Street running train


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'. Tram and light rail systems frequently run on streets, with light rail lines typically separated from other traffic.
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.
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.

Examples

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

Argentina

  • Buenos Aires: in the past street-running trains ran through the city streets.
  • * Trains run by Villa 21-24

    Australia

Operational instances:
Historical instances:
  • Nambour, Queensland: The Moreton Central Sugar Mill Cane Tramway ran down Mill Street, was also street running on a bridge at Bli Bli, closed 2003. The rails in the street remained in place and a tourist tram is planned on it.
  • Port Pirie, South Australia: The Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line ran down the centre of Ellen Street until 1967.
  • Yass, New South Wales: The Yass Tramway from Yass Junction to Yass Town ran down Dutton Street, closed 1988. The route is no longer connected, but the tracks in Dutton street and by the station are still present and are on the heritage list.

    Canada

Notable examples in Canada include:
  • Port Hope, Ontario: from Walton Street, along Ontario street to the Ganaraska River, where it split off and followed the river north out of the city limits, eventually reaching Midland, Ontario with a branch line to Peterborough, Ontario. Lots of railway facilities still exist, the old station, now Furby's books and lent travel are opposite the corner of Walton street and Ontario, with the old station masters office just south of that along lent lane, which is the old track bed, and the Ganaraska Hotel, which is the old Railway Hostel.
  • Oshawa, Ontario: from Michael Starr trail along Bruce street, east to Ritson road, then north on Ritson road to the GM North Plant.
  • Brantford, Ontario: Clarence Street
  • Guelph, Ontario :
  • * Kent Street, CNR, still in use
  • St. Catharines, Ontario:
  • * Ontario Street
  • * Louisa Street
  • * Welland Avenue
  • * Raymond Street
  • * Niagara Street
  • * Facer Street
  • * Electric interurban network to Port Dalhousie-west, Port Dalhousie-east, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Colborne, and Niagara Falls. All tracks on the streets are removed in all places, except Pine Street in Thorold. Freight trains with diesel engines on the streets only from 1959 to the closing in about 2005.
  • * St. Catharines was the center of the Niagara St. Catharines Toronto Railway.
  • Waterloo, Ontario:
  • * Caroline Street The former railway is now a trail - path.

    Croatia

  • Rijeka, freight trains run from western to eastern cargo terminal of Port of Rijeka through the city centre.

    Czechia

  • Brno: the railway line that connects Brno Exhibition Centre and mainline runs about. along Poříčí street. Touristic trains run on the Highway, with police escorts. Line was abandoned in 2022.

    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:
Image:Bad Doberan Molli 2006-09-24.JPG|thumb|right|A "Mollibahn" train running through Bad Doberan, Germany
The KCR British Section had two street running stretches: a spur line to Whampoa Dockyard through, another across Salisbury Road and Canton Road to the Kowloon Godowns.

Indonesia

Historically, Indonesia used to have many street running lines. Those were mostly found on the rural tramlines in Java. The former network of smaller railway companies, such as Samarang–Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij, Oost-Java Stoomtram Maatschappij, Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij, or rural branchline of the major company like Staatsspoorwegen were often built next to the main road to save cost and later became street running when the road widened.
By the late 1970s, the majority of them were closed. The last of the classic street running line that saw operation was the Madiun-Ponorogo branchline which closed around 1984.
Only three of them survive in the present day:
Swiss law does not distinguish between trams and railways, making the distinction between street running by trams and that by railways legally indistinct. In many places, passenger trains run on the streets because there is no room for their own track.
  • Zürich : grain trains make up to 4 journeys a day between Bahnhof Hardbrücke and the Swissmill Tower on Sihlquai, following a route along Zahnradstrasse, Hardstrasse and Zöllystrasse, including a tram crossing. The driver controls traffic lights manually.

    United Kingdom

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:
  • Weymouth: The most notable street running track was the Weymouth Harbour Tramway ; however this ended service to regular traffic since 1987, and to all traffic since 1999, with track removal starting in 2020.
  • Porthmadog: The Porthmadog cross town link links the narrow-gauge Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog railways and includes 50 metres of street running over the Britannia Bridge in Porthmadog. The section that runs along a street is closed to road traffic by alternating red stop lights, as if it were an extended level crossing.
  • Trafford Park: The Trafford Park Railway was A freight-only street-running railway network was through Trafford Park; only one section alongside Barton Dock Road has seen use in recent years. This branch is abandoned and partially removed.
  • Preston: The heritage Ribble Steam Railway runs across a swing bridge at the entrance to Preston Marina. The bridge is used by both road and rail traffic, but closed by barriers to road traffic when a train is crossing.
  • Fivemiletown and Caledon, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland: the narrow gauge Clogher Valley Railway had street running through both of these villages.