An International Review of The Significance of Rail in Developing More Sustainable Urban Transport Systems in Higher Income Cities

The significance of urban rail systems in cities, especially in comparison to buses, is a widely discussed topic. This study examines 60 high-income cities in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, dividing the sample into strong rail, weak rail and no rail cities using three criteria related to the significance of rail within the public transport system of each city and the rail ystem’s speed competitiveness with cars. Trams, LRT, metro and suburban rail are all considered.