View source for Light rail

{{Short description|Form of passenger urban rail  transit}}
{{Redirect|LRT}}
{{Distinguish|Interurban|Light railway|Light metro}}
{{Cleanup merge|Semi-metro}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
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| image1            = Gold Line train on East 1st Street, July 2017.JPG
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| image3            = 2014-05-30 MTR LIGHT RAIL (17) (14119561798).jpg
| image4            = Tvärbanan, Tranebergstunneln, 2016b.jpg
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| footer            = From top, left to right: the [[E Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Gold Line]] in Los Angeles, where mass transit expansion has been driven in large part by light rail; the [[Granada Metro]], with underground light rail stations in the city centre; [[MTR Light Rail]] in Hong Kong, built to serve new towns; Stockholm’s [[Tvärbanan]], a circumferential light rail line built from former freight alignments, new tunnels, bridges, and street sections; and the [[Tunis Metro]], Africa’s first modern light rail, operating since 1985.}}

'''Light rail''' (or '''light rail transit''', abbreviated to '''LRT''') is a form of passenger [[urban rail transit]] that uses [[rolling stock]] derived from [[tram]] technology<ref name="Phil.-1975">{{cite journal|last=Vuchic|first=V.R.|title=Place of light rail transit in the family of transit modes.|journal= TRB Special Report|issue=161|publisher=[[Transportation Research Board]] |year=1975|url=https://swov.nl/en/publicatie/place-light-rail-transit-family-transit-modes-paper-presented-national-conference|access-date=1 July 2024}} National Conference of the Transportation Research Board</ref><ref name="AASHTO">{{cite book |title=Transportation Glossary |date=2009 |publisher=AASHTO |isbn=978-1-56051-408-4 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPR_-VQQIAgC |language=en}}</ref> while also having some features from heavy [[rapid transit]].

The term was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word ''[[Stadtbahn]]'', meaning "city railroad".<ref name="Thompson">{{cite journal|last=Thompson|first=Gregory L.|title=Defining an Alternative Future: The Birth of the Light Rail Movement in North America|journal=Transportation Research Circular|issue=E-C058|publisher=[[Transportation Research Board]] |year=2003|url=http://pubsindex.trb.org/view.aspx?id=700149|access-date=26 December 2009}} From: 9th National Light Rail Transit Conference</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbp.de/en/presse/neue-eisenbahnbruecke-ueber-den-neckar/ |title=New railway bridge over the Neckar river |access-date=2024-06-24}}</ref> Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive [[Right of way#Rail right of way|rights-of-way]] and uses either individual tramcars or [[multiple unit]]s coupled together, with a lower capacity and speed than a long [[heavy rail]] passenger train or rapid transit system.<ref name="APTA-def">{{cite web | url = http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/glossary.aspx#8 | title = Fact Book Glossary – Mode of Service Definitions | publisher = [[American Public Transportation Association]] | year = 2015 | access-date = 6 January 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180225200947/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/glossary.aspx#8 | archive-date = 25 February 2018 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="FTA">{{cite web
 |url = http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/Glossary.htm |title = National Transit Database Glossary |publisher = [[United States Department of Transportation|U.S. Department of Transportation]] [[Federal Transit Administration]] |date = 18 October 2013 |access-date = 6 January 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131113002142/http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/Glossary.htm |archive-date = 13 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = What is light rail? | work = Public transport A-Z | publisher = [[International Association of Public Transport]] | year = 2008 | url = http://www.uitp.org/Public-Transport/light-rail/index.cfm | access-date=29 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013161641/http://www.uitp.org/Public-Transport/light-rail/index.cfm|archive-date=13 October 2008}}</ref><ref name="WILRT?">{{cite web | url=http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf | title=This Is Light Rail Transit | publisher=Transportation Research Board | pages=7–9 | access-date=6 January 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417103723/http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf | archive-date= 17 April 2018
| url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lrta.org/explain.html | title=What is Light Rail? | publisher=[[Light Rail Transit Association]] (LRTA) | access-date=6 January 2015 
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605081140/http://www.lrta.org/explain.html | archive-date=5 June 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses [[rolling stock]] that is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader usage, light rail transit can include tram-like operations mostly on streets.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Not stated--> |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F0EHXUInjTwC&pg=PP5 |title=Glossary of Transit Terms | date=1992 |page=9 |access-date=2024-06-24}}</ref> Some light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit. Only when these systems are fully grade-separated, they are referred to as [[medium-capacity rail system|light metros]] or light rail rapid transit (LRRT).<ref name="UTST">{{cite book |last1=Vuchic |first1=Vukan R. |title=Urban Transit Systems and Technology |date=14 February 2007 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-471-75823-5 |page=579 |doi=10.1002/9780470168066 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470168066 |access-date=15 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

{{Train topics}}

==Terminology==
{{Main|Passenger rail terminology}}
The term ''light rail'' was introduced in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA, predecessor to the [[Federal Transit Administration]]) to describe modernized streetcar systems in Europe and the United States.

In Germany, the concept was known as ''[[Stadtbahn]]'' ("city rail"), but UMTA adopted the term ''light rail'' instead. The word ''light'' refers to lighter infrastructure and capacity requirements compared with heavy rail, rather than to physical weight. Mode classification is usually based on the type of right-of-way.<ref>Gregory L. Thompson (2003), [http://trb.org/publications/circulars/ec058/03_01_Thompson.pdf ''Defining an Alternative Future: Birth of the Light Rail Movement in North America''] (PDF), Transportation Research Board.</ref><ref name="DUPTSV86">{{cite book |last1=Vuchic |first1=Vukan R. |title=Trends in the Development of Urban Passenger Transport Systems and Vehicles |date=1986 |publisher=Fisita |page=31}}</ref>

The [[American Public Transportation Association]] (APTA) defines light rail as:
<blockquote>...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating single cars or short trains on fixed rails, often partly separated from traffic. Vehicles are typically electric, powered from overhead lines via trolley pole or pantograph, operated by an onboard driver, and may feature either high-platform or low-floor boarding.<ref name="APTA-def" /></blockquote>

In international usage, ''light rail'' generally denotes newer tram or streetcar systems, ranging from street-running lines to partly grade-separated networks.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Armstrong-Wright |first1=Alan |title=Urban Transit Systems: Guidelines for Examining Options |date=1986 |publisher=World Bank |isbn=978-0-8213-0765-6 |page=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zBPJgAACAAJ}}</ref> [[People mover]]s are typically lower in capacity, while [[monorail]] and [[automated guideway transit]] are separate technologies with more specialized applications.<ref name="GGW-19">{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Matt |date=4 April 2019 |title=Light rail? Heavy rail? Subway? Rail transit modes fall on a continuum |url=https://ggwash.org/view/71583/light-rail-heavy-rail-subway-rail-transit-modes-fall-on-a-continuum |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Greater Greater Washington |language=en}}</ref>
''Light rail'' is distinct from the [[British English]] term ''[[light railway]]'', which refers to lightly regulated, low-speed mainline railways.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of LIGHT RAILWAY |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20railway |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=24 November 2024}}</ref>

===Varieties of English===
[[File:Metrolink tram at Lower Moseley Street..jpg|thumb|The [[Manchester Metrolink]], the UK's largest light rail system]]
[[File:SEPTA Light Rail.jpg|thumb|[[SEPTA]] trolley at [[69th Street Terminal]], near [[Philadelphia]]]]
{{Main|Tram|Streetcars in North America}}
The term ''light rail'' helps avoid regional differences in terminology. In the UK, Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=VICSIG |url=https://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=vicsig.net}}</ref> Ireland<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dublin Trams (Luas) - Maps, Timetables and Travel Information |url=https://www.dublinpublictransport.ie/dublin-trams |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=Dublin Public Transport - Maps, Timetables and Information |language=en-US}}</ref> and New Zealand<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trams Still Around New Zealand |url=https://www.nationalrailwaymuseum.nz/shop/trams-still-around-new-zealand/ |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=The National Railway Museum of New Zealand |language=en-NZ}}</ref> ''tram'' refers to a street-running rail vehicle, while in North America it can also mean an aerial tramway or, in amusement parks, a [[Trackless train|land train]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/tram |title=Tram (definition) |publisher=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |access-date=18 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yesterland.com/dlhotel-tram.html |title=The Yesterland Hotel Tram |website=Yesterland.com |access-date=7 February 2013}}</ref> Similarly, ''trolley'' means ''streetcar'' in North America.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/trolley |title=Trolley (definition) |publisher=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |access-date=18 July 2007}}</ref>

In North America, ''streetcar'' commonly refers to older vehicles operating in mixed traffic, while ''light rail'' is used for newer systems that operate mostly on reserved track.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9048223/light-rail-transit |title=Light Rail Transit |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=18 July 2007}}</ref> The American term ''street railway'' (with vehicles called ''streetcars'') emerged in the 19th century, influenced by the German word ''Straßenbahn'' ("street railway").<ref>{{cite web| url = http://citytransport.info/Trams02.htm | title = Trams, Streetcars, and Light Rail Vehicles  | first = Simon P. | last = Smiler | website = citytransport.info | access-date=18 July 2007}}</ref> While Britain abandoned most tramways after World War II, several North American cities—including [[Toronto]], [[Boston]], [[Philadelphia]], [[San Francisco]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Cleveland]], and [[New Orleans]]—retained theirs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Plous |first=F.K. Jr.|url=http://www.planning.org/25anniversary/planning/1984jun.htm |title=A Desire Named Streetcar |journal=Planning |publisher=American Planning Association |date=June 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060303145955/http://www.planning.org/25anniversary/planning/1984jun.htm |archive-date=3 March 2006 |access-date=14 August 2007}}</ref> These cities later adopted the term ''light rail'' when introducing modern systems alongside older streetcars. Since the 1980s, [[Portland, Oregon]] has developed all three types: light rail, streetcar, and [[Aerial tramway|aerial tram]].

''Heavy rail'' refers to higher-capacity, higher-speed systems such as the [[London Underground]] or [[New York City Subway]]. Conventional passenger and freight railways are also classified as heavy rail. The main distinction is that light rail vehicles can, where necessary, operate in mixed street traffic.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=p.c. |first1=Metro Tech Consulting Services Engineering Architecture |last2=Consultants |first2=Track Guy |url=http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/166970.aspx|title=Track Design Handbook for Light Rail Transit, Second Edition|website=www.trb.org|date=2012 |doi=10.17226/22800 |bibcode=2012nap..book22800N |access-date=15 February 2020 |isbn=978-0-309-25824-1}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Trams|Light rail in North America|PCC car|Interurban}}

=== Precursors ===
By the late 19th century, some cities began placing [[tram]]ways underground to reduce congestion. Early examples include the [[Park Avenue Tunnel (roadway)|Murray Hill Tunnel]] in New York, adapted for streetcars in 1870,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2012/12/park-avenue-tunnel/ |title=Park Avenue Tunnel |date=6 December 2012 |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> Marseille's Noailles station in 1893,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/38st.html |title=38th Street |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> and Boston's [[Tremont Street subway]] in 1897, the first purpose-built tram subway in North America and a precursor to today's [[MBTA Green Line]].<ref name="DG">{{cite news |newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe |url=http://members.aol.com/netransit/private/tss/tssnews.html |title=First Car off the Earth: Allston Electric Goes into the subway on schedule time |date=September 1, 1897|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050829090042/http://members.aol.com/netransit/private/tss/tssnews.html |archive-date=2005-08-29 }}</ref><ref name="dougmost">{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/01/26/the-history-behind-boston-race-build-america-first-subway/jm0grRaspdAREUbDv4KXsI/story.html|title =The bigger dig|date=26 January 2014|access-date=8 February 2023|last=Most |first=Doug|publisher=Boston Globe}}</ref> London's [[Kingsway tramway subway]] opened in 1906 to connect tram networks and operated until 1952.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1378792|desc=Kingsway Tram Subway (northern section only)|grade=II|access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>

[[File:CTA Skokie Swift, Skokie, IL in May 1964 (25819535271).jpg|thumb|Skokie Swift service in 1964]]

=== Early systems ===
The "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" in [[Cleveland]] (1920s) provided an early model of a suburban rail line upgraded for tram-like operation and is now part of the [[RTA Rapid Transit]].<ref name="RTiA">{{cite book |last1=Middleton |first1=William D. |title=Metropolitan Railways: Rapid Transit in America |date=2003 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-34179-2 |pages=146–147 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foSEPTUE7NMC |language=en}}</ref> In Europe, a suburban railway in [[The Hague]] was converted to tram operation in 1927, while in Boston the [[Highland branch]] was converted in 1959 to create what became the [[Green Line D branch]], boosting ridership with modern PCC cars.<ref name="HTM/BMDH">{{cite book |title=Historische trams van HTM |date=July 1985 |publisher=Haagse Tramweg Maatschappij/Bureau Monumentenzorg Den Haag |page=3 |language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sneltram (light rail) |url=https://nvbs.com/sneltram-en-light-rail/ |website=NVBS |access-date=18 August 2025 |language=nl-NL}}</ref><ref name=dana>{{cite magazine |title=Riverside Line Extension, 1959 |magazine=Transportation Bulletin |publisher=Connecticut Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society |date=October 1960 – July 1961 |first=Edward |last=Dana |issue=65}}</ref>{{rp|8}} In 1964 Chicago's experimental [[Yellow Line (CTA)#The Skokie Swift|Skokie Swift]] demonstrated features later adopted by many U.S. light rail systems.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sisson |first=Patrick |date=2017-09-18 |title=When Chicago's Yellow Line was the future of urban transportation |url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/9/18/16324488/cta-yellow-line-chicago-skokie-history |work=Curbed Chicago}}</ref> Many traditional tram and [[streetcar]] systems in the [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], and elsewhere were closed after the 1950s as investment shifted to cars and buses. Leeds and Glasgow briefly built modernized tram lines during the 1940s,<ref name="LURS">{{cite book |last1=Skelsey |first1=Geoffrey |title=Brussels Metro to Grow As Pre-metro Shrinks |date=2018 |publisher=London Underground Railway Society}}</ref> but by 1962 Britain had abandoned all tramways except for [[Blackpool tramway|Blackpool]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Courtenay |first=Peter |year=2006 |title=Trams in the UK |url=http://www.thetrams.co.uk/tramsinuk.php |access-date=26 December 2009 |website=thetrams.co.uk}}</ref>

=== Post-war emergence ===
Many traditional tram and [[streetcar]] systems in the [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], and elsewhere were closed after the 1950s as investment shifted to cars and buses. Leeds and Glasgow briefly built modernized tram lines during the 1940s,<ref name="LURS" /> but by 1962 Britain had abandoned all tramways except for [[Blackpool tramway|Blackpool]].<ref name=":2" /> Modern light rail developed largely in postwar [[West Germany]], where many tram networks were upgraded rather than abandoned. These ''[[Stadtbahn]]'' systems introduced features such as high-capacity vehicles, dedicated alignments, and underground city-center tunnels. With the exception of [[Hamburg, Germany|Hamburg]], nearly all large and most medium-sized German cities retained trams and modernized them into light rail.<ref name="Bottoms">{{cite conference|first=Glen|last=Bottoms|title=Continuing Developments in Light Rail Transit in Western Europe|publisher=[[Light Rail Transit Association]]|year=2000|conference=9th National Light Rail Transit Conference|location=Portland, Oregon|url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec058/15_01_Bottoms.pdf|access-date=26 December 2009}}</ref> Similar modernization took place in Zurich, Rotterdam, The Hague, [[Gothenburg tram network|Gothenburg]], Brussels, and in Central and Eastern Europe, notably [[Trams in Ostrava|Ostrava]].<ref name="RGI1985">{{cite journal |last1=Vuchic |first1=Vukan R. |title=Light Rail Transit: Ugly Duckling Becomes a Swan |journal=Railway Gazette International |date=1 November 1985 |volume=141 |issue=808 |page=829 |url=https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/e7a3ebc5-330a-4afd-8466-7abadf0b08a8 |access-date=20 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="ACE21">{{cite journal |last1=Khairullina |first1=Elvira |title=Trams in the European Socialist countries in the 1960s and 1970s: From crisis to impetus |journal=Arquitectura Ciudad y Entorno |date=2021 |volume=16 |issue=46 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353073533 |access-date=25 March 2025}}</ref>

In the United States, American planner H. Dean Quinby defined the concept of a "limited tramway" in 1962, distinguishing it from traditional streetcars by features such as articulated vehicles, multiple doors, and higher capacity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Quinby |first=Henry D. |date=January 1962 |title=Major Urban Corridor Facilities: A New Concept |journal=Traffic Quarterly |publisher=Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=242–259}}</ref>[[File:Edmonton LRT testing commerical c.1978.jpg|thumb|Testing a German LRV for the Edmonton LRT]]
The term ''light rail transit'' was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe these upgraded systems.<ref name="Thompson" /> The first of the new generation opened in 1978 in [[Edmonton, Alberta]], using German [[Siemens-Duewag U2]] vehicles, followed by [[Calgary]] and [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. These proved successful and inspired many more [[list of United States light rail systems by ridership|U.S.]], [[List of North American light rail systems by ridership|Canadian]], and Mexican light rail systems.

=== Global expansion ===
[[File:ET Addis asv2018-01 img07 Light Rail (cropped2).jpg|left|thumb|Light Rail in [[Addis Ababa]], Ethiopia]]
From the 1980s onward, light rail and modern tramways experienced a renewed expansion worldwide. In Europe, new networks were built in cities that had abandoned trams, including the reopening of the [[Nantes tramway]] in 1985, and systems in [[Grenoble tramway|Grenoble]], [[Tramways in Île-de-France|Paris]], [[Strasbourg tramway|Strasbourg]], [[Bordeaux tramway|Bordeaux]], [[Luas|Dublin]], [[Trams in Barcelona|Barcelona]], [[Bergen Light Rail|Bergen]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Nantes (France) |url=http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/fr/nan/nantes.htm |access-date=23 August 2025 |website=UrbanRail.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=21 December 2003 |title=First line opens in Bordeaux |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/first-line-opens-in-bordeaux/26276.article |work=Railway Gazette International}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UrbanRail.Net > Europe - Metros, Light Rail & Trams |url=https://www.urbanrail.net/eu/euromet.htm |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=www.urbanrail.net}}</ref> In Britain, modern light rail returned in the 1980s with the [[Tyne and Wear Metro]] (1980), [[Manchester Metrolink]] (1992), and [[South Yorkshire Supertram]] (1994) and [[Edinburgh Trams|Edinburgh]] (2014).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Butcher |first=Louise |date=25 January 2012 |title=Railways: light rail schemes |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN03307/SN03307.pdf |access-date=24 July 2024 |publisher=House of Commons Library |page=2}}</ref>

In North America, the [[San Diego Trolley]] (1981)<ref>{{Cite web |title=MTS Historical Timeline |url=http://www.sdmts.com/MTS/timeline.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820231050/http://www.sdmts.com/MTS/timeline.asp |archive-date=2013-08-20 |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=www.sdmts.com}}</ref> became a model for later projects, and the number of U.S. systems roughly doubled between the 1990s and 2010s with expansions in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Denver]], [[Dallas]], [[Minneapolis]] and [[Seattle]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2015 |title=2015 Public Transportation Fact Book |url=https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/Resources/resources/statistics/Documents/FactBook/2015-APTA-Fact-Book-Appendix-A.pdf |website=APTA}}</ref> Canada added the [[Ion rapid transit|Ion]] in Waterloo and the [[Confederation Line]] in Ottawa (both 2019), while Australia introduced the [[Inner West Light Rail|Sydney Light Rail]] in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inner West Light Rail {{!}} The Dictionary of Sydney |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/structure/inner_west_light_rail |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=dictionaryofsydney.org}}</ref>

In Asia, the [[Toyama Light Rail]] opened in 2006 as Japan's first new tramway in decades,<ref>{{Cite web |title=富山市・富山地方鉄道・富山ライトレール，2020年3月21日から路面電車の南北接続を開始 〜運行形態や運賃などの概要を発表〜｜鉄道ニュース｜2019年11月6日掲載｜鉄道ファン・railf.jp |url=https://railf.jp/news/2019/11/06/110000.html |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=鉄道ファン・railf.jp |language=ja}}</ref> along with a series of Chinese systems such as [[Trams in Shenyang|Shenyang]], [[Nanjing Trams|Nanjing]], [[Guangzhou Tram|Guangzhou]], [[Xijiao line|Beijing]] and [[Songjiang Tram|Shanghai Songjiang]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=China embraces light rail |url=https://www.railjournal.com/in_depth/china-embraces-light-rail/ |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=International Railway Journal |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In Africa and the Middle East, new light rail was introduced in [[Tunis Light Metro|Tunis]] (1985),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tunis Light Rail Development |url=https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/tunisialightrail/ |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=Railway Technology |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Rabat–Salé tramway|Rabat]] (2011),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Straßenbahn Rabat - Salé tram |url=https://public-transport.net/tram/Rabat/index.html |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=public-transport.net |language=de}}</ref> [[Algiers tramway|Algiers]] (2011), [[Casablanca Tramway|Casablanca]] (2012), [[Jerusalem Light Rail|Jerusalem]] (2011), [[Dubai Tram|Dubai]] (2014), [[Addis Ababa Light Rail|Addis Ababa]] (2015) and [[Lusail Tram|Lusail]] (2022).<ref>{{cite news |date=20 September 2015 |title=Ethiopia opens $475 mln Addis Ababa light rail |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-railway-idUSKCN0RK0E520150920 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

In South America, projects included the [[Ayacucho Tram]] in [[Medellín]] (2016) and the [[VLT Carioca]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]] (2016).<ref>{{cite news |date=7 June 2016 |title=Rio de Janeiro opens first light rail line |url=https://www.railjournal.com/regions/central-south-america/rio-de-janeiro-opens-first-light-rail-line/ |work=International Railway Journal }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Collin |date=2015-10-27 |title=Colombia's president opens Ayacucho tramway |url=https://railuk.com/rail-news/colombias-president-opens-ayacucho-tramway/ |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=Rail UK |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Types==
It can be hard to distinguish what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system termed as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very close to [[rapid transit]]. In recent years, new terms such as [[light metro]] have been used to describe medium-capacity rail systems. Some "diesel light rail" systems, such as [[Sprinter (rail service)|Sprinter]], bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail with lightweight trains.

There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail [[rapid transit]] tracks in the US, especially in the case of [[interurban streetcar]]s. Notable examples are [[Lehigh Valley Transit]] trains running on the [[Philadelphia and Western Railroad]] high-speed third rail line (now the [[Norristown High-Speed Line]]).

[[File:20230425 De Lijn 6138.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Coast Tram]] operates over {{Cvt|67|km}} in Belgium connecting several town centres]]

===Flexibility===
Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated [[Right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]] on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Light rail station infrastructure |url=https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/ckan-publications-attachments-prod/resources/9c8091e9-ca5e-4fb7-ab11-3a4b8f22fa77/ptim_11_light-rail-station-infrastructure-nov2020.pdf?ETag=88cd10876a9df0ea13955503fc732e9d |publisher=[[Department of Transport and Main Roads]] |page=19}}</ref> resulting in a much higher flexibility than [[rapid transit|heavy rail]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=This is Light Rail Transit |journal=TRB Circular |date=2003 |page=3 |url=https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/research-reports/policy-development-and-research-program-at-apta/ |access-date=18 March 2025}}</ref>

Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]]'s [[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line]] "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as a tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems.

===Lower capacity===
The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Streetcars vs LRT |url=https://www.edmontonstreetcars.ca/streetcarsversuslrt |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Edmonton Radial Railway Society}}</ref> Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Light Rail |url=http://www.heritagetrolley.org/defLightRail.htm |access-date=2024-07-22 |publisher=Seashore Trolley Museum |archive-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722091519/http://www.heritagetrolley.org/defLightRail.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over a longer distance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Jarrett |date=2010-03-26 |title=Streetcars vs Light Rail ... Is There a Difference? |url=https://humantransit.org/2010/03/streetcars-vs-light-rail-is-there-a-difference.html |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=Human Transit |language=en-US}}</ref> Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:Stadtbahn Essen U17 5234 Berliner Platz 1910040748.jpg|thumb|''Berliner Platz'' station in [[Essen Stadtbahn|Essen]].]]

===Higher capacity===
{{Redirect-distinguish|Semi-metro|#Premetro}}
Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of rapid transit systems, including having downtown subways, as in [[Muni Metro|San Francisco]] and [[Link light rail|Seattle]]. These partially grade separated light rail lines are sometimes called "semi-metro". This type of light rail emerged when the first subway in Boston opened in 1897 and became popular again in Europe from the 1950s onwards.<ref name="DoT-URA">{{cite book |last1=Zupan |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Pushkarev |first2=Boris |title=Urban Rail in America: An Exploration of Criteria for Fixed-Guideway Transit |date=1 November 1980 |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |doi=10.21949/1527455 |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/696 |access-date=20 June 2025 |language=English}}</ref> The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as the required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treehugger.com/public-transportation/low-clearance-rapid-transit-cheaper-subways-faster-trolleys.html|title=Low-clearance Rapid Transit: Cheaper than subways, faster than trolleys|website=TreeHugger|language=en|access-date=15 November 2019}}</ref>

===Light rail operating on mainline railroads===
[[File:Cappel Stadtbahn02 2005-12-30.jpg|right|thumb|On the [[Karlsruhe Stadtbahn]], trams can share mainline tracks with heavy rail trains.]]
[[File:DulwichGroveStop.jpg|thumb|The [[Inner West Light Rail]] in [[Sydney]] runs mostly along a former heavy rail corridor.]]
{{Main|Tram-train}}
Light rail can be designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between mainline rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than mainline trains. Around [[Karlsruhe]], [[Kassel]], and [[Saarbrücken]] in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with mainline rail trains. This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar [[tram-train]]s are in use in Paris, [[Mulhouse]], and [[Strasbourg]]; further plans exist. In 2022, Spain opened the [[Cádiz Bay tram-train|Cádiz TramBahia]], where trams share track with [[Cercanías Cádiz|commuter]] and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a rail connection.
Some of the issues involved in such schemes are:<ref name="TAUR2010">{{cite journal |last1=Davidson |first1=Robert |title=Tram-trains: are they worth it? |journal=Tramways & Urban Transit |date=February 2010 |pages=47, 48}}</ref>
* compatibility of the safety systems
* power supply of the track to the power used by the vehicles (frequently different voltages, rarely third rail vs overhead wires)
* width of the vehicles to the position of the [[railway platform|platforms]]
* height of the platforms

In some cases, tram-trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks, like the [[Manchester Metrolink]]. In the [[San Diego]] region, the "SD&AE" freight line was used to create the initial stage of the light rail network of the [[San Diego Trolley]].<ref name="DPIFS1989">{{cite book |last1=Hoffman |first1=M. Allen |title=The Decision Process for Implementing Fixed-guideway Systems |date=1989 |pages=32–44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HgshRAAACAAJ |language=en}}</ref> In the [[Netherlands]], this concept was first applied on the [[RijnGouweLijn]], and was followed by the [[RandstadRail]] project.

===System-wide considerations===
Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only the latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as [[Link light rail|Seattle's Link]] had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along a common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019).

[[File:Modern trams (41097122804).jpg|thumb|Low floor light-rail vehicles on the [[Toronto streetcar system]]]]

===Floor height===
{{Main|Low floor}}
Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations.<ref name=":0" />

===Speed and stop frequency===
Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lightrailnow.org/myths/m_lrt012.htm|title=Light Rail Schedule Speed – Faster Than Bus, Competitive With Car|website=www.lightrailnow.org}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! System !! Average speed (mph) !! Average speed (km/h)
|-
| Baltimore || 24 || 39
|-
| Dallas (Red Line) || 21 || 34
|-
| Dallas (Blue Line) || 19 || 31
|-
| Denver (Alameda-Littleton) || 38 || 61
|-
| Denver (Downtown-Littleton) || 26 || 42
|-
| Los Angeles (Blue Line) || 24 || 39
|-
| Los Angeles (Green Line) || 38 || 61
|-
| Salt Lake City || 24 || 39
|}
However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the [[Siemens S70]] LRVs used in the [[Houston]] [[METRORail]] and other North American LRT systems have a top speed of {{convert|55-71.5|mph|km/h|sigfig=4}} depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground [[Montreal Metro]] can only reach a top speed of {{convert|72|km/h|mph|sigfig=4}}. [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|LACMTA]] light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or [[New York City Subway]] trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletransitblog.com/2009/12/30/link-light-rail-in-the-north-american-context/|title=Link Light Rail in the North American Context|date=30 December 2009}}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
Light rail systems operate between heavy [[rapid transit]] and conventional street-level [[tram]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Another Alternative: The Case for Light Rail, Part 2 |journal=Transit Journal |date=August 1975 |volume=1 |issue=3 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8HfMp3V8RIC |publisher=American Public Transit Association. |language=en}}</ref> Construction costs are typically lower than for metro systems, but building infrastructure can still be significant, sometimes leading to phased development or partial completion of lines.<ref name="TUB2009">{{cite book |last1=Duin |first1=Leen |title=The Urban Project: Architectural Intervention in Urban Areas |date=2009 |publisher=IOS Press |isbn=978-1-58603-999-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6SKP1ss_ckC |access-date=31 March 2025 |page=80}}</ref><ref name="UTU1966">{{cite book |title=A Report on the ... Conference on Mass Transportation |date=1966 |publisher=United Transportation Union |page=53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tx9PAAAAMAAJ&q=%22semi-metro%22 |access-date=18 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Light rail vehicles can often be compatible with existing tram networks, avoiding the need for entirely separate infrastructure or rolling stock.<ref name="PT-PMO">{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Peter |title=Public transport: its planning, management and operation |date=2016 |location=New York |isbn=9781317383178 |edition=Edition 6 |chapter=Light rapid transit (LRT) (also known as light rail) |quote=In other cases, a tramway may be upgraded by extensive  construction  of  city-centre  tunnels,  and  some  stations  at  which  all  tickets are  sold  prior  to  boarding  the  vehicle  ('semi-metro'),  for  example  in  Stuttgart. An advantage of such systems is that trams can be diverted into relatively short sections  of  tunnel  as  they  are  built,  rather  than  waiting  for  a  major  portion  of the system to be completed before operations can commence.}}</ref><ref name="VK">{{cite web |last1=van Lith |first1=Joske |title=Geluidloos zoeven door Rennes |url=https://www.verkeerskunde.nl/artikel/geluidloos-zoeven-door-rennes |website=Verkeerskunde |date=10 December 2010 |access-date=2 February 2023 |language=Dutch}}</ref> In some cases, multiple at-grade branches are used to maximize the capacity of tunneled sections.<ref name="ECMT">{{cite book |last1=ECMT Round Tables |title=Economic Problems of Traffic Peaks |date=1975 |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |url=https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/economic-problems-of-traffic-peaks_9789282104132-en.html |access-date=31 March 2025 |page=39}}</ref><ref name="TQ:TRT2" />

=== Tracks ===

==== Right-of-way ====
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = Outbound train on South Huntington Avenue (2), September 2022.JPG
| width1            = 140
| image2            = Inbound train at Allston Street station (2), August 2018.JPG
| width2            = 140
| image3            = Prudential Eastbound MBTA Green Line Platform, November 2024.jpg
| width3            = 140
| footer            = Light rail systems combine street-running or reserved tracks (category C/B, left/middle) with partially independent metro-like infrastructure (category A, right)
}}

[[File:KVB5208 Neußer Straße Gürtel.JPG|thumb|Elevated section in Cologne.]]

Light rail systems can be defined by their right-of-way type and operational features such as power supply and speed.<ref name="StateArt1">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJJKFV0uwHQC&q=permit+eventually&pg=PA9 |last1=De Leuw, Cather & Company |title=Light Rail Transit: A State of the Art Review |date=1976 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="DUPTSV86" /><ref name="UPTS">{{cite book |last1=Vuchic |first1=Vukan R. |title=Urban Public Transportation Systems |date=14 January 2002 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |pages=4, 5}}</ref> Three main categories of right-of-way can be categorized as:<ref name="DUPTSV86" />

* A: Fully independent tracks without road or pedestrian crossings.
* B: Reserved tracks with some level crossings.
* C: Street-running lines in mixed traffic.

Conventional tram lines typically operate on category C, light rail commonly uses category B with some sections of category A, while rapid transit generally operates entirely on category A.<ref name="DUPTSV86" /><ref name="UPTS" />

Grade-separated tracks correspond to fully independent right-of-way, while reserved tracks can be exclusive or semi-exclusive.<ref>{{cite book |title=Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual |date=2013 |publisher=Transportation Research Board |isbn=978-0-309-28344-1 |page=31/35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6c_BngEACAAJ |language=en |chapter=2 Mode and service concepts}}</ref> Light rail operating entirely on independent tracks is sometimes also referred to as light rail rapid transit.<ref name="UTST" /> Dedicated stretches of track may designed to function similarly to regular [[Rapid transit|metro or rapid transit]] lines.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLMkAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Semi-metro%22 |title=The Automobile and the Environment |date=1973 |quote=descending into tunnels in the style of conventional underground mass transit |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="Norley">{{cite book |last1=Norley |first1=Kym |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265616849 |title=Light rail: The semi-metro concept |date=2010 |page=4 |quote=Semi-metro: Light rail on reserved right of way over congested parts of line typically in tunnel or viaduct for grade separation designed to Metro standards, with priority surface light rail in other sections}}</ref> One key difference from rapid transit is that light rail lines may only have one or a few sections in tunnels and on viaducts.<ref name="ELT20132">{{cite book |last1=Cappelli |first1=Agostino |url=https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/3112304 |title=Environment, land use and transportation systems: selected papers |last2=Nocera |first2=Silvio |last3=Libardo |first3=Alessandra |date=2013 |page=42 |language=en |quote=Rather soon attention was given to Light Rapid Transit modes such as pre-metro and semi-metro (Hannover) employing heavy trams instead of light trains to run on open-air independent or semi-independent tracks, and just and just seldom using short bypass tunnels or fly-evers to skip congestion in central areas. |access-date=22 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Orski |first1=C.K. |date=1973 |title=New Transportation Service Concepts |url=https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/agsndtr70/318245.htm |journal=Proceedings of the International Conference on Transportation Research |pages=407 |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Huntington Avenue streetcar at Park Street station, 1897.jpg|thumb|Early light rail operations in the Tremont Street subway, 1897]][[File:Trendelacosta.JPG|thumb|The [[Tren de la Costa]] in [[Greater Buenos Aires]]]]

==== Track gauge ====
Light rail systems historically used various gauges, with [[narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] common early on. Most modern systems use [[standard gauge]], which allows standard maintenance equipment, easier transfer of rolling stock, tighter turns with [[articulated car]]s, and better low-floor accessibility. For example, the [[Tren de la Costa]] in [[Greater Buenos Aires]] was converted from broad to standard gauge to accommodate light rail vehicles.<ref name="Bottoms" />

===Power sources===
Most light rail systems use [[overhead lines]] for electricity, avoiding hazards from an electrified [[third rail]]. Some systems use battery power for sections of track without overhead catenary,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-26 |title=Bi-modes, batteries and fuel cells |url=https://www.modernrailways.com/article/bi-modes-batteries-and-fuel-cells |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=www.modernrailways.com |language=en}}</ref> while a few light rail systems use [[Diesel engine|diesel]] power.<ref name="APTA-def" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Light Rail Transit (LRT) FAQs |url=https://www.torontoenvironment.org/campaigns/transit/LRTfaq#LRTvsstreetcarvssubway |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Toronto Environmental Alliance}}</ref>

====Ground-level power supply====
{{Main|Ground-level power supply}}

Conduit power was an early alternative to overhead wires in cities prohibiting them, used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, Prague, New York City, and Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Post|first=Robert C.|title=Urban Mass Transit: The Life Story of a Technology|url=https://archive.org/details/urbanmasstransit00post|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]]|year=2007|pages=[https://archive.org/details/urbanmasstransit00post/page/n61 45]–47|isbn=978-0-313-33916-5}}</ref>

In Bordeaux, the tram network uses a ground-level third rail in the city center, segmented and powered only under trams to ensure safety. Outside the center, trams use overhead wires. The system is three times more expensive than conventional overhead wiring and has high maintenance costs but has proven popular, carrying up to 190,000 passengers per day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railway-technology.com/contractors/suburban/alstom/press17.html|access-date=26 December 2009|title=99% AVAILABILITY AND EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH PASSENGER LEVELS : THE BORDEAUX URBAN TRAMWAY IS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS|website=Railway-Technology.com|publisher=Net Resources International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613175705/http://www.railway-technology.com/contractors/suburban/alstom/press17.html|archive-date=13 June 2008}}</ref>

===Signalling===

==== Automatic train operation ====
{{Main|Automatic train operation}}

[[Automatic train operation]] (ATO) monitors train position and speed, adjusting movements for safety and efficient operations, and is used in some light rail networks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ATO: The Key to the Future of Rail? |url=https://criticalsoftware.com/multimedia/critical/en/q5rvGbO7c-CSW_-_Railway_-_White_Paper_-_Automatic_Train_Operation.pdf |access-date=24 July 2024 |publisher=[[Critical Software]]}}</ref>

==Rolling stock==
Light rail routes are operated either with regular trams (with or without [[Types of trams#Low-floor|low floor]]) or with specially developed tramcars (light rail vehicles), such as the [[Stadtbahnwagen B|Stadtbahn-car 'type B']].<ref name="StateArt13">{{cite book |last1=De Leuw, Cather & Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJJKFV0uwHQC&q=permit+eventually&pg=PA9 |title=Light Rail Transit: A State of the Art Review |date=1976 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref>{{Rp|page=55}} Many light rail systems (including in the United States),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://trid.trb.org/view/789880 |title=Sharing of Rail Transit Infrastructure by Streetcars and Larger Light Rail Vehicles: Design and Operational Issues |date=2006 |publisher=American Public Transportation Association |isbn=978-1-931594-23-3 |location=Washington, DC |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> are operated with larger and heavier vehicles than those on streetcar systems.<ref name="ELT20132"/>

=== Comparisons of rolling stock types ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type
| '''Rapid transit (heavy rail)*''' || '''Light rail''' || '''Tram, or streetcar''' || '''Heritage streetcar'''
|-
! Manufacturer
| Rohr || Siemens || Skoda || Gomaco Trolley Co.
|-
! Model
| [[Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock#A and B series|BART A-Car]] || [[Siemens S70|S70]] || [[Škoda 10 T|10T]] || Replica Birney
|-
! Width
| {{convert|3.2|m|ftin|frac=8}}|| {{convert|2.7|m|ftin|frac=8}}|| {{convert|2.6|m|ftin|2|frac=8}}|| {{convert|2.62|m|ftin|frac=8}}
|-
! Length
| {{convert|22.9|m|ftin|frac=8}}|| {{convert|27.7|m|ftin|frac=8}} [[articulated tram|articulated]] || {{convert|20.13|m|ftin|frac=8}} articulated || {{convert|15.16|m|ftin|frac=8}}
|-
! Weight (empty)
| 63.1{{nbsp}}t
| 48.6{{nbsp}}t<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Siemens S70 Low-floor Light Rail Vehicle |url=https://w3.usa.siemens.com/mobility/us/en/interurban-mobility/rail-solutions/high-speed-and-intercity-trains/Documents/Houston1_DataSheet_2014_LR.pdf |publisher=Siemens}}</ref>
| 28.8{{nbsp}}t
| 23.5{{nbsp}}t<ref name="Gomaco Trolley Company">{{cite web |title=Gomaco Trolley Company |url=http://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/pages/birney_littlerock.html |publisher=Gomaco Trolley Company}}</ref>
|-
! Capacity
| 150 max. || 72 seats, 220 max.<ref name="auto" />|| 30 seats, 157 max. || 40 seats, 50 max.<ref name="Gomaco Trolley Company" />
|-
! Top speed
| {{convert|125|km/h|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}|| {{convert|106|km/h|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}|| {{convert|70|km/h|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}|| {{convert|48|km/h|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}
|-
! Typical consist
| 4–10 vehicles || 2–5 vehicles || 1 vehicle || 1 vehicle
|}
''The [[BART]] railcar in the chart is not generally considered to be a "light rail" vehicle (it is a [[heavy rail]] vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes.''

==Related types of rail transit==
[[File:DLR unit 135 entering Canary Wharf station bound for Bank.jpg|thumb|The [[Docklands Light Railway]], a [[medium-capacity rail system|light metro system]]]]

=== Premetro ===
[[Premetro]] is largely equal to light rail: a type of public transport in which trams run partly grade separated, by using tunnels and/or viaducts. However, there is one clear distinguishing factor: premetro uses infrastructure that has been explicitly constructed with the ambition to transfer to use metro trains in the future.<ref name="TQ:TRT2">{{cite journal |date=1970 |title=The Rapid Tramway: A Feasible Solution to the Urban Transportation Problem |url=https://trid.trb.org/view/20191 |journal=Traffic Quarterly |volume=24 |issue=4 |issn=0041-0713 |access-date=7 April 2024}}</ref>{{Rp|page=521}}<ref name="StateArt13"/>{{Rp|page=9}}<ref>{{cite web |date=8 October 2009 |title=PREMETRO [1 record] |url=https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&srchtxt=PREMETRO&i=1&index=ent |access-date=9 February 2023 |publisher=TERMIUM Plus®}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Transportation Research Board National Research Council |url=https://trid.trb.org/view/297446 |title=Urban Public Transportation Glossary |date=1989 |quote=pre-metro: a light rail transit system designed with provisions for easy conversion to rail rapid transit |access-date=16 February 2023}}</ref> It is usually also developed from an existing classic tram network. One prominent example is the premetro in Brussels, where several premetro lines have been or will be converted into full heavy rail metro lines.

=== U-Stadtbahn ===
The [[Stadtbahn|U-Stadtbahn]] is also an intermediate transportation form between metro and tram. It has originated in Germany, adapting the existing tram networks. Here specially developed trams run underground through tunnels in central urban areas.<ref name="StateArt13" />{{Rp|page=10}}<ref name="GG21">{{cite book |last1=Harman |first1=Reg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjW-rQEACAAJ |title=High speed trains and the development and regeneration of cities |date=2006 |publisher=Greengauge 21 |location=London |page=19 |quote=Köln, like other major German cities served by ICE services over high-speed lines, has a regional rail system (Schnellbahn) and a substantial tramway system, part operated as Stadtbahn (semi metro).}}</ref><ref name="PO3">{{cite web |last1=Pedestrian Observations |date=29 October 2020 |title=Stadtbahn Systems |url=https://pedestrianobservations.com/2020/10/28/stadtbahn-systems/ |access-date=16 February 2023 }}</ref> Stadtbahn lines can be subdivided by looking at the types of rolling stock.

* There are lines where full-sized (i.e. {{Cvt|2.65|m}} wide) express trams run, with long wagon bodies: [[Cologne Stadtbahn|Cologne]], [[Frankfurt U-Bahn|Frankfurt]] and [[Stuttgart Stadtbahn|Stuttgart]], among others.
* In some networks, narrower Stadtbahn trams with shorter wagon bodies were used at the start of the operation: [[Hanover Stadtbahn|Hannover]] ([[TW 6000|TW6000]]) and [[Bielefeld Stadtbahn|Bielefeld]] ([[Stadtbahnwagen M/N|Düwag M/N]]).
* From the end of the 20th century Stadtbahn lines with low-floor trams also appeared: [[Dortmund Stadtbahn|Dortmund]] (U43 & U44), [[Düsseldorf Stadtbahn|Düsseldorf]] (''Wehrhahnlinie'') and [[Cologne Stadtbahn|Cologne]] (1, 7, 9, 12 and 15).

===Light metro ===
Some systems, such as the [[AirTrain JFK]] in New York City, the [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]] in London, and [[Kelana Jaya Line]] in [[Kuala Lumpur]], have dispensed with the need for an operator. The [[Vancouver]] [[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]] was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the [[Toronto]] [[Scarborough RT|Scarborough rapid transit]] operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as [[medium-capacity rail system|light metro]] systems. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit.<ref name="GGW-19" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-19 |title=Light-Rail Transit (LRT) |url=https://policy.tti.tamu.edu/strategy/light-rail-transit/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Transportation Policy Research |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Hybrid rail===
[[File:20070421 RivertonNJ D80 NearHiway73.jpg|left|thumb|[[NJ Transit]]'s [[River Line (NJ Transit)|River Line]] was the first [[hybrid rail]] service in the [[United States]].]]
In the [[United States]], [[interurban]]-style services are now rare, largely because the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) does not permit non-compliant [[railcar]]s (such as [[rapid transit]] or light rail vehicles) to operate simultaneously with standard [[Rail freight transport|freight]] or [[Passenger train|passenger equipment]] on the same tracks for safety reasons.

Exceptions, known as [[hybrid rail]] in the United States, include [[NJ Transit]]'s [[River Line (New Jersey Transit)|River Line]] from [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]] and [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]] and the [[North County Transit District]]'s (NCTD) [[Sprinter (rail service)|Sprinter]] service in [[North County|northern San Diego County, California]]. These services operate under FRA waivers that allow passenger trains to run during daytime hours and freight trains at night, with several hours of temporal separation between the two. These diesel-powered systems use lightweight [[diesel multiple unit]]s (DMUs) originally designed for mainline railroads.

===Very light rail===
[[File:The Coventry Very Light Rail Vehicle during a public test on Saturday 17 May 2025 extended version.jpg|thumb|A Coventry Very Light Rail Vehicle]]
While the word ''light'' in "light rail" refers to the lighter capacity compared to heavy rail/rapid transit, however the same word refers to lightweight in "very light rail'. One example in passengers service is [[British Rail Class 139]] on the [[Stourbridge Town branch line]].

Very Light Rail developments with prefabricated track and onboard power (no Over Head Line) in the UK are aiming for £10 m per km<ref>{{cite web |date=25 September 2019 |title=Target cost and timescale revealed for Coventry very light rail scheme <!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/target-cost-timescale-revealed-coventry-light-rail-scheme-25-09-2019// }}</ref> as opposed to convention tram rail and OHL at £20–£30 m per km.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 July 2019 |title=1 tram light rail track installation costs £20-£30 m per km is a good ball-park figure. <!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://bathtrams.uk/4-cost-of-tram-light-rail-installation/ }}</ref> First tests in [[Coventry Very Light Rail|Coventry]] have started in 2025, a full line should be operation able by 2027.

=== Comparison to other rail transit modes ===
With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers the widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs.<ref>
{{cite web |author1=Fazio, A. E. |author2=Hickey, T. R. |year=2003 |title=Designing New Light Rail – Taking Engineering Beyond Vanilla |url=http://pubsindex.trb.org/document/view/default.asp?lbid=700178 |access-date=10 November 2006 |publisher=Transportation Research Board |version=Circular E-C058: 9th National Light Rail Transit Conference}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:15%;" |Alternative
! Differences
|-
| [[Rapid transit]]
| [[rapid transit|Rapid rail transit]] (RRT) trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart.<ref name=":3" /> Light rail vehicles (LRVs) are distinguished from RRT vehicles by their capability for operation in mixed traffic, generally resulting in a narrower car body and articulation to operate in a street traffic environment. With their large size, large turning radius, and often an electrified [[third rail]], RRT vehicles cannot operate in the street. Since LRT systems can operate in existing streets, they can often avoid the cost of expensive [[grade-separated]] subway and elevated segments that would be required with RRT.
|-
| [[Tram|Streetcars or trams]]
| Conversely, LRVs generally outperform traditional streetcars in terms of capacity and top-end speed, and almost all modern LRVs are capable of [[multiple-unit operation]]. The latest generation of LRVs is considerably larger and faster, typically {{convert|29|m|ftin|frac=8}} long with a maximum speed of around {{convert|105|km/h|mph|sigfig=3}}.<ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Technical Data |url=http://references.transportation.siemens.com/refdb/showReference.do?r=1920&div=3&div=5&div=2&div=8&l=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427042721/http://references.transportation.siemens.com/refdb/showReference.do?r=1920&div=3&div=5&div=2&div=8&l=en |archive-date=27 April 2008 |access-date=18 March 2008 |work=Light Rail Vehicle System Houston/Texas, USA |publisher=Siemens}}
</ref>
|-
|[[Heritage streetcar]]s
|A variation considered by many cities is to use historic or replica cars on their streetcar systems instead of modern LRVs. A heritage streetcar may not have the capacity and speed of an LRV, but it will add to the ambiance and historic character of its location.
|-
|[[Medium capacity system|Light metro]]
|A derivative of LRT is light rail rapid transit (LRRT), also referred to as ''light metro.'' Such railroads are characterized by exclusive rights of way, advanced train control systems, short headway capability, and floor-level boarding. These systems approach the passenger capacity of full metro systems but can be cheaper to construct due to LRVs generally being smaller in size, turning tighter curves and climbing steeper grades than standard RRT vehicles, and having a smaller station size.
|-
|[[Interurban]]s
|The term ''interurban'' mainly refers to rail cars that run through streets like ordinary streetcars (trams), but also between cities or towns, often through rural environments. In the period 1900–1930, interurbans were very common in the US, especially in the [[Midwest]]. Some of them, like the [[Red Devil (interurban)|Red Devils]], the J. G. Brill [[Bullet (interurban)|Bullets]], and the [[Electroliner]]s, were the [[high-speed rail]]cars of their time, with an in-service speed of up to about {{convert|145|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}. In Europe, interurbans are making a comeback as "[[tram-train]]s" (locally known under different names) that operate on both the railroad and light rail tracks, often with different voltages. The [[Karlsruhe Stadtbahn]] is one well-known example.
|}

== Capacity ==
[[File:Kaohsiung LRT Circular Line at Gate of Kaohsiung Port 20180621.jpg|thumb|[[Circular light rail]] in front of the Gate of [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan]]]]

=== Comparison with high-capacity roads ===
A single light rail line (requiring a 7.6 m [25&nbsp;ft] right-of-way) can carry up to eight times more passengers than a 3.7&nbsp;m (12&nbsp;ft) freeway lane during peak periods. Freeway lanes typically reach capacity at about 2,000 vehicles per hour, beyond which traffic flow breaks down and speeds collapse.<ref>Matt Lorenz and [[Lily Elefteriadou]] (2000) [http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/EC018/08_52.pdf ''A Probabilistic Approach to Defining Freeway Capacity and Breakdown''] (PDF), Transportation Research Board.</ref> With average commuter car occupancy of only 1.5 persons,<ref>{{cite web|title=Highlights of the 2001 National Household Travel Survey: A-15 Vehicle Occupancy Per Vehicle Mile by Time of Day and Weekend Status|url=http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/table_a15.html|publisher=US Department of Transportation|access-date=24 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628142015/https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/table_a15.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> freeways carry a maximum of about 3,000 passengers per lane per hour. HOV lanes and ride-sharing can improve this, but most jurisdictions expand roadway capacity instead, sometimes worsening congestion ([[Downs–Thomson paradox]], [[Braess's paradox]]).<ref>https://homepage.rub.de/Dietrich.Braess/Paradox-BNW.pdf (1968) end of chapter 4 retrieved 2023/02/27</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ontario Expanding Highway 401 in Cambridge|url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/33297/ontario-expanding-highway-401-in-cambridge|access-date=2 December 2021|website=news.ontario.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ontario is finally widening Highway 401 through the GTA|url=https://www.blogto.com/city/2019/04/ontario-widening-highway-401/|access-date=2 December 2021|website=www.blogto.com|language=en}}</ref>

By contrast, light rail trains operating in two-track rights-of-way as narrow as two car lanes can exceed 20,000 passengers per hour per direction, and over 25,000 with [[moving block]] signaling.<ref>Tom Parkinson and Ian Fisher (1996) [http://nrc40.nas.edu/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2603 ''Rail Transit Capacity''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111162103/http://nrc40.nas.edu/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2603 |date=11 January 2009}}, Transportation Research Board.</ref><ref>[http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2326 ''Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual''], Transportation Research Board.</ref>

Roadway person-throughput varies by permitted vehicle types. A typical car-only lane carries about 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph).<ref>{{cite book |url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_599.pdf#page=13 |title=NCHRP Report 599: Default Values for Highway Capacity and Level of Service Analyses |publisher=NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-309-43229-0 |doi=10.17226/22061}}</ref> Adding buses or light rail raises capacity, as shown below:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Car !! Car + bus !! Car + light rail
|-
| Low volume || 900 || 1,650 || 2,250
|-
| Medium volume || 900 || 2,350 || 3,250
|-
| High volume || 900 || 3,400 || 4,600
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | '''Source:''' Edson & Tennyson, 2003{{Full citation needed|date=January 2020}}
|}

=== Comparison with bus rapid transit ===
[[Bus rapid transit]] (BRT) is often compared with LRT in corridor planning. BRT in dedicated lanes can exceed 30,000 passengers per hour per direction, as in [[Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit]], which operates up to 350 buses per hour. Achieving this requires large stations, bus priority at intersections, and overtaking lanes for express services. BRT labor and fuel costs are typically higher, since each bus requires a driver and most use non-electrified vehicles. Ride quality is also lower, with more abrupt braking and acceleration compared to rail.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Urban Rail Development Handbook |publisher=PPIAF |page=73 |url=https://www.ppiaf.org/documents/5532 |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>

=== Practical considerations ===
Most U.S. light rail systems are demand-limited, carrying under 4,000 passengers per hour per direction, though Boston and San Francisco reach 9,600 and 13,100 respectively.<ref name="Hanson 2004">{{cite book |last1=Hanson |first1=Susan |title=The geography of urban transportation |last2=Giuliano |first2=Genevieve |publisher=Guilford Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-59385-055-7}}</ref> Calgary's [[C-Train]] and Mexico's [[Monterrey Metro]] have higher ridership, while Manila's [[Light Rail Transit System]] exceeds 40,000 per hour per direction, operating four-car trains of up to 1,350 passengers at 30 trains per hour. Manila's system, however, is fully grade-separated and more comparable to a metro.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 January 2009 |title=LRT-1 sets 25-year high record ridership |url=http://www.lrta.gov.ph/press_release/press_release_090112_25yrRecordHigh.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326064515/http://www.lrta.gov.ph/press_release/press_release_090112_25yrRecordHigh.htm |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=14 March 2009 |publisher=Manila Light Rail Transit Authority}}</ref>

==Costs and efficiency==
[[File:Central Station Kitchener Nov 2017.jpg|thumb|The [[Ion rapid transit|Ion]] in [[Waterloo Region]], Ontario spurred major development along its route before opening.]]  
Light rail construction costs vary widely depending on tunneling and elevated structures. A survey of North American projects found most systems cost between $15&nbsp;million and $100&nbsp;million per mile, averaging $35&nbsp;million (excluding Seattle).<ref name=LRNOW>{{cite web |url=http://www.lightrail.com/projects.htm |title=Status of North American Light Rail Projects |publisher=Light Rail Now |year=2002 |access-date=23 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028214006/http://www.lightrail.com/projects.htm |archive-date=28 October 2006}}</ref> Seattle's [[Link Light Rail]] reached $179&nbsp;million per mile due to tunneling, elevated sections, and deep stations,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/x1171.xml |title=Link Light Rail Projects |publisher=Sound Transit |year=2006 |access-date=23 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117033414/http://www.soundtransit.org/x1171.xml |archive-date=17 November 2006}}</ref> while Baltimore, Camden, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City each built systems for under $20&nbsp;million per mile.

By comparison, freeway lane expansion averages $2.3&nbsp;million per lane-mile, but is usually built in less costly suburban or rural areas. The most expensive U.S. road project, Boston's [[Big Dig]], reached $200&nbsp;million per lane-mile.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/construction/pdf/I-C_Const_Cost.pdf |title=Highway Construction Cost Comparison Survey Final Report |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |page=3 |date=April 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905215838/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/construction/pdf/I-C_Const_Cost.pdf |archive-date=5 September 2009}}</ref> A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 passengers per hour, compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per freeway lane,<ref>Traffic and Highway Engineering By Nicholas J. Garber, Lester A. Hoel, p. 37</ref> with Boston and San Francisco lines carrying 9,600 and 13,100 peak-hour passengers respectively.<ref name="Hanson 2004"/>
[[File:Coming_in_on_the_priority_track_(4283902657).jpg|thumb|[[1 Line (Sound Transit)|Sound Transit]] Airport station]]
Joint highway–LRT projects can lower costs, as shown by Denver's [[Transportation Expansion Project]], which rebuilt 17&nbsp;mi of highway and added 19&nbsp;mi of light rail for $1.67&nbsp;billion, or $19.3&nbsp;million per highway lane-mile and $27.6&nbsp;million per rail mile. The project finished under budget and nearly two years early.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mark |last=Shaw |url=http://www.constructor.construction.com/coverStories/archives/2006-05.asp |title=Reinventing a Corridor: Denver's T-REX project nears completion after five years |work=Constructor |publisher=McGraw-Hill Construction |date=May–June 2006 |access-date=20 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019180438/http://constructor.construction.com/coverStories/archives/2006-05.asp |archive-date=19 October 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Flynn |url=http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=1593&topicId=21355&docId=l:532872610 |title=T-REX trains ready to roll |work=Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) |date=17 November 2006 |access-date=20 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322194149/http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=1593&topicId=21355&docId=l:532872610 |archive-date=22 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Calgary [[CTrain]] minimized costs by avoiding tunnels and elevated sections, using existing rail corridors, and combining construction with freeway projects. Its capital cost was $24&nbsp;million per mile,<ref name=McKendrick>{{cite journal |author=McKendrick |title=Calgary's C-Train – Effective Capital Utilization |url=http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/calgary_ctrain_effective_capital_utilization_TRB_paper.pdf |version=Joint International Light Rail Conference, St. Louis, Missouri |publisher=Calgary Transit |year=2006 |access-date=11 February 2008 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218235622/http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/calgary_ctrain_effective_capital_utilization_TRB_paper.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2011}}</ref> about one-third that of the [[San Diego Trolley]]. By 2009, Calgary carried three times San Diego's ridership with lower capital and operating cost per passenger. Operating costs average C${{nowrap|163}} per train-hour, or about 27 cents per ride, compared with $1.50 for buses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/technical_information.html |title=LRT technical data |publisher=Calgary Transit |year=2006 |access-date=14 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023084723/http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/technical_information.html |archive-date=23 October 2006}}</ref><ref name="McKendrick" />

Light rail often has lower labor costs per passenger mile, attracts more riders than buses,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Scherer |first=Milena |date=January 2010 |title=Is Light Rail More Attractive to Users than Bus Transit?: Arguments Based on Cognition and Rational Choice |url=https://doi.org/10.3141/2144-02 |journal=Transportation Research Record |volume=2144 |pages=11–19 |doi=10.3141/2144-02 |s2cid=109351210 |via=SAGE Journals|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and achieves faster speeds with fewer vehicles required. Vehicles cost more upfront but last longer, reducing life-cycle costs. Compared with heavy rail, LRT has lower capital but higher operating costs.<ref name="Vuchic1972">{{cite journal |last1=Vuchic |first1=Vukan R. |title=Light Rail Transit Systems: A Definition and Evaluation |url=https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/33964 |journal=United States Department of Transportation Urban Mass Transportation Administration |access-date=21 February 2024 |date=1 October 1972|issue=730}}</ref>

Light rail energy efficiency is estimated at 120 passenger-miles per gallon of fuel equivalent, though performance varies with context.<ref>[http://www.buses.org/files/ComparativeEnergy.pdf Comparison of Energy Use & CO2 Emissions From Different Transportation Modes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529032904/http://www.buses.org/files/ComparativeEnergy.pdf |date=29 May 2015}} page 7, M.J. Bradley & Associates, May 2007</ref>

==Effects==
[[File:M_Ocean_View_train_at_Forest_Hill_station,_November_2018.jpg|thumb|[[Muni Metro]] [[Forest Hill station (Muni Metro)|Forest Hill station]]]]

=== Safety ===
An analysis of data from the 505-page National Transportation Statistics report<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=National Transportation Statistics 2013|url=http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/NTS_Entire_13Q4.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|access-date=24 February 2016|archive-date=25 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525173222/https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/NTS_Entire_13Q4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> published by the US Department of Transportation shows that light rail fatalities are higher than all other forms of transportation except motorcycle travel (31.5 fatalities per 100&nbsp;million miles).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15110194/howre-ya-dying-fatality-data-from-various-types-of-transportation-feature|title=Dissected: Charting transportation mayhem in its many gory varieties.|first=Jeff|last=Sabatini|date=25 April 2014|website=Car and Driver}}</ref>

However, the National Transportation Statistics report published by the US Department of Transportation states that:<ref name="auto1"/><blockquote>Caution must be exercised in comparing fatalities across modes because significantly different definitions are used. In particular, Rail and Transit fatalities include incident-related (as distinct from accident-related) fatalities, such as fatalities from falls in transit stations or railroad employee fatalities from a fire in a workshed. Equivalent fatalities for the Air and Highway modes (fatalities at airports not caused by moving aircraft or fatalities from accidents in automobile repair shops) are not counted toward the totals for these modes. Thus, fatalities not necessarily directly related to in-service transportation are counted for the transit and rail modes, potentially overstating the risk for these modes.</blockquote>

===Health impact===
{{Main|Health impact of light rail systems}}Studies have attributed light rail with a number of health impacts. Research has associated light rail positively with increased walking and decreased obesity.<ref>Edwards, R. D. (2008). "[[Public transit]], obesity, and medical costs: Assessing the magnitudes". ''Preventative Medicine'', 46, 14–21.</ref><ref>MacDonald, J. M., Stokes, R. J., Cohen, D. A., Kofner, A., and Ridgeway, G. K. (2010). "The effect of light rail transit on body mass index and physical activity". ''American Journal of Preventive Medicine'', 39(2), 105–112.</ref> Additionally, one electric light rail train produces nearly 99 percent less [[carbon monoxide]] and hydrocarbon emissions per mile than one automobile does.<ref>American Public Transit Association. (1993) Transit Fact Book, Washington, D.C. 104.</ref>

==Examples==
{{Main|Tram and light rail transit systems|List of tram and light rail transit systems}}
Worldwide around 400 cities have one or more tram/light rail systems. Some date back to the 19th century, and by the 1930s almost 900 tram/light rail system existed. Many of the original tram and streetcar systems were closed down in the mid-20th century, except in most Central and Eastern European countries. Other cities that once closed down their streetcar networks are now restoring, or have already rebuilt, at least some of their former streetcar/tram systems.<ref name="UITP2023">{{cite book |title=The global tram and light rail landscape 2019-21 |page=2 |url=https://www.uitp.org/publications/the-global-tram-and-light-rail-landscape-2019-21/ |access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref>
<gallery widths="200" heights="150">
File:Raitiovaunu Hämeenkadulla.jpg|A light-rail vehicle on the [[Hämeenkatu]] street in [[Tampere]] 
File:KRMetrotram.jpg|Metrotram in [[Kryvyi Rih]] ([[Ukraine]]) was separated from the streets, but later connected to the existing tram network.
File:0332 entering Kuanping Bridge (20230722103904).jpg|A light-rail vehicle of the [[Changchun Rail Transit]] in [[Changchun]], [[China]]
File:Porto Casa da Musica metro MP 26 lijn B (52067801106).jpg|[[Porto Metro|Porto metro]] light rail station in 2022
File:El Mourouj line By Ma7mix - panoramio.jpg|The [[Tunis Light Metro|light rail in Tunis, Tunisia]], was the first light rail system in Africa
File:20221009 VBZ 2109.jpg|Underground light rail stop in Zurich, 2022
File:Dubai Tram Alstom Citadis 402 near Al Sufouh.jpg|Tram in Dubai, UAE
File:Frankfurt Public Transit Feb70 064 (50557337936).jpg|[[Frankfurt U-Bahn]] light rail station in 1970
File:Citadis 302 n°839 Rouen Théâtre des Arts par Cramos.JPG|[[Rouen tramway]] subway portal in 2015
File:Moderus Gamma Poznań (cropped).jpg|Poznań underground station in 2019
File:Edirnekapi light metro.jpg|Istanbul underground station in 2020
File:Viagem inaugural do VLT carioca 03.jpg|A light-rail vehicle of the [[VLT Carioca]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil
File:Danjin Denggong Station Platform 20181226.jpg|[[Danhai light rail|Danhai]] elevated station in 2018
File:Wuhan - Guanngu Streetcar - Wudayuan - P1520430.JPG|[[Trams in Wuhan|Light rail in Wuhan]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Transport|Trains}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]]
* [[Health impact of light rail systems]]
* [[History of tram and light rail transit systems by country]]
* [[Light rail in North America]]
* [[List of modern tramway and light rail systems in the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of rail transit systems in the United States]]
* [[List of town tramway systems]] (all-time lists)
* [[List of tram and light rail transit systems]]<br />(operational systems ''only'')
* [[Medium-capacity rail system]]
* [[Passenger rail terminology]]
* [[Premetro]]
* [[Railway electrification]]
* [[Rubber-tyred tram]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Light rail|lcfirst=yes}}
* [https://www.trblightrail.org Light Rail Transit Committee] of the [[Transportation Research Board]] (US)
* [http://www.lrta.org/ Light Rail Transit Association] (UK-based, international organization)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180417103723/http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf "This Is Light Rail Transit"] (PDF) brochure by the [[American Public Transportation Association]] (APTA) (2000; updated 2003)

{{Public transport}}
{{Trams}}

[[Category:Light rail| ]]
[[Category:Sustainable urban planning]]
[[Category:Tram transport]]