Mass transport capacities

In our earlier write-ups, we always hinted that the choice of transport mode, especially on land, is often based on the capacity. It’s simply a rule of supply and demand – the more demand you have, the bigger the capacity you provide. What distinguishes urban transport planning is that the measure of demand and the kind of capacity you provide is measured not on the size of the transport vehicle. The key is the capacity to “move” people from one place to another in the least possible time. “Movement” is more related to time rather than size. That’s why the motorcycle is an all-time favorite – it often is the fastest mode, even if it is small.

This is where the misunderstanding often arises between bus-based and rail-based transport. When we hear the word “train” we immediately imagine a long stretch of connected train coaches carrying hundreds of passengers hustling through tunnels or overhead rails. True enough the Japanese “Shinkansen” can reach more than 300 kilometers per hour (200 would be the average) carrying 1,500 passengers. But bullet trains and maglevs are only a few of the many types of trains. Majority of the world’s urban rail have much lower capacities.

There is no hard and fast rule to classify trains. Conventionally, we lump tramways and monorail for they have approximately the same capacity, generally (from about 2,000 to 15,000 passengers per hour per direction, or pphpd). Trams are generally old, on grade (at ground level), and oftentimes used as tourist or cultural attractions at present, which we often see in movies. Most monorails run on overhead structures and are, more often than not, for special use, too, rather than a general use mass transport. We often see monorails in scenic tourist destinations, theme parks. Both are relatively smaller in size and slower in speed.

On the other extreme end are the humongous and sleek high speed trains speeding across, and even between, countries. Strictly speaking, these are not urban transport, but they represent the capacity that railways can achieve. Trains in small and medium-sized cities are smaller of course, and in the past, bulkier and often unattractive. The advent of the light rail transit (LRT) made it very popular in the last century. “Light rail” refers to their build and weight, of course, and generally carries between 12,000 – 32,000 pphpd.

In huge cities and metropolis (a group of cities), and in the megacities of the world (population = more than 10 million), the “metros” rule. Metros are huge, fast, often underground trains that carry huge number of passengers daily, due to the big population they serve. Sometimes they are called mass rail transit (MRT), though the term has now become vague because of overuse or misuse. But they are big! - carrying something like 28,000 up to as high as 90,000 pphpd. A tram carrying 2,000 pphpd cannot be compared to a metro carrying 90,000.

Then there’s the subway train, or “subways.” Actually, it’s not another kind, it’s just a description of a system that is mostly underground – it can be a metro or an LRT, though both can be at grade or overhead also. In a metropolis or a megacity where the density is high, going underground is the simplest option, but it will skyrocket the cost of the system.

As a postscript, please remember that these are system capacities; it may not directly translate to your overall total travel time. For example, the long ticket counter queues and the fact that Shaw Blvd. Station of MRT-3 in Manila is 5 storeys above EDSA ground level may mean, it will take you longer to board the train than for the train to travel from Shaw to Ayala Station! That’s why many people there still use the buses of EDSA.

Next, we’ll try to tackle BRT capacities ... (To be continued … for more info, please search pphpd on the internet)