Street running train

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An NICTD EMU street-running on Michigan City's 11th Street; United States, in 2009; the street-running track has been replaced with its own right-of-way as of 2023 South Shore 512 (3542718093).jpg
An NICTD EMU street-running on Michigan City’s 11th Street; United States, in 2009; the street-running track has been replaced with its own right-of-way as of 2023
Hong Kong's Light Rail 20201125 LRT1133 at Tai Hing North.jpg
Hong Kong's Light Rail

A street running train is a train which runs on a track built on public streets. The rails are embedded in the roadway, and the train shares the street with other users, such as pedestrians, cars and cyclists, thus often being referred to as running in mixed traffic. [1] Tram and light rail systems frequently run on streets, with light rail lines typically separated from other traffic. [2]

Contents

For safety, street running trains travel more slowly than trains on dedicated rights-of-way. Needing to share the right-of-way with motor vehicles can cause delays and pose a safety risk. [3]

Stations on such routes are rare and may appear similar in style to a tram stop, but often lack platforms, pedestrian islands, or other amenities. In some cases, passengers may be required to wait on a distant sidewalk, and then board or disembark by crossing the traffic. The last street-station in the United States was in Michigan City, closing in 2022. [4]

Examples

The following list is non-inclusive of tram and light rail systems and is otherwise non-exhaustive.

Argentina

Salto Grande Bridge over the dam Puente Salto Grande.jpg
Salto Grande Bridge over the dam

Australia

A passenger train running down the centre of Ellen Street, Port Pirie in 1940 Ellen Street station and passenger train headed by SAR loco 625, 1940 (SLSA B 30245).jpg
A passenger train running down the centre of Ellen Street, Port Pirie in 1940

Canada

Notable examples in Canada include: [14]

Croatia

Czechia

Germany

For tramways the legal separation of a street running trackbed and an exclusive trackbed in urban traffic is given in § 16 BOStrab tramway regulations. Germany has some street-running railways:

A "Mollibahn" train running through Bad Doberan, Germany Bad Doberan Molli (02) 2006-09-24.JPG
A "Mollibahn" train running through Bad Doberan, Germany

Hong Kong

The KCR British Section had two street running stretches: a spur line to Whampoa Dockyard through Baker Street  [ yue ], [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] another across Salisbury Road  [ yue ] and Canton Road to the Kowloon Godowns.[ citation needed ]

Indonesia

Train along Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Solo, Indonesia Batara Kresna 2022 Bennylin 06.jpg
Train along Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Solo, Indonesia

Japan

Laos

New Zealand

Street running in Kawakawa BOI-VR kawakawa.jpg
Street running in Kawakawa

Poland

Switzerland

A Berninabahn train crossing the main square in Tirano TiranoBerninabahn04.jpg
A Berninabahn train crossing the main square in Tirano

Swiss law does not distinguish between trams and railways, making the distinction between street running by trams and that by railways legally indistinct.

United Kingdom

The combined road and rail swing bridge at Preston Marina 5643 on the swing bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1697655.jpg
The combined road and rail swing bridge at Preston Marina

Street running railways have been much rarer in the United Kingdom than elsewhere. This is due to 19th-century laws requiring railways to be enclosed by fences, which had the consequence that railways could not be built along existing roads and had to use their own rights of way. In cases where street running was unavoidable, the roads were often legally treated as level crossings with trains and road vehicles not permitted to use them at the same time. Some examples are:

United States

Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad running on 9th Street in downtown Columbus CCH 3348 Broadway9thst 2254.jpg
Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad running on 9th Street in downtown Columbus

A selection of the many examples:

Alabama

  • Gadsden
    • Locust Street, between N1 Street and N6 Street. [32]

Alaska

California

  • Burbank
    • Santa Ana Street [35]
  • Oakland
    • Embarcadero West, between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Webster Street; the only double street running train track in the USA; the only Amtrak street running trackage in the USA; freight trains also run here; third track is no longer in use. [36]

Colorado

  • Fort Collins
    • Mason Street. This railway opened in 1877, but 100 years later the city wanted the line around the city. It almost worked. But the train now has a free lane in the street. [37] One train can be 5 km. long, waiting times for other traffic can be up to 30 minutes, and each train must use the horn more than 40 times within three minutes [38]

Florida

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Minnesota

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

  • Paris
    • N Fentress St.-S Caldwell-McNeil St. [59]

Texas

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

See also

Notes

  1. Street running railroad on Denison Street in Rockhampton, Queensland 23°22′35″S150°30′26″E / 23.376492°S 150.507336°E

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