Premetro

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A Charleroi Pre-metro tram at Parc station

A premetro (German: Stadtbahn) is a tramway or light railway which includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the construction of tunnels in the central city area.<ref name=SMH">John Hoyle (16 May 1975). "Letters to the editor -- The tram is the answer". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2014-01-13. "Cities such as Frankfurt and Cologne in West Germany have further developed their tramway system by introducing a concept known as "premetro." In this system trams or light rail vehicles make extensive use of tunnels, reserve track and by utilizing folding steps these vehicles can operate through high or low stopping places." </ref> It was devised in Germany during the 1960s[1] when, instead of building expensive entire metro systems immediately, the idea of building only the city centre tunnels at first was implemented. They could be used by trams in the short term, intended in the long run to be conventional underground rapid transit systems. The idea spread to other European countries, including Belgium, where it became officially named premetro.[1] However some of these, such as in Gothenburg, Sweden, have become semi-permanent systems, no longer in the process of conversion into metros.

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ian Yearsley (21 December 1972). "Trams are coming back". New Scientist (Reed Business Information Ltd.). Retrieved 2014-01-14. "But instead of building the entire expensive systems immediately, the Germans hit on the idea of building only the city centre tunnels at first. Intended in the long run to be extended to full undergrounds, in the short term they could be used by trams which would continue to run on the surface outside city centres. The idea spread to other European countries, notably Belgium, where it became known as pre-metro. Today Brussels, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and many other cities are filling their central business districts with construction sites to move the trains underground." 
  2. ↑ "Antwerpen Tram & Premetro". UrbanRail.net. 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-22. "Antwerpen rail network is a typical premetro network." 
  3. ↑ "Charleroi Premetro". UrbanRail.net. 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-22. "The Charleroi Metro is a typical prémétro network, i.e. trams that run underground in the city centre and on viaducts or separate right-of-way through outer parts (similar to German Stadtbahn systems)." 


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