Tram-train

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This article is about trams sharing tracks with main-line railways. ‘Tram train’ can also refer to a train of two or more connected trams operating on a regular tramway.
Stadtbahn street running, in Heilbronn
Stadtbahn street running, in Heilbronn
Stadtbahn on main-line railway
Stadtbahn on main-line railway
A Nordhausen ‘DUO’ Combino on the track linking the urban tramway, where it is electrically powered via overhead wires, and the HSB (Harzer Schmalspurbahn, Harz Narrow-Gauge Railway) rural railway, where it is powered via an onboard diesel engine
A Nordhausen ‘DUO’ Combino on the track linking the urban tramway, where it is electrically powered via overhead wires, and the HSB (Harzer Schmalspurbahn, Harz Narrow-Gauge Railway) rural railway, where it is powered via an onboard diesel engine
The Zwickau Model has main-line lightweight diesel TrainTrams running through urban streets. Because the trams are metre gauge and the trains standard gauge the shared tracks are dual-gauge, with one shared rail and one exclusive rail for each.
The Zwickau Model has main-line lightweight diesel TrainTrams running through urban streets. Because the trams are metre gauge and the trains standard gauge the shared tracks are dual-gauge, with one shared rail and one exclusive rail for each.

A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams are able to run on train tracks for greater flexibility and convenience. The Karlsruhe model pioneered this concept in Karlsruhe, Germany, which has since been adopted at the RijnGouweLijn in the Netherlands, and in Kassel and Saarbrücken, both Germany.

There is also a current proposal (November 2007) to introduce tram-trains in Leeds, England.[1][2] On 18 March 2008 the Department for Transport released details of a plan to trial tram-trains on the Penistone Line for two years starting in 2010. On June 05, 2008 The Government of South Australia announced plans for a train-tram system on the Grange line. [3]

Unlike regular trams that frequently[citation needed] use narrow gauge track, most tram-trains are standard gauge, which facilitates sharing track with standard gauge mainline trains. One exception to this is in Nordhausen, where both the trams and the trains are narrow gauge.

Its advantage over separate tram and train systems is that passengers travelling from outside of a city need not change from train to tram at a central station, though some passengers are displeased by the replacement of regular trains with tram-trains, which usually lack amenities such as on-board toilets.

Contents

[edit] Technology

Tram-trains are fitted with dual equipment to suit the respective needs of tram and train, such as support for multiple voltages, safety equipment such as train stops, and the like.

The idea is not new; in the early 20th century, interurban streetcar lines often operated on the same tracks as steam trains, until crash standards made old-style track sharing impossible. The difference between modern tram-trains and the older interurbans and radial railways is that the tram-trains are upgraded to meet mainline railway standards, rather than ignoring them (exception is the USA's River Line, for reasons explained below). The Karlsruhe and Saarbrücken systems also use an automatic train protection signalling system called ‘PZB’ or ‘Indusi’, so that even if the driver accidentally misses a stop signal (having, perhaps, become unwell) safety will be ensured by means of an application of the emergency brakes. Regarding deadman's pedals and deadman's handles, a Sifa must also be operational on railtracks as well.

The River Line light-rail system in New Jersey runs along freight tracks with strict time separation: passenger trains run by day, and freight by night. This, like the O-Train in Ottawa, Canada, and the Newark City Subway extension in Belleville and Bloomfield, New Jersey (with similar FRA-imposed time-share waivers), does not qualify it as a tram-train per se, whose chief characteristic is shared-use of mainline tracks at all times.

[edit] Existing systems

[edit] Proposed systems

[edit] In The UK

The Huddersfield - Sheffield via Penistone line (currently a diesel heavy rail service operated hourly) is to be converted for tram-train use. The tram-trains would cover this route, with possible links to the Sheffield Supertram system being created to enable through running into Sheffield city centre. The two year trial is expected to start in 2010. [4] Other train-tram schemes in England will depend on how successful the two year trial is.

Other suggested schemes for England include:

[edit] In Europe

[edit] In Australia

[edit] Manufacturers

Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/road/Hopes-rise-for-tramtrains-pilot.2962865.jp
  2. ^ www.wypta.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/851429CF-0FB0-4485-B0F2-1D62BD812285/0/RWG16MAY2008ITEM7.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/general/pdfs/OMPbudget.pdf
  4. ^ Northern Rail - News - Innovative ‘Tram-Trains’ To Be Trialled In Yorkshire

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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