Informed but opinionated commentary and analysis on urban transportation topics from the Secret Worldwide Transit Cabal. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty.

Our Mission: Monkeywrench the Anti-Transit Forces

 
Minimum Economic Rail Transit Volumes: What the Japanese Think

From the Cabalmaster:

Studies during the early 1980s, following the onset of the "terminal" Japanese National Railways (JNR) financial crisis, found that motor transport was more efficient, from the viewpoint of the national economy, on lines where traffic density was less than 4,000.

This comes from an editorial titled "Are Trains Almighty?" by Tatsuhiko Suga, Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 18, December 1998.

(That's 4,000 passenger-cubits per cubit of route per day, or whatever unit of linear measure you wish to use . . . so long as you're consistent!

Passenger-light-years per light-year of route would also work. (Might be more "accessible" to those spaced-out Harvard economists.)

(p.s. If a Harvard econ grad shouts "STOP BUILDING RAIL SYSTEMS, DAMMIT!" in an empty lecture hall, does he make a sound?)

posted by The Cabalmaster, Master of All Transit-dom 8/08/2002 04:54:00 PM