Commuter Rail Stations Research Articles

Typologies of stations’ catchment areas in metropolitan urban peripheries: From car-oriented to sustainable urban strategies

After decades of sprawl and car-dependent urban developments, especially on the peripheries of metropolitan areas, new policies are being oriented towards more efficient and sustainable mobility. In the process of change towards more sustainable mobility patterns in peripheral areas, commuter railways must play a predominant role because of their capacity and speed. The main aim of this paper is to analyse commuter rail stations’ catchment areas (SCAs) to identify typologies of these nodes in large metropolitan areas as a key step in proposing strategies for making mobility much more sustainable, both in the medium and proximity scales, by promoting soft mobility towards stations, a strategy that will facilitate commuters’ use of daily rail transport. The method proposed is based on a twofold clustering analysis. The first is to consider urban-planning variables to detect consolidated stations; the second is to use both public space and land-use variables to characterise the quality of the urban environment for walking/cycling. These methods are applied in the metropolitan area of Madrid and offer some key insights. The results show that different typologies are found – from consolidated, dense and mixed-use SCAs, with large residential developments, to low-density SCAs in sprawl areas or low consolidated mixed-use SCAs with large parking spaces, following the park-and-ride model, among others. This identification of SCAs’ typologies is key for policy makers to propose different strategies, which could be small projects oriented towards improving public spaces promoting soft mobility, or deeper changes that require a re-densification process in the stations’ surroundings, breaking with the rigid definition of transit-oriented developments and adapting the decisions taken to each context.

Parking Management and Commuter Rail: The Case of Northeastern Illinois

This article examines the relationship between parking management and commuter rail transit using the Chicago metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois as a case example. Commuter rail transit and parking management are discussed within the broader context of transportation planning in the Chicago metropolitan region. Commuter rail ridership, mode of station access, and parking utilization rates are compared. Related air quality, social equity, and land-use concerns are reviewed.There are no simple solutions to the problem of spillover parking around commuter rail stations. The construction of new parking can be expensive. Raising parking prices may induce spillover parking. Doing nothing to address observed parking shortages may inhibit ridership. Shared parking is an excellent compromise in many situations, but even this is far from a universal solution.

Smart Bicycles in an Urban Area: Evaluation of a Pilot Scheme in London

Automated or smart bicycle systems are seen as a way to enhance mobility and provide a convenient access and egress mode for public transport. This article summarizes an evaluation of a pilot system that was introduced in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in August 2004. Underground and commuter rail stations, as well as a heavily-used bus network, serve this densely populated area of London. A survey of users was conducted and data were collected from actual use of the system. Analysis of these data provided some insights into the capabilities of these types of systems to enhance existing public transport services. In particular, it was found that the potential of the system lies primarily with the leisure and recreational market and with providing links to public transport stations. The pilot included “sponsored” nonpaying users who tended to use the system more for commuting and utilitarian trips.

If you build it, they will change: Evaluating the impact of commuter rail stations on real estate values and neighborhood composition in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, the Netherlands

In many metropolitan regions, transit-oriented developments are built to motivate the use of sustainable travel by promoting urban growth within walking distances of public transport stations. Changes in residential property values are a common way to assess the success of transit-oriented developments. However, studies that focus on property values alone have reported mixed effects. This paper attempts to evaluate the land value impact around commuter rail stations by analyzing the change in property values within the context of the transformation of socio-spatial neighborhood attributes. The study sets out to estimate the effect of Randstad Rail stations using real estate transaction data of residential properties and neighborhood socio-spatial attributes in the Rotterdam–the Hague metropolitan area of the Netherlands covering a period from 1985 to 2018. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the effect is estimated for properties within different catchment zones around three commuter rail stations using a Difference-in-Differences Model and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results demonstrate the overall negative effect of the Randstad Rail on the value of residential properties at a distance equal to or less than 400 meters from the selected rail stations in the range of -18.8% to -11.5%. In contrast, a positive effect is observed for the residential properties located within a radius of 400 to 800 meters from the rail stations, which is estimated to be +15% to +33.2%. The findings also indicate a considerable socio-spatial transformation in the neighborhood composition after the opening of the rail stations in terms of neighborhood population density, land-use density, housing characteristics, and car ownership, which significantly affect the magnitude and direction of the impact.

Perceptions of neighborhood change in a Latinx transit corridor

Understanding how nearby residents feel about transit-induced neighborhood change remains understudied despite growing concerns over displacement and gentrification. This study analyzed 329 surveys of resident perceptions of neighborhood change and associated development near an existing commuter rail station and a planned streetcar route in Santa Ana, California, a largely low-income, Latinx community. We found residents were on average satisfied with neighborhood access to transport and amenities, and that higher neighborhood satisfaction was associated with a more positive assessment of development and neighborhood change. Living near the streetcar route was associated with more negative assessments of change, reflecting residents of these areas had heightened concerns about housing costs, displacement, and parking. Results provide planners with insights regarding support for and concerns about transit-induced neighborhood changes that can help foster more equitable and responsive development processes and outcomes.

Factors underlying the connections between active transportation and public transit at commuter rail in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

Encouraging the integration of active transportation with transit is increasingly being pursued as a strategy by transit agencies to boost alternative means to access transit services. Using the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas’ GO Transit as a case study, we conduct an investigation into the land-use and socioeconomic variables influencing the use of active transportation to access commuter rail stations. The percentage of transit users that arrive by active modes is explored using a binomial logit model. Population density, proportion of residential land, population age, low automobile ownership and median income are found to be positively associated with the integration of active transportation and transit. The proportion of commercial/institutional land, street density, and the amount of car parking at stations are negatively associated with access by active transport. The research helps to identify several policies that may increase the level of integration between active transport and public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Biking the First Mile: Exploring a Cyclist Typology and Potential for Cycling to Transit Stations by Suburban Commuters

Regional commuter rail has become an important means of traveling to urban employment centers across North America, but planners are faced with the challenge of connecting commuters from their origin or destination locations to a train station. Cycling may be an efficient and low-cost way of taking these transit-access trips. However, cycling behavior of rail commuters, particularly in a suburban context, remains understudied. This research examined perceptions of cycling and current cycling behavior of 257 transit users from three suburban commuter rail stations in the Toronto region, Canada. Using a cluster analysis approach, four distinct cyclist types were identified, namely: recreational cyclists (29%), all-purpose cyclists (10%), safety-conscious occasional cyclists (33%), and facility-demanding occasional cyclists (28%). Differences between these groups included different mode-choice motivations, tolerance for adverse weather conditions, comfort bicycling in various hypothetical traffic/infrastructure conditions, and current frequency of cycling for transportation and recreational purposes. The safety-conscious group included a higher percentage of women compared to other groups. Overall, 32.5% of regional transit users would be interested in cycling more often to rail stations. A higher proportion of recreational cyclists (compared to other groups) were “interested first-mile cyclists”, whereas the safety-conscious group had a significantly greater proportion of “uninterested” respondents. With careful planning of bicycle infrastructure and awareness campaigns targeting perceptions of cycling, there is much potential for cycling to accommodate a greater proportion of transit-access trips in suburban communities, reducing demand for automobile parking at transit stations.

Forecasting the Land Value around Commuter Rail Stations using Hedonic Price Modeling

Forecasting the Land Value around Commuter Rail Stations using Hedonic Price Modeling

2437 - Connecting Cycling to Transit: A Typology of Toronto Region Commuter Rail Passengers

Highest Scoring Abstract: Undergraduate/Masters Background Nearly one in four trips to commuter rail stations in the Toronto region are between one and five kilometers in length – a reasonable distance for cycling. Yet only 1% of passengers arrive by bike, with the majority (62%) of nearly 100,000 daily passengers driving and parking at a station. A sixteen-billion-dollar investment in enhanced rail service is expected to double current train ridership. To support this growth, it is necessary to increase the use of non-parking-dependent station access modes. Cycling has potential to be a sustainable alternative for short station access trips, while also promoting superior health outcomes associated with a more active lifestyle. This study develops a cycling typology of passengers to foster a better understanding of customer perceptions and to identify customer segments who may be willing to cycle to the station. Methods Passengers intercepted at three suburban commuter rail stations were invited to complete an online survey (n = 300). Drawing on proven cycling determinants from the literature, the survey assessed willingness to cycle in adverse weather, the importance of end-of-trip facilities, comfort cycling on various types of infrastructure, and other personal identity and societal factors. A principal component analysis of the survey data followed by k-means cluster analysis was used to develop a typology of respondents. Results Using six factors derived from 17 survey variables, four distinct types of cyclists were identified: All-around cyclists (10%) most frequently cycle for transportation purposes and are most comfortable cycling in adverse weather conditions. Recreational cyclists (29%) frequently cycle for recreation but rarely for transportation purposes and are more comfortable on low-stress facilities such as paths, residential streets, and protected bike lanes than on busy roads. The safety-conscious (33%) do not frequently cycle, but express comfort with low-stress facilities. Finally, the facility-demanding (28%) express the strongest support for end-of-trip facilities and are least likely to agree that cycling is a practical way to reach the station. Nearly all (95%) of those who currently cycle to a station fall within the all-around type. Females are nearly twice as likely as males to be represented in the safety-conscious type. Conclusions Efforts to increase cycling to rail stations will necessitate encouraging recreational cyclists and the safety-conscious to ride for transportation purposes. Low-stress cycling networks surrounding the stations are critical in supporting these efforts, particularly for female riders.

Geographically Weighted Regression Models in Estimating Median Home Prices in Towns of Massachusetts Based on an Urban Sustainability Framework

Housing is a key component of urban sustainability. The objective of this study was to assess the significance of key spatial determinants of median home price in towns in Massachusetts that impact sustainable growth. Our analysis investigates the presence or absence of spatial non-stationarity in the relationship between sustainable growth, measured in terms of the relationship between home values and various parameters including the amount of unprotected forest land, residential land, unemployment, education, vehicle ownership, accessibility to commuter rail stations, school district performance, and senior population. We use the standard geographically weighted regression (GWR) and Mixed GWR models to analyze the effects of spatial non-stationarity. Mixed GWR performed better than GWR in terms of Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) values. Our findings highlight the nature and spatial extent of the non-stationary vs. stationary qualities of key environmental and social determinants of median home price. Understanding the key determinants of housing values, such as valuation of green spaces, public school performance metrics, and proximity to public transport, enable towns to use different strategies of sustainable urban planning, while understanding urban housing determinants—such as unemployment and senior population—can help modify urban sustainable housing policies.

The effects of commuter rail establishment on commuting and deconcentration

ABSTRACT Historians and others have chronicled the role of highway construction in population deconcentration in the United States, but little is known about whether commuter rail produces similar outcomes. This paper studies the role of commuter rail stations in population deconcentration, modelled through the relationship between in-migration and out-commuting from census tracts. It finds that increased migration in station areas suppresses population deconcentration, seemingly enabling node-based development. However, this effect does not hold across all stations. Preliminary evidence suggests that commercial development in station areas facilitates migrants working locally, decreasing deconcentration – and possibly helping regions work toward sustainability goals.

Empirical models of transit demand with walk access/egress for planning transit oriented developments around commuter rail stations in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

This paper explores the relationship between characteristics of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and passenger transit demand with walk access/egress. Two separate Log-linear Cobb- Douglas regression models are estimated for predicting transit ridership with walk access/egress as a function of specific land-use and station-level attributes around commuter rail stations in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The empirical models are estimated using passenger survey data collected by the regional transit authority in the GTHA. The regional transit system considered in this research is GO Transit which has stations distributed across the GTHA. The first estimated model is a trip production model that predicts the number of daily trips produced per GO Transit station with walk as the access mode to the station. A trip attraction model is also estimated for predicting the daily trips attracted to a GO Transit station with walk as the egress mode from the station. The empirical models reveal that the station-level trip production via walk access is significantly associated with population density and walkability in the vicinity of the station, as well as the station’s frequency of trains, number of bus feeder lines and utilization of parking spaces. Trip attraction by rail via walk egress at a GO Transit station is shown to be highly related to employment density, frequency of trains, and the relative network distance from the station to the central business district. A noteworthy finding with policy implications is that the frequency and number of bus feeder lines to a station is negatively associated with trip production via walk access. The study results can form the basis of transportation and land use policies aimed at implementing successful TODs.

Electric vehicle park-charge-ride programs: A planning framework and case study in Chicago

In suburban areas, combining the use of electric vehicles (EV) and transit systems in an EV Park-Charge-Ride (PCR) approach can potentially help improve transit accessibility, facilitate EV charging and adoption, and reduce the need for long-distance driving and ensuing impacts. Despite the anticipated growth of EV adoption and charging demand, PCR programs are limited. With a focus on multi-modal trips, this study proposes a generic planning process that integrates EV infrastructure development with transit systems, develops a systematic assessment approach to fostering the PCR adoption, and illustrates a case implementation in Chicago. Specifically, this study develops a Suitability Index (SI) for EV charging locations at parking spots that are suitable for both EV charging and transit connections. SI can be customized for short-term and long-term planning scenarios. SI values are derived in Chicago as an example for (1) commuter rail stations (for work trips), and (2) shopping centers near transit stops as potential opportunities for additional weekday parking and EV charging (for multi-purpose trips/MPT). Furthermore, carbon emissions and vehicle miles travelled (VMT) across various travel modes and trip scenarios (i.e., work trips and MPT) are calculated. Compared to the baseline of driving a conventional vehicle, this study found that an EV PCR commuter can reduce up to 87% of personal VMT and 52% of carbon emissions. A more active role of the public sector in the PCR program development is recommended.

Does public transportation improve the accessibility of primary dental care in São Paulo, Brazil?

Advances in geospatial technologies have recognized the role of geographic distance as a barrier to healthcare accessibility. Frequent transportation is supposed to buffer issues with distance, while infrequent services impede the uptake of care. The role of public transportation on the accessibility of health care-including oral health care-is not well elucidated in the context of megacities, such as the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil. This study aimed to compare the supply of public transportation to primary dental clinics and the population between advantaged and disadvantaged areas in São Paulo city. A total of 4101 primary dental clinics in São Paulo city were identified and geocoded. Geographic coordinates were also retrieved for the 19242 bus stops, 56 commuter rail stations and 64 rapid transit stations. Clinic locations and transport points were integrated with the city's 19128 constituent census tracts-each containing sociodemographic data on the 11252204 residents-using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Almost all clinics were located within 0.5km of public transportation. Half of all clinics were within 0.5km of high-frequency transport points, and three-quarters were within 1km. Likewise, 99% of the population resided within 0.5km of any public transportation. However, only 22% were within 0.5km of high-frequency options, and half were within 1km. Those within 0.5km of high-frequency points had higher average monthly household incomes and lower illiteracy rates, with lower proportions of children and ethnic minorities, and higher proportions of older people. Clinics and populations in sociodemographically disadvantaged tracts have poorer public transportation links in São Paulo city.

New urban developments and commuter rail: Madrid case study

This study describes the influence on population and land use of the recent inauguration of commuter rail stations in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain) in the period 2000–2011. Population growth in recent residential developments in the vicinity of new commuter rail stations was found to be greater than in comparable areas lacking any urban railway. Moreover, the growth in population near new stations was greater than in the broader study area where they are located, the metropolitan ring of Madrid. The settling of inhabitants nearby is a trend seen to accelerate shortly after inauguration of these new commuter stations. This effect is considerably stronger in the zone nearest the station. Such findings underline the positive influence that a quality public transport system may have on urban development.

Benchmarking gentrification near commuter rail stations in New Jersey

Predictions in recent studies that an increasingly large number of households will locate near rail stations because of changing lifestyles and perceptions of younger generations should be a reason for concern for transportation planners as excessively high demand for housing near stations can displace disadvantaged populations. In New Jersey, where the statewide Transit Village programme was introduced in 1999 to promote transit-oriented developments (TOD), many communities with rail stations are currently inhabited by low-income and minority populations. While gentrification through TODs can have many environmental and economic benefits, caution is needed to ensure that it does not displace disadvantaged households. With this assertion, the study sets benchmarks for current population characteristics of the areas near commuter rail stations in New Jersey and compares changes of the characteristics between 1990 and 2013 by using the Geolytics Neighborhood Change Database. Specifically, it compares the socioeconomic characteristics of the areas near stations with the areas further both at the macro and the micro levels by focusing on race, ethnicity, income, rent and other key variables. The study uses analysis of variance and regression models to compare areas near stations with areas beyond. Although the regression models showed higher home value and greater increase in home value near stations than areas further, change in rent has been more stable. The analysis did not reveal significant undesirable changes in population characteristics in the areas near stations, especially for the variables on race and ethnicity.

Designing Shuttle Connections to Commuter Rail with Census Origin and Destination Data

Designing shuttles that help transit riders complete the last mile of their trip (from a transit station or stop to their destination) plays an important role in leveraging rail capacity and growing a regional transit market. Unavailable or imprecise data have made it difficult to conduct effective design for shuttle routes on the basis of a defined potential market. This study developed a methodology for determining the size and location of the untapped market of commuters who drove long distances for work but could have made the same trip with commuter rail and last-mile shuttle service. The analysis was conducted with U.S. Census Longitudinal Employer–Household Dynamics data, a relatively new public data set of statewide workplace and residence pairs at the census block level. As a case study, the analysis was applied to the potential for last-mile shuttle connections between employment and 14 FrontRunner commuter rail stations outside downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. For the shuttle market to be captured, the workplace and residence pairs in this methodology were selected on the basis of three criteria: ( a) a residence within the FrontRunner park-and-ride shed, ( b) a workplace within 2 mi of a FrontRunner station, and ( c) an overall trip distance of 15 mi or greater. The study identified stations with the highest number of trips that met all three criteria and designed shuttle routes on the basis of the associated employment locations. Although this analysis focused on nontraditional commuting patterns, the same methodology would be useful for many other analyses of commuter markets.

A Method Using GIS Integrated Voronoi Diagrams for Commuter Rail Station Identification: A Case Study from Brasilia (Brazil)

This article describes a station location method for a commuter rail system applying a GIS integrated Voronoi diagrams. The method comes from a previously defined track line and considers the stations area coverage. As parameters to define area coverage we first used the point density representing the maximum concentrated activity area. We also use the trip generating rate weights for point density. The method was applied to Brasilia Metropolitan Area, and the final product was a “T” Trunk-Feeder framework that allows an integrated transportation system planning considering others existing transit systems. The stations were classified according to their degree of activities density and its importance for integration. The “T” Trunk-Feeder is a representation of the commuter rail network and the Trunk-Distribution is the transport network responsible for distributing the passengers in central business district - CDB. The proposed model features 69km extension, with the estimated total travel time of 62minutes, and 17 stations being integrated into 2 metro, 4 integrated into LRT stations and 3 integrated into the bus stops.

A Study of LEED vs. Non-LEED Office Buildings Spatial & Mass Transit Proximity in Downtown Chicago

Although the number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified office buildings continues to increase, research on their spatial distributions in comparison to non-LEED buildings and mass transit links need to be explored in depth. This paper focuses on these aspects using all the downtown Chicago Class A office buildings as the study area. The findings show that LEED buildings are 21% closer to each other, indicating possible proximity pressure. LEED-Gold buildings are also 18% closer to each other compared to Silver. Regarding mass transit, LEED compared to non-LEED buildings are on average 14% closer to a metro area commuter rail station (Metra) and 12% closer to a local commuter rail station (CTA). In addition, LEED and non-LEED buildings show some evidence of small group clustering in certain areas, while the econometric results indicate that buildings located along the most prominent office market street (Wacker Drive) achieved 12% higher LEED points compared to other LEED buildings. A similar result was experienced among buildings built after 1979 and those certified under LEED v.2009 (12% and 19%, respectively). Additionally, LEED-Silver buildings achieved a lower number of points compared to other certification levels by 20%.

The impacts of non-resident parking restrictions at commuter rail stations

At commuter rail stations in many affluent suburban communities of New Jersey, non-residents are prohibited from parking or are charged a higher fee. This paper examines the impacts of non-resident parking restrictions on rail usage. It uses data from a large survey of commuter rail passengers, a detailed parking inventory of station parking lots, and data from the American Community Survey. It compares the catchment areas of stations and the likelihood of individuals boarding at stations with and without parking restrictions by using ordinary least squares, mixed regression, and logit models. It further examines the rail use propensity of communities when the nearest station prohibits non-resident parking by ordinary least squares and tobit models. The analyses show that, all else being equal, stations with non-resident parking restrictions have smaller catchment areas and passengers are less likely to use these stations compared to stations without restrictions. The implications are discussed.