International Review of Light Rail Transit:

Light Rail Transit (LRT) is emerging as a mode of choice in many cities in the world. The past two decades have seen an increasing number of LRT systems being both planned and implemented in developed and developing countries.

HHO Africa have been the transportation planning consultants for the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront project - a highly acclaimed and successful urban renewal project. During the course of their transportation planning a preliminary investigation into a LRT link between the Waterfront and the central city area of Cape Town was undertaken.

HHO Africa were then appointed by the South African Rail Commuter Corporation to carry out an international review of light rail transit (in association with Jeffares and Green). Following an extensive overseas study tour into the latest developments in LRT, HHO Africa presented their findings in a major report in July 2001.

The reasons identified by HHO Africa for the success of LRT projects are many fold but include :

	Its ability to fit into modern planning approaches regarding land use in cities and the interrelationship between land use and transport systems
	It is flexible in that it can be aligned along a variety of rights of way to suite local circumstances including dense urban precincts
	It functions as a catalyst to attract investment along its routes and especially at stations
	It is easily accessible via its simplified station design and has a high public perception rating because of modern fleet designs and high service attributes
	It is generally much more environmentally friendly than other transport systems and is far more economic than heavy rail metro systems