Stadtbahn
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Stadtbahn (literally in German: city railway) is a term for light rail systems in operation in Germany. Most of these systems combine elements of traditional tramway and U-Bahn (metro) networks.
Mostly, the systems were implemented in the 1960s and 1970s with the long-term goal of establishing a full-scale U-Bahn system. By the 1980s, however, virtually all cities had abandoned these plans due to the horrendous costs associated with converting the tramways, and the most common Stadtbahn systems now are a mixture of tramway-like operations in suburban and peripheral areas, and a more U-Bahn like mode of operation, featuring underground stations, in the city centres.
History of the Term
1920s: Berlin and Vienna cross-city lines
The term Stadtbahn first arose in German language in the first half of the 20th century, as a name of the cross-city lines of Berlin and Vienna. The Berlin Stadtbahn line is an elevated, heavy rail line, linking the East and the West. Long distance, regional, suburban and urban services (S-Bahn) are operated on it. The Vienna Stadtbahn is a light rail line, free of level-crossings, that was operated with tram-like two-axle cars in the beginning. In the 1970s to 1990s the infrastructure got updated and the lines partially relocated. It is now part of the U-Bahn services 'U4' and 'U6'.
1960s: Western Germany's 'pre-metro' projects
Since the 1960s the term Stadtbahn became identified with a second meaning that came to be regarded as the dominant meaning. Post World War II transport policies in Western Germany cities aimed for a separation of public and private transport. The arising conflicts between increasing car use and the existing tramway systems motivated the so called 'second level' (elevation, tunneling) concept for future light rail schemes.
Munich and Nuremberg finally decided to start building pure, full-scale U-Bahn (metro) systems. Berlin and Hamburg planned the expansion of their existing U-Bahn networks, while the majority of the Western German cities decided to upgrade their tramway networks step by step, linking new 'second level' infrastructure to existing sections. While some cities regarded this way as an interim solution, leading to a fully separated U-Bahn (metro) network, independent from other forms of transport, others planned for only a certain degree of separation, allowing also tram-like sections in the long run. For both the interim and the long-term based concepts, the following terms came into use: "U-Straßenbahn" , "Untergrund-Straßenbahn" (underground tramway, shortable to "U-Strab") , "Schnellstraßenbahn" (rapid tramway) and finally "Stadtbahn". In French speaking countries these concepts were also known as "pre-metro", stressing their interim nature.
Some of the operators and cities decided to identify the Stadtbahn term with the eventual goal of installing a U-Bahn so that, both the original U-Bahn signet (e.g. Frankfurt, Cologne, Hannover), as well as derived U-Stadtbahn signets (see example above, e.g. North Rhine-Westphalia, Stuttgart) can be found for marking station entries and stops. Even the numbering scheme of Stadtbahn services became prefixed with a 'U' (but not in: Cologne,Bielefeld, Hannover).
It is important to differntiate between Stadtbahn and S-Bahn. S-Bahn nowadays stands for Stadtschnellbahn (fast city trains, mainly suburban trains, in Berlin and Hamburg also urban metro-like services) - although the Berlin S-Bahn, for example, uses the Stadtbahn line (heavy rail infrastructure), mentioned above as the initial meaning of the term Stadtbahn.
1980s: 'Renaissance' of the Tramway
As the conventional tramways had been regarded by many decision-makers as an overcome systems for several decades, they gained attention back in two contextes: First, the Stadtbahn cities faced first unexpected limitations to the implementation processes of their 'second level' scemes (duration of the construction work, budget for tunnel projects, protests again elevated sections). Second, the smaller cities which had not started Stadtbahn schemes reassesed the options of their existing tram systems. Since this time, the Stadtbahn term faces the - partially even modish - expansion to the not precisely definable meaning of 'modern tramway' or 'modernized tramway'. Since then it became impossible to differentiate between Straßenbahn (trams) and Stadtbahn (light rail).
First cities using the Stadtbahn term in the meaning of their upgraded tramway system with no link to (appreciable) 'second level' infrastructure were e. g. Würzburg and Mannheim.
After the reunion of Germany in 1990, the use of the Stadtbahn term became also popular in Eastern Germany. As their had no Stadtbahn schemes of the 1960s meaning in place - especially no inner-city tunnels -, and fleet as well as infrastructure faced the need of massive investions and improvements, the 1980s Western Germany meaning was adapted and introduced e. g. in Erfurt and Dresden.
So, Stadtbahn in this wider meaning is no clear concept, but a vague idea, linked to a set of attributes, as well as 'Straßenbahn' (tram) is - to opposite attributes. A system that is called Stadtbahn today, e. g. by its operators or the city, does not need to have all of the Stadtbahn linked attributes. Examples of Stadtbahn tending attributes: barrier-free access, higher cruising speed then tramway, doors on both sides, driver's cabs on both ends (no need for loops at terminal stops), 750 instead of 600 operation voltage, width of 2.65 m instead of lower, comfortable seats, and so on.
1990s: The tram goes Railway
In 1992 the public transport operater of Karlsruhe started a new service, using both, heavy and light rail infrastructure, to link the region (suburbans, villages) to the city. The vehicles used for this purpose - and thios was the invention - are prepared for both technical specifications, the one of the (federal) heavy railway and the one of light rail (communal tramways). Such vehicles are called Dual-System Light Rail Vehicles.
Again, the meaning of Stadtbahn became widened to this new type of 'tram-trains'. Other regions, stimulated by the Karlsruhe example and planning to copy it, other terms for it are in use as well: Stadt-Umland-Bahn (city-to-region railway, e. g. Erlangen), Regional-Stadtbahn (regional light rail, e.g. Braunschweig).
Today, the differentiation between Straßenbahn (tram) and Stadtbahn in the region of Karlsruhe is even lead by the aspect of city-border crossing only and not the technical dimension (Dual-System Light Rail Vehicles) any more. This means, only those services going suburban are called Stadtbahn. They are represented by the 'S' signet that is used for 'S-Bahn' (Stadtschnellbahn) instead in the rest of Germany and therefore partially conflicts with it, as it became a second Karlsruhe-only meaning.
2000s: The Tram Signet
In the process of redeveloping their long distance railway stations, Germany's feder railway (Deutsche Bahn) established a new signet for Straßenbahn (tram): It is a square with the word 'Tram' in it. Only the scape is the same, nationwide. The color depends on the cities color concept for public transport products. The signet is part of s signet scheme, initially developed by the public transport operator BVG of Berlin, also covering the products bus ('Bus') and ferry ('F') beside the formerly established urban metro ('U' for U-Bahn) and suburban metro ('S' for S-Bahn).
Since more and more main stations became fit with the new signets, many cities and public transport operators accepted and adopted this sceme. This again brings confusion to the Stadtbahn term problem as no nationwide signet was defined for it. As far as it can be seen now, the result is a step backwards in the usage of the term Stadtbahn, mainly in those cities using the Stadtbahn term in its 1980s expansion of meaning.
In cities with Stadtbahn systems in the meaning of the 1960s, both the 'U' Signet (for U-Bahn) and the 'Tram' Signet are in use to link from railway stations or the show up stops in city maps. In this case, the 'U' Signet is usually in place where stops or stations can be found on the 'second level' or at least underground (whereto the 'U' can be identified). Those cities who number their Stadtbahn services by the prefixation of a 'U', the 'U' Signet can even be found where stops are not 'second-level', but ratherly tram-like (e. g. Stuttgart).
Public Perception
As up to this point all dealing with the meaning of the Stadtbahn term was of intentional purpose (what decission-makers, concept makers intended to identify with), this paragraph is to briefly regard the public perception (politicans, customers / passengers).
Mainly, the Stadtbahn term is much more in use and well known among decision and concept makers.
Where it became clearly identificatable with investment and massive layout changes, the term had some medium success in reaching the public, depending whether it was still alternated by other terms like 'U-Bahn', 'Straßenbahn' or 'U-Straßenbahn'. This affects the 1960s concepts.
Only little success in the meaning of getting widely used - instead of 'Straßenbahn' (tram) - was dedicated to most of the systems with 1980s concept of Stadtbahn. This evolution was further driven by the introduction of the 'Tram' signet and the absence of a naotionwide standardisized Stadtbahn Signet (as for those systems without underground sections, the partially sstandardisized 'U-Stadtbahn' Signet would not be appropriate).
In most of the cities with systems that mix up line sections underground, at ground level and eventually elevated, all three terms are in wide use for the whole system or to the corresponding sections: 'Straßenbahn' (tram), 'U-Bahn' (metro), Stadtbahn.
Legal Terms
Although planned in the 1970s, their is no precise legal definition of Stadtbahn. By the law - the 'BOStrab' regulations - cover all Stadtbahn systems as 'Straßenbahn' (tram) systems, as long as they are light rail and not heavy rail.
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