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

The Toll Royal Railways airport train runs along the main street in Phnom Penh in 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
The steam-powered Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs along the main street in Darjeeling in West Bengal in 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 cars

Italy

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:
Examples classified legally as tramways - but using heavy rail vehicles and often inter-operating with full-size railways - are listed below.
The rail link across the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos is shared-use, although road traffic stops while trains cross the bridge.

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

, Bangkok

United 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

In Commercial street

Maryland