Aug 5, 2003 /FW/ -- It's perhaps the fastest growing mode of transportation in the country and if it's not in your neck of the woods yet, chances are it will be shortly.

"It" is light rail and recent reports show the impact is anything but light.

A main goal of light rail is to move people more quickly to and from the suburbs, the airport and even through downtown areas - where these modern day trolley cars can share roadways with cars and buses.

The light rail gives drivers another option besides driving. Recent figures suggest that by adding a center rail line to a street, passenger capacity per lane will jump by more than 300 percent every hour.

In short, people get to their destination faster and in less traffic.

To date, 17 cities in 13 states rely on light rail as part of their transit systems. Studies, planning, and even construction of light rail systems are underway in another 38 cities across the country.

The light rail is environmentally friendly because it is 100 percent electric unlike most automobiles that pollute the environment.

And it's good for property values - studies note a jump in real estate premiums near light rail corridors by as much as 45 percent.