High-floor

High-floor is a term that is used to delineate roads, city and railroad cars and buses or trolleybuses in conventional construction of such a low-floor technology.

High-floor light rail vehicles typically have a flat floor, which is between 76 centimeters and one meter above the top of rail. For reasons of accessibility, one tries to unify the height to allow of high platforms at the same height a stepless entry.

The high cost of construction of raised platforms and the problem to make this urban compatible are an important point of criticism for conversions of existing tram networks in urban railway networks, especially when many of these stops are in the streets. This problem was a major driving force for the development of the low-floor design, with the retrofitting of high platforms can be avoided.

Today in Germany all subways, most S-Bahn light rail and many are designed as high-floor networks. A notable exception is the light rail Cologne, where the mid-1990s decided to separate the partially equipped with high platforms network in a high-floor and low-floor network. In contrast to light rail supply routes in the tunnel, which are often temporarily equipped or hochgeschottert with low platforms, there is a novelty in Germany in Dusseldorf ( Wehrhahnlinie, under construction) and Dortmund ( east-west line), respectively an underground city railway line with platforms equipped for low-floor vehicles and should be permanently operated with low-floor vehicles to avoid stops modifications to the adjoining tram lines, although already exist in both cities tunnels with high-floor platforms.

• Tram technology
• Transportation