Passenger transportation in the USA

RAILWAYS

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

Read and translate the text using a dictionary. Put questions to the underlined words.

TEXT 2 LIGHT RAIL1 ARRIVES IN THE LONE STAR STATE

USA (Dallas)

The first stage of Dallas light rail network was inaugurated in June 1997. Marching bands,

balloons, free rides created a lively atmosphere in Dallas, when the city and its surrounding

region celebrated the Grand Opening of the first modern light rail line in Texas. The

ceremonies were held at all 14 stations along the initial 16 km route as well as in the city

centre.

More than 4,000 local officials and citizens from across the region gathered in temperatures

of over +37° С to witness the opening of the light rail.

The Grand Opening, a five-day period of public celebrations, included a gala dinner, art

program and parties at eight of the fourteen stations. Thanks to sponsorship from over 80

corporations, passengers were also able to ride free of charge for the whole of the following

week in a «try-it-you'll-like-it» campaign. The biggest sponsors were recognized with their

names on some of the cars exteriors.

Approximately 8,600 passengers rode the light rail line on the first afternoon. Regular

commercial services began on June 24. The standard fares are: $1 for a single ticket and $2

for a return ticket, apart from the city centre zone where there is a 50 cent single ticket. Different

discounts are proposed (e.g. passengers can buy 11 tickets for the price of 10, and there is also

a “day pass” offering unlimited travel on light rail and bus services for just $3 a day).

Dallas light rail network has purchased 40 Light Rail Vehicles (LRV). Able to

accommodate 160 passengers each, the cars have a top speed of 105km/h. The air-conditioned

LRVs can operate singly or in trains of up to three depending on demand. Traffic frequency on

the city centre section is 5 minutes and 10 minutes during the peak hours and off-peak hours

respectively.

Capital Program of the Dallas light rail network development envisages construction of

additional light rail and commuter rail routes over the next 15 years, creating a 145 km network

by 2010.

Note:

1. light rail – высокоскоростная железная дорога местного значения

The railroad is a form of land transportation that is found in almost every country in the world.

Railroads serve many thousands of communities, from big cities in highly developed nations to tiny villages in remote areas. Railroads carry travelers to and from neighboring communities or on trips across whole continents. They carry raw materials and farm products to manufacturing and processing plants, and they carry the finished products from those plants to warehouses and stores. Railroads were designed to move large numbers of passengers or large amounts of freight over long distances. The railroad is the most efficient method of land transportation because it requires the least amount of fuel and human labor and is the least damaging to the environment. Railroads carry about 40 percent of the total volume of freight transportation in the United States. The world has a total of more than 738,000 miles (1,187,000 kilometers) of railroad line. Almost all the railroad systems carry both freight and passengers. A railroad is much like a manufacturing business whose sole product is transportation service. To produce that product it requires tracks, cars, locomotives, repair shops, communication systems, and skilled workers.

In urban areas of the United States, movements of people between home and work account for

about 40 percent of the total number of passenger journeys. Recreational trips1 account for about 15 percent of all trips. Automobile riding, for example, is not only a means of reaching a destination but is a popular form of outdoor recreation2. Recreational boating also is popular. Cruise ships have made up the major proportion of ocean-going passenger vessels since jet aircraft became the favored mode of transoceanic travel. The automobile dominates intercity passenger transportation in the United States. It accounts for more than 80 percent of the total passenger miles. No other mode of transportation approaches the flexibility and convenience of the automobile, which provides door to- door service independent of schedules.

The railroad is no longer a major means of intercity passenger transportation in the United

States, though railroad passenger service prospers in much of the rest of the world. As recently as the early 1940s there were more than 20,000 daily intercity passenger trains in the United States. By the early 1970s there were only about 200. Whereas railroads accounted for almost 70 percent of the total passenger-miles by public carrier in 1930, by 1970 they accounted for less than one percent. In 1971 the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, a federal agency that is also known as Amtrak, took over most of the intercity railroad passenger service. Most Amtrak trains operate in the Northeast corridor between Boston, Mass.; New York City; Philadelphia, Pa.; Baltimore, Md.; and Washington, D.C. A large proportion of the New York-Washington service is by high-speed electric trains called Metroliners. There is commuter railroad passenger service in the suburban areas of such large cities as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco. Electric interurban railroads and street railways in cities have almost disappeared.

Intercity buses in the United States serve many more communities3 than do railroads. Using

modern expressways, they provide swift service between major cities, though many communities

not on expressways now have much less bus service than they formerly had. Air carriers dominate public intercity passenger transportation in the United States. The growth of air passenger traffic has been rapid, increasing from only 14 percent of the total in 1950 to more than 85 percent in the 1980s. Passenger transportation by water carriers in the United States is insignificant except for some ferry services.

Notes:

1) recreational trip – путешествие (поездка на отдых или экскурсию)

2) outdoor recreation – отдых на открытом воздухе

3) community – населённый пункт

Дата добавления: 2017-02-01