Routing of a railroad track directly on public streets
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 or sharing the road with trains. 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.[1]
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 USA was in Michigan City, until 2022.[2]
Canada
Notable examples in Canada include:[10]
- Brantford, Ontario: Clarence Street (From Nelson Street to Icomm Drive, formerly Canadian National Railway; now Southern Ontario Railway, still in use) (not on the road although tracks do occupy the right turn lane at Colborne Street)
- Guelph, Ontario (also not real street running):
- Kent Street (from Glasgow Street to Gordon Street), CNR, still in use[11]
- St. Catharines, Ontario:
- Ontario Street (removed) (to the disappeared car factory) (continues to Louisa St.) (diagonal between the houses) (former track partly still visible from the air)
- Louisa Street (From just east of Thomas Street to Catherine Street, Canadian National Railway, originally Niagara St. Catharines Toronto Railway. Electric interurban (branch from Port Dalhousie-west) (until 1959) removed, continues to Welland Avenue below)
- Welland Avenue (From Francis Street to Balfour Street, removed) (continues to Niagara St.)
- Raymond Street (depot only)
- Niagara Street (continues to Facer St.)
- Facer Street (branch to Niagara~on~the~Lake)
- 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 (from Erb Street West to Allen Street West, (CP Rail) tracks removed in 1994. Later reinstalled for ION light rail, in service again as of 2019)(the lightrail follows a different route) The former railway is now a trail - path. (To the south)
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:
Hong Kong
The MTR Light Rail running in and between the new towns of Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai has many sections of on-street running, although the majority of the system runs on its own tracks alongside major roads or elevated viaducts, e.g., at the junctions near Tuen Mun Town Centre.[citation needed]
The KCR British Section had two street running stretches: a spur line to Whampoa Dockyard through Baker Street [yue],[15][16][17][18][19] another across Salisbury Road [yue] and Canton Road to the Kowloon Godowns.[citation needed]
Switzerland
Swiss law does not distinguish between trams and railways, making the distinction between street running by trams and that by railways legally indistinct.
- Zürich : 1,000-tonne (980-long-ton; 1,100-short-ton) grain trains make up to 4 journeys a day between Bahnhof Hardbrücke and the Swissmill Tower on Sihlquai, following a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) route along Zahnradstrasse, Hardstrasse and Zöllystrasse, including a tram crossing. The driver controls traffic lights manually.[23]
United Kingdom
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:
- Weymouth: The most notable street running track was the Weymouth Harbour Tramway (despite the name, it was never used for trams and was a heavy-rail route); 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.[24] 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: A freight-only street-running railway network was through Trafford Park; only one section alongside Barton Dock Road has seen use in recent years.[when?] This branch is abandoned and partially removed.[citation needed]
- 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.
United States
A selection of the many examples:
Alabama
- Gadsden
- Locust Street, between N1 Street and N6 Street.[25]
Alaska
- Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. A one-lane tunnel that must be shared by cars and trains.[26]
- Skagway: Unofficial government allows railroad tracks up Broadway. They were removed in 1947.[27]
Arizona
California
- 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.[28]
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.
[29]
Florida
Georgia
- Augusta
- Columbus
- 6th. Street. Dead end branch. Out of use since factory closed. Pieces of trolley-tracks are also present in 5th. and 6th. Street.[citation needed]
- 9th Street. Through line. In use.[citation needed]
Illinois
Indiana
- Bedford
- J-street, between 14th and 18th street - Removed in 2022.[33]
- Michigan City
- 10th Street and 11th Street - This rail line is being moved as of February 27, 2022. The stretch of track running down 11th. Street will be doubled and the grade-separated.[34]
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
- Saint Louis
- Dorcas street. Brewery-trains. Until 2011 the brewery has an own railroad, the Manufacturers Railway; once they served several streets in the area. Now only the Dorcas Street trackage is in use. Track in S 2nd. Street to Rutger Street is partly still present but out of service. In S 2nd. Street, more than 10 tracks come/came out onto the street, at Barton Street.[citation needed]
New Jersey
- Garfield
- Monroe Street. Abandoned in 2020.[42]
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Erie
- East 19th. Street. Secretly laid in 1882, abandoned in 2001[45]
- Uniontown
- West Brownsville
Tennesee
- Paris
- N Fentress St.-S Caldwell-McNeil St.[49]
Texas
Virginia
- Richmond
- On a street without a name under the Triple Railroad Bridge Crossing.[53]
Washington
West Virginia