Track (rail transport)

Tracks are track-bound transport or transport and an important part of the transport infrastructure. They operate mainly at or below a or two guide rails ( rail train, monorail ), hover over or under a magnetic field ( magnetic levitation ), hanging from steel cables ( cable car ) or are of an overhead line dependent ( Trackless train). Almost all rail vehicles have steel wheels with a wheel flange, which are performed on two steel rails. These are connected to wood, concrete or steel sleepers. Chance Trains run with rubber- tyred wheels on concrete lanes, as in a few lines of the Paris Métro, others Métro in France, the line m2 Métro Lausanne, Metro Montreal and the airport shuttle in Frankfurt.

The mechanical -guided systems mainly include the rail tracks that use the wheel-rail system. They are also referred to as rail transport systems, vehicles and rail vehicles. These have either self-propelled ( railcar ) or be pulled or pushed by a locomotive. Rarer special cases mechanically guided systems are monorails and systems, in which the vehicles do not have a drive, but be moved by a stationary motor such as cable cars. Magnetically are performed, for example, magnetic levitation.

• 2.1 trams
• 2.2 LRVs
• 2.3 subways
• 2.4 monorails

Railways

The most common are run railways on two steel rails. They serve the public, local and long distance transport and / or freight. They are differentiated according to their importance and the technical conditions in main and branch lines. Railways are operated mainly by government but also by private railway companies. For freight there is also Railroads of the non-public transport ( industrial railways ): connecting railways connect operation with the public rail network, while mining and railways serve the internal traffic.

After their track, a distinction is standard gauge ( 1435 mm ) narrow-gauge (eg meter gauge 1000 mm) and broad gauge railways ( in Spain, Portugal, Finland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine). The passenger trains are categorized according to transport distance and duration in long-distance and local trains.

It is essential to define a " railroad " in Germany, the legal separation from other railways, especially the roads, urban and metros of which raises different laws for the operation:

• For railways in Germany applies the General Railway Act ( AEG ), the regulation on the interoperability of the trans- European conventional rail system ( TEIV ) and the Railway Construction and Operation (EBO ) and the Act on the Restructuring of the railway sector in Germany ( ENeuOG ). These include i.d.R. also the S-Bahn.
• Trams including urban and metros are in Germany to Passenger Transport Act ( Passenger Transport Act ) and regulations on the construction and operation of trams ( BOStrab ) operated.

Long-distance trains

Long-distance trains stop only at busy railway stations and the connecting large cities. In Germany, these are InterCity ( IC), Euro City (EC) and also the high-speed trains ICE and TGV. Furthermore, this private long-distance trains such as the Inter- Connex, the Vogtland- Express or resin -Elbe - Express.

Mass transit rail

Regional railways

Regional rail opens up the region. The regional trains ( RB) hold outside the S- Bahn network at each station, the regional express trains ( RE) hold only at busy stations.

S-Bahn

The city high-speed railway, named S -Bahn, is used to transport in metropolitan regions and operates generally in the dense solid clock on their own track alongside the main lanes and a tunnel through the city center. Outside of the core network they drive in mixed traffic with the regional, long-distance and freight traffic. Berlin and Hamburg have separate S-Bahn networks in which the power of lateral busbars with direct current ( 800 volts or 1200 volts ) is produced. The Hamburg S -Bahn trains to Stade Buxtehude are dual-voltage trainsets, which are supplied outside of the DC network with traction power 15 kV, 16.7 Hz from the catenary.

In all other city regions such as Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne - Dusseldorf - Ruhr Area, Hanover, Nuremberg, Dresden and Leipzig, the S-Bahn trains run on the core routes on its own rail body, otherwise with the regional and long-distance trains and get the AC ( Traction Power 15 kV, 16.7 Hz) from the catenary.

Legally, the S-Bahn regarded as the classic railroads.

Other urban trains

Railway systems of transport, which do not belong to the railways:

Trams

Trams are public rail tracks that include neither of the main and branch lines still to the lifts. They are used for transport, especially in large cities, and are usually operated by municipal or private companies. Almost all trams are operated electrically today. In the 19th century there were numerous horse and steam trams. Classic tram cars driving on the road or on a separate track in the street area. Tram drivers drive mostly on sight, therefore, the vehicles must have powerful brakes. At his own rail tracks, where higher speeds may be established or in tunnels signaling systems are used.

In Germany applies to trams in contrast to the railway operation, the regulations on the construction and operation of trams ( BOStrab ).

Cable trays are trams that are drawn from a fixed drive on a cable, for example, the cable cars in San Francisco. Technically, they are a special kind of funicular railways.

Light rail

Urban railways (including Light Rail, French: Métro Léger, Pré -Metro (Metro - forward mode ), Dutch:. Sneltram ) called developed trams, whose power is largely independent of the road and usually have a separate track. In the city they run partially in tunnels. The nets are often provided with the logo of the underground ( eg in Stuttgart and Hannover), in Karlsruhe, the S-Bahn. In some cities have only the underground stations, the subway logo on ( Cologne). The light rail are subject to BOStrab.

From regional light rail (. Well RegioTram, Tram-Train, English: Light Rail ) is the speech when light rail on main or branch lines of railroad pass (eg Stadtbahn Karlsruhe, RegioTram Kassel, Saarbahn ); such webs are legally hermaphrodite.

Subways

Subways ( metros ) are used to transport in large cities, are electrically connected to DC (mostly from busbars ) operated and have only independent rail body, often in tunnels, on embankments or viaducts as overhead railway, in the incision or at ground level. The underground operation is ensured by signaling systems. Since they have typically no level crossings with roads, they are by road transport independent, but are nevertheless legally to the trams. They are usually operated by transport companies (yet ) are in community ownership. Pure have subways in Germany Berlin, Hamburg ( directly connected to the driven also by the Hamburg elevated railway and Metro Norderstedt ), Munich and Nuremberg. In addition, there are also metro moderately -developed rail lines (U4 Stadtbahn Frankfurt (until 2009), U18 Stadtbahn Essen). Legally, one of Germany the subway in contrast to the railway operation to the trams. Here the BOStrab applies.

Monorails

Monorails are (usually) also the public transport whose vehicles travel at or below a single narrow track.

The monorails the vehicle is under a rail. The famous 13 -kilometer Wuppertal monorail runs mostly above the river Wupper and was taken into operation in 1901. Disciples are the H-Bahn in Dortmund and the sky train in Dusseldorf, where it is automatic, driverless systems.

For semi- tracks the vehicle is above the line. The vehicle in this case comprises the supporting body. They include the Alwegbahn as well as the Transrapid magnetic levitation.

Mountain railways

Mountain railways transport people - mostly tourists - or goods from the valley on a mountain or vice versa. You use it as a cog railways or cable cars from normal railway network separate routes. Cable cars can operate either as funiculars on the earth's surface or as aerial cable cars. The gear train transmits its driving force with a gear on the rail. In the fur - locomotive, the driving force is transmitted to a central rail by its own friction wheels with increased pressure.

Other railways - also rack railways - which travel in the mountains are known as mountain railways. For them it is a main or branch lines that are part of a larger rail system.

Other tracks

On rails, vehicles of some rides go at fairs and amusement parks, such as Roller coasters and ghost trains. For the transport of goods within buildings, there are several rail conveyors, which are designed for the automatic transport.

For children there are toy trains, for the leisure activity the model railway.