Unit 7 public transport study

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam Unit 7: PUBLIC TRANSPORT INTRODUCTION Public transport also public transportation or public transit is a shared passenger transportation service w

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

Unit 7: PUBLIC TRANSPORT

INTRODUCTION

Public transport (also public transportation or public transit) is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams and trains, rapid transit (metro/subways/undergrounds etc) and ferries Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world

Most public transport runs to a scheduled timetable with the most frequent services running to a headway Share taxi offers on-demand services in many parts of the world and some services will wait until the vehicle is full before it starts Paratransit

is sometimes used in areas of low-demand and for people who need a door-to-door service

Urban public transport may be provided by one or more private transport operators

or by a transit authority Public transport services are usually funded by government subsidies and fares charged to each passenger Services are normally regulated and possibly subsidized from local or national tax revenue Fully subsidized, zero-fare (free) services operate in some towns and cities

For historical and economic reasons, there are differences internationally regarding use and extent of public transport While countries in Old World tend to have extensive and frequent systems serving their old and dense cities, many cities of the New World have more sprawl and much less comprehensive public transport

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

THE ADVANTAGES OF USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

A public transport system is a shared public mass transportation form that is provided for use to the general public These systems are organized and efficient, and come in many forms, from the Subway or bus to a taxi to trams, coaches, airplanes, and high speed railways Many of us are so reliant upon our own personal vehicles that we rarely give any thought to the benefits of using these public modes

of transportation However, if you live in a city or other area where you could easily utilize these daily, you should know that it can actually make your life easier

There are many reasons why public transport is a great idea It can save you a lot of money Everyone knows how expensive it is to fill your car up with gas Not to mention the cost of the car itself and insurance protection that you need to cover it Owning your own vehicle is a pretty major expense And while you do have to pay

to ride public transportation systems, it will likely end up being a whole lot cheaper, especially if you do it often

It can also offer great convenience Tired of fighting traffic day after day to get to your job? Consider that the subway or tram may just miss all this traffic Not to mention the fact that it allows you more time to be focused on other things Rather than driving, you can be making business calls, planning your day, or jotting down notes All you have to do is show up and get on board and you will be escorted to your destination The service could not be better

There are some who like to be in control, and feel that they can be more so when they drive their own vehicle However, if you call forking out a lot of money each month and waiting in hour long traffic being in control, then consider the alternative: peacefully relaxing in the back of a cab or flying through the air on a plane, blissfully unaware of traffic accidents below that will have traffic backed up for hours Public transports can also be quite helpful when you are traveling to other countries It is obviously not realistic to consider taking your car overseas, so your only alternatives are to rent a vehicle when you get there or ride the public system When you realize that roadways and signs in other countries are often a little confusing, you may opt for allowing yourself to be escorted from place to place It will make your day more relaxing, too

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

PUBLIC TRANSPORT VERSUS OWNING A CAR

Public transport services are offered in most major cities all around the world It offers a cheap alternative to the cost of owning a vehicle or paying for a taxi when you visit outside of your home town Even if you have the money to purchase a car

to begin with, you have a number of other expenses to deal with

The cost of gas and maintenance fees such as oil changes and new tires can add up

to be more than the fees for a monthly pass While it depends on the time of day you are travelling, it can even be a faster way to get into town Otherwise, it's up to you do determine if you can have the extra time to spend on travel

Parking fees should be considered as well If you aren't paying for hourly parking, you will be looking at high fees for day passes or monthly parking Without your own regular space, you need to spend time and energy finding a place to put your car and hope that you're within a reasonable walking distance to your work or target location

You also do not have to worry about the extra money needed to repair a car when it breaks down Whether money is tight or not, it is never fun to have to worry about getting your car to a shop and handing over hard earned cash that you would otherwise not have to spend

Getting to know public transportation in any city, whether it's in your home town or not, is not always easy Unfortunately, it is not going to be the same everywhere you go However, once you figure out how to use the public transport where you are

it can be well worth the effort you put in

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

Vocabulary

public transport

public transportation

public transit

passenger

taxicab

car pooling

hired bus

trolleybus

tram

train

metro

subway

underground

ferry

scheduled timetable

coach

intercity rail

paratransit

transit authority

personal vehicle

benefit

insurance

protection

peacefully

blissfully

public transport service

maintenance fee

parking fee

extra money

energy

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

Further reading

HANOI METRO

Hanoi Urban Metro (Hanoi Metro) is a metro rail system that will be developed in Hanoi, Vietnam, by 2020 The project is part of an integrated development programme for urban transport in Hanoi and will provide a safe, efficient and clean urban transportation system It is the fourth-biggest project in Vietnam to utilise the Japanese Government’s official development assistance capital

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second-largest city, with a population of about six million Many trains, including services to Hai Phong and

Ho Chi Minh City, depart from Hanoi station The Union Express travels from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping at cities and towns along the route

Commuters in Hanoi use motorbikes, buses, taxis and bicycles The metro project is part of the Vietnam Ministry of Transport's master plan, which aims to reduce the use of private transport and enhance the urban environment

The metro system will have five routes The main route - line 3 - will be the first metro line in Hanoi On completion, the route will provide transport to 200,000 passengers a day It broke ground in September 2010 and is expected to become operational by the end of 2015

The entire project is being carried out by Hanoi Metropolitan Rail Transport Project Board (HRB), formerly known as the Hanoi Authority for Tram and Public Transport Development Management (HATD) Technical studies of the system were completed in 2009

Project

The feasibility study for a Hanoi metro pilot route / line was completed in October

2005 and design of the pilot line started in 2007 The pilot route will be an east-westbound line and will connect 12 stations in the city bewteen Hanoi station and Nhon depot

The 12.5km pilot line will incorporate a 5.5km single track U-viaduct and a 4km twin tunnel structure The system will include 9.6km of elevated and 2.9km of

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

underground sections, and will use 20m metro trains top transport 900 passengers in

a single trip The trains will run at 80km/h, covering the entire route in 20 minutes International consulting engineers HRB and SYSTRA signed two contracts to construct the pilot line Each contract is worth €36m and the total cost of the pilot line is about €500m

SYSTRA will assist with the commissioning, launch and operation of the service and will supervise the construction and manufacture of rolling stock It also provided design studies and assessed bids The metro's infrastructure will include a viaduct, an underground section, stations, a depot and rolling stock maintenance centre and power supply stations The construction of line two will begin in 2011 and is expected to be operational in January 2016

Line routes

Hanoi Metro's routes will include Nam Thang Long to Tran Hung Dao, Nhon to Hanoi station, Cat Linh to Ha Dong and Yen Vien to Ngoc Hoi The route connecting Nam Thang Long and Tran Hung Dao will be 11.54km long and serve ten stations The line will include an 8.55km underground section The pilot line (line 3) between Nhon depot and Hanoi station will start at Nhon and travel to Cau Giay via National Highway 32, Ho Tung Mau and Xuan Thuy It will also pass through Kim Ma, Nui Truc and Quoc Tu Giam The 13km-route connecting Cat Linh and Ha Dong will travel from Cat Linh to Thai Thinh via Hao Nam and Hoang Cau From Thai Thinh the line will move towards National Highway 6, connecting Nga Tu So, Nguyen Trai, Tran Phu and Quang Trung

Financing

The project is being coordinated and financed by several organisations including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank The latter has granted a €173m loan to help fund the construction of line 3 Part of the project is being financed by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) The money provided by AFD is being used to construct the pilot line's infrastructure The project is being co-financed by bilateral overseas development assistance loans They amount to €280m, of which €200m is tied and €80m is untied

Source: railway-technology.com