142-580: [REDACTED] The Cologne Stadtbahn is a light rail system in the German city of Cologne , including several surrounding cities of the Cologne Bonn Region ( Bergisch Gladbach , Bonn , Bornheim , Brühl , Frechen , Hürth , Leverkusen -Schlebusch, Wesseling ). The term Stadtbahn denotes a system that encompasses elements of trams as well as an underground railway network ( U-Bahn ) and interurban rail, even including three lines that are licensed as heavy rail and used by freight trains as well as Stadtbahn vehicles. Two of these lines connect
284-540: A car friendly city which meant that old tramways (like the north–south one) were replaced by bus service; and also due to the planned widening of vehicles which wouldn't have fit through some of the narrow streets previously served by trams. Another question was the connection between the two banks of the Rhine which had been provided by the Hohenzollern- , Mülheim- and Deutzer Brücke , that were all destroyed during
426-724: A "light rail" vehicle (it is a heavy rail vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes. Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations. Historically, the track gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge . Older standard-gauge vehicles could not negotiate sharp turns as easily as narrow-gauge ones, but modern light rail systems achieve tighter turning radii by using articulated cars . An important advantage of
568-561: A big white U on blue background which refers to U-Bahn . Most people in Cologne speak about the U-Bahn or Straßenbahn , or just about the train or the KVB. When construction of the first tunnel started in 1963, there was no promise of the state NRW or the federal government to finance the project, and in the worst case the city would have had to pay completely on their own. With this background,
710-458: A bus, there will be even more capacity when there is a combination of cars and light rail. Table 3 shows an example of peak passenger capacity. The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $ 15 million to over $ 100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system
852-403: A chaotic breakdown inflow and a dramatic drop in speed (a traffic jam ) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds behind another). Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1.5 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of
994-1142: A common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019). Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City, the DLR in London, and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur , have dispensed with the need for an operator. The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as light metro systems. Around Karlsruhe , Kassel , and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy rail trains. In
1136-400: A few years, several companies had built an extensive network. Because none of these companies showed interest in electrifying their lines, the city of Cologne bought them on 1 January 1900, and by 1907 all horsecar lines had been electrified or replaced by other services. Additional lines were built until 1912, including Vorortbahnen to surrounding villages outside the city limits. Outside
1278-500: A fully separated U-Bahn (metro) network independent of other forms of transport, others planned for a lesser degree of separation, one that would accommodate additional tram-like sections in the long run. For both the interim and the long-term based concepts, the following terms came into use U-Straßenbahn or Untergrund-Straßenbahn ('underground tramway', abbreviated as U-Strab , Schnellstraßenbahn ('rapid tramway'), and finally Stadtbahn . An older term already used in
1420-406: A large number of additional high platforms was not financially feasible, other options were investigated. It was deemed most economical to create a second low-floor network and equip the remaining lines with high platforms. Between the stations "Ebertplatz" and "Barbarossaplatz", there are two possible routes. It was decided that the future low-floor lines would be concentrated in the tunnel underneath
1562-416: A light rail train may have three to four cars of much larger capacity in one train under the control of one driver, or no driver at all in fully automated systems, increasing the labor costs of BRT systems compared to LRT systems. BRT systems are also usually less fuel-efficient as they use non-electrified vehicles. The peak passenger capacity per lane per hour depends on which types of vehicles are allowed on
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#17327733539431704-435: A live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires . The Bordeaux power system costs about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring the replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages,
1846-543: A longer distance. Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars. Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of heavy rail systems, including having downtown subways, as in San Francisco and Seattle . Light rail is designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between heavy rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than heavy rail. It serves corridors in which heavy rail
1988-456: A low-floor light rail network was concentrating four lines on similar routes into a common east–west-corridor in 1994. These lines were quickly equipped with low platforms 35 cm (14 in) above street level on every single station. While there are some stretches that can be described as classic tramway lines, the majority of the east–west-network has been upgraded to a high standard with long sections having segregated right-of-way, justifying
2130-642: A more diverse range of design characteristics than LRT, depending on the demand and constraints that exist, and BRT using dedicated lanes can have a theoretical capacity of over 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (for example, the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system operates up to 350 buses per hour per direction). For the effective operation of a bus or BRT system, buses must have priority at traffic lights and have their dedicated lanes, especially as bus frequencies exceed 30 buses per hour per direction. The higher theoretical of BRT relates to
2272-407: A result, has many of the operating characteristics of a metro system rather than a light rail system. A capacity of 1,350 passengers per train is more similar to the heavy rail than light rail. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an alternative to LRT and many planning studies undertake a comparison of each mode when considering appropriate investments in transit corridor development. BRT systems can exhibit
2414-491: A square containing the word 'Tram'. Although the design is the same nationwide, the colour varies from city to city to match local public transport operators' systems of colour-coding. The logo is part of the 'S logo scheme' initially developed by Berlin public transport operator BVG , based on the established logos for urban metro ('U', for U-Bahn ) and suburban metro ('S', for S-Bahn ) and including bus ('Bus') and ferry ('F', for Fähre ) operations. The logo also helped spread
2556-534: A top speed of 55–71.5 miles per hour (88.51–115.1 km/h) depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground Montreal Metro can only reach a top speed of 72 kilometres per hour (44.74 mph). LACMTA light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or New York City Subway trains. Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only
2698-481: A tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems. The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as
2840-470: Is a generic international English phrase for types of rail systems using modern streetcars/trams, which means more or less the same thing throughout the English-speaking world . Light rail systems can range from trams runnig in streets along with other traffic, to semi-metro systems having portions of grade separated track. People movers are even "lighter", in terms of capacity. Monorail
2982-575: Is a separate technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English . The word tram , for instance, is generally used in the UK and many former British colonies to refer to what is known in North America as a streetcar , but in North America tram can instead refer to an aerial tramway , or, in
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#17327733539433124-602: Is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both. Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds. Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over
3266-542: Is achieved by giving the trams their own right of way on the surface. Stadtbahn in this wider meaning is thus not a clearly defined concept, but a vague one linked to a set of attributes, much in the same way that Straßenbahn ('tram') is linked to very different, sometimes mutually incompatible attributes. A system that is called Stadtbahn today may not have all of the Stadtbahn attributes: barrier-free access, higher cruising speed than tramways, doors on both sides of
3408-563: Is by far the most expensive in the US, at $ 179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet (55 m) below ground level. This results in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah) incurred construction costs of less than $ 20 million per mile. Over
3550-426: Is especially important for wheelchair access, as narrower gauges (e.g. metre gauge) can make it challenging or impossible to pass the tram's wheels. Furthermore, standard-gauge rolling stock can be switched between networks either temporarily or permanently, and both newly built and used standard-gauge rolling stock tends to be cheaper to buy, as more companies offer such vehicles. Overhead lines supply electricity to
3692-502: Is expensive. Similarly, the most expensive US highway expansion project was the " Big Dig " in Boston, Massachusetts, which cost $ 200 million per lane mile for a total cost of $ 14.6 billion. A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per hour for one freeway lane. For example, in Boston and San Francisco, light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour, respectively, in
3834-575: Is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system described as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very similar to rapid transit ; in recent years, new terms such as light metro have been used to describe these medium-capacity systems. Some "light rail" systems, such as Sprinter , bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail or even inter-city rail. In
3976-559: Is impractical. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit. Metro trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart. Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Rail 's A Line "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as
4118-432: Is often obstructed by archeologists ' legal rights to dig in all future building sites within the medieval city limits before all heavy construction machinery. Because the light rail network evolved from the tram network instead of replacing it, there were numerous stations served by both light rail and tram vehicles for almost three decades. While high platforms for step less entry into light rail vehicles could be built on
4260-484: Is one of the highest capacity ones, having been upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and having carried as many as 582,989 passengers in a single day on its Line 1 . It achieves this volume by running four-car trains with a capacity of up to 1,350 passengers each at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour. However, the Manila light rail system has full grade separation and as
4402-618: Is shared with the S-Bahn line S11. Since 2003, line 15 operates this part of the network. Another major extension came in 1974 with the opening of the Ebertplatz and Nippes tunnels. The north-south portion of the tunnel was an extension of the Innenstadttunnel under Neusser Straße, adding underground stations at Ebertplatz (shared with the west-east tunnel), Lohsestraße , Florastraße , and Neusser Straße/Gürtel . This tunnel
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4544-407: Is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader use, it includes tram-like operations mostly on streets. A few light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail , yet only when these systems are fully grade-separated are they referred to as light metros . The term light rail
4686-502: Is still in use to this day (2023). Because the Innenstadttunnel was built as an underground tram , it has small curve radii and level junctions at Appellhofplatz and Poststraße. Currently (2022) the tunnel is served by three lines with 10 min headway and one with 5 min headway. In the 1970s, tracks were extended to the commuter town Chorweiler . This extension was the first in Cologne to be built metro-like from
4828-546: Is that in systems like Cologne-Bonn's the tracks were converted for Stadtbahn use by changing the electrification, while in Karlsruhe the trains were equipped to run on both types of track. Straßenbahn (tram) and Stadtbahn in the Karlsruhe region are differentiated more by the nature of their city-border crossings only, and not by the technical dimension (Dual-System Light Rail Vehicles). Only those services that extend into
4970-416: Is the length of the platforms. While the first platforms were designed for two coupled 30 m (98 ft) wagons, later the state NRW required space for three or sometimes four Stadtbahnwagen B, which lead to platforms of up to 110 m (360 ft) in length. The usually much shorter overground platforms currently only allow two wagons of collective 58 m (190 ft) length. Another changing factor
5112-601: The Vorgebirgsbahn of the Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen started serving Barbarossaplatz over Luxemburger Straße in 1898, the Rheinuferbahn used rail tracks of the trams from its start in 1906, beginning the mix of trams and interregional rail. The Köln-Frechen-Benzelrather Eisenbahn , which opened in 1893, was modified from metre-gauge to standard-gauge in 1914, and has been operated by
5254-707: The Cologne Ring road, while high-floor lines would use the tunnel under the Central station. This change was implemented in December 2003, after the high platforms at the Hansaring station were removed. In 2006, the tracks of the Chorweiler station were raised with additional gravel. Since then, all "Ringe" lines are operated with low-floor vehicles. In 2007, Line 6, which had only operated during peak hours,
5396-542: The Cádiz TramBahia , where trams share track with commuter and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a railway connection. Some of the issues involved in such schemes are: There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail rapid transit tracks in the US, especially in the case of interurban streetcars . Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on
5538-481: The Deutz Bridge was widened by building another bridge with the same profile to its south, and then moved next to the existing one. With this new construction, the Stadtbahn got a dedicated track through the middle of the bridge. Since 1978 line 16 operates as an overland-line. At the station Marienburg (since renamed to Heinrich-Lübke-Ufer) it diverges from its previous routing to the center of Rodenkirchen to
5680-758: The London Underground and the New York City Subway . Conventional rail technologies including high-speed , freight, commuter , and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered "heavy rail". The main difference between light rail and heavy rail rapid transit is the ability for a light rail vehicle to operate in mixed traffic if the routing requires it. The world's first electric tram operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg , Russia , invented and operated on an experimental basis by Fyodor Pirotsky in 1880. The first tramway
5822-637: The Netherlands , this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn . This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse , and Strasbourg ; further projects exist. In some cases, tram trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks. In 2022, Spain opened
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5964-874: The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario , Canada, the River Line in New Jersey , United States, and the Sprinter in California , United States, which use diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. Light rail is different from the British English term light railway , long-used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulations using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. Light rail
6106-703: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High-Speed Line ). Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i.e., subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. Notable exceptions in
6248-621: The Stadtbahn B series. By the 1980s virtually all cities had abandoned the long-term goal of establishing a full-scale metro system due to the excessive costs associated with converting the tramways. Most Stadtbahn systems are now a mixture of tramway-like operations in suburban and peripheral areas and a more metro-like mode of operation in city centres, with underground stations. This 20th century Stadtbahn concept eventually spread from Germany to other European countries, where it became known as pre-metro . The term Stadtbahn first arose in
6390-519: The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS – Rhein-Sieg Transit Authority), formed in 1987 to consolidate the transit authorities in the metropolitan Cologne area and operate a joint fare structure. There are 236 stations along 199 km (124 mi) of tracks, of which 42 are underground in 28 km (17 mi) of tunnels. The Cologne Stadtbahn traces its history to the first horsecar lines that started operating in 1877. Within
6532-505: The direct current of Straßenbahn lines (750 V) could also draw power from the 15-kV- alternating current from normal DB catenary. In Karlsruhe this network reached as far as Heilbronn , 84 kilometres (52 mi) away, where a Stadtbahn network was created going out from this line. Both in Karlsruhe and in Heilbronn the Stadtbahn filled both the roles of a classic tramway system as well as an S-Bahn. The Karlsruhe mixed-operation concept
6674-530: The medians of roads . If run in streets , trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on two-minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle up to 30 trains per hour per track, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signaling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Most light rail systems in
6816-416: The train protection system and retrofitting the switches for the smaller wheels of the Stadtbahn vehicles. The line is still operated as a railway under EBO, with mixed freight and passenger services running on parts of it. Line 16 was the first time, that vehicles from Bonn entered Cologne's network. The Innenstadttunnel was continued from the station Friesenplatz in 1985. It diverges grade separated from
6958-406: The 'U' logo is used at stops on services that are essentially 'classic' tram lines, not 'second-level' at all. The concept of Regionalstadtbahnen (also known by RegioStadtbahn or other names) arose as a result of the harmonisation or integration of railway lines into Stadtbahn networks. In the area of Cologne–Bonn a single operational system (of so-called above ground lines or Hochflurstrecken )
7100-454: The 1920s is "Unterpflasterbahn" ('sub-pavement train'); this term has fallen almost entirely out of use by the 21st century. In French-speaking regions (particularly Wallonia and the bilingual Brussels Capital Region ), these concepts were labelled " pre-metro ", stressing their – then-planned and advertised – interim nature. All German cities that had a "true" U-Bahn network had plans to abandon their tramway network at one point or another. In
7242-421: The 1960s ' pre-metro ' meaning, both the 'U' (for U-Bahn ) and the 'Tram' logo are used on city maps (to indicate the location of stops) and on railway station signage (to indicate connections). The 'U' Logo is normally used both where stops or stations are underground and where they serve 'second-level' pre-metro type lines. In cities which prefix all their Stadtbahn line numbers with a 'U' (e.g. Stuttgart ),
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#17327733539437384-527: The 1960s and 1970s, Stadtbahn networks were created again but now by upgrading tramways or light rail lines. This process includes adding segments built to rapid transit standards – usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway – mainly by the building of metro-grade tunnels in the central city area. In the first years after the opening of the tunnel sections, often regular trams vehicles (but adapted for tunnel service) were used. These trams were followed by specially designed vehicles like
7526-624: The 1970s was proven to have been a technical failure by the following decade. After World War II, the Germans retained many of their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahnen ). With the exception of Hamburg , all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. The concept of a "limited tramway" was proposed by American transport planner H. Dean Quinby in 1962. Quinby distinguished this new concept in rail transportation from historic streetcar or tram systems as: The term light rail transit
7668-536: The 1990s, the city council had decided to only convert part of the network for use with high-floor trains, that has since been upgraded almost completely. The first few lines were converted to low-floor operations in 1994, another few in 2003. This led to the curiosity that at some platforms the earlier-built escalators don't end at platform level, but a few steps above it, as it had been intended to raise those platforms to 90 cm (35 in). Underground construction in downtown Cologne, one of Germany 's oldest cities,
7810-788: The Cologne Stadtbahn to the Bonn Stadtbahn . These lines (16 and 18) are jointly operated by both cities' transport authorities, resulting in both systems and the lines connecting them sometimes collectively referred to as Stadtbahn Rhein-Sieg . The Cologne Stadtbahn is operated by the Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) and the Bonn Stadtbahn is operated by the Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB – City of Bonn Utilities Division). The KVB and SWB are members of
7952-495: The French city of Bordeaux , the tramway network is powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is powered only while it is completely covered by a tram. This minimizes the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with
8094-463: The KVB since 1955 using EBO certified vehicles. The integration of the Rheinuferbahn and Vorgebirgsbahn was already planned in the mid-1960s, but had to be put off due to a lack of vehicles that could run on interregional rail and partially tunneled Stadtbahn. As seen in other cities, the changing ideas on efficient traffic systems lead to differing needs for the system. An example of this
8236-474: The North. Some operators and cities decided to identify the term Stadtbahn with the eventual goal of installing an U-Bahn so that both the original U-Bahn logo (e.g. Frankfurt U-Bahn , Cologne Stadtbahn , Hanover Stadtbahn ) and the derived U-Stadtbahn logos (e.g. North Rhine-Westphalia , Stuttgart Stadtbahn ; see example above) mark station entries and stops. The numbering scheme for Stadtbahn services
8378-542: The Rheinuferbahn 8 years before, the Vorgebirgsbahn was completely converted to Stadtbahn operations in 1986. Already since the electrification in the 1930s, the trams and Vorgebirgsbahn shared tracks between Barbarossaplatz and Klettenberg. With the conversion to Stadtbahn, the tram lines 10 and 11 were replaced by the Stadtbahn, which meant that the turning loop was replaced by a turning rail. In 1990 to 1992
8520-504: The Rheinuferbahn of the Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen (Cologne-Bonn railways) which it follows to Bonn. Different to the solution later used in Karlsruhe , the railway was changed to accommodate Stadtbahn vehicles, instead of equipping Stadtbahn vehicles with the technology needed to be used on mainline railways. The Rheinuferbahn was converted to Stadtbahn service by changing its electrification from 1200 V to 750 V, upgrading
8662-489: The Stadtbahn also operates on EBO on parts of the route where track is shared with mainline rail . All four German subway systems are regulated entirely by BOStrab while parts of some tram, light rail or Stadtbahn systems – most notably Karlsruhe Stadtbahn – are regulated under EBO. Meanwhile all S-Bahn systems – including those using third rail electrification like Berlin S-Bahn – are regulated entirely under EBO. While
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#17327733539438804-662: The US are the NJ Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton and Austin's Capital MetroRail , which have received exemptions to the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa also has freight service at certain hours. With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers
8946-455: The US as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $ 35 million per mile. By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $ 1.0 million to $ 8.5 million per lane mile for two directions, with an average of $ 2.3 million. However, freeways are frequently built in suburbs or rural areas, whereas light rail tends to be concentrated in urban areas, where right of way and property acquisition
9088-666: The United States and in North America . In Britain, modern light rail systems began to appear in the 1980s, starting with the Tyne and Wear Metro from 1980 and followed by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London in 1987, continuing into the 1990s including the establishment of the Manchester Metrolink in 1992 and the Sheffield Supertram from 1994. Due to varying definitions, it
9230-590: The United States are limited by demand rather than capacity (by and large, most American LRT systems carry fewer than 4,000 persons per hour per direction), but Boston's and San Francisco's light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour per track during rush hour. Elsewhere in North America, the Calgary C-Train and Monterrey Metro have higher light rail ridership than Boston or San Francisco. Systems outside North America often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System
9372-472: The United States, "light rail" has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated right-of-way on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians. The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There
9514-415: The ability of buses to travel closer to each other than rail vehicles and their ability to overtake each other at designated locations allowing express services to bypass those that have stopped at stations. However, to achieve capacities this high, BRT station footprints need to be significantly larger than a typical LRT station. In terms of cost of operation, each bus vehicle requires a single driver, whereas
9656-513: The bridge. This and the tunnels in Nippes meant that Cologne now had the longest underground/elevated railway networks of German cities that started those systems after World-War 2. The first tunnel to the east of the Rhine was opened in the years 1976 to 1983. After the station Frankfurter Straße had already been lowered in 1964, the ramp to the first part of the tunnel with the station Fuldaer Straße
9798-530: The building of the Innenstadttunnel (city center tunnel) was begun. The tunnel opened in parts between 1968 and 1970 and was designed to be continued later, when more money and higher demand could make it necessary. This was the reason why no traditional U-Bahn (metro) was built in Cologne, which is as of 2023 the largest city in Europe not to have one. Nearly all tunnels completed afterwards aren't new routes, but rather overground sections of existing lines moved to
9940-866: The case of the Disney amusement parks , even a land train . (The usual British term for an aerial tramway is cable car , which in the US usually refers to a ground-level car pulled along by subterranean cables .) The word trolley is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States but is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in the UK and elsewhere. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in
10082-578: The case of Hamburg, those plans resulted in the shutdown of the Hamburg tramway by 1978. In the case of Berlin, the network in West Berlin was shut down in 1967 while the plans to shut down the system in East Berlin were reversed and ultimately the tram network started expanding again in the last years of East Germany; it now serves some portions of the former West again. In Nuremberg and Munich
10224-479: The city center, these lines had segregated right-of-way and were more similar to "real" railroads than to trams. The dense tram network in the city center that had been present before World War II was only partially rebuilt afterwards, and the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) was not linked to important places like Neumarkt and Heumarkt for the time being. This was partly due to the plans to make Cologne
10366-421: The closure of Glasgow Corporation Tramways (one of the largest in Europe) in 1962. Although some traditional trolley or tram systems continued to exist in San Francisco and elsewhere, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system as modern light rail technology has primarily post-WWII West German origins. An attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle in
10508-559: The construction of temporary platforms at the Severinstraße station while the actual station gets modernized and connected to the North-Southern tunnel, lines 3 and 4 are Cologne's first HF lines completely equipped with level entrance. The western branch of Line 5 still has two stops (Subbelrather Straße/Gürtel and Nußbaumerstraße, both shared with Line 13) with low platforms, the rest of its stations were made high-floor when
10650-415: The day. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum observed capacity of about 3,000 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by introducing high-occupancy vehicle ( HOV ) lanes and ride-sharing programs, but in most cases, policymakers have chosen to add more lanes to the roads, despite a small risk that in unfavorable situations an extension of
10792-755: The direct translation, which is city rail (the Norwegian term, by bane , means the same). However, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight. The infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in its Glossary of Transit Terminology, defines light rail as: ...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating passenger rail cars singly (or in short, usually two-car or three-car, trains) on fixed rails in
10934-503: The distinction in terms while large parts of the general public and non-specialist press by and large do not. By the 1980s conventional tramways had been seen by decision-makers as overloaded systems for more than two decades. However, public attention focused on them at this time for two reasons. The Stadtbahn cities' second level plans faced unexpected complications in the form of lengthy construction work, budgetary problems for tunnel projects, and protests against elevated sections. At
11076-421: The expansion of the network, there's no single point when the tram became the Stadtbahn, and the expansion projects since the building of the Innenstadttunnel will be listed chronologically. The Innenstadt tunnel (English: inner city tunnel ) was opened in several parts from 1968 to 1970. The first part served from Dom/Hbf to Appellhofplatz, reaching the surface through a temporary ramp at Friesenplatz, and in
11218-629: The first half of the 20th century as a name for the cross-city lines in Berlin and Vienna . The Berlin Stadtbahn line is an elevated heavy rail line linking the East and the West. Long distance, regional, suburban, and urban services ( S-Bahn ) are operated on it. In Berlin unqualified use of the term Stadtbahn is still widely understood to refer to the Berlin Stadtbahn. The Vienna Stadtbahn
11360-528: The fleets and the infrastructure were in need of massive investment and improvement. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the use of the Stadtbahn term became popular in the former East Germany as well, as in Erfurt and Dresden . However, neither the Erfurt tramway nor the Dresden tramway have any significant tunnel or elevated sections or plans to build any. In their case separation from road traffic
11502-442: The following year, the section Appellhofplatz – Barbarossaplatz was added. At the station Appellhofplatz, a triangular junction was built, with the tunnel from Friesenplatz to Dom/Hbf passing under the rest of the railways. In October 1970, the sections Poststraße – Severinsbridge and Dom/Hbf – Breslauer Platz followed, with a temporary ramp built at Breslauer Platz. The ramp at Barbarossaplatz was also intended to only be temporary, but
11644-458: The late 19th century when Americans adopted the term "street railway", rather than "tramway", with the vehicles being called "streetcars" rather than "trams". Some have suggested that the Americans' preference for the term "street railway" at that time was influenced by German emigrants to the United States (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast), as it is
11786-405: The late night and early morning, as well as on Sundays. On weekends, there is an hourly service throughout the night. Because several lines overlap on the routes through the city center, some stations are served by up to 30 trains per hour in each direction. Severinstr. – Chlodwigplatz – Rodenkirchen (– Sürth) Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 8:00 and 16:30 to 18:00 to Sürth The first step towards
11928-524: The latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as Seattle's Link had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along
12070-462: The light rail concept was the "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" which started in the 1920s, was renovated in 1980-81 and is now part of RTA Rapid Transit . Many original tram and streetcar systems in the United Kingdom , United States , and elsewhere were decommissioned starting in the 1950s as subsidies for the car increased. Britain abandoned its tram systems, except for Blackpool , with
12212-403: The line from Hans-Böckler-Platz to Venloer Straße/Gürtel, where a connection to S-Bahnhof Ehrenfeld was created, in 1989, and the tunnel to Wolffsohnstraße and surface tracks to Bocklemünd in 1992, where an on-platform transfer to buses can be made. The Ehrenfeld tunnel has multiple differentiating factors from previously built tunnels: It is the first tunnel built with high-floor platforms, and
12354-411: The line runs further to Sürth. Lines 16 and 18 are the longest lines in the network, connecting Cologne to Bonn via railway lines. A list of old routes of lines and lines that stopped service. If a line's route only changed because it was expanded on one end, that change is not listed here. The highest line number ever used on the system was 27 in the 1930s. Due to the lack of an overarching plan on
12496-689: The line was extended into the Butzweilerhof industrial area. Line 13 is also called the "beltway" ( Gürtel ) line because it is the only line that does not touch the city center. Line 13 is also called the Outer Ring line, while Lines 12 and 15 together can be called the inner ring line. Most of the line runs along a series of roads of the same name. The northern part of Line 13 is built as an elevated railway. High-floor platforms are still very rare on this line, because it shares three platforms (Dürener Straße, Wüllnerstraße, Aachener Straße/Gürtel) with
12638-461: The low-floor line 7 and many parts of the platforms are lined with old trees, making the upgrade more difficult. Since the timetable change on 13 December 2015, a section of the north–south rail has been operated by line 17. From Severinstraße it runs through the newly built tunnel to Bonner Wall, after which it joins line 16 at Schönhauser Str. and runs alongside it to Rodenkirchen Bf. In the morning and evening peak (07:00 to 08:00 and 16:30 to 18:00),
12780-558: The middle of the Gürtel, and connects it with the Mülheim Bridge. The Cologne-Neuss railway however is crossed underneath, at which a station (Geldernstraße/Parkgürtel) creates a connection to S-Bahn services. At the approach to the Mülheim Bridge the line joins the also junction-free line from the zoo. To create enough space for climbing the elevation change, the two lines cross at the station Slabystraße before joining farther along
12922-427: The mixed use of trams and Stadtbahnen only allowed for low-floor platforms with a height of 35 cm (14 in), which meant that the high-floor Stadtbahnen had to be (and still are) equipped with stairs. In 1985 the first part of the network was built that was only accessible for high-floor trains with a platform height of 90 cm (35 in). Since the summer of 2006, no more trams are in use in Cologne. But in
13064-452: The names Stadtbahn and S-Bahn have common origin ('rapid urban train'), their meaning today is different. S-Bahn is commuter rail , usually integrated into the railway network and mostly operated by the German national railway company Deutsche Bahn . Stadtbahn , on the other hand, generally use light rail vehicles (either high-floor or low-floor ), and are usually integrated into
13206-465: The old and new systems. Since the 1980s, Portland, Oregon , has built all three types of system: a high-capacity light rail system in dedicated lanes and rights-of-way, a low-capacity streetcar system integrated with street traffic, and an aerial tram system . The opposite phrase heavy rail , used for higher-capacity, higher-speed systems, also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, for instance in comparing
13348-414: The order which made most sense to relieve traffic at the time. Because of this and the financial insecurity if the state or federal government would finance more projects, many ramps going from the tunnels to the overground were built only provisorily to enable a later continuation of the tunnels, but no underground stations were designed to become multi-level stations serving different directions. Initially
13490-662: The outer branches, stations in the city center had to have low platforms to support trams as well. The introduction of low-floor technology in the early 1990s promised wheelchair-accessible entry throughout the network without having to build several hundred high platforms. To allow the introduction of low-floor trains without having to demolish existing high platforms, the network was divided into two sub-networks of different floor heights. On weekdays, all lines are served in 5 to 10 minute intervals from 6 am to 8 pm, with little or no service between around 1 am and about 4.30 am, and usually 15 minute intervals in
13632-493: The outset to be eventually converted into a metro system. A final metro system may or may not be implemented in the end. This concept has the benefit of being cheaper in comparison with constructing a metro from scratch. Post-World War II transport policies in West German cities aimed for a separation of public and private transport. The conflicts that arose between increasing car usage and the existing tramway systems led to
13774-450: The peak direction during rush hour. Stadtbahn Stadtbahn ( German pronunciation: [ˈʃtatˌbaːn] ; German for 'city railway'; plural Stadtbahnen ) is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport . One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna , where rail routes were created that could be used independently from other traffic. In
13916-481: The plans to shut down the tram networks were slowed down – in part due to protests by citizens against losing tram service without adequate replacement – ultimately abandoned and there are now plans for new tram construction in both cities. However, as late as 2011 the tram line through Pirckheimer Straße in Nuremberg was shut down in the course of the opening of a new section of subway line U3 which runs slightly to
14058-405: The platforms were converted to high-floor platforms (except for Barbarossaplatz). Since October 1987 a tunnel exists under the Cologne Ring . It continues the tunnel at from Hansaring and crosses under the lines 1 and 7 at Rudolfplatz. At Friesenplatz it crosses under the Innenstadttunnel which forms the currently (2022) only completely underground station junction which is a bit messy because of
14200-556: The required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles. Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below. However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the Siemens S70 LRVs used in the Houston METRORail and other North American LRT systems have
14342-432: The right-of-way that is often separated from other traffic for part or much of the way. Light rail vehicles are typically driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley [pole] or a pantograph ; driven by an operator onboard the vehicle; and may have either high platform loading or low-level boarding using steps." However, some diesel-powered transit is designated light rail, such as
14484-415: The road network might lead to increased travel times ( Downs–Thomson paradox , Braess's paradox ). By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying a theoretical ridership up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way , not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. They can often be run through existing city streets and parks , or placed in
14626-401: The roads. Typically roadways have 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph). If only cars are allowed, the capacity will be less and will not increase when the traffic volume increases. When there is a bus driving on this route, the capacity of the lane will be higher and will increase when the traffic level increases. And because the capacity of a light rail system is higher than that of
14768-618: The same as the German term for the mode, Straßenbahn (meaning "street railway"). A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams after World War II except in Blackpool , eight major North American cities ( Toronto , Boston , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Pittsburgh , Newark , Cleveland , and New Orleans ) continued to operate large streetcar systems. When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both
14910-468: The same time, the smaller cities which had not started Stadtbahn plans reassessed their options in relation to their existing tram systems. Furthermore, relocating public transit or even pedestrians underground increasingly got a negative reputation and the concept of the automotive city – all but dominating public discourse in the 1950s and 1960s – was increasingly called into question. East German cities had no 1960s-style Stadtbahn plans in place, and
15052-404: The scheme. As far as the Stadtbahn terminology problem is concerned, however, the scheme serves only to add further confusion to the matter, since there is no nationwide logo for Stadtbahn services. The result appears to be a contraction in the use of the term Stadtbahn , especially in cities where it has been used in its wider 1980s 'light-rail system' meaning. In cities where Stadtbahn has
15194-556: The so-called 'second level' concept for future light rail schemes. This concept focused on the grade separation, i.e., elevation and/or tunneling of tram lines. Munich and Nuremberg decided to build pure, full-scale U-Bahn (metro) systems. Berlin and Hamburg planned expansions of their existing U-Bahn networks, while most West German cities decided to upgrade their tramway networks step by step, linking new 'second level' infrastructure to existing sections. While some cities regarded this solution as an interim step that would lead to
15336-410: The stacked side-platforms. At Zülpicher Platz the tunnel ends in a ramp to the surface. The station Rudolfplatz was also designed as a bunker. The station Christophstraße/Mediapark was the location of the worst accident in the recent history of the Stadtbahn in 1999, when a CitySprinter prototype hit a standing train at 50 km/h (31 mph). The tunnel through Ehrenfeld was opened in two parts:
15478-408: The standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauges also allows light rail vehicles to be conveniently moved around using the same tracks as freight railways. Additionally, wider gauges (e.g. standard gauge) provide more floor clearance on low-floor trams that have constricted pedestrian areas at the wheels, which
15620-566: The start. In 1971, the first 2.3-kilometre-long (1.4 mi) section was constructed on an exclusive right-of-way. It starts from existing tram lines to the north, crosses under the Militärringsstraße and over the A1 to the underground Heimersdorf station. The line ended in a temporary loop about 200 m (660 ft) farther to the south. In 1973, the extension was completed at an underground terminus at Köln-Chorweiler station , which
15762-486: The stations have their platforms in the middle between the tracks instead of on the side. Because of the experiences with the tunnel below Neusser Straße the station spacing was reduced to get a better service for the residents. Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit , abbreviated to LRT ) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit . The term
15904-406: The suburbs are called Stadtbahn. They are represented by the 'S' logo that is used for S-Bahn ( Stadtschnellbahn ) in the rest of Germany and therefore partially conflict with it, as it has acquired a second meaning in Karlsruhe. As part of the redevelopment of their main city stations , national railway company Deutsche Bahn adopted a new logo to indicate Straßenbahn (tram) connections:
16046-551: The system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day. Automatic train operation is employed on light rail networks, tracking the position and speed of a train and hence adjusting its movement for safety and efficiency. One line of light rail (requires 7.6 m, 25' right of way) has a theoretical capacity of up to 8 times more than one 3.7 m (12 foot) lane on a freeway, excluding busses, during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits that can be determined by traffic engineering , and usually experience
16188-477: The term Stadtbahn was later created. Similar concepts to separate rail and car traffic were later used in many cities in North Rhine-Westphalia and adjacent foreign cities ( Brussels , Antwerp ). The term Stadtbahn is not regularly used, as the system is mostly referred to as U-Bahn and sometimes Straßenbahn (tram) by officials and the KVB, and most underground stations are also marked by
16330-485: The term "low-floor light rail" ( Niederflurstadtbahn ). In 2006, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup , route 1 was extended to Weiden-West, via Schulstraße, which connects to the RheinEnergieStadion . In 2007, Line 8, which previously operated during peak hours, stopped service. All its runs were integrated into the schedules of Lines 7 and 9. When it became clear to city authorities that the construction of
16472-475: The train, driver's cabs on both ends, higher operating voltage, wider cars with comfortable seats, and so on. In 1992 Karlsruhe started an innovative new service, using both heavy and light rail infrastructure, to link the wider region to the city. The vehicles were designed to comply with technical specifications for the (federal) heavy railway and for light rail (communal tramways). Such vehicles are called Dual-System Light Rail Vehicles. The meaning of Stadtbahn
16614-591: The tram network, though the Stadtbahn portions do not operate with street running as much as trams do. They also differ in legal status: S-Bahn systems are governed under the rail rules of the Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung (EBO) ('Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Railways'), while Stadtbahn systems are usually tramways by law governed under the regulations of Verordnung über den Bau und Betrieb der Straßenbahnen (BOStrab) ('Ordinance on
16756-450: The trams, making it safe on city streets. Several systems in Europe and a few recently opened systems in North America use diesel -powered trains. When electric streetcars were introduced in the late 19th century, conduit current collection was one of the first ways of supplying power, but it proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires . When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduit power
16898-419: The tunnel to Ehrenfeld at Hans-Böckler-Platz/Bahnhof West where elevators go directly from the underground station's platforms to the ones of Köln West station . The tunnel then turns north beneath the green belt and reaches the surface at the station Gutenbergstraße. During the construction of the tunnel under Venloer Straße the tunnel was used by lines 3 and 4, while usually it is only served by line 5. Like
17040-488: The tunnel. The west-east portion of the tunnel put trains under the Cologne Ring for the first time. From west to east, trains went underground at a temporary ramp just past Christophstraße station , served new underground stations at Hansaring , Ebertplatz (shared with the north-south tunnel) and Reichenspergerplatz , before returning to the surface at a ramp west of Zoo/Flora station . Turning loops were built at both ends. The two lines meet at Ebertplatz station, which
17182-525: The underground. Beneficial to the expansion of the Stadtbahn were the Vorortbahnen that mostly ran on the right side of the Rhine and usually had their own right-of-ways . Another advantage was the previous use of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide trains instead of the usual 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) other cities used for their trams, which made the adjustment for the new 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) wide Stadtbahnwagen B easier. After
17324-460: The vast majority of light rail systems. This avoids the danger potentially presented by an electrified third rail . The Docklands Light Railway uses an inverted third rail for its electrical power, which allows the electrified rail to be covered and the power drawn from the underside. Trams in Bordeaux , France, use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath
17466-593: The war. A decision was taken to dedicate the Hohenzollern Bridge solely to interregional services, while the new Severins Bridge was only finished in 1959, allowing a restructuring of tram lines. Already in 1956, the transportation plan of the city council intended a newly built tunnel through the city center in the north–south direction. An overground routing along the Nord-Süd-Fahrt (North-South-Road) would not have served many central areas and
17608-434: The widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. The BART railcar in the following chart is not generally considered to be
17750-587: The word "Tram" at the expense of Straßenbahn and elektrische ("electric [railway/tramway]") the latter of which having become somewhat antiquated. The term "Bim" (short for "Bimmelbahn" in turn derived from the semi- onomatopoetic "bimmeln" for the sound of a bell) meanwhile has become limited to Austria, particularly the "Bim" in Vienna . As the new logos became part of the information systems at more and more main railway stations, an increasing number of cities and public transport operators came to accept and adopt
17892-765: Was also adopted by the Saarbahn in Saarbrücken . This model is today referred to in France as the tram-train . Other Stadtbahn networks in Germany without tunnels, but which incorporate railway lines, are found in: Although a precise legal definition of Stadtbahn was planned in the 1970s, there is currently no such definition. By law, the BOStrab regulates all Stadtbahn systems as tram systems, as long as they are not mainline rail. However, all U-Bahn systems in Germany are likewise regulated by BOStrab. In some systems,
18034-467: Was built there. The subsequent tunnels in Kalk , Vingst and Deutz followed in 1980, 1981 and 1983. The branch to Königsforst joins at station Kalk Kapelle without a junction by crossing under. Between the stations Deutz Technische Hochschule and Bf Deutz/Messe a small underground parking facility was created, and in the station Kalk Post a bunker was built. At the same time as the tunnels were built,
18176-543: Was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany, the term Stadtbahn (to be distinguished from S-Bahn , which stands for Stadtschnellbahn ) was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt
18318-502: Was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word Stadtbahn , meaning "city railway". Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled together, with a lower capacity and speed than a long heavy rail passenger train or rapid transit system. Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses rolling stock that
18460-410: Was considered a priority because Neusser Straße is a relatively narrow main street and was the most used part of the network outside the city center at the time. Because of financing problems, the tunnel ended just before Mollwitzstraße station instead of continuing to the split of the line at Wilhelm-Sollman-Straße station, and the ramp was built as a temporary solution, enabling the later continuation of
18602-560: Was created by the Cologne Stadtbahn and the Bonn Stadtbahn , opened in 1974, from the conversion of two former railway lines (the Rheinuferbahn and Vorgebirgsbahn belonging to the old Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen ). Further developments led to tram-train networks that rather resembled an S-Bahn . This idea was first realised in 1992 in Karlsruhe ( Karlsruhe Stadtbahn ), where as part of the Karlsruhe model even so-called dual system railbuses were used, which in addition to
18744-524: Was designed to minimize the number of times trains would need to crossover tracks to maximize the efficiency of the station and tunnels. At the same time as the tunnels in Nippes, an elevated railway was finished for line 13 following the Gürtel , which at the time was planned to be extended from Bilderstöckchen to the Mülheim Bridge . The line starts at Nußbaumerstraße up to where line 13 runs in
18886-543: Was enlarged to encompass this new type of " tram-train " service. In other regions, stimulated by the Karlsruhe example and planning to copy it, other terms are in use: Stadt-Umland-Bahn (city-to-region railway, e.g. Erlangen , also in discussion to connect the nearer surroundings of Munich , as far as not supplied with S-Bahn services so far, with the existing public transport there), Regional-Stadtbahn (regional light rail, e.g. Braunschweig ). The difference of this system to other systems where light rail mixes with heavy rail,
19028-453: Was in the beginning a system of heavy rail lines circling the city, free of level crossings, operated by steam trains. After World War I the Wiental , Donaukanal and Gürtel lines were converted into an electric light rail system with tram-like two-axle cars (which on line 18G until 1945 switched into the tram network at Gumpendorfer Strasse station). In the 1970s to 1990s the infrastructure
19170-677: Was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe this new concept of rail transportation. Prior to that time the abbreviation "LRT" was used for " Light Rapid Transit " and " Light Rail Rapid Transit ". The first of the new light rail systems in North America began operation in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta , adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta , and San Diego, California . The concept proved popular, with there now being numerous light rail systems in
19312-509: Was prefixed with a 'U', except in the Cologne Stadtbahn , Bielefeld Stadtbahn , and Hanover Stadtbahn . In local parlance some of those systems are referred to as "U-Bahn", especially when talking about tunnel sections. However, this somewhat misleading terminology is only officially used in Frankfurt am Main which calls its Stadtbahn "Frankfurt U-Bahn". Official documents and specialist publications or railfans and transit advocates maintain
19454-516: Was rejected. The tunnel was not planned as a U-Bahn as in many other cities, but rather as an underground tram . This meant a design similar to overground trams with small turning radii, short distances between stops and low-floor platforms. At the end of the tunnels the trains were supposed to run as trams on the streets again, but in many places the trams were already separated from car traffic anyways. For this type of system – tunnels in highly congested areas, elsewhere mostly on or next to streets –
19596-500: Was replaced by additional trains of Line 15. The high-floor network consists of all lines operated by "classic" light rail vehicles with a floor height of roughly one meter above street level. Since separation from the low-floor network, high platforms are being built in stations in the city center at one or two per year. As of 2022, the most frequented stations have been upgraded except for the Barbarossaplatz station . Since
19738-632: Was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. It initially drew current from the rails, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. An early example of
19880-498: Was the routing itself: the curve radii were enlarged and at-grade crossings avoided. The outer parts of the tunnel network are designed for up to 70 km/h (43 mph), but the distance between stations is more similar to the previous tram network, which is why the top speed is rarely reached. There is no plan for the final state of the network as in the U-Bahn of Berlin , Munich or Nuremberg . The lines and tunnels were built in
20022-528: Was updated, and the lines were partially relocated: they are now part of the Vienna U-Bahn services 'U4' and 'U6'. The Vorortelinie line remained heavy rail and is now part of the Vienna S-Bahn . Since the 1960s the term Stadtbahn has become identified with a second, now dominant, meaning. Here Stadtbahn is an underground urban rail network that is used by conventional trams but planned at
20164-527: Was used in those cities that did not permit overhead wires. In Europe, it was used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, and Prague. In the United States, it was used in parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Third rail technology was investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the G:link light rail, though power from overhead lines was ultimately utilized for that system. In
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