What transit type is the Subway (underground) System?

Hello, 

They don't make it easy to find, but USGBC has published a glossary of terms for v4 that can be found here: https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-v4-glossary-terms-translations

The definition for light rail is in the glossary, and is also in the Reference Guide at the end of the credit section. I would consider the typical subway system to be a light rail. While the other two types are not specifically defined, I would consider heavy rail to be more along the lines of freight, and commuter rail to be more like Amtrak, where the rails run for longer distances (such as between cities/states) and the stations/stops are much further apart.

Heavy rail, commuter rail and commuter ferry are not listed in the glossary.  Although I understand the comment about heavy rail being for freight, how does this affect this credit, which is about the amount of stops available for people transportation?  It is difficult to tell the difference between light, heavy and commuter rail without these definitions.  Are there any specific requirements for commuter ferry?  Thanks.

Agreed that there is potential here for great difficulty in documenting without the proper definitions. I have emailed LEEDCoach directly asking for clarity, and will post their response once received. It usually takes them 1-2 weeks to respond, though there may be some delay with the upcoming holidays, since they usually shut down for a bit.

I believe that the definitions will matter since there is an option available for projects that only have a commuter rail or ferry available, but not the other types.

Also for note, there are similar questions being posted under the NC page for this credit. I will still defer to whatever response LEEDCoach sends back, but in the meantime, you can look here and at a few other posts under this credit for some other perspectives:
https://leeduser.buildinggreen.com/forum/subway-same-light-rail

Hi all, 

I emailed LEEDCoach and asked for clarification on their definitions of rail types. Hope this helps. I'm posting the response on the threads I can find where people are looking for clarifications.

"As you note, heavy and commuter rail stations are not defined in the Definitions section of this credit. Thus, teams should use their best judgment in determining if a rail system falls within these categories. Staff experts have provided additional details below to help with this determination for commuter rail:

Commuter rail transit typically includes 1-2 stops per city/town/suburb along a greater rail corridor, versus inner-city transit with stops as frequent as every few blocks (such as a subway line) which qualifies as "light rail". Additionally, commuter rail often operates on tracks located at ground/grade level. Well-known U.S. examples of commuter rail, for reference, include Metro-North (New York/Connecticut) and Metra trains (Chicago). Note that regional rail (i.e. Amtrack) typically would not comply, as these types of transit often have a significant distance between stops, comparable with flights, and are not utilized for daily commuting; however, some project-specific circumstances may justify contributions from this type of rail transit."