Tram trains

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From BBC News click here!

First tram-train gets go-ahead for Sheffield to Rotherham

First tram-train gets go-ahead for Sheffield to Rotherham

Tram-trains which run on street tracks and railway lines are to be piloted in South Yorkshire in a scheme worth £58m, the government has confirmed.

Starting in 2015, the newly-built tram-trains will run on local tram routes and Network Rail lines between Sheffield, Meadowhall and Rotherham.

The two-year pilot scheme will be the first of its kind in the UK.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said the pilot would test the concept for a possible wider roll-out across the UK.

Announcing the final go-ahead for the pilot scheme, Mr Baker said it would help to determine the practical and operational issues surrounding the running of tram-trains.

"It will also allow us to gauge passenger perception and acceptability of tram-trains," he said.

'Reduce congestion'

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive would take the lead in providing the new tram-trains and would sponsor the pilot in collaboration with Network Rail, Northern Rail and Stagecoach Supertram, said Mr Baker.

The £58m budget would cover the cost of the new vehicles and the necessary changes to infrastructure, he added.

Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield City Council, said passengers would be "extremely pleased" the pilot scheme would take place in South Yorkshire.

"We've been waiting for it for a few years. The country needs to do something like this.

"It will reduce congestion on the roads so it's beneficial to both Sheffield and Rotherham."

The tram-trains are expected to cut journey times and make it easier for people to get into the city centres the vehicles serve.

They are said to be lighter, more energy efficient and have faster acceleration and deceleration than conventional trains.

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Railway Gazette --> Nantes - Châteaubriant tram-train launches this month

FRANCE: Tram-train services on a 64 km route linking Nantes and Châteaubriant are to be launched by SNCF on February 28.

The tram-train service will use part of a former Nantes - Rennes railway route which originally opened in 1877. The Nantes - Châteaubriant section closed to passenger traffic in 1980 and to freight in 2008. This section has now been completely modernised in preparation for the tram-train services, with the track replaced and the 11 stations gaining new platforms, shelters, ticket machines and car parking.

Tramway signalling has been fitted, except at Nantes station, and automatic half-barriers have been installed at 30 level crossings, with 11 crossings closed.

The modernised line is designed to be suitable for use by conventional SNCF trains, including works trains, but no freight operations are planned. In contrast to the shared running on the Mulhouse tram-train service, the Nantes tram-trains will not use the city's urban tram network, which is operated independently by Semitan.

Two dedicated platforms electrified at 25 kV AC have been built at Nantes station. After leaving the station, tram-trains will run through the suburbs on a 15 km double-track alignment with 750 V DC tramway electrification. This parallels a Semitan tram line, and shares five level crossings which follow tramway practice in having warning lights but no barriers. Near Haluchère-Batignolles station the Semitan line crosses the tram-train route on a flat crossing.

From Babinière the line will operate as a railway, with 25 kV 50 Hz electrification and a maximum speed of 100 km/h. At the terminus a buffer stop separates tram-trains from the 62 km Châteaubriant - Rennes section of the former through route. This lies within Bretagne and has been unaffected by the project, with SNCF X2100 diesel multiple-units operating seven return trips a day.

Alstom has supplied 24 Citadis Dualis vehicles for the tram-train route, equipped with a toilet and more comfortable seats than conventional trams as the end-to-end journey takes 1 h 07 min. There will be seven return trips a day over the full length of the route, with higher frequencies between Sucé-sur-Erdre and Nantes where there will be services every half hour in the peaks and hourly at other times. Haluchère-Batignolles will be served by 46 tram-trains a day. Ridership is predicted at 11 200 passengers/day

Project funding, €m
Pays de Loire region   62·5   31·5%
Loire Atlantique department   54·0   27·3%
National government   35·3   17·8%
EU sources   21·0   10·6%
Nantes   20·3    10·3%
SNCF   5·2   2·53%
Total cost   198·3

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twitter

Pays de la loire ‏@paysdelaloire 3h

#TramTrain Avec 64 km, c'est la ligne la + longue jamais rouverte avec du matériel tram-train en France #innovation http://t.co/ekJ7w1LJnL

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--> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram-train

A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams run through from an urban tramway network to main-line railway lines which are shared with conventional trains. This combines the tram's flexibility and accessibility with a train's greater speed, and bridges the distance between a main railway stations and a city centre.

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