urban rail systems.docx

1、urban rail systemsUrban Rail Systems: A planning framework to increase their successResearch paper: Infrastructure and developmentDr Ela Babalik SutcliffeDepartment of City and Regional PlanningMiddle East Technical University (ODTU)06531 Ankara TURKEYE-mail: ebabaarch.metu.edu.trAbstractThis paper

2、presents a research that was aimed at developing a better understanding of the factors that influence the success of urban rail systems. The principle aim was to develop a methodology for measuring and identifying the factors behind their success, and to develop a planning framework, which can help

3、enhance the success of new metros and light rail systems. The framework can help planners to develop successful systems, as well as increase the success of existing ones. The planning framework was developed based on the analysis of eight urban rail systems from Western Countries (USA, Canada, and B

4、ritain). The analysis of these systems has been carried out in two stages. First, background factors were observed: the urban, economic, political and institutional factors in which these systems were developed were analysed. In addition, the planning background and factors regarding the operation o

5、f the systems were observed. Second, the success of the systems was analysed. In the analysis, possible links between success and background factors were established. These links have been used as the basis for developing the planning framework, which had two main functions: to predict how successfu

6、l a new urban rail system will be; and to make recommendations on how its success can be enhanced. Because the planning framework was based on the analysis of eight case studies, it was important to validate it against other urban rail systems. The framework was validated against nine systems from U

7、SA, Canada, and France. In addition to the summary of the above research, this paper compares the findings of the research with three cases in Turkey. The comparison reveals important results about the urban rail planning process in Turkey in comparison to the USA, Canada and Britain. It is also see

8、n that planning and policy-making processes in developing countries are different from those in developed countries, and that there may be different factors behind the success of urban rail systems in the former. In the light of these discussions, the paper concludes with remarks on how this study c

9、an be developed further to analyse the urban rail experiences of developing countries.1. IntroductionSince the 1970s, there has been a significant increase in urban rail investment. Some 139 new urban rail systems, metros and light rail systems, have been built worldwide in the past three decades. T

10、hese investments were in general planned as instruments to solve transport and land-use problems associated with extensive use of the car; however, very few have been successful in improving transport and the urban environment. These experiences led to a broad area of debate in the literature. An im

11、portant part of the debate focused on the patronage, that is, the number of passengers carried and the cost of new rail systems: researchers demonstrated that the forecast levels were not attained in a number of cases (Johnston et al. 1998, Pickrell 1990, 1992, Mackett 1998). In addition to the over

12、estimation of patronage, it has been discussed that other benefits expected from urban rail investments, such as an increase in public transport usage and a reduction in traffic congestion and air pollution were also being overestimated (Gomez-Ibanez 1985, Hass-Klau and Crampton 1998, Mackett and Ed

13、wards 1998, Richmond 1998). New metros and light rail systems did not have strong impact on land-use and urban growth either: it has been discussed that these systems had positive land-use effects only when they were supported with other improvement packages, such as a pedestrianisation scheme in ci

14、ty centres (Simpson 1988, 1989, Walmsley and Perrett 1992, Black 1993, Hass-Klau and Crampton 1998, Hass-Klau et al. 2000). In spite of these findings, political support for urban rail systems is still strong. Recent policy documents in most western countries have advised planners to adopt rail-base

15、d solutions to urban problems, stating that they were the most effective public transport alternative in attracting car users, reducing traffic congestion and air pollution; and directing urban growth. As a result, investment in urban rail systems is very likely to continue, and considering the cost

16、 incurred in the development of these systems, to make them successful remains a challenge. This paper presents a research (Babalik 2000) that has been carried out on new-generation urban rail systems in North America and Britain, with the objective of identifying the factors behind success and fail

17、ure. The study explores ways of making new urban rail systems more successful. It develops a methodology for analysing the success of systems, identifying the factors behind their success, and enhancing their success. Based on the analysis of new generation urban rail systems, a planning framework i

18、s developed. The framework is a policy-based approach to help planners and operators increase the success of their systems. It has two main functions: it predicts the success of new systems, and makes recommendations on how their success can be enhanced. Because the framework is developed through th

19、e analysis of urban rail systems in developed countries, it may be argued that it is best suited to be applied to systems in such countries. However, from the beginning of the research, it has been an objective to apply the findings on new urban rail systems in Turkey with the anticipation that both

20、 successful and unsuccessful experiences in the developed world can contribute to the urban rail system planning and operation in Turkish cities. The analysis of Turkish rail systems in comparison to those in the developed world revealed that planning and policy-making processes in developing countr

21、ies may be different from those in developed countries, and that there may be different factors behind the success of urban rail systems in the former. Therefore, upon completion of this research, it has been planned to extend the study and adapt it to urban rail systems in Third World cities. This

22、issue is discussed in the conclusion of this paper. In the following sections, firstly the objectives of the research and the methods used are presented. This is followed by a section describing the structure of the research and the tasks involved in each stage. Then, the results of the case study a

23、nalysis are presented, and based on these results, the development of the planning framework is described. Following this, the validity of the framework is assessed. Finally, the application of the framework on Third World cities is discussed, together with possible implications for future research.

24、 2. Objectives of the researchThe main aim of this research was to identify the factors affecting the success of urban rail systems, and based on these factors, to develop a planning framework, which can advise planners on how to influence these factors and help make their systems more successful.Th

25、e starting point of this research was the increasing amount of urban rail investment worldwide in spite of the evidence that few of the new-generation urban rail systems have been successful. The aim was to develop a framework which can be applicable to all cities worldwide (with the possible except

26、ion of very large cities, such as London, New York, Mexico City, etc.); however, because of practical concerns, such as the availability of information and previous research on systems and the willingness of the planners and operators to co-operate, the research has focused on North American and Bri

27、tish examples. Consequently, the research described here produces a planning framework that is most applicable to urban rail systems in developed countries. On the other hand, there is a wider aim to this research, which is to broaden the content of the work by including more international compariso

28、ns. In particular, it is planned to adapt this research to developing countries. As a result, the study summarised here should be seen as the first stage of a wider research that the author plans to undertake. An important objective is to incorporate the urban rail planning experience in the Third W

29、orld cities to this research and refine the planning framework, the development of which is described in this paper, so that it can also be applicable to urban rail systems in The Third World.3. Methodology3.1. Defining successIn this study, success is defined in terms of the fulfilment of expectati

30、ons. New urban rail systems are expected to attain certain objectives, which usually justify their being developed. Previous research on new urban rail systems (Fouracre et al, 1990; Walmsley and Perrett, 1992; ECMT, 1994; Simpson, 1994; Mackett and Edwards, 1996) revealed a comprehensive set of obj

31、ectives that most systems were developed to fulfil. In addition to previous research, interviews made with planners for this research revealed some objectives to be particularly important. Combining them with the data from previous research, five main objectives were identified. These are to attain

32、a high patronage, or at least match the forecast patronage on the system; to be cost-effective in terms of building and operating the system; to increase public transport usage; to prevent or solve the problems of traffic congestion and environmental pollution; and to improve the land-use and urban

33、growth patterns. The last objective often involves sub-objectives, such as to stimulate development at city centres, to stimulate development in economically declining areas and to improve the pattern of urban growth by reducing car-oriented sprawl. The success of systems is measured by their performance in attaining these objective