Interurban

Interurban is a name from the English-speaking world for a (rail ) transport connection between urbanized areas. In America, it refers to a hybrid form of intercity tram and side path which led to cost savings in densely built-up areas and on roads and in built-up areas predominantly weak on its own rail body.

The first Inter Urbans were from 1880, but most were built 1900-1908. After a few new Inter Urbans were only put into operation. After the end of World War II the decline, triggered by the early mass motorization in the U.S. began. The Great Depression in the early 1930s led to the closure of most networks, and only a few routes have survived until after 1970. In Inter Urban usually heavier rolling stock as trams is used, and there are more links to the normal railway.

Inter Urbans are mainly used for passenger transport and are usually electrified.

From the character they most closely resemble light rail or the Karlsruhe model.

Electrification

Most Interurban lines in North America were operated at 600 volts DC, as well as trams. However, the low voltage caused the problems with the transmission on long sections. Therefore, many substations were required, which were supplied with higher voltage and they transformed for the individual sections on 600 volts. As it is often still lacking for construction in the areas to be developed at electricity plants, they were built by the Interurban companies, which have been characterized at the same time for energy suppliers.

The transmission on the car was mostly about catenary and pantograph, some companies took advantage of busbars.

Later, in 1200 - volt AC systems have been developed, but could no longer prevail.

Gauge

Most Inter Urbans were built to standard gauge, but there were a number of exceptions. Since Inter Urban's often used the existing tracks of urban trams, often this track was taken, even if they differed from the standard gauge. Some communities located on the construction in narrow gauge, so no freight cars of the normal railway could go to that railroad.

Special

In 1914, were used on the line of Shaker Heights Cleveland Railway vehicles with low-floor entrances.

In Los Angeles were offered on the Interurban lines of the Pacific Electric tourist tours.

The Lehigh Valley Transit Company ran her railcars already on 1920-1940 single longer stretches between Philadelphia and Quakerstown about 130 km / h.

Dissemination

Canada

1887 was the St. Catharines and Niagara Central Railway, the first interurban line in the world, in operation. She ran between St. Catharines and Thorold, Ontario, Canada. In Ontario Interurban railways were also radially (radial orbits ) because they radiated from a central city.

Cuba

• The Hershey train runs from the capital, Havana, in the city of Matanzas. The track is largely in original condition.

Mexico

Between 1900 and 1910, Canadian investors bought the tram operator Compañía de Tranvías De México in Mexico City and tried a radial system according to the Canadian model to build. The lines started should reach Toluca and Puebla. Typical Interurban cars were imported by the St. Louis Car Company in the USA. The difficult topography and political unrest, which culminated in the Mexican Revolution, the project brought to failure. Until then lines were to La Venta and Tulyehualco and the suburban line built to San Angel and Coyoacan. Part of the former Puebla line operates today as the Xochimilco Light Rail system. Another Mexican system that can be viewed from its nature as Interurban was the Playa Miramar Quick line in Tampico. In the Mexican state of Yucatan, there were about 1500 km Inter Urban, usually operated in narrow gauge and with horses or gasoline.

USA

Existing lines

• The South Shore Electric runs from the Millennium Station in Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, it is the successor of the passenger traffic of the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, which was part of the former large interurban empire of Samuel Insull. The line brings commuters to the suburbs of Chicago in Northwest Indiana. It still retains a running on the road part in Michigan City, Indiana, but has been extensively remodeled to a normal suburban railway and part uses the route of the Metra Electric Line ( the former Illinois Central Railroad ) in the city center of Chicago.
• The yellow line of the Chicago Transit Authority, also known as the Skokie Swift, is part of the former Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee's 1924 high speed Skokie Valley Route. The North Shore Line was also part of the empire of Samuel Insull.
• The former Philadelphia and Western Railroad is now the SEPTA Norristown High Speed ​​Line and has hardly yet Interurban characteristics.
• In Los Angeles, LACMTA Blue Line uses a large part of the route of the former Pacific Electric route between Los Angeles and Long Beach. There are in Long Beach and Los Angeles route parts that run on the roadway, and a short piece on the tunnel endpoint in Los Angeles.

The following lines have some Interurban features:

• The Green Line "D " in Boston, a light rail line on its own rail body ( former steam railroad line of the Boston and Albany Railroad ).
• The Ashmont - Mattapan High Speed ​​Line in Boston, a light rail line on its own rail body ( former steam railway in the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad ).
• The IRT Dyre Avenue Line in New York, a city train, which uses a portion of Westchester and Boston Railway Interurban.
• The Iowa Traction Railroad ( former Mason City and Clear Lake Railway ), which maintains to this day electric freight operations.
• Former Inter Urban, such as the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway and the Central California Traction Company, which today use their lines for diesel-powered freight lines.
• The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad also uses more diesel-powered freight trains on the South Shore Line.

Other sections of Inter Urbans are as part of normal railways in operation, such as the Sacramento Northern Railway, which is now used by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Sierra Northern Railroad.