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24-423: RandstadRail ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɑntstɑtˌreːl] ) is a tram-train network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotterdam , The Hague and Zoetermeer , primarily using former train and existing tram tracks. Named after

48-556: A light rail system. The section from Den Haag Centraal to Laan van NOI is elevated on a viaduct . From Laan van NOI to Leidschenveen , the lines share the track and stations with line E. East of Leidschenveen, line 3 follows the same route as the former Zoetermeer Stadslijn , while lines 4 and 34 branch off towards Oosterheem after Seghwaert station . In 2019, the Oosterheem branch was extended from Javalaan to Lansingerland-Zoetermeer. In December 2012, two bus lines were added to

72-596: A combination of lines 3 and 4, connecting Loosduinen to Lansingerland-Zoetermeer railway station. West of Den Haag Centraal railway station , these lines are operated as regular street-running tram lines, partially interlined with the local network and passing through the Haagse tramtunnel , a 1.25 km (0.78 mi) tunnel under the Grote Marktstraat  [ nl ] in the city centre. Between Den Haag Centraal and Zoetermeer, they operate on dedicated tracks as

96-543: A landscape, usually by bridging a river valley or other eroded opening in an otherwise flat area. Often such valleys had roads descending either side (with a small bridge over the river, where necessary) that become inadequate for the traffic load, necessitating a viaduct for "through" traffic. Such bridges also lend themselves for use by rail traffic, which requires straighter and flatter routes. Some viaducts have more than one deck, such that one deck has vehicular traffic and another deck carries rail traffic. One example of this

120-581: A part of the RandstadRail network, lines 2 and 19 of HTM's local tram network make use of RandstadRail-liveried RegioCitadis vehicles in addition to the regular Siemens Avenio trams. For line 19, this is necessary as it lacks balloon loops at its termini, meaning that the uni-directional GTL8 vehicles cannot be used on this route. Since 2015, the rolling stock of line 2 has been gradually replaced by Avenio vehicles. Tram-train The modern tram-train concept

144-595: A repurposed rail viaduct provides a garden promenade on top and workspace for artisans below. The garden promenade is called the Coulée verte René-Dumont while the workspaces in the arches below are the Viaduc des Arts . The project was inaugurated in 1993. Manhattan's High Line , inaugurated in 2009, also uses an elevated train line as a linear urban park . In Indonesia viaducts are used for railways in Java and also for highways such as

168-617: Is a 19th-century derivation from an analogy with ancient Roman aqueducts . Like the Roman aqueducts , many early viaducts comprised a series of arches of roughly equal length. The longest viaduct in antiquity may have been the Pont Serme which crossed wide marshes in southern France. At its longest point, it measured 2,679 meters with a width of 22 meters. Viaducts are commonly used in many cities that are railroad hubs , such as Chicago, Birmingham, London and Manchester . These viaducts cross

192-468: Is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide valley, road, river, or other low-lying terrain features and obstacles. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via meaning "road", and ducere meaning "to lead". It

216-500: Is built across land rather than water, the space below the arches may be used for businesses such as car parking, vehicle repairs, light industry, bars and nightclubs. In the United Kingdom, many railway lines in urban areas have been constructed on viaducts, and so the infrastructure owner Network Rail has an extensive property portfolio in arches under viaducts. In Berlin the space under the arches of elevated subway lines ( S-Bahn )

240-458: Is operated by RET and uses high-floor Flexity Swift vehicles, while lines 3, 4 and 34 are operated by HTM and use low-floor RegioCitadis vehicles. Stations that are served by both types of carriages have extended platforms with a higher and a lower part. Line E (formerly Erasmuslijn ) is a metro line, which also belongs to the Rotterdam Metro network. For a great part, it runs on

264-883: Is the Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto, Canada, that carries motor traffic on the top deck as Bloor Street , and metro as the Bloor-Danforth subway line on the lower deck, over the steep Don River valley . Others were built to span settled areas, crossing over roads beneath—the reason for many viaducts in London. Viaducts over water make use of islands or successive arches. They are often combined with other types of bridges or tunnels to cross navigable waters as viaduct sections, while less expensive to design and build than tunnels or bridges with larger spans, typically lack sufficient horizontal and vertical clearance for large ships. See

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288-407: Is used for several different purposes, including small eateries or bars. Elevated expressways were built in major cities such as Boston ( Central Artery ), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seoul , Tokyo and Toronto ( Gardiner Expressway ). Some were demolished because they were unappealing and divided the city. In other cases, viaducts were demolished because they were structurally unsafe, such as

312-526: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel . The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It opened in 2004 and is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft). The viaduct Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China was the longest bridge in the world as of 2011 . Where a viaduct

336-629: The Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, which was damaged by an earthquake in 1989. However, in developing nations such as Thailand ( Bang Na Expressway , the world's longest road bridge ), India ( Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway ), China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nicaragua, elevated expressways have been built and more are under construction to improve traffic flow, particularly as a workaround of land shortage when built atop surface roads. Other uses have been found for some viaducts. In Paris, France,

360-662: The Randstad conurbation, the light rail network came into operation in 2006, after regular train services on the Hofpleinlijn and Zoetermeer Stadslijn had been discontinued. The system consists of four routes and serves 73 stations, with a total length of approximately 71 kilometres (44 mi). In 2018, it had a daily ridership of around 125,000 passengers. The RandstadRail network consists of four routes: one metro line (E) between The Hague and Rotterdam, and three tram-train lines (3, 4 and 34) between The Hague and Zoetermeer. Line E

384-460: The Zwickau Model . The tram-train often is a type of interurban  — that is, they link separate towns or cities, according to George W. Hilton and John F. Due's definition. Most tram-trains are standard gauge , which facilitates sharing track with main-line trains. Exceptions include Alicante Tram and Nordhausen , which are metre gauge . Tram-train vehicles are dual-equipped to suit

408-881: The United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio , which opened in 1889. In 1924, in Hobart , Australia, sharing of tracks between trams and trains was proposed. The difference between modern tram-trains and the older interurban and radial railways is that tram-trains are built to meet mainline railway standards, rather than ignoring them. An exception is the United States' River Line in New Jersey , which runs along freight tracks with time separation; passenger trains run by day, and freight by night. Models of tram designed for tram-train operation include: Viaduct A viaduct

432-460: The conversion had not been flawless, with a series of technical problems and a derailment , the line has been in full operation since September 2007. In 2010, Hofplein terminus was replaced with the Statenwegtracé , a bored tunnel connecting the line with the local metro network at Rotterdam Centraal railway station . In December 2011, the line was further extended to Slinge metro station in

456-548: The former Hofpleinlijn railway line between Den Haag Centraal railway station and Rotterdam Hofplein railway station . After the train services had been discontinued, the track was re-opened as a RandstadRail line in September 2006, running between Nootdorp and Hofplein. In November 2006, the line was extended to The Hague. As part of the line's conversion to RandstadRail operation, it began using RET metro trains, and more stops were added and train frequencies increased. Although

480-498: The large railroad yards that are needed for freight trains there, and also cross the multi-track railroad lines that are needed for heavy rail traffic. These viaducts provide grade separation and keep highway and city street traffic from having to be continually interrupted by the train traffic. Likewise, some viaducts carry railroads over large valleys, or they carry railroads over cities with many cross-streets and avenues. Many viaducts over land connect points of similar height in

504-584: The needs of both tram and train operating modes, with support for multiple electrification voltages if required and safety equipment such as train stops and other railway signalling equipment. The Karlsruhe and Saarbrücken systems use " PZB " or "Indusi" automatic train protection , so that if the driver passes a signal at a stop the emergency brakes are applied. The idea is not new; in the early 20th century, interurban streetcar lines often operated on dedicated rights-of-way between towns, while running on street trackage in town. The first interurban to emerge in

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528-573: The network. These so-called "ZoRo" buses run between Zoetermeer and Rodenrijs RandstadRail station , where they connect with RandstadRail line E. A new bus lane was constructed for the project. The buses are operated by RET and have an almost instant connection to arriving metros at Rodenrijs station. At the termini in Zoetermeer, the ZoRo buses connect with regional bus lines ( Arriva and Veolia Transport ) and RandstadRail lines 3, 4 and 34. Despite not being

552-402: The south of Rotterdam, sharing the section between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge with the already existing line D . The RandstadRail network originally included two tram-train lines: line 3 between Loosduinen and Zoetermeer Centrum-West , and line 4 between De Uithof and Lansingerland-Zoetermeer . On 23 July 2020, a third tram-train line was added to the network: line 34, which serves as

576-756: Was pioneered by the German city of Karlsruhe in the late 1980s, resulting in the creation of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn . This concept is often referred to as the Karlsruhe model , and it has since been adopted in other cities such as Mulhouse in France and in Kassel , Nordhausen and Saarbrücken in Germany. An inversion of the concept is a train-tram – a mainline train adapted to run on-street in an urban tramway, also known as

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