Light rapid transit, urban road traffic control and EMC

Light rapid transit systems (LRT) provide a means of transporting people quickly from outside of a city to a central destination. This is achieved by using either segregated allocations of road-track or by running on-street. In the UK, the new on-street LRT environment raises the question of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with existing equipment. The paper examines the electromagnetic compatibility of road traffic control equipment and LRT, focusing on the Manchester Metrolink as the first of the new light rail systems to include on-street running. In addition, the impact of the EMC Directive (Council Directive 89/336/EEC) is considered. The study was commissioned by the Department of Transport, TCC Division prior to the operation of the Metrolink. One of the objectives of the study was to produce new standards for EMC for traffic control equipment operating in a LRT environment