Heavy rail cars have the greatest longevity of the transit vehicles listed below with an average vehicle age of more than 22 years. However, in terms of cost for purchasing a new rail car, heavy rail is by far the least expensive of all types of rail transit vehicles. Buses cost far less than rail transit vehicles but the average age for a transit bus is just under 8 years.

Average Age of Transit Vehicles, 2007
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Average New Vehicle Costs for 2007 Vehicles by Type
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Supporting Information

Average New Transit Vehicle Age and Costs by Vehicle Type, 2007*
Vehicle TypeAverage Price
(Dollars)
Average Age
(Years)
Bus424,8807.8
Trolleybus862,5999.5
Vanpool22,8183.8
Demand Response61,4633.9
Light Rail2,880,55617.8
Commuter Rail1,915,31318.9
Commuter Rail Locomotive2,410,17119.7
Heavy Rail1,406,39122.4

* Includes some 2008 vehicles.
Source: American Public Transit Association, 2008 Public Transit Fact Book. Table 14, Average Vehicle Age by Mode, 2007 (PDF 888 KB). Table 22. Average New Vehicle Cost by Type (PDF 8 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

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