Alicante light rail: improving the use of existing railway lines

Abstract

[Abstract:] The TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante (TRAM) is a unique metric (1,000 mm) gauge system that was born as the first Spanish tram-train, but later lost the tram-train characteristic of sharing the railway tracks with conventional trains due to the evolution of the network. Nevertheless, it still operates in a quasi-tram-train way, as the tram-train vehicle runs partly on railway tracks using the railway signaling system and other railway equipment. This quasi-tram-train operation leads to some specific design issues that are explained in this paper. Additionally, the paper presents a thorough description of the Alicante network, its development, its construction and operational costs, its operation and its demand.