Rapid transit

Rapid transit is a high-capacity public transportation system, usually rail, that carries passengers on routes separated from ordinary road traffic. Stations and frequent service enable large numbers of people to travel across urban areas.

Railway signalling: Systems that control train movements and keep trains safely separated on railway lines. Signalling sets the minimum safe distance between trains and therefore constrains line capacity.
Urban rail transit: Passenger rail services designed to move people within and around urban areas. Rapid transit is one high-capacity form within this broader family of urban rail.
Public transport network: An interconnected system of public-transport routes, services, and transfer points. Rapid transit gains reach when coordinated with other routes and modes.
Metropolitan Railway: The railway opened in London in 1863 that became the world's first underground passenger railway. Its opening established the tunnel-based urban railway as a new way to cross a congested city.
Induced demand: The increase in travel that can follow an expansion of transport capacity or reduction in travel cost. New rapid-transit capacity can attract trips that were previously made by other modes or not made at all.
Platform screen doors: Barriers at station platforms that open in coordination with train doors. They reduce platform incidents and can support reliable, automated service.
Metro (railway): An urban railway with frequent service and routes largely independent of street traffic. Metro systems are the most familiar form of rapid transit.
Intermodal passenger transport: Passenger journeys that combine two or more transport modes. Transfers connect rapid transit with buses, railways, bicycles, and walking routes.
City and South London Railway: A London underground railway opened in 1890 and operated electric trains through deep-level tunnels. It demonstrated the practical use of electric traction for deep underground rapid transit.
Transit desert: An area where residents have limited access to adequate public transportation. Uneven rapid-transit coverage can leave some communities poorly connected to the network.

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