Light Rail in Alicante, Spain: Improving the Use of Existing Railway Lines

TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante, a unique, metric (1,000 mm) gage system, was the first Spanish tram–train. Later, it lost its tram–train characteristic (i.e., railway tracks shared with conventional trains) as a result of the evolution of the railway network. Nevertheless, the system still operates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transportation research record 2013, Vol.2353 (1), p.69-81
Main Authors: Novales, Margarita, Cerezo, Juan Antonio G., Ortega, Román
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Evolution
Networks
Railroads
Railway engineering
Railway tracks
Railways
Trams
Transportation
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Summary:TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante, a unique, metric (1,000 mm) gage system, was the first Spanish tram–train. Later, it lost its tram–train characteristic (i.e., railway tracks shared with conventional trains) as a result of the evolution of the railway network. Nevertheless, the system still operates in a quasi-tram–train way, because the tram–train vehicle runs partly on railway tracks with a railway signaling system and other railway equipment. This quasi-tram–train operation leads to some specific design issues that are explained in this paper. The paper also presents a thorough description of the Alicante network, its development, its construction and operational costs, its operation, and its demand.
ISSN:0361-1981
2169-4052
DOI:10.3141/2353-07