"Tram-train"

[gros-beta]

Hello,
I will like to know if you have, in England, towns with a system of tram-train. I.e. a tram who can circulate on railways in the countryside and who can circulate like a tram in citys.
For exemple, Sarrebourg's tram is a "tram-train".
Finally, I will like to know, if this means of transport exist in England, the name given to this system.

Good night

[GWR9600]

They dont exist in the UK, although there is a line near Newcastle where the Nexus light rail (tram) system shares track with main lin trains. Tram routes in this country sometimes go over former heavy rail routes for part of their route and in the street surface for other parts of their route.

[John H-T]

Welcome to the site.

We have trams that run in the streets but also have dedicated railway tracks away from the city centre. Nottingham is an example of this. They are still called Trams!

[martin adamson]

Metrolink is another example of this, between Altrincham and Navigation road the metrolink shares the track with the railway services, I think it is the only time that train services are on a track where they are under metrolink wires. Metrolink seem to have their own track after Manchester Victoria.

[Shed Cat]

Isn't the Croydon tramlink route half built on old railway routes?

[swisstrains]

I think there's a bit of confusion creeping into this thread.
The Tram-Trains that gros-beta refers to are trains that regularly run on mainlines together with other heavy rail traffic but can also switch to street running when required. This often involves being able to operate off different supply voltages such as 25kV on the mainline and 750V in urban areas.

[swisstrains]

Originally Posted by David A Hicks

Metrolink is another example of this, between Altrincham and Navigation road the metrolink shares the track with the railway services, I think it is the only time that train services are on a track where they are under metrolink wires. Metrolink seem to have their own track after Manchester Victoria.

David,
The Metrolink and Network Rail tracks are separate between Navigation Road and Altrincham.
To the north of Navigation Road station the Metrolink line from Manchester City Centre changes from double to single track. The Network Rail line from Manchester (via Stockport) does the same and the two single track lines then pass through Navigation Road station. Metrolink use one platform and Network Rail the other. After the station both lines become double track again and run parallel to each other as far as Altrincham where the Metrolink terminates and the Network Rail line continues to Northwich etc.
I would post a scan of the actual track layout diagram but I have just read that it is illegal without permission.

[martin adamson]

That would make sense as I noticed that the tracks come together at Navigation Road, I was travelling on a 142 doing the full journey from Chester to Manchester (underestimated how long it would take ) and at N Rd a metrolink arrived opposite the 142, so as they were side by side I thought that the rail tracks had joined the metro lines, I also thought that there had been metro wires above the trtack the 142 was using but if they were single tracks next to each other it wold explain it.

[hstudent]

Standard trains used to travel between Altrincham and just before G-Mex on the metrolink line south of Manchester but were stopped from going that way and were diverted via Stockport when the Metrolink started.

There are optismitic plans to use tram-trains from Northwich(Cheshire)-Knutsford(Cheshire)-Altrincham(G Manchester)-Sale-Trafford-Manchester City Centre which may even extend to Chester or Crewe

[SDX]

Originally Posted by swisstrains

I think there's a bit of confusion creeping into this thread.
The Tram-Trains that gros-beta refers to are trains that regularly run on mainlines together with other heavy rail traffic but can also switch to street running when required. This often involves being able to operate off different supply voltages such as 25kV on the mainline and 750V in urban areas.

If you allow me, I will bring some more information : the "tram-train" as it is understood in France is much more looking like a tram than like a train. It is designed for a street use, meaning extra-low platforms or no platform at all, mirrors and all the necessary signals to circulate in streets, and usually narrow dimensions although using a standard track. It has some extra train features (as you mention 25 kV capability, or 15 kV in Germany) and structure strengthenings which are compulsory as soon as the vehicle circulates on standard railway lines.

"Gros-Beta" mentionned Sarrebourg as an example: the tram-train there goes in the city-centre on tram lines, in the streets, and then uses a long suburban railway line (as far as in Germany If I remember correctly).

As far as I know, the Croydon tramlink uses some ancient raiway lines, but they are now totally dedicated to the tram, and there is no penetration of a tram in the railway domain.