Light rail is a great clean transit solution that could help many cities improve their quality of life. It is growing in popularity across the U.S., but is still probably unknown and unseen by many. And I’m sure there are millions upon millions of people who would be hard-pressed to come up with an answer as to how light rail transportation (LRT) is different from commuter rail or streetcars/trams.

Very simply, light rail is somewhere in between those two, in the size of the trains, the distances they travel, and their typical speed. But, if you’re curious to know more, the great infographic below from Snapsort has a lot more info for you (presented in an aesthetically pleasing and fun way).

In particular, the focus is around the city of Waterloo, where Snapsort is based, and a potential LRT system there. Check it out (and if you’re in the Waterloo region, support LRT!):

(Note: my Master’s degree is in city & regional planning and I was the executive director of an organization focused on promoting clean transportation options like LRT and BRT, so I’ve studied these things in pretty good depth — Snapsort does a pretty awesome job of explaining all the key points in this infographic.)

click to enlarge

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Zachary Shahan (2291 Posts)

I'm the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular clean energy website in the world, and Planetsave, a leading green and science news site. I've been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and I've been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, bicycling, and wind energy for the past few years. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Think Progress, GE's ecomagination site, several sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. To connect on your favorite social network, go to: zacharyshahan.com