Railway English (Английский язык в системе железнодорожного транспорта)

55 rubber-tired systems in other cities. Crew sizes have decreased throughout history, with some modern systems now running com-pletely unstaffed trains. Other trains continue to have drivers, even if their only role in normal operation is to open and close the doors of the trains at stations. (Based on: David Boynes. The Metropolitan Railway) II. Read and translate the following text and be ready for itsfurther discussion on the basis of active vocabulary, key terms quiz, review and discussion questions. WHAT IS LIGHT RAIL? Light rail transit evolved from streetcar technology. Electric streetcars dominated urban transit up through World War II. But once the war was over, «old-fashioned» trolley lines were converted to bus operation in droves, all in the name of «modernization». The genesis of the terminology «light rail transit» dates to the late 1960s when planning efforts were underway to procure new vehicles for legacy trolley lines. The principals working on that program rec-ognized that, because of the wholesale abandonment of streetcar lines in the previous two decades, the words «streetcar» and «trolley» had stigmas with likely negative political consequences. Therefore, the term «light rail vehicle» was coined, borrowing from British ver-nacular. Tracks for light rail transit are generally constructed with the same types of materials used to construct «heavy rail», «commuter rail», and railroad freight systems. Also, light rail vehicles may be as massive as transit cars on heavy rail systems. Consequently, the term «light rail» is somewhat of an oxymoron and often misunderstood. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) defines light rail transit as an electric railway system characterized by its ability to operate single or multiple car consists along exclusive rights-of-way at ground lev-el, on aerial structures, in subways or in streets, able to board and discharge pas-sengers at station platforms ...