Tram-train
Tramway routes which share track with main-line railways
A tram-train, also known as a dual-system tram, is an interoperable urban rail transit system in which specially designed vehicles operate as trams on urban street-level networks and as trains on mainline railway tracks, alongside mainline trains.
By complying with both light rail and heavy rail technical and safety standards, these vehicles can use existing tram infrastructure as well as railway lines and stations, enabling a single service to operate across both networks. A tram-train combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.
The modern tram-train concept was pioneered by the German city of Karlsruhe in the late 1980s, resulting in the creation of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn. This concept is often referred to as the Karlsruhe model, and it has since been adopted in other cities such as Mulhouse in France and in Kassel, Nordhausen and Saarbrücken in Germany. It can be regarded as an evolution of the earlier interurban operations model.
An inversion of the concept is a train-tram, a mainline train adapted to run on-street in an urban tramway, also known as the Zwickau Model.
01Technology
The tram-train often is a type of interurban , that is, they link separate towns or cities, according to George W. Hilton and John F. Due's definition.
Most tram-trains are standard gauge, which facilitates sharing track with main-line trains. Exceptions include Alicante Tram and Nordhausen, which are metre gauge.
Tram-train vehicles are dual-equipped to suit the needs of both tram and train operating modes, with support for multiple electrification voltages if required and safety equipment such as train stops and other railway signalling equipment. The Karlsruhe and Saarbrücken systems use "PZB" or "Indusi" automatic train protection, so that if the driver passes a signal at a stop the emergency brakes are applied.
02History
The idea is not new; in the early 20th century, interurban streetcar lines often operated on dedicated rights-of-way between towns, while running on street trackage in town. The difference between modern tram-trains and the older interurban and radial railways is that tram-trains are built to meet mainline railway standards, rather than ignoring them. A few interurban services did share tracks with mainline steam railroads, such as the Daisy Line or East Bay Electric Lines.
In 1924, in Hobart, Australia, sharing of tracks between trams and trains was proposed.
03List of tram-train systems
Asia
| Country | Location | System | Year opened | Lines | Stations | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Fukui | Fukui Fukubu Line | 1924 | 1 | 23 | 21.4 km (13.3 mi) |
Europe
| Country | Location | System | Year opened | Lines | Stations | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Gmunden | Traunsee Tram | 21 March 1912 | 1 | - | 17.9 km (11.1 mi) | Since (1 September 2018) it has been connected to the Gmunden Tramway as part of the Traunseetram tram-train service. |
| Vienna | Badner Bahn | 1873 | 1 | 36 | 30.4 km (18.9 mi) | Baden bei Wien | |
| Denmark | Aarhus | Aarhus Letbane | 21 December 2017 | 2 | 51 | 110 km (68 mi) | Tram-train and light rail |
| France | Lyon | Rhônexpress | 9 August 2010 | 1 | 4 | 23 km (14 mi) | |
| Tram-train de l'ouest lyonnais | 22 September 2012 | 2 | 23 | 55 km (34 mi) | |||
| Mulhouse | Mulhouse Thur Valley Tram-Train | 12 December 2010 | Line 3 | 18 | 22 km (14 mi) | Tram of Mulhouse tramway and Mulhouse Thur Valley Tram-train | |
| Nantes | Nantes tram-train | 15 June 2011 | 2 | 18 | 64 km (40 mi) | ||
| Paris, Île-de-France | Île-de-France tramway Line 4 | 20 November 2006 | line 4 | 20 | 13.3 km (8.3 mi) | ||
| Île-de-France tramway Line 11 Express | 1 July 2017 | Line 11 | 7 | 11 km (6.8 mi) | |||
| Île-de-France tramway Line 12 Express | 10 December 2023 | Line 12 | 16 | 20 km (12 mi) | |||
| Île-de-France tramway Line 13 Express | 6 July 2022 | Line 13 | 12 | 18.8 km (11.7 mi) | |||
| Île-de-France tramway Line 14 | March 2025 | Line 14 | 5 | 9.9 km (6.2 mi) | |||
| Germany | Chemnitz | City-Bahn Chemnitz | 10 March 1997 | 4 | - | - | |
| Karlsruhe | Karlsruhe Stadtbahn | 25 September 1992 | 12 | 190 | 262.4 km (163.0 mi) | ||
| Kassel | Kassel RegioTram | 2006 | 3 | - | 184 km (114 mi) | ||
| Nordhausen | Trams in Nordhausen | 25 August 1900 | 3 | 32 | 22.4 km (13.9 mi) | ||
| Saarbrücken | Saarbahn | 24 October 1997 | 1 | 43 | 44.0 km (27.3 mi) | ||
| Hungary | Szeged, Hódmezővásárhely | Szeged-Hódmezővásárhely tram-train | 29 November 2021 | 1 | 31.6 km (19.6 mi) | ||
| Italy | Bergamo | Bergamo-Albino light rail | 24 April 2009 | 1 | 16 | 12.5 km (7.8 mi) | |
| Rome | Rome-Giardinetti railway | 1916 | 1 | 19 | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) | Closed; 2015 (Centocelle-Giardinetti) | |
| Sassari | Metrosassari | 27 October 2006 | 1 | 8 | 4.331 km (2.691 mi) | ||
| Netherlands | The Hague-Rotterdam | RandstadRail | 29 October 2006 | 4 | 73 | 71 km (44 mi) | |
| Portugal | Porto | Porto Metro Line B/Bx - (Estádio do Dragão, Póvoa de Varzim) | 13 March 2005 | 1 | 36 | 33.6 km (20.9 mi) | Bombardier Flexity Swift light rail |
| Porto Metro Line C - (Campanhã, Ismai) | 30 July 2005 | 1 | 24 | 19.6 km (12.2 mi) | |||
| Spain | Alicante | Alicante Tram Line 1 (Alicante Metropolitan Tram - Luceros, Benidorm) | 30 July 2007 | 1 | 20 | 19.6 km (12.2 mi) | |
| Alicante Metropolitan Tram - Luceros, El Campello | 2003 | 1 | 17 | 14.404 km (8.950 mi) | |||
| Mallorca | Mallorca rail network, Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca | 1994 | 3 | 29 | 85 km (53 mi) | Ferrocarril de Sóller | |
| Cádiz | Cádiz Bay tram-train | 26 October 2022 | 1 | 21 | 24 km (15 mi) | ||
| United Kingdom | Sheffield - Rotherham | South Yorkshire Supertram | 25 October 2018 | 1 | 15 | 29 km (18 mi) | Tram-Train (Black) Route |
| Cardiff & South Wales Valleys | South Wales Metro | 2026 | 5 | 94 | 112.6 km (70.0 mi) | Mixed system of light rapid transit tram-train lines and commuter rail lines. The data displayed is only including the lines and system length of the network operated by tram-trains. |
North America
| Country | Location | System | Year opened | Lines | Stations | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Ottawa | Line 2 (O-Train) | 15 October 2001 | 1 | 11 | 19 km (12 mi) | O-Train, Diesel light |
| Line 4 (O-Train) | 6 January 2025 | 1 | 3 | 4 km (2.5 mi) | O-Train, Diesel light | ||
| Waterloo Region | Ion rapid transit | 21 June 2019 | 1 | 19 | 19 km (12 mi) | Light rail | |
| Mexico | Puebla | Puebla-Cholula Tourist Train | 23 January 2017 | 1 | 2 | 17.4 km (10.8 mi) | (Closed; 31 December 2021; trains now sold to Tren Interoceánico) |
| United States | San Diego, California | San Diego Trolley | 26 July 1981 | 4 | 62 | 105 km (65 mi) |
South America
04Proposed systems
Africa
Asia
Europe
- Braunschweig, Germany
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Cardiff, United Kingdom. Wales & Borders franchise: South Wales Valley Lines (2022 - 2023) - rolling stock currently under construction.
- Debrecen, Hungary
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, an extension of the Edinburgh Trams network via the South Suburban line.
- Erlangen, Germany, an extension of Straßenbahn Nürnberg not initially planned to use mainline rail tracks but proposed to do so in the future. The planned line to Herzogenaurach replicates a former mainline rail line
- Faro, Portugal
- Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
- Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Proposed extensions to the Manchester Metrolink network.
- Grenoble, France
- Groningen, Netherlands
- Kiel, Germany
- Kyiv, Ukraine
- Košice, Slovakia (in planning phase)
- León, Spain
- Liberec, Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic
- Linköping, Sweden
- Linz, Austria (in planning phase)
- Manresa, Spain
- Metro de Sevilla. Seville has one metro line and one tram line that are not connected, but the long-term intention is to link the metro and tram systems.
- Oradea, Romania - The first Romanian tram-train will be in Oradea, featuring several lines, and connecting the city to the villages near, like Borș, Băile Felix or Sântandrei. The tram-train in Oradea is in planning phase, some parts of the project already accepted by the local government.
- Riga, Latvia
- RijnGouweLijn, Netherlands
- Sevastopol
- Strasbourg, France
- Szeged, Hungary. Two other destinations are being considered as of January 2022 besides the Szeged - Hódmezővásárhely line, which entered operation in November 2021. The Szeged - Subotica (Serbia) line is in early planning phase. A preparatory study was also completed for the Szeged - Makó line, but the estimated costs were high, and it is also dependent on a new road-rail bridge over the river Tisa only in planning phase as of now.
- TramCamp, Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
- Wrocław, Poland (2005), 600 V DC/3 kV DC
- Turku, Finland
- West Midlands conurbation, United Kingdom. Proposed extensions to the West Midlands Metro to Stourbridge and Walsall.
Oceania
- Adelaide, South Australia, On June 5, 2008, the Government of South Australia announced plans for train-tram operation on the Adelaide Metro's Outer Harbor/Grange train lines and City West-Glenelg tramline extension as part of a 10-year A$2 billion public transport upgrade.
- Hobart, Tasmania
South America
05Vehicles
Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include:
- Alstom's RegioCitadis and Citadis Dualis, derived from the Citadis
- Bombardier Flexity Link and Bombardier Flexity Swift
- Siemens S70
- Stadler Citylink
06Interurban
Europe
- Chur: Chur-Arosa railway line
- Bad Doberan: Molli railway
- Helsingør: Hornbæk Line
- Zwickau: Trams in Zwickau, with an on-board diesel generator (light-weight RegioSprinter diesel railbuses that also operate on street tramway)
Japan
- Kyoto: Keihan Electric Railway - Keishin Line that having sections which trains runs on street level.
North America
- Austin, Texas: Capital MetroRail, commuter rail that shares more commonality with train-tram operation, with downtown street running and usage of mainline track. Uses diesel multiple units.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Tram-train”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Heilbronn Bahnhofsvorplatz Stadtbahn01 2002-09-08.jpg by Klaus with K, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zwickau TrainTram.jpg by No machine-readable author provided. Spsmiler assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain
- Keishin-Line-Series800.jpg by MaedaAkihiko, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
