very narrow roads and frequent necessity of sharp turns"

rules out most UK city or town centres

 

[Busaholic]

LCRT is an innovative light rail concept, based on the idea of selective grade separation and minimizing the construction effort for underpasses. Recently I finished a first feasibility study and wrote a website explaning it (http://buschbacher.at/LCRTen.html), now I am interested in your opinion about it.

It all looks very interesting, and I wish you all the best with it, but it all seems so alien from most recent British tram creations where genuine street running is kept to a minimum ( which won't improve after the Edinburgh experience) and the necessity of creating a tram underpass, regardless of the expense, would almost certainly put the Kybosh on most tram schemes. With Brexit, I don't see us suddenly adopting what might be considered a 'European' approach to tram/light rail, to my regret.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It all looks very interesting, and I wish you all the best with it, but it all seems so alien from most recent British tram creations where genuine street running is kept to a minimum ( which won't improve after the Edinburgh experience) and the necessity of creating a tram underpass, regardless of the expense, would almost certainly put the Kybosh on most tram schemes. With Brexit, I don't see us suddenly adopting what might be considered a 'European' approach to tram/light rail, to my regret.

MK, of course, already has the underpasses, most of them with roughly 7 feet of clearance (basically enough for the tallest of people to ride a sit up and beg bike underneath without clouting their head). There are quite a number of places where such a scheme could work without an awful lot of changes to other infrastructure.

Typically newer developments are, where feasible, getting full-height road underpasses so buses can pass through, but most older ones don't.

 

[Busaholic]

MK, of course, already has the underpasses, most of them with roughly 7 feet of clearance (basically enough for the tallest of people to ride a sit up and beg bike underneath without clouting their head). There are quite a number of places where such a scheme could work without an awful lot of changes to other infrastructure.

Typically newer developments are, where feasible, getting full-height road underpasses so buses can pass through, but most older ones don't.

I don't doubt there are places like MK (well, I'm not sure there is anywhere else like MK) where it would be possible, but where is the mindset to ever get it going? I'd love to see it trialled here, and I try to be an optimist despite everything, but I shan't hold my breath.