LRSSB launches tram-train guidance

The Light Rail Safety & Standards Board has published LRG 71 Tram Train Interface Guide to provide guidance for operators considering the implementation of tram-=train schemes when LRVs operate over both tramway and main line tracks. In the UK the first tram-train service was launched by South Yorkshire Supertram in 2018, when a service was introduced linking Sheffield and Rotherham using both the tramway and Network Rail freight tracks. The next scheme to be built will link Cardiff Bay and the city’s main line station with an on-street section to reach the latter. 

 

LRG 71.0 lists the key principles for safe integration of tramway and railway systems, setting out relevant legislation and existing documentation as well as subsidiary issues ranging from conditions of carriage to vehicle specifications, and includes experience from South Yorkshire such as the tricky subject of wheel/rail interface and signalling. 

 

Craig O’Brien, LRSSB’s Head Engineering and Safety, said, "The publication of the guidance could not be mored timely as this approach to improving connectivity in urban areas is becoming an increasingly popular option for future light rail projects". The guidance can be downloaded from the LRSSB library.