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Premetro

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Not to be confused with Light metro or Tram-train.
Trams at Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis station with partially low platforms in Brussels.
Low platform section for trams at Duisburg Hauptbahnhof Stadtbahn station.
Low platform station for trams in Vienna during transformation. A third rail and emergency stairs from the future high platform have already been installed.

A premetro (sometimes pre-metro) is a tramway or light rail which includes segments built to rapid transit standards, generally as part of a process of conversion to a metro-standards railway, usually by the construction of infrastructure consisting of tunnels and/or viaducts, so vehicles have no conflicts with other traffic.[1][2][3][4]

The use of tram vehicles in tunnels originated in the USA in the nineteenth century and was often called "subway surface line" while in the second half of the twentieth century the term "semi-metro" was coined. Only when a semi-metro section is designed for later use of heavy rapid transit, it also falls in the premetro category.[5] During the time when tram vehicles are used, the specific line falls into the light rail category.[6][7]

History

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An early example was the Tremont Street subway (1897) in Boston, today part of the MBTA Green Line. This tunnel was intended solely to reduce streetcar congestion on surface streets, not for later conversion to metro service.[8] However between 1901 and 1908, two out of four tracks were used for rapid tranist service including high platforms.[9] Several early streetcar tunnels, including the Steinway Tunnel and East Boston Tunnel, were later converted to metro operation. However, the small loading gauge, tight curves, and steep grades of the streetcar tunnels required shorter metro cars than otherwise desirable.[8] In 1950 Stockholm effectively used a pre-war tramtunnel for its first rapid transit line.[10]

Second generation

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The modern premetro concept Stadtbahn began in 1960s Germany, as rising traffic congestion due to auto ownership led to the construction of new transit systems. Rather than building costly metro lines immediately, some cities built only the downtown tunnels. They could be used by existing tram lines in the short term, with the intention of full metro conversion later - hence "pre-metro".[11] The idea spread to other European countries in the 1970s, especially Belgium, where such systems were explicitly named premetros.[11] Also one segment of Vienna's U2 metro line (Rathaus-Museumsquartier) is an in 1980 converted underground tramway line, which was constructed in 1966.

Examples

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Main article: List of premetro systems

See also

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References

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  1. ^ De Leuw, Cather & Company (1976). Light Rail Transit: A State of the Art Review, Executive Summary. p. 47. Retrieved 30 August 2023. This step-by-step planning approach to building rail rapid transit is known as pre-metro, implying the intention to ultimately construct a fully grade separated route to be used by rail rapid transit or metro trains.
  2. ^ Jenkin, P. (1988). Urban Railways and the Civil Engineer. Thomas Telford. ISBN 978-0-7277-1337-7. Retrieved 9 August 2024. Pre-Metro is an extreme case of light rail, on segregated right of way, and designed to upgrading to metro when passenger demand increases sufficiently.
  3. ^ Mattila, Matti (5 August 2012). Wizzit Magazine 3/2011. Annorlunda Mediatuotanto Oy. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-4478-2842-6. Retrieved 9 August 2024. Premetros also allow a gradual upgrade of existing tramways to rapid transit, thus spreading the investments costs over time.
  4. ^ John Hoyle (16 May 1975). "Letters to the editor -- The tram is the answer". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 January 2014. Cities such as Frankfurt and Cologne in West Germany have further developed their tramway system by introducing a concept known as "premetro." In this system trams or light rail vehicles make extensive use of tunnels, reserve track and by utilizing folding steps these vehicles can operate through high or low stopping places.
  5. ^ "PREMETRO [1 record]". TERMIUM Plus®. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  6. ^ Transportation Research Board National Research Council (1989). Urban Public Transportation Glossary. Retrieved 16 February 2023. pre-metro: a light rail transit system designed with provisions for easy conversion to rail rapid transit
  7. ^ Vuchic, Vukan R. (2007). Urban transit systems and technology. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons. p. 580. doi:10.1002/9780470168066.fmatter. ISBN 9780471758235. Retrieved 7 October 2023. PREMETRO—An LRT system designed with provisions for easy conversion into RRT (metro).
  8. ^ a b Cudahy, Brian J. (1972). Change at Park Street Under. Stephen Greene Press. pp. 10-11, 31-33. ISBN 0828901732. LCCN 72081531.
  9. ^ "Boston Elevated Railway Company, Main Line Elevated Structure (HAER)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved 7 August 2024. the outer tracks of the Tremont Street Tunnel which was adapted to elevated train use in 1901 by the construction of higher platforms
  10. ^ Geoffrey, Skelsey (2018). Brussels Metro to Grow As Pre-metro Shrinks. London Underground Railway Society. p. 3.
  11. ^ a b Ian Yearsley (21 December 1972). "Trams are coming back". New Scientist. Reed Business Information Ltd. Retrieved 14 January 2014. But instead of building the entire expensive systems immediately, the Germans hit on the idea of building only the city centre tunnels at first. Intended in the long run to be extended to full undergrounds, in the short term they could be used by trams which would continue to run on the surface outside city centres. The idea spread to other European countries, especially Belgium, where it became known as pre-metro. Today Brussels, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and many other cities are filling their central business districts with construction sites to move the trains underground.
  12. ^ "Antwerpen Tram & Premetro". UrbanRail.net. 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014. Antwerpen rail network is a typical premetro network.
  13. ^ Geoffroy Fabre (19 March 2014). "Une station fantôme au secours du futur Métro Nord de la STIB". RTBF. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Charleroi Premetro". UrbanRail.net. 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014. The Charleroi Metro is a typical prémétro network, i.e. trams that run underground in the city centre and on viaducts or separate right-of-way through outer parts (similar to German Stadtbahn systems).
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