Street running
On-street running or street running is the routing of a railroad track or tramway track running directly along public streets, without any grade separation. The rails are embedded in the roadway, and the train shares the street with pedestrians and automobile traffic. Street running trains generally travel at reduced speed for safety reasons.
Stations can appear similar in style to a tram stop, but often lack platforms, pedestrian islands, or other amenities. Passengers may be required to wait on a distant sidewalk, and then board or disembark directly among mixed traffic in mid-pavement, rather than at curbside.
Rails can be embedded in the surface of bridges and tunnels as on Inuyama Bridge or Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
Examples
This list does not include conventional tram, interurban, light rail or the tram portions of tram-train systems, which usually run in the street.Argentina
- Over the Salto Grande Dam, between Concordia, Argentina and Salto, Uruguay.
- Bridge between Viedma, Río Negro and Carmen de Patagones, Buenos Aires.
Australia
- The Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line ran down the centre of Ellen Street, Port Pirie until 1967.
- The North Coast main line runs down Denison Street in Rockhampton, Queensland carrying freight and passenger services.
- Mossman, Queensland. A sugar-cane railway runs down Mill Street.
Austria
- Wiener Lokalbahn – tram-train running on tram tracks in Vienna and Baden and as light rail between the two towns. A section of the light rail tracks in Guntramsdorf runs directly on the Feldgasse narrow street, but without any stops on it.
Brazil
- Uruguaiana, almost 300 m in the Vasco Alves street to reach the Paso de los Libres–Uruguaiana International Bridge.
Cambodia
Canada
Notable examples in Canada include:; Brantford, Ontario:
; Guelph, Ontario
; St. Catharines, Ontario:
; Toronto, Ontario:
; Waterloo, Ontario:
Croatia
In Rijeka, freight trains run from western to eastern cargo terminal of Port of Rijeka through the city centre.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:" train running through Bad Doberan, Germany
- In the northeast of Germany, the steam "Mollibahn" narrow gauge railway travels on-street through the town of Bad Doberan at the start of its journey.
- Near Mannheim, the Oberrheinische Eisenbahn and Rhein-Haardt-Bahn are street running through several villages.
- In Linkenheim, near Karlsruhe, the Hardt Railway was changed to BOStrab in 2011 for that reason.
- Road and rail share the Lindaunis Bridge in Schleswig-Holstein.
- Freight trains using the infrastructure of Rhein-Sieg-Verkehrsgesellschaft to the company Evonik in Niederkassel-Lülsdorf passing the village Sieglar are running inside the Pastor-Böhm-Straße.
Hungary
- A section of service track of the H8/H9 BHÉV lines on Kerepesi Road in Budapest was rebuilt as street running in order to allow metro replacement buses to use the path to avoid traffic jams. The railway is only used by maintenance trains, mainly at night. Buses also only operate occasionally.
- The only operational road-railway bridge in Hungary where street running happens is at Kisköre on the Tisza. Here, the non-electrified single-track railway carrying the branch line 102 of MÁV runs on the same path as local car traffic. The bridge is closed for road vehicles when trains pass.
India
Indonesia
Indonesia used to have an extensive "steam tramways" network, which had many street running sections in various towns and cities in Java and Sumatra.Two sections remain in use in 2010: part of the Wonogiri branch runs along the Slamet Riyadi street in Surakarta, and a short branch to an oil depot in Madiun. The earlier line sees both passenger and freight service, while the other line is exclusively for freight.
Ireland
Freight trains to and from the docks at Dublin share the Alexandra road with carsItaly
The Bernina Railway runs in the streets of Tirano.The Circumetnea ran until 1999 on the Corso delle Provincie in Catania.
The Cremona–Iseo railway ran until 1956 in the central street of Cavatigozzi.
The Domodossola–Locarno railway started until the 1980s from the station square of Domodossola.
The Rivabahn was until 1981 a freight railway that ran into the city of Trieste along the seaside street.
The Rome–Fiuggi railway runs completely along the Via Casilina in Rome.
Japan
Japanese law distinguishes between tramways and railways, but light rail does not exist as a separate category. For instance, the Toyama Light Rail line - with extensive street trackage - is legally a railway but uses low-floor light rail vehicles. Only operations with 'heavy rail' vehicles are listed here.Examples under the jurisdiction of Japan's Railway Law include:
- Enoshima Electric Railway has a street running section between Koshigoe and Enoshima stations.
- Inuyama Bridge
- Kumamoto Electric Railway
- Keihan Keishin Line
- Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line
- Fukui Railway
- Nagoya Railroad's 600V network in Gifu
- :ja:新潟交通電車線|Niigata Kotsu Railway Line
Laos
New Zealand
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, part of the former Opua Branch of the New Zealand Railways, runs down the middle of the state highway in the centre of Kawakawa.The Taieri Gorge Railway, part of the former Otago Central Railway runs down the middle of a one lane road bridge in Hindon. These tourist passenger trains have the right of way, with only signs warning motorists of trains.
Peru
In Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu, the railway shares the streets with pedestrians, as well as in other towns further up the line. This railway serves as the only way of reaching Machu Picchu from Cusco without walking.Portugal
In Coimbra, an 800 m single-track segment of Ramal da Lousã runs along Emídio Navarro, immediately southeast of the Coimbra-City station; closed “provisionally” in 2004, track scheduled to be lifted upon total closure of the spur line from Coimbra-B.In Lisbon a series of short single track segments along Avenue Brasília / Avenue Índia in riverside southwest Lisbon, links Linha de Cintura with Linha de Cascais and with cargo tracks associated with the harbour. It carries freight traffic only, mostly at night.
Serbia
In 1999, Žeželj Bridge, a railway and road bridge in Novi Sad was destroyed during NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. As a temporary replacement, a street running Road-Railway Bridge was constructed in 2000. It remained actively used up to 2018, when the new Žeželj Bridge opened, and the dismantling of the temporary bridge began in October that year.Switzerland
Swiss law does not distinguish between trams and railways, making the distinction between street running by trams and that by railways legally indistinct.The Berninabahn has three sections of street running, in Le Prese, Miralago and in Tirano, where the approach to the station involves street running and crossing a public square.
Rhaetian Railway has a section of street running in Chur.
In Zürich, 1,000-tonne grain trains make up to 4 journeys a day between Bahnhof Hardbrücke and the Swissmill Tower on Sihlquai, following a 2-kilometre route along Zahnradstrasse, Hardstrasse and Zöllystrasse, including a tram crossing. The driver controls traffic lights manually.
Taiwan
The Pinghsi Line runs along the streets near several of its stations, e.g., :File:TRA Pingsi Line Shihfen.JPG|Shihfen Station and Pinghsi Station.Thailand
, BangkokUnited Kingdom
The most notable track where street running was common was the Weymouth Harbour Tramway; however this ended service to regular traffic since 1987, and to all traffic since 1999.The Porthmadog cross town link links the narrow-gauge Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog railways and includes a short length of street running on the outskirts of Porthmadog.
A freight-only street-running railway network was through Trafford Park; only one section along Barton Dock Road has seen use in recent years. This branch is abandoned and removed.
The heritage Ribble Steam Railway runs across a swing bridge at the entrance to Preston Marina. The route is shared between road and rail traffic.
United States
Notable examples in the United States include:∆ = This is not real street running. The tracks are not embedded in the road. To see on Google maps.
Alabama
- Gadsden:
- * Locust Street, between 1st St N and 6th St N, Alabama & Tennessee River Railway
Alaska
- Anchorage/Whittier:
- * interior, with train tracks in roadwayAnton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
- Fairbanks:
- * The Alaska Railroad bridge over the Chena River, located on Fort Wainwright, was previously shared by rail and road traffic. The U.S. Army eventually installed a new road bridge at a crossing downriver from the rail bridge and rerouted the roads accordingly.
Arizona
- Phoenix:
- * S. 11th Avenue
California
- Anaheim:
- * Santa Ana St., and after a bend continuing on the street in S Olive street.
- Fresno:
- * Floradora Avenue ∆
- Modesto:
- * From 1912 until April 2000, trains operated approximately down Ninth Street, one of the major arteries of the city. The tracks were built by the Tidewater Southern Railway and later operated by the Union Pacific. They were controversial and the city tried to have them removed for decades. However, a short section along B Street from Ninth Street to Twelfth Street remains in active use.
- Oakland:
- * Jack London Square: 1st. St. W./Embarcadero W. Amtrak passenger trains, and mainline container freight trains share the road with pedestrians, cyclists, buses and automobiles, with passenger trains traveling at up to.
- * Glascock St, from 29th Ave to Lancaster St, serving Cemex and Miller Mining Company.
- Redwood City:
- * Chestnut Street ∆
- San Francisco:
- * Carroll Ave.
- * Illinois St. Bridge
- * Quint St.
- Santa Cruz:
- * Beach St.
- * Chestnut St.
- Sebastopol:
- * Main Street Abandoned, now bike-trail.
- Stockton:
- * B St.
- * E. Roosevelt St.
- Turlock:
- * Castor Street from Orange Street to Lander Street and B Street from 5th Street to 1st Street, former Tidewater Southern, now Union Pacific
- Vallejo:
- * The Vallejo Causeway
- Watsonville:
- * Walker Street southern terminus to Beach Street, Santa Cruz Branch Line owned by Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
Colorado
- Fort Collins:
- * Mason St. ∆
Florida
- Clearwater:
- * East Avenue
- * Fort Harrison Avenue
- Pensacola:
- * Tarragona St.
- * E. Wright St.
- St. Petersburg:
- * 1st Ave. S.
- Tampa:
- * E. Polk St.
Georgia
- Albany:
- * W Roosevelt Ave.
- Augusta:
- * 6th St.
- Columbus:
- * 9th St.,and 6th.St.
- Savannah:
- * River St.
Illinois
- Rockford:
- * N Madison Street
Indiana
- Bedford:
- * J St.
- Jeffersonville:
- * Champion Rd.
- Lafayette:
- * 5th St.
- Lawrenceburg:∆
- * West William Street and East William Street
- Michigan City:
- * 10th St.
- * 11th St. :
- * Holiday St. ∆
- New Albany: Abandoned.
- * East 15th St.
- Noblesville: Abandoned.
- * 8th St.
- Terre Haute:
- * 10th St. ∆
- * 1st St.
Iowa
- Bellevue:
- * 2nd Street between Elm St and High St ∆
- Cedar Falls:
- * 5th Street between Franklin St and Main St
Kentucky
- La Grange: Train passing through downtown La Grange, Kentucky
- * Main St.
Louisiana
- Gretna: Madison street, and 4th.street.
Maine
- Portland:
Maryland
- Baltimore
- * Streets in the Fells Point section of Baltimore
- * Wicomico St.
- Frederick:
- * Abandoned rails embedded in East Street, formerly part of the Old Main Line Subdivision of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and later the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad and Frederick and Pennsylvania Line.
Massachusetts
- Boston:
- * Union Freight Railroad, running along Atlantic Avenue
- * MBTA Green Line E branch, running along Huntington Avenue from Brigham Circle to Heath Street terminus.
- Holyoke
- * Holyoke and Westfield Railroad, branch running along Water Street in use, other lines demolished or separated, freight only
Minnesota
- International Falls
- * Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge, connecting to Fort Frances, Ontario Canada.
- Shakopee
- *2nd Avenue East and West, Union Pacific Railroad main line still in use, former Chicago and Northwestern Railway
- Brainerd, Minnesota
- * 1st Avenue Northeast BNSF branch line serving Wausau Paper Company
- Saint Paul, Minnesota
- * Myrtle Avenue, Minnesota Commercial Railway serving Rock-Tenn Recycling
- Winona
- * Wall Street serving ADM and Modern Transport Terminal
Mississippi
- New Albany: Abandoned.
- * N. Railroad Avenue (from Summer St./Cleveland St. to W. Bankhead St./E. Bankhead St.
Missouri
- St. Louis:
- * N 2nd St.
- * Hall St.
- * 1st St.
- * 3rd St.
- * S. 2nd St.
- * Dorcas St.
- Jefferson City:
- * W McCarty St.
- Kansas City
- * Stateline Rd.
Nebraska
- Lincoln:
- * S. 5th St.
New Jersey
- Garfield:
- * Monroe St.
New York
- Buffalo, New York:
- * Buffalo Metro Rail
- Canandaigua:
- * N. Main St.
- Corning:
- * E. Tioga Ave.
- *
- Ithaca:
- * N. Fulton St.
- *
- New York City :
- * 1st Ave.
- *
- *
- * 41st St.
- * 2nd Ave.
- * 32nd St.
- Painted Post:
- * W. Chemung St.
- Rome:
- * Railroad Street runs over the Mohawk River on MA&N bridge.
- Syracuse:
- * Washington St
- Utica:
- * Schuyler St
- *
North Carolina
- Fayetteville:
- * E. Russel St.
- New Bern:
- * Windley St.
- * Dunn St.
- * Hancock St.
- Kinston: Abandoned.
- Tarboro
- * Albemarle Avenue ∆
- Wilmington:
- * S. Front St.
- Winston-Salem:
- * N. Chesnut St. ∆
Ohio
- Marietta:
- * Harmar St.
Oregon
- Astoria
- * Astoria Riverwalk
- Rainier
- * A St.
- Svensen
- * Rocky Lane ∆
- Portland
- * NW York Street
- * N River Street
- * NW Yeon Ave Frontage Road
- Hillsboro
- * SW Adams
- * SE Washington
- Beaverton
- * SW Lombard Ave. ∆
- Oregon City
- * Main Street
- Newberg
- * S. Blaine Street
- Salem:
- * Front St. NE
- Independence
- * S. Second Street
- Albany
- * NE Water Avenue
- Harrisburg
- * 4th Street
- Junction City
- * Holly Street
- Lebanon
- * W. Olive Street
- Coos Bay
- * N. Front Street.
Pennsylvania
- Elizabeth:
- * 1st Ave.
- Erie:
- * 19th St.
- Gettysburg:
- * W. Railroad St. ∆
- Lewistown:
- * E. Water Street
- Marcus Hook:
- * W. 4th Street
- Morrisville:
- * S. Delmorr Ave
- Philadelphia:
- * N. American St.
- * Bleigh Ave.
- * N. Delaware Ave.
- * N. and S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
- * Richmond St.
- * S. Swanson St.
- Sunbury:
- * N. 3rd St. ∆
- * S. 3rd St. ∆
- Uniontown:
- * Beeson Blvd.
- West Brownsville:
- * Main St.
Rhode Island
- Providence:
- * Providence and Worcester Railroad Service to the northernmost piers of the Port of Providence and numerous sidings via Allens Ave. from the Harbor Branch. Tracks in situ, currently classed as "Out of Service" by FRA rules.
Texas
- Austin: Capital MetroRail in downtown Austin
- Waco, Texas:
- Through Downtown Waco ∆
Utah
- Ogden:
- * Wall Avenue
- Salt Lake City:
- * 900 South
- Tooele:
- *Vine Street
Virginia
- Ashland:∆
- * Center St./Railroad Ave.
- Norfolk:∆
Washington
- Olympia:
- * Jefferson Street
- Renton:
- * Houser Way in Downtown, used by Boeing to ship planes to Everett plant.
- Yakima: W Pine St, S 6th.Ave,former interurbantracks, in use by heritage trolley.
West Virginia
- Williamstown
- * Second street ∆
- Saint Marys:
- * 2nd.st.
Wisconsin
- Oconto:
- * Broadway Avenue ∆
- Sheboygan Falls:
- * Monroe Street
- Oshkosh:
- * Division Street
- La Crosse:
- * Front Street South
Uzbekistan
- Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge