Street running

Darjeeling "Toy train" in Kurseong, India

A bus sharing a railway bridge in Helsinki, Finland. The rail are for service trains accessing the Helsinki Metro depot (not for trams)

On-street running or street running is the routing of a railroad track or tramway track running directly along public streets, without any separation. The rails are embedded in the roadway pavement, and the train shares the street directly with pedestrians and automobile traffic. Trains generally travel at reduced speed for safety reasons.

If there are stations on the section, they 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 to board or disembark directly among mixed traffic in mid-pavement, rather than at curbside.

Although bridges and tunnels are not streets, rails can still be embedded in the surface of bridges and tunnels like the Inuyama Bridge (Japan) or the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (US). This is also considered to be "street running".

Examples

This list does not include conventional tram systems, which by definition run in the street.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Australia

• 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

WLB freight train in Guntramsdorf

• 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.

Canada

Notable examples in Canada include:^[1]

Calgary, Alberta

• The C-Train runs through 7 Avenue South, which only emergency and Calgary Transit vehicles may run on

Brantford, Ontario

• Clarence Street (From Nelson Street to Icomm Drive, Canadian National Railway, still in use)

St. Catharines, Ontario

• Louisa Street (From just east of Thomas Street to Catherine Street, Canadian National Railway, removed, continues to Welland Avenue below)
• Welland Avenue (From Francis Street to Balfour Street, removed)

Waterloo, Ontario

• Caroline Street (from Erb Street West to Allen Street West, tracks removed in 1994)

Germany

For tramsways the legal separation of a street running trackbed and an exclusive trackbed in urban traffic is given in § 16 BOStrab tramway regulations.

• 

  "Mollibahn" running through Bad Doberan, Germany
  In the north east 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 (tramway) in 2011 for that reason.
• Road and rail share the Lindaunis Bridge in Schleswig-Holstein.

Hong Kong

Light Rail tracks along Tai Fong Street, Tai Hing Estate, Tuen Mun

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,^[2][3][4] although many parts of it run on their own tracks alongside major roads or elevated, e.g., at the several junctions near Tuen Mun Town Centre.^[5][6]

India

One of the most famous locations is when the steam-powered Darjeeling Himalayan Railway "Toy train" squeezes between narrow shop fronts down past a bazaar in India.

Indonesia

Indonesia used to have an extensive "steam tramways" (more accurately defined as local railways) 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 (including a steam-hauled tourist train), while the other line is exclusively for freight.

Ireland

Trains between Rosslare Europort and Dublin Connolly run alongside streets for a short distance through the town of Wexford, although not actually sharing road space with vehicles or pedestrians.

Freight trains to and from the docks at Dublin share the Alexandra road with cars

Italy

The Bernina Railway runs in the streets of Tirano.^[7]

The Circumetnea ran until 1999 on the Corso delle Provincie in Catania.^[8]

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.^[9]

The Rivabahn was until 1981 a freight railway that ran into the city of Trieste along the seaside street ("Riva").^[10]

The Rome–Fiuggi railway (now practically a tramway) runs completely along the Via Casilina in Rome.^[11]

Japan

Inuyama Bridge in 1996

• Inuyama Bridge (The bridge on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line runs across the Kiso River. It is now exclusively used by trains in an effort to eliminate the previous bottleneck caused by roadway traffic.)
• Enoshima Electric Railway
• Kumamoto Electric Railway (A short section on the Fujisaki Line)
• Fukui Railway (Its street running section is registered as a tram line under law but full-sized trains from the rest of the network run directly onto the tram line)
• Keihan Keishin Line
• Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line (Both of these lines, which include short street-running track around the Hamaōtsu Station, are legally tram lines but use rather high-profile vehicles. Additionally, the Keishin Line has through services onto the Kyoto Subway Tozai Line.)
• Keifuku Electric Railroad (A short section on the Arashiyama Line. Like the above Keihan lines, the Arashiyama Line uses high-profile railway-style vehicles but is classified as a tram line.)
• Toyama Light Rail (This line, categorised as a railway under law, is converted from the Toyamakō railway Line and includes newly built street running sections)
• Niigata Kōtsu (This abandoned line consists of a short street running section near its Niigata terminus.)

Laos

The rail link across the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos is shared-use, although road traffic is stopped while trains cross the bridge.^[12]

Peru

In Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Macchu Picchu, the railway shares the streets with pedestrians, as well as in other towns further up the line. This railway serves as the only viable way of reaching Macchu Picchu from Cusco without walking.

Switzerland

Berninabahn train crossing the main square in Tirano.

Swiss law does not distinguish between trams and railways, making the distinction between street running by trams and that by railways subjective.

The Berninabahn has three sections of street running, in Le Prese, Miralago and in Tirano (in Italy), where the approach to the station involves street running and crossing a public square.

In Chur the Arosa line runs in the street between the forecourt of Chur railway station and Chur Stadt station and a little further into Sand.

Taiwan

The Pinghsi Line is running along the streets near several of its stations, e.g., Shihfen Station and Pinghsi Station.

Thailand

Maeklong Railway Market, Bangkok

United Kingdom

The combined road and rail swing bridge at Preston Marina

The most notable track where street running was common was the Weymouth Harbour Tramway; however this has been out of 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 some street running through Porthmadog.^[13]

There is a freight-only street-running railway network in Trafford Park; only one section along Barton Dock Road is still in regular use.

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:^[1]

Alabama

• Gadsden:
  • Locust Street, between 1st St N and 6th St N, Alabama & Tennessee River Railway (still in use)

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel interior, with train tracks in roadway.

Alaska

• Anchorage/Whittier:
  • Anton 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 (From W. Grant Street to Interstate 17)

California

• Anaheim:
  • Santa Ana St.
• Fresno:
  • Floradora Avenue (North Clark Street to North Maple Avenue)
• Modesto:
  • From 1912 until April 2000, trains operated approximately 1.25 miles (2 km) 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 very 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. (From end of road, west of Market St. to Webster St., BNSF/Amtrak mainline, in use)
    • Amtrak passenger trains, and mainline container freight trains sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and automobiles, with passenger trains traveling at up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h).
• Redwood City:
  • Chestnut Street (Heller Street to Veterans Boulevard)
• Santa Cruz:
  • Murray St. (From Lake Ave. overpass to E. Cliff Dr., leads to Beach St. below)
  • Beach St. (From Leibrandt Ave. to Municipal Wharf)
  • Chestnut St. (From Green St. to south of Laurel St.)
• Sebastopol:
  • Main Street (Analy Avenue to Burnett Street)
• Stockton:
  • B St. (From E. Miner Ave. to E. Scotts Ave., owned by the Central California Traction Company)
  • E. Roosevelt St. (From N. Union St. to Waterloo Rd., owned by Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad)
• Turlock:
  • Castor Street from Orange Street to Lander Street and B Street from 5th Street to 1st Street, former Tidewater Southern, now Union Pacific

A train on South Mason Street at West Laurel Street in Ft Collins, Colorado.

Colorado

• Fort Collins:
  • Mason St. (From Cherry St. to W. Pitkin St., BNSF, still in use)

Florida

• Clearwater:
  • East Avenue (from Turner Street to Drew Street; still in use)
  • Fort Harrison Avenue (from Belleview Blvd. to E Street; removed, now Pinellas Trail)
• Pensacola:
  • Tarragona St. (From E. Blount St. to E. Main St.)
  • E. Wright St. (From N. Alcaniz St. to N. 17th St.)
• St. Petersburg:
  • 1st Ave. S. (From 13th St. S. to Bay Shore Dr. SE; removed, with portions now Pinellas Trail)
• Tampa:
  • E. Polk St. (From N. Ashley Dr. to N. Jefferson St.)

Georgia

• Augusta:
  • 6th St. (From Reynolds St. to Taylor St., still in use)
  • Fenwick St. (From 8th St. to 6th St.)
  • Poplar St. (From 15th St. to Woodson Ln.)
  • R.A. Dent Blvd. (From Dantignac St. to Wrightsboro Rd.)
• Columbus:
  • 9th St.
• Savannah:
  • River St.

Illinois

• Rockford: - N Madison Street (From Southwest of Prairie Street to Y Boulevard)

Indiana

The South Shore Line runs on 10th and 11th streets in Michigan City, Indiana.

• Bedford:
  • J St. (From 14th St. to 18th St., CSX Transportation, out of service but in place)
• Jeffersonville:
  • Champion Rd. (From Dutch Ln. to E. 12th St., IRR, still in use, continues along E 9th St. below)
• Lafayette:
  • 5th St. (From Union St. to Fountain St., former CSXT/AMTRK line, removed)
• Michigan City:
  • 10th St. (From Sheridan Ave. to Huron St., continues to 11th St. below)
  • 11th St. (From Kentucky St. to E. Michigan Blvd., continues to Holiday St. below)
    • 11th Street Station in Michigan City, Indiana of South Shore Line, a commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), lies on such section. The "station" building has no platform, and its station building has since been closed. All passengers now wait on the sidewalk as though at a tram stop.
  • Holiday St. (From Vail St. to N. Fairfield Ave.)
• New Albany:
  • East 15th St. (From Division St. to Shelby Pl., CSX Transportation)
• Noblesville:
  • 8th St. (From Logan St. to Division St., Indiana Transportation Museum)
• Terre Haute:
  • 10th St. (From Locust St. to Chestnut St.)
  • 1st St. (From Sycamore St. to Demorest St., former PCRR)

Iowa

• Bellevue:
  • 399th Ave./Jefferson Ave./2nd St. (From N. Riverview Dr (US 52) to Spruce St., ICE, still in use)

CSX Train passing through downtown La Grange, Kentucky

Kentucky

• La Grange:
  • Main St. (From S. 4th St./Kentucky Ave. to Cedar St., CSXT mainline still in use)

Maine

• Portland
• Commercial street (Portland Terminal, no longer in use)

Maryland

• Baltimore:
  • Streets in the Fells Point section of Baltimore (no longer in use)
  • Wicomico St. (From Bayard St. to S. Monroe St.)

Massachusetts

• Boston:
  • Union Freight Railroad, running along Atlantic Avenue (freight only, demolished after 1970)^[14]

Michigan

• Monroe:
  • Kentucky Avenue (From Front Street to La Plaisance Road)
  • Hull Road (From La Plaisance Road to East Albain Road)
  • Eastchester Street (From East Front Street to East Sixth Street)
  • East First Street (From Eastchester Street to Link Street)
  • Link Street (From East First Street to East Front Street)
  • East Front Street (From Link Street to Port Avenue)
• Wyandotte:
  • Alkali Avenue (From 4th Street to Biddle Avenue)

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 (Omaha Road)
• Brainerd, Minnesota
  • 1st Avenue Northeast BNSF branch line serving Wausau Paper Company
• Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Myrtle Avenue (from Cleveland Avenue to Hampden Avenue), Minnesota Commercial Railway serving Rock-Tenn Recycling
• Winona
  • Wall Street (from E. 9th St. to E. 2nd St) serving ADM and Modern Transport Terminal

Mississippi

• New Albany:
  • N. Railroad Avenue (from Summer St./Cleveland St. to W. Bankhead St./E. Bankhead St. [Highway 178/Old US 178])

Missouri

• St. Louis:
  • N 2nd St. (From Bremen Ave. to Angelrodt St., leads to Hall St. below)
  • Hall St. (From Dock St. to Branch St., leads to 1st St. below)
  • 1st St. (From Clinton St. to Biddle St.)
  • 3rd St (From Shenandoah Ave. to north of Barton St. (leads back to S. 2nd St. below)
  • S. 2nd St. (From Chouteau Ave. to Lynch St.)
  • Dorcas St. (From Busch Pl. to S. Broadway St./rail yard)
• Jefferson City:
  • W McCarty St. (From the U.S. 54 overpass to Bolivar St.)

Nebraska

• Lincoln:
  • S. 5th St. (From B St. to G St.)

New Jersey

• Garfield:
  • Monroe St. (From Pierre Ave./Atlantic St. to River Drive. Operated by the New York & Greenwood Lake, and still in use)

New York

• Corning:
  

  Train on Schulyer Street in Utica, New York, March 07, 2016
  • E. Tioga Ave. (From Cedar St. [Center Way] to Dead End, still in use by NS)
• Ithaca:
  • N. Fulton St. (From W. Court St. to W. State St., owned by NS)
• New York City (Brooklyn):
  • 1st. Ave. (From 39th St. to 63rd St., continues along 41st St. below)
  • 41st. St. (From 1st Ave. to east of 2nd Ave., goes through building at 2nd Ave. intersection, continues along 2nd Ave. below)
  • 2nd Ave. (From end of road (north of 28th St. to south of 41st St.)
  • 32nd St. (From 2nd Ave. to west of 3rd Ave.)
• Painted Post:
  • W. Chemung St. (From Nobriga Ln. to 1st St. [Public right-of-way ends at North Hamilton St.])
• Syracuse:
  • Washington St (Now Erie Blvd.) (NYC, removed)
• Utica:
  • Schyuler St (From Noyes St. to Whitesboro St.) Still in use by NYS&W Utica branch.

North Carolina

• Fayetteville:
  • E. Russel St.
• New Bern:
  • Windley St. (From end of road to Dunn St., leads to Dunn St. below)
  • Dunn St. (From Windley St. to N. Craven St., leads to Hancock St. below)
  • Hancock St. (From Queen St. to S. Front St., still in use, leads to Scott St. in James City, NC below)
• Kinston:
  • E. Shine St. (Entire street, now removed and abandoned though the outline can still be seen in the street)
• Tarboro
  • Albemarle Avenue
• Wilmington:
  • S. Front St. from Marsetllar St. to Mears St.
• Winston-Salem:
  • N. Chesnut St. Between 4th and 5th St.

Ohio

• Marietta:
  • Harmar St. (From Lord St. to Lancaster St.)

Oregon

• Astoria
  • Astoria Riverwalk (No longer used by freight trains, but occasional trolley use)
• Rainier
  • A St.
• Svensen
  • Rocky Lane
• Portland (not counting all the instances of light rail street running)
  • NW York Street
  • N River Street (Near Albina Yard)
  • NW Yeon Ave Frontage Road
• Hillsboro
  • SW Adams
  • SE Washington
• Beaverton
  • SW Lombard Ave. (Used only by WES commuter trains)
• Oregon City
  • Main Street (Crosses Hwy 99E, out of service with the closure of the adjacent paper company
• Newberg
  • S. Blaine Street
• Salem:
  • Front St. NE (From Norway St. NE to Ferry St. SE)
• Independence
  • S. Second Street
• Albany
  • NE Water Avenue
• Harrisburg
  • 4th Street (Two blocks west of the U.P. mainline)
• Junction City
  • Holly Street
• Lebanon
  • W. Olive Street
• Coos Bay
  • N. Front Street.

Pennsylvania

Following a coal train through West Brownsville.

• Erie:
  • 19th St. (From Buffalo Rd. to Cranberry St., NS mainline, removed in 2000)
• Gettysburg:
  • W. Railroad St. (from N. Washington St. to Carlisle St.)
• Lewistown:
  • E. Water Street (From US 22 to S. Dorcas St.
  • Chestnut Street (from Old Shaw Ave. and S. Pine Rd.)
• Morrisville:
  • S. Delmorr Ave (between Green Street and E. Philadelphia Ave)
• Sunbury:
  • N. 3rd St. (from Race St. to Market St.)
  • S. 3rd St. (from Market St. to Pine St.)
• West Brownsville:
  • Main St. (From William St. to Bridge Blvd., NS, still in use)

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 downtown sections. Comparable to a tram-train.

Utah

• Ogden:
  • Wall Avenue (Oregon Short Line, later Union Pacific, removed)
• Salt Lake City:
  • 900 South ("Passenger Line", San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad, later Union Pacific, removed 2008)
• Tooele:
  • Vine Street (Tooele Valley Railway, removed 1982)

Virginia

• Ashland:
  • Center St./Railroad Ave. (From W. Patrick St./Smith St. to Gwathmey Church Rd., AMTK, still in use)
• Norfolk:
  • Tide Light Rail downtown sections.

Washington

• Olympia:
  • Jefferson Street (From State Street to Seventh Avenue)
• Renton:
  • Houser Way in Downtown, used by Boeing to ship planes to Everett plant.
• Yakima

West Virginia

• Williamstown
  • W. 2nd Street (Williams Avenue to Highland Avenue)

Wisconsin

• Oconto:
  • Broadway Avenue (CN, Still in use, Single track runs down the center of Broadway Avenue for four blocks, trains travel up to 30 mph through the street )
• Sheboygan Falls:
  • Monroe Street (WSOR, Previously owned by CNW and UP, this line was used until the mid 2000s, and then put out of service. The Wisconsin Southern Railroad refurbished the track in 2015)
• Oshkosh:
  • Division Street (WC, This section the Wisconsin Central mainline ran down Division Street along people's front yards, considered a bottleneck, the tracks were abandoned in 1996, and were removed later. Trains now run down Broad Street a few blocks east. The track there is owned currently by CN)
• LaCrosse:
  • Front Street (BNSF, Former main line, Now used very lightly to serve local factories)
• Saint Marys:
  • Second Street (CSX, still in use)

Uzbekistan

Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge

• Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge

See also

• Reserved track, where vehicles have a separate right of way (typically used in a tram transport context)
• Tram
• List of road-rail bridges
• List of road-rail tunnels

References

1. Trains Magazine, Vol. 68, Issue 4 (April 2008) (pages 22-31)
2. On-street running along Tai Fong Street
3. File:Castle Peak Road Yuen Long.jpg File:HK Yuen Long Castle Peak Road Fung Nin Road.JPG - Pictures showing on-street tracks along Castle Peak Road-Yuen Long
4. Google Street View - On-street running along Castle Peak Road-Yuen Long
5. File:Transport HK LR ChungFu.jpg Tracks located alongside a road
6. File:Transport HK LR MingKam.jpg Elevated tracks and station
7. Image here
8. Image here
9. Image here
10. Image here
11. Image here
12. http://www.seat61.com/Laos.htm
13. Davies, Merfyn (30 October 2010). "Taith gyntaf teithwyr trên bach o Gaernarfon i Borthmadog". BBC Online (in Welsh). Retrieved 26 May 2011.
14. Kyper, Frank (1977). The railroad that came out at night : a book of railroading in and around Boston. Brattleboro, Vt.: S. Greene Press. pp. 13–40. ISBN 0-8289-0318-2.