专业英语 轨道交通工程.docVIP

10. Rail Transit Engineering 10.1 Text 10.1.1 Passage Light Rail Light rail or light rail transit (LRT) is a particular class of urban and suburban passenger railway that uses equipment and infrastructure that is generally less massive than that used for rapid transit systems, with modern light rail vehicles usually running along the system. 轻轨或轻轨交通是一类特殊的城市和郊区铁路客运，其设备和基础设施规模一般小于快速公交系统，和现代轻轨车辆通常使用同一系统。 Light rail is the successor term to streetcar, trolley and tram in many locales, although the term is most consistently applied to modern tram or trolley operations employing features more generally associated with metro or subway operations, including exclusive rights-of-way, multiple unit train configuration and signal control of operations. 轻轨是继有轨电车和电车后出现的，虽然这个术语始终一贯地应用于现代有轨电车，其使用特点通常与地下铁道或地铁有很多关联，包括独立路权，多单元列车配置和信号控制操作系统。 The term “light rail” is derived from the British English term “light railway” long used to distinguish tram operations from steam railway lines, and also from its usually lighter infrastructure. “轻轨”这个术语来源于英语“轻型铁路”，长期用于区分电车操作和蒸汽驱动铁路，也把电车从较轻的基础设施中区分开来。 Light rail systems are almost universally operated by electricity delivered through overhead lines, though several systems are powered through different means, such as the JFK Air Train, which uses a standard third for its electrical power, and tram in Bordeaux which use a special third-rail configuration in which the rail is only powered while a tram is on top of it. A few unusual systems like the River Line in New Jersey and the O-Train in Ottawa use diesel-powered trains, though this is sometimes intended as an interim measure until the funds to install electric power become available. 轻轨系统几乎普遍通过架空线用电力驱动，虽然多个系统通过不同方式提供动力，如肯尼迪空中列车（肯尼迪国际机场捷运），采用了三级标准电力，波士顿的有轨电车使用了特殊的三轨构造，当电车在上面时轨道才会提供动力。有一些不常见的系统采用柴油动力火车，如新泽西州的瑞夫线和渥太华的O列车，不过有时这只是资金到位以安装电力系统的临时措施。 History of the light rail From the mid-19th century, horse-drawn trams (or horse cars) were used in many cities around the world