[sustran] Re: Bus and rail (fwd)

[BruunB at aol.com]

Additional issues to consider off of the top of my head include 
1) the peaking characteristics of travel -- rail is much better at meeting 
large surges in demand since high frequency can be maintained all day long at 
the same operator cost, only the consist size changes.
2) I have heard the Sao Paolo busways are atrocious to be located near. The 
wall of buses is very noisy and severs the corridor, much like freeways have 
done to the US.
3) The type of alignment used. Once building an elevated section or tunnel 
anyway, the case for rail becomes much stronger. 
4) The number of corridors that need improvement. Cities that are more linear 
with with fewer corridors can better afford to concentrate investment than 
ones that have a sprawling grid to cover.
5) The higher the income level of passengers you are trying to attract and 
the higher the income level of the vehicle operators, the more sense rail 
makes.

Eric Bruun