In recent years, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a competitor of Light Rail Transit (LRT). There is a debate about which mode is more energy efficient. A few researchers have tried to compare BRT and LRT on the basis of direct energy consumption. To analyze energy consumption in its proper context, both direct and indirect energy need to be considered. This research was intended to fill this gap. The study first determined the energy intensities for different components of LRT and BRT. Then a life cycle energy assessment for a transit corridor in Ottawa was conducted. Several energy estimation models were developed to estimate vehicle and infrastructure energy consumption. It was found that BRT and LRT nearly consumed the same amount of energy, if a 2.5 km tunnel is considered. However, without the tunnel, LRT consumed approximately 12% more energy than BRT. The share of indirect energy was 66% of the total life cycle energy for both the systems.
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