Now this is a Light Rail Station! (Newark, Jersey City: 2009, to buy)

[Design7]

After spending a couple of years in Phoenix, Arizona, I must say that when it comes to a light rail systems, they have what is quite possibly the most stylish light rail stations in the country. They have a Buck Rogers / futuristic look that is very appealing and adds a nice touch to the urban streetscape.

Newark has a light rail . . . but honestly, it does not have the high style seen in some of its newest architectural examples such as NJPAC and the new sports arena. We could learn a thing or two from Phoenix when it comes to designing a light rail system! What do you think?

To the moderator: This is my photo linked from my website!

[solibs]

i think their rail cars make a bolder statement than their stations . . . and I agree, NJTransit's LRVs are a little boring. The reason you see those cars in Newark is because they're the same cars you see in Jersey City/Hoboken/etc. It's much cheaper to buy in bulk ;-)

But a lot of the design of the cars has to do with the specs that the transit provider sends to the manufacturer. In Phoenix and a lot of other sunbelt cities that are 50 or 60 years late to the rail transit party have really wide roads and huge intersections so designers can do a lot more with the rail cars.

When you have small tunnels, narrow streets and tight corners, as on the east coast and some parts of the midwest and west coast, you need cars that are not only narrower but that are also shorter (or at least have a shorter distance between trucks or between articulated sections.