Light railway on conventional railway tracks in Karlsruhe, Germany

摘要

On September 25th, 1992, the KarlsruheBretten light railway was opened to the public. For the first time in Germany a joint operation on urban light railway and conventional railway (DB AG) tracks was established, creating a direct link between the Kraichgau area and the centre of Karlsruhe. The demand has been unexpectedly high: compared with the previous DB AG short-haul traffic the number of passengers has more than quadrupled. The timetable on offer has already twice been amended within the space of one year. Experts, too, are showing a lively interest in the concept of light rail transit running on DB AG tracks. Delegations from Germany and abroad have visited Karlsruhe to obtain information about the light railway directly from the operator. It has already been decided to expand the system.