The Influence of Service Planning Decisions on Rail Transit Success or Failure, MTI Report 08-04

Some United States metropolitan areas with rail transit systems enjoy ridership and productivity success while others do not. This study examines the experiences of 11 U.S. metropolitan areas with between one million and five million persons to better understand why some areas are successful and others are not. A particular focus is the role of service planning decisions in facilitating transit success. We find that successful transit systems are those that: 1) articulate a clear, multidestination vision for regional transit; 2) rely on rail transit as the system´s backbone; 3) recognize the importance of the non-CBD travel market; 4) encourage the use of transfers to reach a wider array of destinations; 5) recognize that rail transit alone is not enough to guarantee success; and 6) recognize the importance of serving regional destinations