Running head: LIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION LIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION 2 Light Rail Transportation Market Domain University Student Name Introduction The public transportation industry has grown tremendously since the beginning of time. Over the past couple of years, there have been numerous improvements in the transportation industry in the form of innovations and inventions. In the past people depend heavily on the motor vehicles and the old coal trains for transport. However, over the last decade the inventions of the airplanes and electric trains have revolutionized and improved the transport sector all over the world, and now people can move from one point to another relatively faster. The invention of Light Rail Transportation is one of the best come up modes of transportations in the industry today ("Fast-Growing Light Rail Adds to Transportation Choices", 2014). Comment by Dr. Deb: Comment by Dr. Deb: In text citations do not use quotes Light rail systems refer to trains that are lighter and shorter as compared to the standard commuter rail or heavy rail systems. In the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) light rail defines light rail as a mode of transit service operating passenger rail cars singly on fixed rails in right-of-way that is often separated from a small portion of the way. Light trains are powered electrically with electric power cables that run overhead via pantographs or poles. The trains are steered by an operator that is on board the train and can either be low-level boarding or high platform boarding. There are however many definitions of a light rail as they vary from city to city or from one area code to another ("Fast-Growing Light Rail Adds to Transportation Choices", 2014). History The light rail system was originally conceived in the United Kingdom and the United States during the 1950’s. However, the light rail system has its chief origins from Germany as they had tried to introduce the mode of transport but failed. The rudimentary concept of the transportation mode was brought forward by Dean Quinby in 1962 when he wrote an article on light rail trains. In North America, the first light rail system of transportation began in 1978 when they adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system. After this numerous states followed suit including California, Alberta, San Diego, and Calgary. In Britain, the trend to light rail started catching up in 1992 after the success of the Manchester Metro link system in 1992. Comment by Dr. Deb: Source for this date Light rail systems can be divided into many types according to their capacities. There are low capacity ones, higher capacity ones, speed, and stop and mixed systems. There are two types of low capacity light rails, the traditional type, and the modern type. The traditional type is the ones in which the train tracks run along the street and engage with the roads traffic. Here there are frequent stops, but there are no special s ...

1. Running head: LIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION
LIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION
2
Light Rail Transportation Market Domain
University
Student Name
Introduction
The public transportation industry has grown tremendously
since the beginning of time. Over the past couple of years, there
have been numerous improvements in the transportation
industry in the form of innovations and inventions. In the past
people depend heavily on the motor vehicles and the old coal
trains for transport. However, over the last decade the
inventions of the airplanes and electric trains have
revolutionized and improved the transport sector all over the
world, and now people can move from one point to another
relatively faster. The invention of Light Rail Transportation is
one of the best come up modes of transportations in the industry
today ("Fast-Growing Light Rail Adds to Transportation

2. Choices", 2014). Comment by Dr. Deb: Comment by Dr.
Deb: In text citations do not use quotes
Light rail systems refer to trains that are lighter and
shorter as compared to the standard commuter rail or heavy rail
systems. In the American Public Transportation Association
(APTA) light rail defines light rail as a mode of transit service
operating passenger rail cars singly on fixed rails in right-of-
way that is often separated from a small portion of the way.
Light trains are powered electrically with electric power cables
that run overhead via pantographs or poles. The trains are
steered by an operator that is on board the train and can either
be low-level boarding or high platform boarding. There are
however many definitions of a light rail as they vary from city
to city or from one area code to another ("Fast-Growing Light
Rail Adds to Transportation Choices", 2014).
History
The light rail system was originally conceived in the
United Kingdom and the United States during the 1950’s.
However, the light rail system has its chief origins from
Germany as they had tried to introduce the mode of transport
but failed. The rudimentary concept of the transportation mode
was brought forward by Dean Quinby in 1962 when he wrote an
article on light rail trains. In North America, the first light rail
system of transportation began in 1978 when they adopted the
German Siemens-Duewag U2 system. After this numerous states
followed suit including California, Alberta, San Diego, and
Calgary. In Britain, the trend to light rail started catching up in
1992 after the success of the Manchester Metro link system in
1992. Comment by Dr. Deb: Source for this date
Light rail systems can be divided into many types
according to their capacities. There are low capacity ones,
higher capacity ones, speed, and stop and mixed systems. There
are two types of low capacity light rails, the traditional type,
and the modern type. The traditional type is the ones in which
the train tracks run along the street and engage with the roads
traffic. Here there are frequent stops, but there are no special

3. stop stations. In the modern types, the trains run along their
separate ways and are separated from the roads. These trains
stop less frequently, and passengers have to board them from
specific platforms ("Fast-Growing Light Rail Adds to
Transportation Choices", 2014). Comment by Dr. Deb: IS
this all the history you could locate?
Create an overview of your chosen market domain. This
overview will be a survey of the domain holistically in order to
describe the marketplace of your chosen market domain and the
factors contributing to its development. For example, if you
chose the transportation industry and focused on ground
transposition, you would discuss the development of the rail or
interstate highway systems, the concept of intermodal
transportation, deregulation, environment laws, and so forth.
You will describe the impact on the marketplace of these new
developments and leadership’s response.
The mixed light rail systems have mixed properties as
trains can run along streets, raised viaducts and even
underground tunnels. These types of light trains are most
common in the United States, and there are some very good
example is the Los Angles Metro Rail Gold line. There are also
light trains that have low speeds and run on very short
distances. However, low speeds are not usually very effective in
differentiating between light rails. Comment by Dr. Deb:
Sentence it hard to read Comment by Dr. Deb: Why, explain
and support
Advantages and disadvantages
Light rail transportation has been preferred in numerous
cities as compared to other modes of transportation such as
buses and taxi cabs for numerous reasons. Light rail trains are
very comfortable and provide a higher capacity of carrying
passengers per hour. They also provide lower operating and
traveling costs per passenger and have petite noise pollution
both to the passengers inside and the citizens outside. The trains
also provide fewer jolts for the buses and lower environmental
pollution as they use electricity as compared to fuel products

4. that lead to harmful emissions. The visual appeal of a city can
also be enhanced by these light trains as they offer exquisite
aesthetic. The trains also have benefits to areas that are part of
the urban renewal schemes as the property prices near them
raise significantly (Loman, 2012). Comment by Dr. Deb:
Would strengthen your paper to provide some ‘such as” cities,
where does it work and why not in others?
Light trains offer legibility to its passengers to all people
even those who don’t use it frequently know where they go and
are confident that the train will arrive at a particular time. The
trains can also integrate well with areas that hold a lot of people
for example malls e.g. Bourke St Melbourne. The trains can also
run on batteries or take power from third rails in case they
operate on an area where overhead wiring is unacceptable. The
light trains suit areas that the level of demand is less and would
not support heavy trains. Usage of light trains prevents and
reduces vehicle congestion in many cities and reduces the
intensity of traffic jams (Loman, 2012).
Although light rail transportation offers numerous
advantages to the transport sector, it doesn’t come without its
flaws and cons as compared to buses. For one, light trains have
a higher capital cost and a lower proportion of seats to the
people standing. The trains are also very inflexible as they
cannot change routes in case of a breakdown or malfunction like
street closure. These trains can also not overtake each other and
move at prescribed speeds. During of the rails for the trains, a
lot of disruption is caused by traffic and business within the
city. Light trains that use coal-fired electricity though minimal
in this century used to cause a lot of greenhouse emissions.
Some of these light trains are very long and thus extremely hard
to accommodate in areas with short blocks. For this reason, one
light train cannot get into an area with a short block unless it is
sure the one in front has left. Light trains are very popular in
some areas and thus usually attract too many passengers
exhausting all its spare capacity. Comment by Dr. Deb: The
reader does not know what a “short block” is, was this defined

5. Deregulation
There are numerous examples of how a shift in policy can
have significant changes in the financial health of industry; rail
deregulation is one of these examples. The rail sector in the
United States was initially controlled and operated by the
private sector. However, due to the importance of the railway
system and its monopoly in many areas the industry came under
the scrutiny of both the public and political arena. As the
railroads started to serve the public, it was crucial that the
government formed some regulations to control the industry.
These legislations were intended to prevent monopoly and
ensure open access is maintained (Slack, 2016). Comment by
Dr. Deb: This already occurred, correct?
The first regulatory board was formed in 1887 and was
known as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Its main
functions were to control freight services, supervise mergers
and regulate competition by looking at the different ownership
models. Policy makers were forced to act after the rail industry
collapsed in 1960. Legislators were given the mandate to look
for solutions based on regulatory control. The first policy
change to be put in place was the Railroad Revitalization and
Regulatory Reform Act in 1976. The law eased regulations on
rates, mergers and line abandonment. After sometime
deregulation was at its maximum and this is the time that
Congress came up with the Staggers Rail Act in 1980. This act
provided better pricing freedom, streamlined the merger
timetables and allowed multi-modal ownership (Slack, 2016).
Comment by Dr. Deb: What does this mean and the impact
to the industry/market place?
Concept of intermodal transportation
The concept of intermodal transportation has been around
for numerous centuries. Intermodal transportation is usually
associated with the movement of passenger or freight from one
mode of transportation to a different one. It usually occurs at a

6. terminal that is specifically designed for this purpose.
Intermodal transportation in some areas was also associated
with containerized rail transportation. Light rail transportation
sometimes transfers passengers to buses etc., and this is a
perfect example of intermodal transportation. Intermodality
boosts the economic enactment of a transport chain by using
means in the most industrious manner. Thus, the line-haul
markets of rail may be subjugated for long distances, with the
proficiencies of trucks offering flexible indigenous pickup and
supplies (Rodrigue & Slack, 2016).
Intermodal light rail transport is renovating a rising share
of the average, and long-haul cargo flows through the world
were mostly incorporated transport carriers deliver door to door
services, such as the extraordinary degree of integration
between sea and light rail transport in North America. In Europe
light rail intermodal services are becoming extremely popular
between its major ports such as Rotterdam and southern
Germany, and between Hamburg and Eastern Europe. Light rail
transport shuttles are also becoming a common case in China
and parts of Asia. Although light rail intermodal transport has
been comparatively slow to progress in the Asian continents, its
success in the United States is forcing the governments of
countries like China to notice and to start improving and
adopting its light rail transportation sector (Rodrigue & Slack,
2016). Comment by Dr. Deb: Is regulation the only factor
that impacted your industry and marketplace?
Dissolution of companies and its reasons
In the railway transportation industry, there have been
numerous companies that have been shut down and forced into
dissolution for numerous different reasons. One example of
such companies was the Railway Procurement Agency. The
company was a state based company in the department of
transport, tourism and sport based in the Republic of Ireland. It
was conceptualized and formed on the 28th of December 2001

7. and was charged with the mandate of developing light railway
and future metro railway system. It was however dissolved on
the beginning of August 2015 under the roads Act of 2015 for
numerous reasons. Comment by Dr. Deb: Was this a railway
company/rail transportation company or an agency oversight?
The Railway Procurement Agency was tasked with
implementing the main rail elements under the Irish government
led by its national transport authority. It was supposed to be
responsible for the coordination, planning and purchase of
different projects through public-private partnerships. The
railway procurement agency, however, faced numerous
challenges and was accused of different controversies that led to
its dissolution. The three most important ones include the Lucas
Redline, integrated tracking scheme and the Chief Executive
dispute.
The Red line controversy was famous in the year 2006 as
the railway procurement authority was criticized and faulted for
allowing the red line to be launched and opened even though
they had the information those parts of the railway tracks were
faulty and had no track support. They were exposed by
Australian consultants who conducted and formulated a report
to the general public. The railway procurement authority
defended itself and claimed that the supports though faulty did
not pose any life threatening consequences to passengers; they,
however, agreed to replace them at their expense.
Another substantial controversy that faced the company
was the integrated ticket scheme. As it was crucial for a new
mode of payment that is standardized to be introduced in all
transport sectors due to the new Luas platform. After a while,
the leap card scheme was the final result, and it used a smart
card usable in all transport systems in Dublin. The railway
procurement authority was given the task of coming up with a
cohesive ticketing scheme, but it faced numerous problems that
hindered its completion. Many of these setbacks include
exceeding budgets and not delivering at the specified time.
The railway procurement agency came up with the leap

8. card that was supposed to fulfill the needs of an interconnected
ticketing system. Many people, however, disputed it as they saw
it as a smart card instead of an integrating ticket. Leap was
found not to be fully integrated although it could be used across
all the transportation platforms. There were also numerous
imperfections with the ticketing system as it provides people
with unlimited access to all the transport systems for just ten
pounds instead of deducting further charges when one reaches
the limit. The doubts about the safety of the train’s tracks also
might have discouraged some passengers from using the light
trains and thus preventing the growth of the industry both in a
business perspective and an economic perspective.
These two factors that led to the dissolution of the railway
procurement system prevented various changes in the transport
system. The lack of a well-integrated paying system meant that
the government was losing a lot of revenue as it was not
accessing the necessary amount of payment to assist it run the
transport system and improve the light railway transportation
marketplace. The economy was thus being robbed of a large
amount of necessary revenue. Comment by Dr. Deb: This one
company appears to be an oversight agency rather than a
railway system/company which dissolved and the reasons why,
etc. Is your research focus on the oversight agency side or the
railway operation companies side?
The light rail transportation system has brought numerous
improvements to environmental conservation. It has improved
the air quality in many cities as gas emissions have been
reduced drastically. Light rail transportation has assisted
metropolitan areas to meet the requirements and quality
standards of air by reducing the emissions from vehicles that
create fog. Many people living in cities with huge traffic
congestion especially those along great ways are normally at
risk due to the poor air quality caused by vehicle emissions. The
light rail transportation industry can reduce this as the trains are
run by electricity and produce little or no emissions of harmful
gasses ("Transit’s Role in Environmental Sustainability", 2016).

9. The adaptation and frequent usage by many people of the
light rail transport have enabled the country to save up on fuel
as vehicles are the major fuel users in the country. As the trains
use electricity energy regarding fossil fuels like petroleum can
be saved thus preventing more extraction and negative
environmental impacts. Congestion in the cities is also reduced
as traffic jams are now on the minimal. The energy used per
passenger on a light rail train is so much lesser than that used
by a single passenger in a private vehicle. This shows how much
energy the United States saves by using light trains in its cities.
Comment by Dr. Deb: Do you have sources for the fact
statements in this paragraph? How do you know that it save fuel
and prevents extraction; that energy per passenger is less; that
congestion is reduced, etc
The light rail transport system has also provided the U.S.
citizens with a more affordable way of transportation as a
person will spend less when using a light train as compared to
when one uses a personal vehicle considering the high prices of
fuel in the country. They have also facilitated for economic
development as the revenues from the light rail transport sector
are used to support and preserve the system, and the remaining
is put into developing the economy ("Transit’s Role in
Environmental Sustainability," 2016).
Conclusion
In conclusion the light rail transportation system has
revolutionized and changed the face of the railway and transport
sector as we used to know it. Many countries are now focusing
on developing such systems due to its advantages and benefits
to the public. However, it is important that the industry is also
watched carefully to ensure its market remains relevant and
stays on track to assist in economic development.

10. References
Fast-Growing Light Rail Adds to Transportation Choices.
(2014). realtor.org. Retrieved 2 June 2016, from
http://www.realtor.org/articles/fast-growing-light-rail-adds-to-
transportation-choices
Loman, J. (2012). Advantages of light rail transit (1st ed., p.
47). Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=w
eb&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjfsaWHp4nNAhXCt
BQKHTqjDw0QFggmMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baneko
nference.dk%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FAdvantages%2520
of%2520Light%2520Rail%2520Transit%25202012.pdf&usg=AF
QjCNGD9eOO6q9ncTeZqwDCr0U46XpLQw&sig2=8j1cVBk-
Pj3lBZFJjfytvQ Comment by Dr. Deb: Hyper links and blue
font are not APA
Rodrigue, D. & Slack, D. (2016). Intermodal Transportation and
Containerization. People.hofstra.edu. Retrieved 2 June 2016,
from
https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch3en/conc3en/ch3c6en.
html Comment by Dr. Deb: Title improperly formatted
Slack, D. (2016). Rail Deregulation in the United
States. People.hofstra.edu. Retrieved 2 June 2016, from
https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch9en/appl9en/ch9a1en.
html
Transit’s Role in Environmental Sustainability. (2016). FTA.
Retrieved 2 June 2016, from
https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-
guidance/environmental-programs/transit-environmental-
sustainability/transit-role Comment by Dr. Deb: Title
improperly formatted – also did not use hanging indent
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
A. Factors: Analyze the factors that contributed to the

11. obsolescence or dissolution of notable companies in your
selected market domain in the recent past. Make sure to discuss
both inhibiting and enabling factors in your analysis. Only read
one factor and did not thoroughly discuss both inhibiting and
enabling factors
B. Impact of Factors: Assess the impact of the factors you
analyzed on opportunities for change and innovation in the
business environment of your selected market domain. Missed
analyses of both change and innovation and how it impacted
your domain – is your domain oversight agencies or the light
rail system/a specifying railway company, etc.?
While you have a good start here about the history of the
industry Frank there was a gap of identifying key factors, not
just one which was regulatory, also other factors and how they
impacted your chosen industry/company and opportunities for
change and innovation etc. Be sure to review the assignment
requirements and rubric each time and assess your paper to
determine if all have been addressed. This evaluation process
will aid your work.