luvsouls asked:
You hate light rail and love trolleys, right? But in Philly, the light rail IS the trolley. So do you love or hate the trolleys? (PS if you're unfamiliar, check out the route 15 trolleys specifically, they're the coolest ones)
amtrak-official answered:
Trolleys are kind old fellows, Light rail is a stupid Modernist with no soul. I love Trolleys and streetcars and would give them the world, because they have a fucking point. Lightrail on the other hand…
Okay so @angstylittlecatboy these aren’t offical definitions but, Light rail is basically cheaper normal rail that can carry fewer people and is slower, but is more able to run on streets. This is because it is an indecisive little bitch of a transit form. Meanwhile a streetcar is designed for street running and thus is more streamlined, and even cheaper, but has actual soul and is more likely to have fucking dedicated lanes. In short a streetcar is designed for at grade and street running and is better for areas that can’t be served by traditional rail due to elevation, cost , or space, meanwhile light rail is normal rail but shitty and with less capacity, but can run in traffic, what a useful fucking invention.
