A tram-train, also known as a dual-system tram, 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.
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. A tram-train combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.
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. It can be regarded as an evolution of the earlier interurban operations model.
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
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 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 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. A few interurban services did share tracks with mainline steam railroads, such as the Daisy Line or East Bay Electric Lines.
In 1924, in Hobart, Australia, sharing of tracks between trams and trains was proposed.
List of tram-train systems Asia Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes Fukui Fukui Fukubu Line 1924 1 23
Europe Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes Gmunden Traunsee Tram 21 March 1912 1 - Since (1 September 2018) it has been connected to the Gmunden Tramway as part of the Traunseetram tram-train service. Vienna Badner Bahn 1873 1 36 Baden bei Wien Aarhus Aarhus Letbane 21 December 2017 2 51 Tram-train and light rail Lyon Rhônexpress 9 August 2010 1 4 Tram-train de l'ouest lyonnais 22 September 2012 2 23 Mulhouse 12 December 2010 Line 3 18 Tram of Mulhouse tramway and Mulhouse Thur Valley Tram-train Nantes Nantes tram-train 15 June 2011 2 18 Paris, Île-de-France Île-de-France tramway Line 4 20 November 2006 line 4 20 Île-de-France tramway Line 11 Express 1 July 2017 Line 11 7 Île-de-France tramway Line 12 Express 10 December 2023 Line 12 16 Île-de-France tramway Line 13 Express 6 July 2022 Line 13 12 Île-de-France tramway Line 14 March 2025 Line 14 5 Chemnitz City-Bahn Chemnitz 10 March 1997 4 - - Karlsruhe Karlsruhe Stadtbahn 25 September 1992 12 190 Kassel Kassel RegioTram 2006 3 - Nordhausen Trams in Nordhausen 25 August 1900 3 32 Saarbrücken Saarbahn 24 October 1997 1 43 Szeged, Hódmezővásárhely Szeged-Hódmezővásárhely tram-train 29 November 2021 1 Bergamo Bergamo–Albino light rail 24 April 2009 1 16 Rome Rome–Giardinetti railway 1916 1 19 Closed; 2015 (Centocelle-Giardinetti) Sassari Metrosassari 27 October 2006 1 8 The Hague-Rotterdam RandstadRail 29 October 2006 4 73 Porto Porto Metro Line B/Bx - (Estádio do Dragão – Póvoa de Varzim) 13 March 2005 1 36 Bombardier Flexity Swift light rail Porto Metro Line C - (Campanhã – Ismai) 30 July 2005 1 24 Alicante Alicante Tram Line 1 (Alicante Metropolitan Tram - Luceros – Benidorm) 30 July 2007 1 20 Alicante Metropolitan Tram - Luceros – El Campello 2003 1 17 Mallorca Mallorca rail network, Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca 1994 3 29 Ferrocarril de Sóller Cádiz Cádiz Bay tram-train 26 October 2022 1 21 Sheffield - Rotherham South Yorkshire Supertram 25 October 2018 1 15 Tram-Train (Black) Route Cardiff & South Wales Valleys South Wales Metro 2026 5 94 Mixed system of light rapid transit tram-train lines and commuter rail lines. The data displayed is only including the lines and system length of the network operated by tram-trains.
North America Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes Ottawa Line 2 (O-Train) 15 October 2001 1 11 O-Train, Diesel light Line 4 (O-Train) 6 January 2025 1 3 O-Train, Diesel light Waterloo Region Ion rapid transit 21 June 2019 1 19 Light rail Puebla Puebla–Cholula Tourist Train 23 January 2017 1 2 (Closed; 31 December 2021; trains now sold to Tren Interoceánico) San Diego, California San Diego Trolley 26 July 1981 4 62
South America Country Location System Year opened Lines Stations Length Notes Bogotá RegioTram - - 17
Proposed systems
Africa The October 6th Tram system (The O6T), Cairo, Egypt
Asia Haifa–Nazareth, Israel Keelung Mass Rapid Transit (Nangang-Keelung), Taiwan
Europe Braunschweig, Germany Bratislava, Slovakia Cardiff, United Kingdom. Wales & Borders franchise: South Wales Valley Lines (2022 - 2023) - rolling stock currently under construction. Debrecen, Hungary Edinburgh, United Kingdom – an extension of the Edinburgh Trams network via the South Suburban line. Erlangen, Germany – an extension of Straßenbahn Nürnberg not initially planned to use mainline rail tracks but proposed to do so in the future. The planned line to Herzogenaurach replicates a former mainline rail line Faro, Portugal Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Proposed extensions to the Manchester Metrolink network. Grenoble, France Groningen, Netherlands Kiel, Germany Kyiv, Ukraine Košice, Slovakia (in planning phase) León, Spain Liberec — Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic Linköping, Sweden Linz, Austria (in planning phase) Manresa, Spain Metro de Sevilla. Seville has one metro line and one tram line that are not connected, but the long-term intention is to link the metro and tram systems. Oradea, Romania - The first Romanian tram-train will be in Oradea, featuring several lines, and connecting the city to the villages near, like Borș, Băile Felix or Sântandrei. The tram-train in Oradea is in planning phase, some parts of the project already accepted by the local government. Riga, Latvia RijnGouweLijn, Netherlands Sevastopol Strasbourg, France Szeged, Hungary. Two other destinations are being considered as of January 2022 besides the Szeged - Hódmezővásárhely line, which entered operation in November 2021. The Szeged - Subotica (Serbia) line is in early planning phase. A preparatory study was also completed for the Szeged - Makó line, but the estimated costs were high, and it is also dependent on a new road-rail bridge over the river Tisa only in planning phase as of now. TramCamp, Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain Wrocław, Poland (2005) — 600 V DC/3 kV DC Turku, Finland West Midlands conurbation, United Kingdom. Proposed extensions to the West Midlands Metro to Stourbridge and Walsall.
Oceania Adelaide, South Australia – On June 5, 2008, the Government of South Australia announced plans for train-tram operation on the Adelaide Metro's Outer Harbor/Grange train lines and City West-Glenelg tramline extension as part of a 10-year A$2 billion public transport upgrade.Adelaidemetro.com.au Hobart, Tasmania
South America Bogotá Commuter Rail (RegioTram), Colombia Cali, Colombia
Vehicles Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include: Alstom's RegioCitadis and Citadis Dualis, derived from the Citadis Bombardier Flexity Link and Bombardier Flexity Swift Siemens S70 Stadler Citylink
Interurban
Europe Chur: Chur–Arosa railway line Bad Doberan: Molli railway Helsingør: Hornbæk Line Zwickau: Trams in Zwickau, with an on-board diesel generator (light-weight RegioSprinter diesel railbuses that also operate on street tramway)
Japan Kyoto: Keihan Electric Railway - Keishin Line that having sections which trains runs on street level.
North America Austin, Texas: Capital MetroRail – commuter rail that shares more commonality with train-tram operation, with downtown street running and usage of mainline track. Uses diesel multiple units.
See also Grooved rail Interurban Light rail Stadtbahn
References
External links TramTrain - the 2nd generation: Searching for the 'ideal' TramTrain-city (English/German) (English/German) tram-train of Karlsruhe transformed in a subway in the center Leeds City Region proposal (Jane's) Urban Transit Systems