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Medium-capacity rail system
A medium-capacity rail system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. It typically resembles a rapid transit system in terms of infrastructure, but typically features shorter (2-4 car) trains and concomitantly smaller stations, and may have a differing network topology.
Since ridership determines the scale of a rapid transit system, statistical modeling allows planners to size the rail system for the needs of the area. When the predicted ridership falls between the service requirements of a light rail and heavy-rail rapid transit or metro system, an MCS project is indicated. An MCS may also result when a rapid transit service fails to achieve the requisite ridership due to network inadequacies (e.g. single-tracking) or changing demographics.
In contrast with light rail systems, an MCS or light metro runs on an entirely grade separated exclusive right-of-way, and is therefore completely separated from other traffic. In some cases, the distance between stations is much longer than typically found on heavy rail networks. An MCS may also be suitable for branch line connections to another mode of a heavy-capacity transport system, such as an airport or a main route of a metro network. However, despite their smaller trains, some light metro systems can rival traditional rapid transit networks in terms of capacity thanks to automatic train operation allowing extremely high-frequency service.
Medium capacity transit systems typically feature shorter trains and concomitantly smaller stations than true rapid transit; this is typically their defining feature. Automatic train operation is more common on light metros than traditional rapid transit systems, which has allowed some systems to achieve extremely high frequency, with headways as close as 90 seconds during peak hours, making them competitive with traditional human-driven metro systems in terms of capacity.
Rubber-tyred metro technology, such as the VAL system used on the Taipei Metro, is sometimes used for light metro systems, due to its low running noise, as well as the ability to climb steeper grades and turn tighter curves, thus allowing more flexible alignments.
True metro systems generally have train headways of 10 minutes or better during peak hours. Some systems that qualify as heavy rail/metro in other technical respects (e.g. are fully grade separated), but which have network inadequacies (e.g. a section of single track rail) which cap headways, resulting in decreased capacity, and thus would be more accurately defined as "light metro" or "medium-capacity" systems as a result.
A report from the World Bank places the capacity of an MCS at 15,000 to 30,000 p/h/d. For comparison, ridership capacity of more than 30,000 p/h/d has been quoted as the standard for metro or "heavy rail" standards rapid transit systems, while light rail systems have passenger capacity volumes of around 10,000 to 12,000 p/h/d or 12,000 to 18,000 p/h/d. VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger) systems are categorised in the medium-capacity rail systems because their manufacturer defines their passenger capacities as being up to 30,000 p/h/d.
However, the capacity boundaries for a line to be categorised as a medium-capacity system varies according to the standard used, sometimes even within a single country. For example, the Taiwan Ministry of Transportation and Communications states that each MCS system can board around 6,000 to 20,000 passengers per hour per direction (p/h/d or PPHPD), while the Taiwan Department of Rapid Transit Systems defines a capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 p/h/d, which approaches many full-scale metro lines, as MCS.
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Medium-capacity rail system
A medium-capacity rail system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. It typically resembles a rapid transit system in terms of infrastructure, but typically features shorter (2-4 car) trains and concomitantly smaller stations, and may have a differing network topology.
Since ridership determines the scale of a rapid transit system, statistical modeling allows planners to size the rail system for the needs of the area. When the predicted ridership falls between the service requirements of a light rail and heavy-rail rapid transit or metro system, an MCS project is indicated. An MCS may also result when a rapid transit service fails to achieve the requisite ridership due to network inadequacies (e.g. single-tracking) or changing demographics.
In contrast with light rail systems, an MCS or light metro runs on an entirely grade separated exclusive right-of-way, and is therefore completely separated from other traffic. In some cases, the distance between stations is much longer than typically found on heavy rail networks. An MCS may also be suitable for branch line connections to another mode of a heavy-capacity transport system, such as an airport or a main route of a metro network. However, despite their smaller trains, some light metro systems can rival traditional rapid transit networks in terms of capacity thanks to automatic train operation allowing extremely high-frequency service.
Medium capacity transit systems typically feature shorter trains and concomitantly smaller stations than true rapid transit; this is typically their defining feature. Automatic train operation is more common on light metros than traditional rapid transit systems, which has allowed some systems to achieve extremely high frequency, with headways as close as 90 seconds during peak hours, making them competitive with traditional human-driven metro systems in terms of capacity.
Rubber-tyred metro technology, such as the VAL system used on the Taipei Metro, is sometimes used for light metro systems, due to its low running noise, as well as the ability to climb steeper grades and turn tighter curves, thus allowing more flexible alignments.
True metro systems generally have train headways of 10 minutes or better during peak hours. Some systems that qualify as heavy rail/metro in other technical respects (e.g. are fully grade separated), but which have network inadequacies (e.g. a section of single track rail) which cap headways, resulting in decreased capacity, and thus would be more accurately defined as "light metro" or "medium-capacity" systems as a result.
A report from the World Bank places the capacity of an MCS at 15,000 to 30,000 p/h/d. For comparison, ridership capacity of more than 30,000 p/h/d has been quoted as the standard for metro or "heavy rail" standards rapid transit systems, while light rail systems have passenger capacity volumes of around 10,000 to 12,000 p/h/d or 12,000 to 18,000 p/h/d. VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger) systems are categorised in the medium-capacity rail systems because their manufacturer defines their passenger capacities as being up to 30,000 p/h/d.
However, the capacity boundaries for a line to be categorised as a medium-capacity system varies according to the standard used, sometimes even within a single country. For example, the Taiwan Ministry of Transportation and Communications states that each MCS system can board around 6,000 to 20,000 passengers per hour per direction (p/h/d or PPHPD), while the Taiwan Department of Rapid Transit Systems defines a capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 p/h/d, which approaches many full-scale metro lines, as MCS.