Rail traction: tramways - Systems, operation and design

The virtual disappearance of tramways in France at the end of the 1950s was the result of a total lack of forward-thinking urban planning. While new districts were designed in advance to give priority to car traffic and parking, and public bus transport was stealthily providing a modest quality of service, tramway lines were being rebuilt abroad in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, often preceding urban planning and becoming the preferred means of transport for all.

The return of the tramway in the early 1980s was initially seen as a way of improving travel conditions for public transport users, but the idea quickly took hold that, by reclaiming space, the construction of a new tramway line was an urban planning tool to restore lost attractiveness to city centers, with a drastic reduction in the presence of cars and ambient pollution, and the extension of pedestrian areas. Office centers, deprived of life in the evening, will be replaced by urban housing and local shops.

This dossier looks at the components, operation and design of tramways.

A more detailed description of the main types of streetcar and tram-trains offered by European manufacturers can be found in the following files [D 5 551] and [D 5 552] .

Readers may also find it useful to refer to [D 5 510] , [D 5 520] and