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 coupled trams operating on a regular tramway.
Not to be confused with Train-tram.
A tram-train on street
Stadtbahn street running, in Heilbronn
A tram-train on railway
Stadtbahn on main-line railway
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A tram-train, also known as a dual-system tram,[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] A tram-train combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.[4]

The modern tram-train concept was pioneered by the German city of Karlsruhe in the late 1980s,[5] resulting in the creation of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn. This concept is often referred to as the Karlsruhe model,[4] and it has since been adopted in other cities such as Mulhouse in France[4] and in Kassel, Nordhausen and Saarbrücken in Germany.[5]

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.

Technology

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A tram-train on street
Kassel RegioTram dual voltage DC/AC Alstom RegioCitadis next to a KVG Bombardier Flexity Classic tram at Königsplatz
A tram-train on railway
Kassel RegioTram dual mode diesel/electric Alstom RegioCitadis approaching Wolfhagen using diesel power, on main-line railway
A tram-train on street
A "DUO" Combino on the Nordhausen urban tramway, where it is electrically powered via overhead wires.
A tram-train at a railway station
A "DUO" Combino at Ilfeld station on the HSB rural railway, where it is powered by an onboard diesel engine.
A tram-train on street
A tram-train in Rome, Italy
A tram-train on street
A tram-train in Sassari, Italy
A tram-train on street
A pair of Manchester Metrolink Bombardier M5000s on the street in Manchester City Centre, United Kingdom
A tram-train on rail, along with a heavy rail train
A pair of Bombardier M5000s on the mainline, along with a Class 150 in the United Kingdom

The tram-train often is a type of interurban[6] — that is, they link separate towns or cities, according to George W. Hilton and John F. Due's definition.[7]

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.

History

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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.

In 1924, in Hobart, Australia, sharing of tracks between trams and trains was proposed.[8]

List of tram-train systems

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Asia

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Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes
Japan Fukui Fukui Fukubu Line 1924 1 23 21.4 km (13.3 mi)

Europe

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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)[9] it has been connected to the Gmunden Tramway as part of the Traunseetram tram-train service.[10]
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[11]
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 [fr] 12 December 2010 Line 3 18 22 km (14 mi) Tram of Mulhouse tramway and Mulhouse Thur Valley Tram-train[12]
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 Greater Manchester Manchester Metrolink, Altrincham Line 15 June 1992 1 11 12.2 km (7.6 mi)
Manchester Metrolink, Bury Line 6 April 1992 1 11 15.9 km (9.9 mi)
Sheffield - Rotherham South Yorkshire Supertram 25 October 2018 1 - 29 km (18 mi) Tram-Train (Black) Route
Cardiff & South Wales Valleys South Wales Metro 2026 9 94 169.2 km (105.1 mi)

North America

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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[13] 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

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Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes
Colombia Bogotá RegioTram - - 17 39.6 km (24.6 mi)

Proposed systems

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Africa

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  • The October 6th Tram system (The O6T), Cairo, Egypt

Asia

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Europe

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Oceania

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South America

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Vehicles

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Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include:

Interurban

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The Zwickau Model has lightweight diesel trains running through urban streets.
A train running on the street section of Keishin line.
See also: Street running train

Europe

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Japan

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North America

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ BATRAK, OLEKSANDR (2021-12-03). "First dual-system tram launched in Hungary". Railway Supply. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  2. ^ "Suburban to City Centre travel: Is tram-train the solution?". dbesg.deutschebahn.com. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  3. ^ Assefa, Nuhamin G.; Carra, Martina; Ventura, Roberto; Richiedei, Anna; Barabino, Benedetto (2024-10-01). "Assessing Tram-Train feasibility via multicriteria approach: The case of Brescia (Italy)". Research in Transportation Business & Management. 56: 101178. doi:10.1016/j.rtbm.2024.101178. hdl:11379/607106. ISSN 2210-5395.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  4. ^ a b c d "Tram-train: Making new connections". tautonline.com. Tramways & Urban Transit. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Uk tram-train: Learning lessons". tautonline.com. Tramways & Urban Transit. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. ^ "UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Hessen > Kassel Tram / Straßenbahn".
  7. ^ Hilton, George Woodman; Due, John Fitzgerald (2000) [1960]. The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. Original preface, 1960 page ix.
  8. ^ "TRAMS AND TRAINS". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 12 February 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 21 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "TRAUNSEETRAM - Stern & Hafferl Verkehr".
  10. ^ "Metre-gauge lines in Gmunden connected at last". Railway Gazette International. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Aarhus tram-train project gets the go-ahead". Railway Gazette International. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  12. ^ Haydock, David (April 2011). "France's first real tram train". Today's Railways. Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. pp. 37–40.
  13. ^ Weidner, Johanna (June 26, 2017). "Derail switches installed to protect Ion infrastructure from oversized freight trains". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "Tram-Train for Haifa-Nazareth.(Transit News)". Archived from the original on 2014-06-29.
  15. ^ "Tram-trains may also run between Debrecen and Oradea in the future". www.debrecen.hu. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  16. ^ Place North West (7 January 2019). "Metrolink heads to Stalybridge and Middleton in 2040 expansion". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Planovane-modernizacie-elektrickovych-trati-MET-a-Integrovany-dopravny-system-IDS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-12-08.
  18. ^ "Agency Strategic Initiative" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-26.
  19. ^ "Jöhet a Szeged-Szabadka tram-train, megjelent a tender – Szegedi hírek". Szeged365 (in Hungarian). 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  20. ^ "Szeged-Makó elővárosi közösségi közlekedés vizsgálata - Döntéselőkészítő Tanulmány (Közlekedés - Pro-Urbe - V-Plan - Uvaterv - Unitef)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
  21. ^ "Battery-equipped trams with local styling ordered for TramCamp line". Metro Report International. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  22. ^ Adelaidemetro.com.au Archived July 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "El tren tranvía ya tiene la firma para arrancar - Cali - Colombia - ELTIEMPO.COM". 25 April 2018.
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