The effects of a rail-rapid or underground railway on a region

Abstract

Well over a hundred city regions in the world have underground railways operating in their areas or being planned. At the mo­ment few regions can afford to embark on a new system,. but in a few years we may find it essential to build either an under­ground railway, or a simpler version using rail-rapid trains or trams. Even existing suburban railways could be made to ope­rate more efficiently by adopting some of the characteristics of an underground system. Whatever the method used, the effect on the surrounding region will be considerable. This holds in­teresing possibilities for the regional planner.