Arlington County and Fairfax County Boards endorse Modified Streetcar Alternative for Columbia Pike corridor.

Updated 6/29/2006

The technologies page features a Technology Photo Gallery of the many vehicle technologies and operations scenarios under consideration in the Transit Alternatives Analysis. The links accompanying each photo provide a brief description of operating characteristics, including cities where such systems are currently in operation. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these different modes of transportation and feel free to let us know which one you like best by filling out a Comment Form.

The technologies range from low capacity options such as circulator buses to high capacity options such as light rail transit. These technologies differ as to:

• Where they can operate – whether on exclusive right-of-way (such as rail tracks or exclusive bus lanes) or on shared right-of-way (such as buses on roads with cars);
• How fast they can operate – vehicles on shared right-of-way travel with the speed of the rest of traffic while vehicles in exclusive right-of-way can operate at higher speeds;
• How many passengers per hour they can carry – which is a function of the size and number of vehicles and the frequency of trips; and
• How much they cost – a function of infrastructure and facility costs.

The figure below compares the technologies in the areas of average right-of-way use, operation speed, passenger capacity, and cost. It indicates that operating speed is higher with exclusive right-of-way operation, and therefore capacities are higher than for shared right-of-way operations. Generally, as these indicators increase, so do system costs.

Technology Photo Gallery

Click the photos below to see detailed information.

Bus (More Information)	Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) (More Information)
Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) (More Information)	Light Rail Transit (LRT) (More Information)
RAPID Bus (More Information)	Streetcar / Tram (More Information)
Trolley (More Information) Photo courtesy of National Capital Trolley Museum	Emerging Technology (More Information)