MAX-The New Trend in Rubber-Tire Rapid Transit

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Feb 2005 by Swallow, David C

THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF SOUTHERN NEVADA HAS DEPLOYED A NEW RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN THE LAS VEGAS, NV, USA, METROPOLITAN AREA THAT USES A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM APPROACH TO INCREASE CAPACITY, IMPROVE PASSENGER COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE, REDUCE TRAVEL TIMES AND RAISE AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

AS TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND air pollution continue to increase in several U.S. metropolitan areas, so does the demand for effective transportation solutions. Although increasing the capacity of roadways may relieve some of this strain, it cannot outpace the growth in automobile use.

Historically, the public's perception toward transit as an alternative is mixed at best. To address this issue, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) has deployed a new transit system in the Las Vegas, NV, USA, metropolitan area.

Metropolitan Area F^press (MAX) is creating a fresh image for public transportation while enhancing service to its customers. MAX is a national demonstration project sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) bus rapid transit (BRT) program. The goal of the project is to use an innovative system approach to increase capacity, improve passenger comfort and convenience, reduce dwell times and raise awareness in the community about the benefits of public transportation.

Developed as a higher grade transit solution, MAX is a rubber-tire rapid transit system that operates like light rail but with the lower cost and flexibility of a bus. In its initial deployment in the Las Vegas area, MAX has complemented existing fixedroute bus operations and enhanced service to customers in the project corridor.

System features include an exclusive transit-only lane; high-capacity, low-floor vehicles with optical guidance systems (OGS); and unique passenger "stations" with large seating areas, generous lighting, vending machines and elevated platforms for near-level boarding. Other elements include offboard fare collection; multiple-door boarding; transit signal priority; automatic passenger counters; and computer-aided dispatch with automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) technology.

The 7.5-mile Las Vegas Boulevard North project corridor previously was served solely by RTC's Citizens Area Transit (CAT) fixed-route bus service. Route 113, which was one of RTC's busiest routes in the CAT system, carried an average of more than 7,200 passengers per day from July 2003 through June 2004. The corridor connects to many of the area's population, employment and service centers, including the resort corridor, the City of North Las Vegas municipal campus and Nellis Air Force Base.

The surrounding area is populated by many low-income residents who depend on transit to get to and from work. With more than 30 stops in each direction, the average one-way peak travel time from the southern terminus at the downtown transportation center in Las Vegas to the northern terminus near Nellis Air Force Base was nearly 50 minutes.

In 1999, the Nevada Department of Transportation, together with the City of North Las Vegas, proposed re-striping an existing breakdown lane along five miles of the corridor into a transit-only lane. Given the large demand and the potential for enhanced service, RTC used this opportunity to secure federal funding under FTA's BRT program.

In accordance with the program requirements, RTC staff reviewed the characteristics of each stop along the existing Route 113 and identified 18 high-volume locations in the area of the transit-only lane that would be better served with the new system.

Although the new service would enhance existing operations at these locations, the southernmost stations were nearly 2.5 miles away from the southern terminus. This gap would be minimized later by a donation of right of way by the Jerry's Nugget Casino to accommodate two additional stops, extending the effective service area another mile south and providing direct access to one of the more prominent employment and recreational venues in North Las Vegas.

To enhance the identity and function of the system-that of providing trainlike service-RTC selected a vehicle that would have an exclusive and attractive appearance and would feature some of the latest innovations in transit technology. The Civis vehicle, manufactured by the European company Irisbus, is 61 feet long, has 100 percent low-floors and can accommodate more than 100 passengers.

It uses a diesel-electric powertrain with electric motors in each of the four rear wheels to obtain smoother acceleration and air quality emissions that are near those of compressed natural gas. Energy captured through regenerative braking is used to supplement the power requirements of the vehicles robust climate control system. Other features include self-leveling suspension; OGS for automatic steering; center-driving position; automatic passenger counters; next-stop annunciators integrated with the CAD/ AVL system; and interior bicycle racks.