Radial route on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A radial route is a 
Typically, a pair of radial routes will be combined, solely for operational reasons, into a single
A radial route is a public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
route linking a central point in a city or town, usually in the central business district (CBD), with a suburb (or satellite) of that city or town. Such a route can be operated by various forms of public transport, including commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...
, rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
, tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s (streetcars), trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
es, or motor buses.
Typically, a pair of radial routes will be combined, solely for operational reasons, into a single cross-city route
A cross-city route is a public transport route linking one suburb (or satellite) of a city or town with another, usually relatively distant, suburb (or satellite).
Such a route can be operated by various forms of public transport, including co ...
, between one suburb and another suburb. A cross-city route of that type is sometimes called a ''through route''. A public transport operator may combine radial routes into a through route because terminating a route in a city or town centre has certain disadvantages:
*Vehicles can cause congestion while standing between journeys and when turning.
*Valuable land is often occupied with route terminal facilities.
*Time is wasted by vehicles turning round or reversing (reducing vehicle utilization and increasing costs).
*Passengers wishing to travel across the city or town centre will have to change vehicles or walk for part of their journeys.
On the other hand, there are certain advantages in terminating a route in a city or town centre:
*Schedules are less likely to be disrupted by congestion (since there can be provision for recovery time in the city center).
*Convenient interchange between routes may be provided at a common terminal.
*Fare structures are less complex.
In most cases, the advantages of operating routes across a city or town centre outweigh the disadvantages, but each case must be assessed on its own merits.
See also
* Circle route *Transport hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. F ...
References
{{Public transport, state=collapsed Public transport Transportation planning