Conditions and Performance Chapter Listing

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Introduction

Summary

Highway and Bridge System and Use Characteristics

Transit System Characteristics

Route Miles

Another indicator of the extent of transit service is route mileage. This represents the mileage covered by a transit route, independent of the number of vehicles that serve that route. The routes may be along fixed guideways (as in the case of rail modes) or may share city streets with other vehicles (as for most bus routes). When routes overlap, the mileage is counted separately for each route. Route miles are also called directional route miles, meaning that they are counted for vehicles traveling in a particular direction. This accounts for such transit route features as one-way loops.

Exhibit 2-19 shows transit route mileage from 1987 to 1997. In 1997, there were 8,602 rail route miles and 156,733 non-rail route miles operated by mass transit systems. While overall mileage increased at an annual rate of 1.1 percent during that period, it actually fell slightly between 1995 and 1997. This was due to a decline in non-rail transit mileage, reflecting a shift from fixed route systems (such as scheduled buses) to non-fixed route modes (such as demand response and vanpools). While rail systems continue to represent only 5.0 percent of transit route mileage, they are growing significantly. Rail route miles have increased at an annual rate of 3.7 percent since 1987, reflecting the new-start rail systems and extensions that have come online during that period.

Exhibit 2-19

Urban Transit Route Miles, 1987-1997

Source: National Transit Database.