Light Rail Transport - Assignment Example

Light Rail Transport Word Count: 3100 Design of a Questionnaire Please explain your past experience of travelling in a train…………………………………………………………….. 2. How do you rate the travelling cost in a train (Cheap), (Medium), (High), (Very high) 3. Is travelling in a train cost effective? Explain. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Which is the longest distance to have ever travelled in a train? 5. Do rail roads have a fixed transport cost? (Yes), (No) 6. Are the local authorities supportive in flourishing rail transport in the city? (Yes), (No) 7. Explain the level of efficiency and reliability when using train compared to other modes of transport. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….... 8. Does the rail transport have any impact towards economic and cultural status of the city? Explain. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9. Discuss the importance diversified transportation systems in the town centre. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 10. What is the average carrying capacity of the Light trains? 11. How do people perceive railway transport in relation to other modes of transport? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 12. Is it enjoyable travelling by rail? Explain …………………………………………………………………………………………… 13. Is rail transport hampered by congestion along railway lines? Explain. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..... 14. Is there a correlation between age groups and the preference of rail transport? (Yes), (No) 15. How does the train sound while moving and during braking? (Low), (Moderate), (High), (Too high) 16. Between men and women, who have high preference of traveling in a train? 17. How has rail transport influenced growth and development in the urban area? 18. Has the rail transport created any economic value to the country? 19. What is the degree of air pollution in a train compared to other modes of transport? (Low), (Medium), (Very high), (None) 20. Is there correlation between the conditions of the railway lines and the number of trains? 21. Is the number of rail trucks proportional to the demand from consumers? 22. Are there any evident strategies employed by the LTR team to improve railway transport in the city? Explain ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23. How many miles is a standard Railway line? 24. How many miles is the shortest distance travelling in a train? 25. Does the public have any contribution in the development of the city’s transportation line? If so, explain. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 26. Who is responsible for the building and maintenance of the transport lines in the city? 27. How is safety measures defined in the train? 28. How many fire exits does a train have? In the code design: Official Use One exit Two exits Three exits 1.............. 2................ 3............... 29. What is the degree of air pollution in a train compared to other modes of transport? Low ( Very high Official Use Medium None 4............................... 5.............................. 6............................... 7............................. Discussion A questionnaire whose main purpose was to collect information about the preference of passengers to different modes of transport was prepared. 200 representatives were invited but around 150 turned up. The remaining 50 respondents were reached through postal services. To accelerate collection of valid and unbiased information, these questionnaires were given to the respondents a week before the actual meeting time. Among other things in the questionnaire were: the efficiency, reliability, gender participation safety and the financial funding towards improving the current rail transit system. Additionally, the respondents were given a chance to determine a future research through suggesting their previous experiences. The questionnaire consisted of 28 questions, which were both open questions and multiple choices questions. The questionnaire was designed with considerations to minimum degrees of confusion by using simple and clear language/statements. It is contended that the respondent’s suggestions followed with some explanation is an essential threshold of determining the preference of the travellers. This facilitates the application of reliable operation strategies as well as the designing of new systems (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2012) Anonymity on the questionnaires was encouraged in order to ensure safety and security to the respondents. Instead, reference numbers were applied in a sequence manner in the questionnaires. These questionnaires were manually delivered to the respondents while a few were sent through postal services. This ensured that questionnaires would gather information even from respondents who were living some distance away from the urban centres. Electronic responses was not considered in this research since there was likelihood of obtaining biased information and at the same time, the addresses for recipients were not available online (Dennis, & Talley 2007). Critical Evaluation on Results of Questionnaires The questionnaire was divided into three sections. The first section centred on the general matters such as the person’s own experience from travelling in trains, number of times, and the rate of travelling. The second part of the questionnaires comprised of questions related to the market behaviours and the economic importance of rail transport to the residents as well as to the governing body. Moreover, this part entailed gathering information pertaining to the funding strategies that LRT are employing in order to achieve their market target as well as meeting the needs of their clients (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2012) The third part of the research was purposed to acquire technical information concerning safety and suitability of rail transport compared to other modes of transport. This covered the security measures and maintenance among many others. Either category included closed and opened ended questions. The information gathered from this study was analysed to give a broad perspective on the ways of improving the current rail transit system in the urban centres. Results Respondent answers to question 26-28 Platforms One exit Two exits Three exits Metro 1 10 (45%) 3 (24%) 7 (22%) Metro 2 3 (24%) 4 (32%) 9(31%) Metro 3 1(3%) 2(5.5%) 7(22%) Metro 4 4(5%) 2 (5.5%) 3(12%) Metro 5 2(4.5%) 7 (52%) 8(29%) In most cases, people are likely to drawn to areas that they are familiar with. Similarly, it is expected that people vacate a facility or a building depending on their entrance door but not on the shortest routes, which is likely to increase risk of losses. Similarly, a rail with more than one familiar exit is likely to be a better solution in case of emergencies such as fire. On the question of safety measures such as safety instructions, it was encouraging that most of the passengers were provided with safety instructions on boarding the train. In addition, 10 respondents indicated that there were safety instructions on the platform and every passenger was keen to read them before they board the train. Safety instructions are very crucial in the rail transit system in order to guide them on the appropriate measures hence preventing casualties. The alarm bells were strategically located to initiate timely evacuation in case of fire incidents. The question of fire detection systems covered systems such as water sprinklers, fire alarms, safety gears, water mist, safety area, smoke controller, and automatic escalators. The respondents indicated that these systems were crucial in managing and controlling fire outbreaks in the rail. In addition, these systems would be helpful in prolonging the escape time. 50 respondents indicated the rails were earthed with a special circuit system in order to enhance flow of electronics, therefore curbing potential dangers. 70 respondents had it that most of the rail systems had lighting systems to illuminate exit avenues. Respondents answer to technical installation question Security installation Rail 1 Rail 2 Rail 3 Water Sprinklers 11 3 7 Safety Gears 3 14 9 Fire alarms 9 8 7 Water mist 13 7 13 Safety area Smoke controller 20 12 8 Automatic escalators 5 8 4 Other safety measures that were mentioned by some respondents were LED displays and automatic dry risers. On the question about economic strategies in the urban centres, respondents indicated that LRT was deploying employees in different capacities in order to sell their services sufficiently. The respondents noted that the market situation was going through devolvement that was promoted by the youth members in the industry through stimulating incorporation of innovative ideas. Almost every respondent pointed flexibility as the major drive to meet high demands from the customers. Moreover, the management was able to cope with passengers’ liberalization at a faster rate hence enabling timely undertaking of services (Dennis & Talley, 2007). Great cooperation between the guide officers and the customers indicated intensive satisfactions of the customers from services that were rendered to them. Good image that the transport company portrayed to customers accrued huge benefits. Financial experts predicted that the situation would promote growth and development of this sector by 12%. The company also invested in customer trust by giving them a say in the development matters of the rail transit system. In fact, every change in manner of delivery of services was attributed to the comments from the customers. Moreover, the rail management team engaged the young team in maintenance practices as well as locating new markets. Based on the previous census, there is every belief that the population growth will continue at the rate of 4%. This growth will create pressure in form of congestion along the travel routes such as rails and roads. Previous results indicated that rail transport is highly efficient at peak hours since their reliability and the efficient is high. Every traveller has the potential to secure a seat as well as saving $108 per week using this means of transport compared to other modes. Therefore, it means that additional elements such as education on safe transit, catering services and delicacies, physical improvement and exercises to the travellers among many other elements would count as essential in boosting financial benefits to the LTR Company (Dennis & Talley 2007). High efficient and reliability of the rail transport is likely to ease congestion in road transport. Most travellers will prefer to safe the fuel cost, the maintenance cost as well as tear and wear costs by using the cheaper and efficient system. Study by Dennis & Talley (2007) indicates that in every 10 males, 8 will prefer to use rail transport than using their personal vehicles. Likewise, in every 10 women, 7 will prefer to use rail transport. These figures indicate that continuous improvement in the services will boost the economic gains from this form of transport. Assessment A survey of 200 passengers conducted by the LTR team surfaced a comprehensive result on the ways of developing rail transport in North and East part of the city. 75% of the respondents indicated that improving rail transport over other modes of the transport would be an essential priority. Under the same question, 62% indicated that “creating rail transport as alternative to bicycle, motor, buses and trucks would ease congestion in roads. When asked about what they have been using for primarily transport, 67% indicated that they use automobile but 74% would prefer to use rail transit since it would be flexible, time saving, efficient and reliable Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (2012) conducted a similar study in Northern part of the city with the similar sample size (200 people). They considered a precision of +/-2.5% at the 96% level of confidence to summaries public opinion on need of improving and implementing rail transit. 69% of the males and 74% of the females indicated that more emphasis should be placed on rail transit compared to road and fright transit. 52% of the respondents chose commuter rail service as the option they were willing to boost with their tax dollars. Conversely, 36% of the respondents would prefer using trolley services. Given a code range of 3-7, 57% of the respondents indicated high satisfaction from improved value, safety measures, cleanliness and reliability. This means that any measure intended to develop these areas would account for high investment margin in the railway transport (Conference européenne des ministres des transports & SourceOECD, 2004). Assessment Timing and flexible schedules was identified as a strength because of increasing congestion in the transportation by roads. Respondents indicated that they would be satisfied by getting to their businesses, jobs, and other destinations in time thus improving their personal relation with employers and customers. These results were also timely regarding the increasing demand of the human labour in the urban areas (Dennis & Talley 2007). Creation of regional stations would add efficiency in this mode of the transit since passengers would board trains that would land them to the exact destinations. The momentum towards health matters, safety, and environmentalism ranked high in seeing the need for improvement of the rail transit system. Therefore, the extension of rail transport based on these key elements would contribute significantly towards improving the economic status of the city. LRT committee believed that cleanliness of the corridors and maintenance practices would count towards enhancing reliability of the mode of transport. Managerial Implications The data collected suggested that there was every need to establish a dedicated transport authority in order to oversee the operation of the transport system. The current structure limits revenue boost by 2.5% sales tax. These challenges are also attributed to land-use policies that limit successful development of the transport system through application of the modern technology aspects. The survey conducted reflected that the 83% of males and females believed that increasing public investments in rail transit would reinforce economy, improve the environment, create job opportunities and save energy. High firefighting equipment, air-conditioning instruments and modern internet services will improve LRT competitiveness in the region. Growing metropolitan in urban areas is likely to boost the economic level of these sectors through accessibility to various markets. The survey indicated that the overall freight rail was price inelastic, with the entire price elasticity improving over time. This was attributed by integrating variable of time, gender, cleanliness, reliability, and safety. The survey indicated the development of social impacts by travelling together in the rail trucks. In particular, this aspect was ranked high by youths. Addition entertainment facilities to rail trucks would have positive economic effect since they would help to break boredom and relieve stress to the travellers. Successful developments of rail transit would therefore have a positive health and mental implications. Alternatively, travelling together would reduce social isolation and improve physical health (Great Britain, 2006). Recreational activities were rated to increase at 2.87%. A small fraction of household budget allocated to transportation would help customers to save the money for other needs such as housing, food, and health care. Based on this study, an economic growth of 3.5% would be accrued. Proper land utilization measures such as establishment of settlements near the transit line would add the value of rail transit. In fact, many people prefer occupying areas that have high accessibility. This aspect improves the quality of life through reliable transport system for food products, goods, and services. 74% of the respondents indicated that they are likely to raise their economic independence and the capability of functioning smoothly in a presence of reliable transport services. With high population securing job opportunities to different locations in the urban areas, this is likely to stimulate the economic gains from the rail transit. Transit Development Agency (TRA) is an approach that aims at increasing development opportunities through creation of compact and mixed transit choices across urban centres in order to accommodate mergers with the unpredictable urban sprawls. This involves reshaping corridors and development of quality housing along the transportation lines (Great Britain, 2006). Proper analysis of SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) should be conducted in order to determine the frequency of realizing the economic benefits of the modern transit systems. Development of rail transit would flourish given the increased efforts to safeguard the environment through adequate control and management of the pollutants. Modern trains emit little smoke as a result of efficient combustion of energy. This aspect guarantees creation of safe environment since the circulating air is clean and safe. Since the cost of fuelling personal and private vehicles is relatively high, many people will prefer using rail transits to save the finances for later use. It therefore underlines the importance of adequate funding to accelerate development of Light Rail Transit in the North and Eastern regions. Incorporation of the company’s goals with a comprehensive planning strategy will stimulate development of multiple and reliable transit choices in the urban centres (Zhou & Li-min, 2011). Moreover, objective dialogue between all stakeholders will stimulate development of classy transport modules. In addition, it will open and facilitate eradication of different barriers hence supporting various development procedures along the transit corridors. Harsh regulations are likely to be moderated, which increase the chances to spur development in different areas. The development of a new transit line is likely to offer more than a train. For instance, Light Rail System offers opportunity for the development of both economic and cultural benefits in the urban area. In addition, it offers elite right-of-way in various points of the corridors. This aspect along its high carrying capacity and speed are designed to increase the economic gains of the management. A research by Railway Business Institute indicated that developing Light Rail Transit would save operating costs while improving the capital gain. Establishing a LRT would realize a capital cost of $10 million per mile. This amount would include overall maintenance, safety, and operation costs within one year. However, the most logical cost of estimate of completing this project would be around $100 million per mile. Assuming similar conditions for the corridors, the entire cost for constructing 15 miles would be $1.5 billion. This budget is relatively smaller given the benefits that will be reaped from the development of this system. A dedicated funding program would enhance realization of the assumed benefits. Based on neoclassical theory of investment behaviours, parameters of safety, value, cleanliness and reliability would be essential in maximizing the consumption utility of the rail transit. The above aspects in conjunction with the appropriate technology aspects would transform the econometric module in the urban centres. Maximizing utility would be based on the present condition in the production and preference of the consumer governed by the survey conducted. The preference of consumers allocated over time would determine the benefits gained from the present project (Zhou & Li-min, 2011) Investment demand schedule would be developed by varying travel period with the number of the potential travellers as well as plotting the rate of accumulations of the benefits from such investments. If the projects indicate a positive present value, it is therefore meaningful to implement them. A demand function would be established from the comparative dynamics of the quality, efficiency, safety, value, and cleanliness. To encourage internal efficiency in Rail Transit system, it would be essential to adjust the travelling costs over the course of time to enable customers to save through Light Rail Transit compared to other modes of transport. References Conference européenne des ministres des transports, & SourceOECD (Service en ligne). (2004). Regulatory reform of railways in Russia. Paris: ECMT. Dennis, S. M., & Talley, W. K. (2007). Railroad economics. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI Great Britain. (2006). Personal passenger safety in railway stations: Oral and written evidence. London: Stationery Office. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2012). Strategic transport infrastructure needs to 2030. Paris: OECD. Zhou, W., & Li-min, J. (2011). The Theory and Method of Design and Optimization for Railway Intelligent Transportation Systems (RITS). Oak Park: Bentham Science Publishers Read More