Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron
EMU commuter trains or EMU light rail trains?
In many cases light rail would be both better and cheaper to operate.
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They are two different technologies that should be used for two different purposes. There's a reason cities like Frankfurt and Cologne in Germany have both stadtbahn (light rail) and s-bahn(commuter rail).
Commuter rail has higher top speeds and is designed for longer distances with fewer stops per mile. IIRC for RTD the airport line from downtown light rail alternative was about 20 minutes slower over the course of it's 23 mile 7 stop journey.
Light rail has quicker acceleration and is more flexible in where it can go. The flexibility makes it cheaper to implement in urban areas with limited ROW, and the acceleration makes it better on lines with more stops per mile.
In general light rail is better as an urban transit solution. If the lines go beyond the inner suburbs and the average space between stations becomes greater it might be better to use commuter rail as a suburban to urban transit solution.