A tram -train is a type of light rail vehicle that both meets the standards of a light rail system, and also national mainline standards. Tramcars are adapted to be capable of running on streets like an urban tramway but also be permitted operation alongside mainline trains . This allows services that can utilise both existing urban light rail systems and mainline railway networks and stations. It combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.
5-623: The Zwickau model , or train-tram, is an inversion of the tram-train . Instead of tram vehicles running on railway tracks, the Zwickau model features main-line trains extended through city streets on tram tracks. The trains have only minor modifications to permit use on the tram tracks. It is so called because the German city of Zwickau was the first to introduce the concept. In Zwickau diesel regional trains operated by Die Länderbahn use around 1.1 km (0.68 mi) of tramway track to reach
10-479: The city centre instead of terminating at the railway station . As the city's tramway network is metre gauge the shared section of track is dual gauge , but that is not a necessary feature of the model. Train-tram operation in Zwickau began on 28 May 1999 using RegioSprinter railcars fitted with a modified braking system, indicators and a bell in order to operate under the BOStrab tramway regulations. Since 2019
15-576: The concept is a train-tram – a mainline train adapted to run on-street in an urban tramway, also known as the Zwickau Model . 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
20-584: 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. 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 first interurban to emerge in
25-822: The service has been operated by Regio-Shuttles , also modified for use on the tramway section. Tram-train 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. An inversion of
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