62-567: The Metro Red Line is a bus rapid transit line between the Twin Cities suburbs of Bloomington, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota . The Red Line travels primarily on Minnesota State Highway 77 and Cedar Avenue from the Apple Valley station in Apple Valley, north through Eagan, Minnesota , to the Mall of America station in Bloomington where it connects to the Metro Blue Line . The line has bus rapid transit elements including bus-only lanes , specially branded vehicles, transit signal priority , and dedicated stations. The line
124-518: A busway or transitway , is a trolleybus , electric bus and public transport bus service system designed to have much more capacity , reliability , and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are dedicated to buses , and gives priority to buses at intersections where buses may interact with other traffic; alongside design features to reduce delays caused by passengers boarding or leaving buses, or paying fares . BRT aims to combine
186-611: A "BHLS" (stands for Bus with a High Level of Service ). The term transitway was originated in 1981 with the opening of the OC Transpo transitway in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada. Critics have charged that the term "bus rapid transit" has sometimes been misapplied to systems that lack most or all the essential features which differentiate it from conventional bus services. The term " bus rapid transit creep " has been used to describe severely degraded levels of bus service which fall far short of
248-525: A BRT system to 35,000 passengers per hour. The single-lane roads of Istanbul Metrobus had been frequently blocked by Phileas buses breaking down, causing delays for all the buses in a single direction. After focusing on Mercedes-Benz buses, capacity increased to 45,000 pph. Light rail, by comparison, has reported passenger capacities between 3,500 pph (mainly street running) to 19,000 pph (fully grade-separated ). Transit signal priority Bus priority or transit signal priority (TSP)
310-428: A low-noise, low-emissions "hush mode" (in which the diesel engine operates but does not exceed idle speed ) when underground. The need to provide electric power in underground environments brings the capital and maintenance costs of such routes closer to those of light rail, and raises the question of building or eventually converting to light rail. In Seattle, the downtown transit tunnel was retrofitted for conversion to
372-599: A park-and-ride lot adjacent to the highway near the Twin Cities Premium Outlets shopping mall. The route crosses Interstate 35E and serves two stations at 140th and 147th streets. The final stop is at the Apple Valley Transit Station . The Red Line aimed for 975 daily rides in its first year. While in the Red Line's first year of operation MVTA's ridership numbers reached record levels, ridership on
434-506: A pedestrian and bicycle bridge at 140th St in 2018, 2020, and 2022. The $ 2.9 million project was awarded $ 2 million as part of the 2022 grant cycle. A redesign of the Mall of America station was estimated to reduce travel times by 2-4 minutes. From the route's opening on June 22, 2013, until May 19, 2017, northbound Red Line buses used to make an additional stop outside of the Mall of America at 30th Avenue Station . Plans for bus rapid transit in
496-449: A result, less forced ventilation will be required in tunnels to achieve the same air quality. Another alternative is to use electric propulsion, which Seattle 's Metro Bus Tunnel and Boston 's Silver Line Phase II implemented. In Seattle, dual-mode (electric/diesel electric) buses manufactured by Breda were used until 2004, with the center axle driven by electric motors obtaining power from trolley wires through trolley poles in
558-451: A shared hybrid-bus and light-rail facility in preparation for Seattle's Central Link Light Rail line, which opened in July 2009. In March 2019, expansion of the light rail in the tunnel moved busses back to surface streets. Bi-articulated battery electric buses cause no problems in tunnels anymore but provide BRT capacity. A BRT system can be measured by a number of factors. The BRT Standard
620-419: A static map, featuring services like trip planning, live arrival and departure times, up-to-date line schedules, local station maps, service alerts, and advisories that may affect one's current trip. Transit and Moovit are examples of apps that are available in many cities around the world. Some operators of bus rapid transit systems have developed their own apps, like Transmilenio. These apps even include all
682-477: A total daily ridership), in the developing world this capacity constraint (or rumor of a capacity constraint) was a significant argument in favor of heavy rail metro investments in some venues. When TransMilenio opened in 2000, it changed the paradigm by giving buses a passing lane at each station stop and introducing express services within the BRT infrastructure. These innovations increased the maximum achieved capacity of
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#1732876013274744-426: A “green wave” for traffic along the transit line's route. Passive techniques require no specialized hardware (such as bus detectors and specialized traffic signal controllers) and rely on simply improving traffic for all vehicles along the transit vehicle's route. Active TSP techniques rely on detecting transit vehicles as they approach an intersection and adjusting the signal timing dynamically to improve service for
806-567: Is a name for various techniques to improve service and reduce delay for mass transit vehicles at intersections (or junctions) controlled by traffic signals . TSP techniques are most commonly associated with buses , but can also be used along tram/streetcar or light rail lines, especially those that mix with or conflict with general vehicular traffic. Transit signal priority techniques can generally be classified as "active" or "passive". Passive TSP techniques typically involve optimizing signal timing or coordinating successive signals to create
868-581: Is a risk of a dangerous gap between bus and platform , and is even greater due to the nature of bus operations. Kassel curbs or other methods may be used to ease quick and safe alignment of the BRT vehicle with a platform. A popular compromise is low-floor buses with a low step at the door, which can allow easy boarding at low-platform stops compatible with other buses. This intermediate design may be used with some low- or medium-capacity BRT systems. The MIO system in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, pioneered in 2009
930-569: Is less complex than rail maintenance. Moreover, buses are more flexible than rail vehicles, because a bus route can be altered, either temporarily or permanently, to meet changing demand or contend with adverse road conditions with comparatively little investment of resources. The first use of a protected busway was the East Side Trolley Tunnel in Providence , Rhode Island . It was converted from trolley to bus use in 1948. However,
992-640: Is planned with an opening in 2040. The Red Line's northern terminus is Mall of America station at the Mall of America in Bloomington. At the station are connections to eight bus routes and the Metro Blue Line . From the Mall of America, the route travels on Minnesota State Highway 77 and serves the Cedar Grove Transit Station which has bus stops in the middle of the highway with an indoor walkway to
1054-459: Is today over 18.5 miles long. The OC Transpo BRT system in Ottawa , Canada, was introduced in 1983. The first element of its BRT system was dedicated bus lanes through the city centre, with platformed stops. The introduction of exclusive separate busways (termed 'Transitway') occurred in 1983. By 1996, all of the originally envisioned 31 km Transitway system was in operation; further expansions were opened in 2009, 2011, and 2014. As of 2019,
1116-559: The BRT Standard promoted by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and other organizations. Compared to other common transit modes such as light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT) service is attractive to transit authorities because it does not cost as much to establish and operate: no track needs to be laid, bus drivers typically require less training and less pay than rail operators, and bus maintenance
1178-628: The Cedar Avenue Bridge . Congestion in the corridor was expected to increase and the Red Line was planned to assist with easing congestion. Construction on upgrades to Cedar Avenue were started in April 2009 and included upgrades for buses, lane expansion for automobiles, and wider sidewalks for pedestrians. The total cost for the project was $ 112 million. Only $ 21 million was for the Red Line itself with $ 34 million spent on express service upgrades and $ 57 million spent on roadway expansion. The majority of
1240-605: The Indonesian capital city . Bus rapid transit is a mode of mass rapid transit (MRT) and describes a high-capacity urban public-transit system with its own right of way , vehicles at short headways , platform-level boarding, and preticketing. The expression "BRT" is mainly used in the Americas and China; in India, it is called "BRTS" (BRT System); in Europe it is often called a "busway" or
1302-906: The MIO in Cali since November 2008, Metrolinea in Bucaramanga since December 2009, Megabús in Pereira since May 2009. This design is also used in Johannesburg 's Rea Vaya . The term "station" is more flexibly applied in North America and ranges from enclosed waiting areas ( Ottawa and Cleveland ) to large open-sided shelters ( Los Angeles and San Bernardino ). A unique and distinctive identity can contribute to BRT's attractiveness as an alternative to driving cars, (such as Viva, Max, TransMilenio, Metropolitano, Metronit, Select) marking stops and stations as well as
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#17328760132741364-475: The 12 feet (3.7 m) reinforced shoulder lanes are allowed to travel up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) faster than regular traffic as long as they are within the speed limit. At Cedar Grove, buses used to exit the highway to use Cedar Grove Transit Station . This routing added about 10 minutes on a round trip which lowered ridership. A center-median Cedar Grove station serving the Red Line opened May 20, 2017. This reduced travel time, as buses no longer exit
1426-435: The 15,000 to 25,000 range. Research of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) shows a capacity ranking of MRT modes, based on reported performance of 14 light rail systems, 14 heavy rail systems (just 1-track + 3 2-track-systems "highest capacity") and 56 BRT systems. The study concludes, that BRT-"capacity on TransMilenio exceeds all but the highest capacity heavy rail systems, and it far exceeds
1488-518: The Metropolitan Council. The seven buses purchased cost between $ 450,000-$ 550,000 each. All buses were equipped with lane departure warning systems and collision avoidance system advisories. The original interior bike racks were replaced with exterior bike racks several months after opening. These buses were retired in December 2020 when Metro Transit took over operations from MVTA. Until 2022,
1550-508: The Twin Cities region subsidies of $ 7.38 and $ 5.52 per passenger trip respectively. Red Line buses run mostly on bus-only lanes and have transit signal priority . Trips to downtown Minneapolis from Apple Valley station that take the Red Line to the Blue Line take about an hour versus 40-43 minutes on an express bus. The Red Line initially operated using Nova Bus LFX 40' buses (4252-4258),
1612-639: The United States, BRT began in 1977, with Pittsburgh's South Busway , operating on 4.3 miles (6.9 km) of exclusive lanes. Its success led to the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway in 1983, a fuller BRT deployment including a dedicated busway of 9.1 miles (14.6 km), traffic signal preemption , and peak service headway as low as two minutes. After the opening of the West Busway , 5.1 miles (8.2 km) in length in 2000, Pittsburgh's Busway system
1674-419: The buses. Large cities usually have big bus networks. A map showing all bus lines might be incomprehensible, and cause people to wait for low-frequency buses that may not even be running at the time they are needed. By identifying the main bus lines having high-frequency service, with a special brand and separate maps, it is easier to understand the entire network. Public transit apps are more convenient than
1736-764: The capacity and speed of a light rail transit (LRT) or mass rapid transit (MRT) system with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system. The world's first BRT system was the Runcorn Busway in Runcorn New Town, England, which entered service in 1971. As of March 2018 , a total of 166 cities in six continents have implemented BRT systems, accounting for 4,906 km (3,048 mi) of BRT lanes and about 32.2 million passengers every day. The majority of these are in Latin America , where about 19.6 million passengers ride daily, and which has
1798-585: The center of major arterial roads, in 1980 the Curitiba system added a feeder bus network and inter-zone connections, and in 1992 introduced off-board fare collection, enclosed stations, and platform-level boarding. Other systems made further innovations, including platooning (three buses entering and leaving bus stops and traffic signals at once) in Porto Alegre , and passing lanes and express service in São Paulo . In
1860-591: The central part of the Transitway has been converted to light rail transit , due to the downtown section being operated beyond its designed capacity. In 1995, Quito , Ecuador, opened MetrobusQ its first BRT trolleybuses in Quito , using articulated trolleybuses. The TransMilenio in Bogotá , Colombia, opening in 2000, was the first BRT system to combine the best elements of Curitiba's BRT with other BRT advances, and achieved
1922-568: The concept while sketching on the back of an envelope. The town was designed around the transport system, with most residents no more than five minutes walking distance, or 500 yards (460 m), from the Busway. The second BRT system in the world was the Rede Integrada de Transporte (RIT, integrated transportation network ), implemented in Curitiba , Brazil, in 1974. The Rede Integrada de Transporte
Metro Red Line (Minnesota) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-472: The corridor were first started in 1999 with $ 500,000 in state funding. An extension of the then in development Hiawtha Avenue light rail (Blue Line) was considered and was projected to attract the most riders with up to 23,100 by 2020. Exclusive bus only lanes for the corridor would have cost a fraction of the light rail extension but only attract up to 18,400 riders a day by 2020. Both ridership projections were contingent on dense transit-oriented development along
2046-485: The corridor. Studies on the corridor were extended to Lakeville in 2003 with 2025 ridership expected to be 12,900. Bus rapid transit was selected as the preferred alternative over light rail in 2004. A light rail line was estimated to cost $ 650 million. A 2010 report estimated 150,000 daily vehicles on Cedar Avenue with volumes expected to double within 20 years. At the Minnesota River crossing, 90,000 vehicles traveled on
2108-627: The first BRT system in the world was the Runcorn Busway in Runcorn , England. First conceived in the Runcorn New Town Masterplan in 1966, it opened for services in October 1971 and all 22 kilometres (14 mi) were operational by 1980. The central station is at Runcorn Shopping City where buses arrive on dedicated raised busways to two enclosed stations. Arthur Ling , Runcorn Development Corporation's Master Planner, said that he had invented
2170-430: The first and only in the Twin Cities. Buses were chosen to provide a riding experience closer to that of riding a train with larger windows, interior space for bikes, an exterior designed to be similar to light rail vehicles. Station and bus design allows for level boarding for passengers. The vehicle design was chosen out of three other competitors and had been available on the market for five years before being purchased by
2232-464: The first week. City officials believed that the Red Line factored into some real estate developers' decisions to develop projects worth $ 273 million within .5 miles (800 m) corridor. A 2015 Cedar Avenue Transitway Implementation Plan Update set plans for additional stations and an extension to Lakeville, Minnesota. The extension to Lakeville isn't planned to open until 2040. Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit ( BRT ), also referred to as
2294-442: The following features: Bus-only lanes make for faster travel and ensure that buses are not delayed by mixed traffic congestion . A median alignment bus-only keeps buses away from busy curb-side side conflicts, where cars and trucks are parking, standing and turning. Separate rights of way may be used such as the completely elevated Xiamen BRT . Transit malls or 'bus streets' may also be created in city centers. Fare prepayment at
2356-671: The freeway. The 300-foot climate-controlled walkway over Cedar Avenue connects the new station to the existing transit station. The passenger platform and walkway cost $ 15 million with $ 10.4 coming from the Counties Transit Improvement Board , $ 3.3 from the state of Minnesota, and $ 1.3 million from Dakota County. The addition of the station was estimated to add 40,000 annual rides to the Red Line and save $ 293,000 in annual operational costs. Stations at 140th St and 147th St were included to serve local businesses and neighborhoods. Apple Valley elected officials were concerned about
2418-565: The full budget of the Red Line. Dakota County's portion of the Red Line's budget was $ 1.3 million in 2017. The MVTA operated the Red Line through a contract with the Metropolitan Council and cost $ 3.2 million in 2020 to provide the service. After first discussing the plan with MVTA in July 2020, the Metropolitan Council announced that it would not renew its operating contract with MVTA, instead opting for Metro Transit to take over operations starting on December 5, 2020. Frequency and hours of operations are planned to remain unchanged. Ridership in 2019
2480-662: The green phase or reducing the red phase in the required direction compared to the normal sequence. Prohibiting turns may be the most important measure for moving buses through intersections. The station platforms for BRT systems should be level with the bus floor for quick and easy boarding, making it fully accessible for wheelchairs, disabled passengers and baby strollers, with minimal delays. High-level platforms for high-floored buses makes it difficult to have stops outside dedicated platforms, or to have conventional buses stop at high-level platforms, so these BRT stops are distinct from street-level bus stops. Similar to rail vehicles, there
2542-628: The highest capacity and highest speed BRT system in the world. In January 2004 the first BRT in Southeast Asia, TransJakarta , opened in Jakarta , Indonesia. As of 2015 , at 210 kilometres (130 mi), it is the longest BRT system in the world. Africa's first BRT system was opened in Lagos , Nigeria, in March 2008 but is considered a light BRT system by many people. Johannesburg , South Africa, BRT Rea Vaya ,
Metro Red Line (Minnesota) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-447: The highest light rail system." Performance data of 84 systems show More topical are these BRT data After the first BRT system opened in 1971, cities were slow to adopt BRT because they believed that the capacity of BRT was limited to about 12,000 passengers per hour traveling in a given direction during peak demand. While this is a capacity rarely needed in the US (12,000 is more typical as
2666-572: The lack of parking lots at the stations and that riders would park at local businesses and side streets. After population and employment projections for the corridor were shrunk during the Great Recession , station designs shrunk and planned skyway connections over Cedar Ave removed due to lower ridership projections. Despite pressure from the city of Apple Valley, the Met Council and Dakota County decided to not construct skyway connections but allowed
2728-541: The line in the first few years was lower than expected. Ridership reached only 85% of projected rides in the first year. Ridership was estimated to reach 1,600 per day by 2017. From 2013 to 2017 half of the Red Lines budget came from the Counties Transit Improvement Board and half from the Metropolitan Council. After the Counties Transit Improvement Board was dissolved, the Metropolitan Council supported
2790-474: The most cities with BRT systems, with 54, led by Brazil with 21 cities. The Latin American countries with the most daily ridership are Brazil (10.7 million), Colombia (3.0 million), and Mexico (2.5 million). In the other regions, China (4.3 million) and Iran (2.1 million) stand out. Currently, TransJakarta is the largest BRT network in the world, with about 251.2 kilometres (156.1 mi) of corridors connecting
2852-578: The project cost (80%) was split 3 ways with the federal government, the state of Minnesota, and the Counties Transit Improvement Board each covering $ 19.7 million. The remaining 20% of the project budget was covered by counties and local government. In July 2011, the Metropolitan Council officially designated the Cedar Avenue BRT line as the Red Line. This is part of a broader scheme to designate transit lines by color. Corresponding lines within
2914-858: The right side of the street. Groups of criteria form the BRT Standard 2016, which is updated by the Technical Committee of the BRT Standard. High-capacity vehicles such as articulated or even bi-articulated buses may be used, typically with multiple doors for fast entry and exit. Double-decker buses or guided buses may also be used. Advanced powertrain control may be used for a smoother ride. Bottleneck BRT stations typically provide loading areas for simultaneous boarding and alighting of buses through multiple doors coordinated via displays and loudspeakers. An example of high-quality stations include those used on TransMilenio in Bogotá since December 2000,
2976-781: The route has been operated by 7 40' Gilligs temporarily wrapped in the METRO livery (1750–1756). During this time the Metropolitan Council was preparing to replace the fleet with permanent buses similar to those on the A Line. These buses 6 40' Gilligs (8020-8025) entered service in December 2022. Cedar Avenue was reconstructed with new bus shoulder lanes for easier travel between Downtown Minneapolis and Lakeville. The transit way begins at Mall of America and heads towards Eagan, Apple Valley and Lakeville with bus shoulder lanes on both sides of Cedar Avenue, making it easier to bypass traffic. Stations were designed with bus pull-offs to allow buses to pass other buses picking up and dropping off passengers. Buses in
3038-771: The schedules and live arrival times and stations for buses that feed the BRT, like the SITP (Sistema Integrado de Transporte Público or Public Transit Integrated System) in Bogotá . A special issue arises in the use of buses in metro transit structures. Since the areas where the demand for an exclusive bus right-of-way are apt to be in dense downtown areas where an above-ground structure may be unacceptable on historic, logistic, or environmental grounds, use of BRT in tunnels may not be avoidable. Since buses are usually powered by internal combustion engines , bus metros raise ventilation issues similar to those of motor vehicle tunnels. Powerful fans typically exchange air through ventilation shafts to
3100-474: The station at 147th St to be designed to allow for a future skyway connection. Apple Valley has applied for federal funding through the Met Council to construct the 147th St skyway in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 under the Transit Modernization category. The Minnesota legislature included $ 7 million to construct the skyway in their 2023 session . Dakota County has applied through the same funding source for
3162-492: The station, instead of on board the bus, eliminates the delay caused by passengers paying on board. Fare machines at stations also allow riders to purchase multi-ride stored-value cards and have multiple payment options. Prepayment also allows riders to board at all doors, further speeding up stops. Prohibiting turns for traffic across the bus lane significantly reduces delays to the buses. Bus priority will often be provided at signalized intersections to reduce delays by extending
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#17328760132743224-404: The subway, and with the rear axle driven by a conventional diesel powertrain on freeways and streets. Boston is using a similar approach, after initially using trolleybuses pending delivery of the dual-mode vehicles that was completed in 2005. In 2004, Seattle replaced its "Transit Tunnel" fleet with diesel-electric hybrid buses, which operate similarly to hybrid cars outside the tunnel and in
3286-417: The surface; these are usually as remote as possible from occupied areas, to minimize the effects of noise and concentrated pollution. A straightforward way to reduce air quality problems is to use internal combustion engines with lower emissions. The 2008 Euro V European emission standards set a limit on carbon monoxide from heavy-duty diesel engines of 1.5 g/kWh, one third of the 1992 Euro I standard. As
3348-531: The system include the Blue Line , the Green Line , and the then under development Orange Line BRT along Interstate 35W. Dakota County commissioners were not pleased with the branding design decision and sought a more "vibrant" logo and design separate from light rail and regular buses. As late as spring 2012 a November 2012 opening was expected but the line ultimately opened on June 22, 2013, with free rides offered for
3410-428: The theoretical maximum throughput measured in passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) for a single traffic lane is some 150,000 passengers per hour (250 passengers per vehicle, one vehicle every 6 seconds). In real world conditions BRT Rio (de Janeiro, BRS Presidente Vargas) with 65.000 PPHPD holds the record, TransMilenio Bogotá and Metrobus Istanbul perform 49,000 – 45,000 PPHPD, most other busy systems operating in
3472-499: The use of dual buses, with doors on the left side of the bus that are located at the height of high-level platforms, and doors on the right side that are located at curb height. These buses can use the main line with its exclusive lanes and high level platforms, located on the center of the street and thus, boarding and leaving passengers on the left side. These buses can exit the main line and use normal lanes that share with other vehicles and stop at regular stations located on sidewalks on
3534-461: Was 242,372 rides for a subsidy of $ 9.97 per passenger. The other two bus rapid transit lines in the Metro system, the A Line and the C Line , had subsidies of $ 3.85 per passenger and light rail service cost $ 1.96 per passenger. Suburban local and commuter express bus subsidy for MVTA, which is the territory the Red Line operates in, was $ 12.10 and $ 6.07 per passenger trip respectively, which is higher than
3596-632: Was designed to ease traffic congestion along the Cedar Avenue corridor. During planning the project was known as the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway until it was renamed the Red Line in 2011 as part of a regional branding of the Metro system . After a few construction schedule setbacks, the line officially began operation on June 22, 2013. The Red Line cost $ 21 million but a further $ 34 million
3658-438: Was developed by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) to score BRT corridors, producing a list of rated BRT corridors meeting the minimum definition of BRT. The highest rated systems received a "gold" ranking. The latest edition of the standard was published in 2016. Other metrics used to evaluate BRT performance include: Based on this data, the minimum headway and maximum current vehicle capacities,
3720-490: Was inspired by the previous transport system of the National Urban Transport Company of Peru (In Spanish: ENATRU ), which only had quick access on Lima downtown , but it would not be considered BRT itself. Many of the elements that have become associated with BRT were innovations first suggested by Carlos Ceneviva, within the team of Curitiba Mayor Jaime Lerner . Initially just dedicated bus lanes in
3782-577: Was spent on express bus service upgrades, and $ 57 million on roadway expansion for a total project cost of $ 112 million. A further $ 15 million was spent to construct an improved passenger station that no longer requires buses to exit the highway and saves 10 minutes on a round trip journey. The line was operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority under a contract from the Metropolitan Council until December 5, 2020, when Metro Transit took over operations. An extension to Lakeville
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#17328760132743844-661: Was the first true BRT in Africa, in August 2009, carrying 16,000 daily passengers. Rea Vaya and MIO (BRT in Cali , Colombia, opened 2009) were the first two systems to combine full BRT with some services that also operated in mixed traffic, then joined the BRT trunk infrastructure. In 2017 Marrakesh , Morocco, opened its first BRT Marrakesh trolleybus system (BHNS De Marrakesh) trolleybuses Corridors of 8 km (5.0 mi), of which 3 km (1.9 mi) of overhead wiring for operation as trolleybus. BRT systems normally include most of
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