IF articles

Summary - In recent years, there has been a continuous and rapid increase in the number of urban mass railway transportation systems put in revenue service worldwide.
As new metro, tramway, and monorail systems are being put into circulation, they are supplemented by innovations in rolling stock, infrastructure, and operational equipment / procedures. As a result, they provide more efficient public transport to more people. Consequently, the need arises for frequent updates of relevant data. This paper initially attempts to systematically record the tramways, the metros, and the monorails currently in revenue service and under construction worldwide. It continues with a statistical analysis of their basic characteristics in an effort to showcase and compare trends. For meaningful information to be acquired, data acquisition is based on clear definitions of such systems. In this aspect, the paper provides clear criteria for the distinction of urban mass railway systems. The findings were recorded at the end of 2019.