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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Alignment

Design
May 22, 2010

John A. Lackey, PE
Senior Vice President
David Evans and Associates, Inc.

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Discussion Topics
Design vehicle clearance and loading
Types of alignments and typical cross sections
Open track

In-street alignments
Adjacent to freight railroads
Elevated
Underground

Alignment Geometry

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading
Vehicle characteristics and
dimensions

Vehicle loads
Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

General Vehicle Characteristics

Bi-directional
Articulated
Operated as coupled-trains
Three trucks, two axles per truck
Pantograph
High or low floor, or combination

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Accessibility

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Comparison of Light Rail Vehicles

Sample subhead

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading
Vehicle characteristics and dimensions

Vehicle loads

Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Vehicle Loads
AW0 - Empty vehicle operating weight
AW1 - (Seated load)
Fully seated passengers + AWO

AW2 - (Design load)

Standing passengers at 4/m2 + AW1

AW3 - (Crush load)

Standing passengers at 6/m2 + AW1

AW4 - (Structure design load)

Standing passengers at 8/m2 + AW1

Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading
Vehicle characteristics and dimensions
Vehicle loads

Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Wheel/Track Relationship
Vehicle wheel profile
Rail profile

Curved track

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading

Vehicle characteristics and dimensions

Vehicle loads
Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Vehicle Performance
Suspension
Primary
Secondary
Other loads affecting performance
Trucks
Load leveling
Performance on alignment
Accel/decel
Operating speed
Track curvature and gradient
Train size

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading

Vehicle characteristics and dimensions

Vehicle loads
Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Dynamic Envelope
VDE
Other factors:
Overhang on curves
Lean due to suspension, track superelevation
Track and wheel wear
Wheel/track spacing
Passenger loading
Maintenance values:
Lateral wheel wear Wheel-to-rail side play Radial wheel wear -

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Design Vehicle Clearance and Loading

Vehicle characteristics and dimensions

Vehicle loads
Wheel/track relationship
Vehicle performance
Dynamic envelope
Guideway clearances

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Guideway Clearances
CE = VDE + OWF + RC

CE - Clearance Envelope
VDE - Vehicle Dynamic Envelope
OWF - Other Wayside Factors
RC - Running Clearance

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

CE = VDE + OWF + RC
OWF

= CT + MT + CW
CT - Construction Tolerance
MT - Maintenance Tolerance
CW - Chorded Construction of Walls
(effects of track curvature and
superelevation)

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Guideway Clearances
CT = allowable deviations from design positions
Track Poles, signal equipment Walls -

MT = allowable deviations from constructed condition:

Ballasted track Embedded track or Direct Fixation Lateral rail wear Vertical tolerance Cross level variance, ballasted Cross level variance, DF -

CW = effects of track curvature and superelevation

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

CE = VDE + OWF + RC
RC = Running Clearances:
RC to signals, signs, poles, etc. RC to emergency walkway envelope RC to bridge parapet, walls, other structures
-

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Track at Station Platform

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Types of Alignments and Typical Cross Sections
Open Track

In-Street Alignments
Adjacent to Freight Railroads
Elevated
Underground

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Typical Ballasted Section

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Open Track
Ballasted

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Typical LRT Median

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Open Track
Ballasted

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Open Track
Direct Fixation (DF)

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Open Track
Direct Fixation

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Open Track
Direct Fixation

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Types of Alignments and Typical Cross Sections
Open Track

In-Street Alignments
Adjacent to Freight Railroads
Elevated
Underground

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

In-Street Alignments
Embedded Track (Paved)

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

In-Street Alignments
Embedded Track
(Paved)

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

In-Street Alignments
Embedded Track (Paved)

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Types of Alignments and Typical Cross
Sections
Open Track
In-Street Alignments

Adjacent to Freight Railroads

Elevated
Underground

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Adjacent to Freight Railroads

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Adjacent to Freight Railroads

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Adjacent to Freight Railroads

Grade Separation

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Adjacent to Freight Railroads

Grade Separation

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Types of Alignments and Typical Cross
Sections
Open Track
In-Street Alignments
Adjacent to Freight Railroads

Elevated
Underground

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Elevated (Bridges)

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Elevated
(Guideway and Station)

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Types of Alignments and Typical Cross
Sections

Open Track
In-Street Alignments
Adjacent to Freight Railroads
Elevated

Underground

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Underground
(Tunnel)

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Below Ground - Depressed

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Alignment Geometry
Design Criteria and Standards

Horizontal Alignment
Vertical Alignment
In-Street Running Impacts and Considerations
Station Requirements

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Alignment Geometry
Design Criteria and Standards

Horizontal Alignment
Vertical Alignment
In-Street Running Impacts and Considerations
Station Requirements

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Horizontal Alignment

Clearances
Speed
Tangents
Circular Curves
Superelevation
Spiral Transitions
Special Track

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Horizontal Alignment
Superelevation

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Horizontal Alignment
Special Track

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Horizontal Alignment
Special Track
Precurved Rail

Restraining Rail

Emergency Guard Rail

Turnouts and Crossovers

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Alignment Geometry
Design Criteria and Standards
Horizontal Alignment

Vertical Alignment
In-Street Running Impacts and Considerations
Station Requirements

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Vertical Alignment
Profile Grades

Condition
Mainline Track
Stations
Yard
Storage Track

Desirable
Maximum
3.5%
0/5%
0.0%
0.0%

Maximum
5.0%
3.0%
0.5%
0.25%

Minimum grade for drainage = 0.2%

Absolute
Maximum
7.0%
4.5%
1.0%
0.5%

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Vertical Alignment
Vertical Curves
Minimum Length as function of speed:
L = 70 (G1 - G2) for V > 35
L = 40 (G1 - G2) for 15 < V < 35
L = 20 (G1 - G2) for V < 15

Minimum length of any vertical curve:

Desirable
Minimum
Absolute

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Vertical Alignment
Other Considerations
Station platforms:
Tangent grade 0 % to 2.0 %

Combined vertical and horizontal curves

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Alignment Geometry
Design Criteria and Standards
Horizontal Alignment
Vertical Alignment

In-Street Running Impacts and

Considerations
Station Requirements

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

In-Street Impacts and Considerations

Operational policies
Physical and design constraints
Right-of-Way

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Alignment Geometry

Design Criteria and Standards

Horizontal Alignment
Vertical Alignment
In-Street Running Impacts and
Considerations

Station Requirements

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Light Rail Transit Facilities

Design Course

Light Rail Transit Alignment Design

Questions

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