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A light train is a type of multiple unit passenger train that is developed for mainline rail roads. These type of trains are built using lightweighting techniques, with the purpose of reducing operating costs. [1] [2] Light trains that appeared in the 1930s were called lightweight cars. [3] [4]
Most light trains in use in the 21st century were developed for mainline rail roads in Europe, however they do not meet the crash-safety guidelines from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Light trains in the U.S. can therefore only be used on isolated lines, where they are referred to as diesel light rail tranist (abbreviated DLRT) [5] or termed hybrid rail by the FRA. [6]
Early examples where the 1931 U.S. Bullet and the 1932 German prototype Flying Hamburger, following a production series later named VT 04. In the U.S. technology advanced with the introduction of the 1934 M-10000 prototype and soon followed by the Pioneer Zephyr and the 1935 Hiawatha". Another notable example was the Talgo I prototype that was tested in Spain between 1942 and 1944. The GM Aerotrain was partially based on the Talgo II and used in passenger service between 1956 and 1966.
In France, the TELLi project aims to introduce light trains starting in 2029. [7]
Though light trains are used on mainline rail roads in Europe, in the Americas they are mostly used on isolated tracks:
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.
A railcar is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach, with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles "railmotors".
Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of intercity, standard, and high-speed passenger trains. Talgo is an abbreviation of Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol.
The River Line is a hybrid rail line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its route between the two cities is parallel to the Delaware River.
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.
The Trillium Line, also called O-Train Line 2, is a diesel light rail transit (DLRT) service, using main line trains. The line is in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and is operated by OC Transpo. The line opened on October 15, 2001 and was the first in the O-Train system.
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Bombardier Transportation had many regional offices, production and development facilities worldwide. It produced a wide range of products including passenger rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, propulsion and controls. In February 2020, the company had 36,000 employees, and 63 manufacturing and engineering locations around the world. Formerly a division of Bombardier Inc., the company was acquired by French manufacturer Alstom on 29 January 2021.
An electro-diesel locomotive is a type of locomotive that can be powered either from an electricity supply or by using the onboard diesel engine. For the most part, these locomotives are built to serve regional, niche markets with a very specific purpose.
The JetTrain was an experimental high-speed passenger train concept created by Bombardier Transportation in an attempt to make European-style high-speed service more financially appealing to passenger railways throughout North America. It was designed to use the same LRC-derived tilting carriages as the Acela Express trains that Bombardier built for Amtrak in the 1990s, which used all-electric locomotives. Unlike the Acela, powered electrically by overhead lines, the JetTrain would have used a combination of a 4,000-horsepower (3.0 MW) gas-turbine engine, a low-power diesel engine, a reduction gearbox, and two alternators to power electric traction motors. This would have allowed it to run at high speeds on non-electrified lines.
The Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano or SITEUR is an urban rail transit system serving the Guadalajara metropolitan area, in the municipalities of Guadalajara, Zapopan and Tlaquepaque, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It is owned and operated by the state of Jalisco.
Jacobs bogies are a type of rail vehicle bogie commonly found on articulated railcars and tramway vehicles.
The Stadler GTW is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. GTW stands for Gelenktriebwagen.
The Scharfenberg coupler is a commonly used type of fully automatic railway coupling.
Siemens Mobility GmbH is a division of Siemens. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens Mobility has four core business units: Mobility Management, dedicated to rail technology and intelligent traffic systems, Railway Electrification, Rolling Stock, and Customer Services.
The RP-210 was a streamlined 1,000 hp (750 kW) locomotive built in 1956 by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, specifically to operate with the experimental, all-aluminum Train-X coaches that were built by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company. The model represented Baldwin's attempted entry into the lightweight passenger locomotive market, but only three of the low-slung diesel-hydraulic units were produced. The first RP-210 was built for the New York Central Railroad to power their Ohio Xplorer train between Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, and a pair was purchased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to double-end their Dan'l Webster, running between New York City and Boston.
The Renfe Class 130 or S-130 is a push-pull high-speed dual-gauge, dual-voltage trainset consisting of 11 Talgo VII tilting coaches and two power cars, used on Alvia and Euromed services. The class have been nicknamed patitos (ducklings), due to the shape of the train nose.
The CAF Civity is a family of regional passenger trains which is manufactured by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. Available as both diesel, electric and battery-electric multiple unit, the Civity was first launched in 2010 and received its first order two years later.
An electro-diesel multiple unit (EDMU) or bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) is a form of a multiple unit train that can be powered either by electric power picked up from the overhead lines or third rail or by using an onboard diesel engine, driving an electric generator, which produces alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) electric power.
The rolling stock of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system consists of 782 self-propelled electric multiple units, built in four separate orders.