What the US Gets Wrong About Trams

Canada and the US actually build a lot of tram systems, but compared to those in Europe, we have a long way to go.
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.

[@danny.j]

Trams in Europe aren’t primarily used for “walkable” distances. That applies only in the historic city centres. They are mostly used for connecting medium sized apartment neighbourhoods to the city centre and to avoid traffic jams. They are perfect middle man between buses and metros. In cities where metros are overkill, a fast collision free tram network is the backbone of transportation. And in the most European cities with metros they are also used as circle line since a metro circle line is also an overkill for most.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

Perfectly summarized.

[@RMTransit]

There’s a reason I was very specific about “walkable” not distances you’d necessarily walk but distances you *could* walk

[@danny.j]

@@RMTransit I wonder if American/Canadian cities could adopt European tram systems since the neighbourhoods are vastly different. I always seen US cities more suitable for S-Bahn type transit to suburbs. Btw keep up the great work. I really enjoy your videos.

[@chickenpommes19]

Just what I wanted to say, trams in europe are more about crossing the city where a metro line wouldn't make sense or isn't given funding. It's not unusual to spend 30 minutes on them. North America shouldn't adapt trams, NA needs proper Light Rail connecting to regional train services.

[@eechauch5522]

Yeah, I’m not a fan of this description either. My usual tram ride into city center takes me around 17 minutes by tram. Yes, I could technically walk that distance in about 1h-1,5h, but I feel people get a very wrong impression by calling it walkable. Comparing it to a bike is much more useful. The mentioned route takes around 18 minutes by bike, so pretty exactly the same. So I’d say any distance that can be reached in about 30-45min by bike, can also be sensibly served by a tram. That being said, as a lot of footage in the video was from my hometown Karlsruhe. To give you an idea: Line 2 takes 1h end to end, entirely within the city (2:40h walking), and line S2, which uses the same rolling stock, even takes 1:15h. That’s a 5,5h „walk“.

[@erejnion]

The biggest positive of trams is that they can easily get into dense pedestrian centers without obstructing anything, all while providing street-level access. That's something impossible for the metro or the bus.

[@sergpie]

For the most part, you're right. What I mean is, cities with unique or unconventional streets or blocks, if they have specific purpose-built vehicles to maneuver in their city, it works beautifully. But then you have cities like San Diego, where its downtown has blocks designed to be small to maximize corner shops (a plan going back to the 1880s), with generic trolleys that are the same size as your average American trolley car line post 2002. This creates near hourly blockages on 11th, 10th, 5th, 4th and 1st avenues. This has caused one serious accident that I know of, and is quite hazardous. This is coupled with stop lights that do not account for a trolley car sitting on the intersection, as they change regardless.

[@RMTransit]

The predictability of rails does wonders!

[@CatnipMasterRace]

Yeah, in my local area in London, theres a shopping street that really should be pedestrianised but it carries 2 major bus routes and 1 minor bus route. I can't really see an easy way of pedestrianising this street without completely cutting off these bus routes as there's no real nearby alternative routes for them. As of right now the council has settled for restricting through car traffic during most hours of the day with a bus filter and expanding pavements where possible. I don't think there's really a nice way to let buses through a pedestrianised area that's both safe and efficient due to their unpredictability. The ideal solution would therefore be to turn these buses into trams as the tracks running through a pedestrian environment provide a better level of predictability than some kind of bus lane which would either not be obvious enough or would be too similar to a road (ie what we already have). However this is very unlikely to happen as it would mean creating an entire tram route all the way into central London (as well as a different one for the more minor local bus) with the sole justification of pedestrianising one half a mile street that the trams would run on. (Not to say that the tram wouldn't be otherwise useful but it would need a lot more justification and consideration of alternatives). Also my phone keeps autocorrecting tram to team so if I've accidentally said team anywhere I meant tram.

[@erejnion]

@@sergpie Yeah, that sucks. Well, either of the solutions would be good: pedestrianizing part of the center there, or running shorter trams more often.

[@_CaptainCookie]

@@CatnipMasterRace you could do it like sutton and have a one way system around the pedestrian area. It's not perfect because 2 or 3 lane one ways are kind of on the heavy side lane wise but it does mean the high street itself is a nice place to visit, with minimal traffic

[@MrAronymous]

In the transit hierarchy trams are indeed a nicer bus, on paper. But when it comes to rider experience trams are actually 'a slightly less good metro riding on the surface' in a lot of cases. Put them in a tunnel in some sections and the experience can be nearly identical. And a lot of anti-tram pro-bus people don't see that because they have probably have never gotten to experience a proper tram network with the most important features; dedicated lanes, complete signal priority, close integration with pedestrianized areas. That in addition to actually having a useful and sensible route, which a lot of the US streetcar systems don't.

[@incalescent9378]

@@tomassakalauskas2856 I definitely agree. Trams and buses on the surface make you much more connected to the neighbourhood, and in that also facilitate interacting with the surroundings. (And if we're talking wayfinding: being able to see where you're going and where you're passing through definitely helps.) This also means you can get on and off quickly so it makes sense for partial rides: have part of your journey, get off for a store or the library or a park or whatever, continue your journey a bit later. Walk for a bit, and hop on whenever you feel you're done walking. For me, the daylight is also very important.

[@dnocturn84]

@@tomassakalauskas2856 I believe a tram is more commonly used to connect important places within a city district with one another, maybe even across additional diststricts, depending on the location and structure. But a metro should be a system, that transfers larger numbers of passengers, in a much shorter period of time and with less stops, across multiple districts. From one end of the city to the other, if you want to call it that. They should not serve the same purpose and actually complement each other, instead of competing with each other.

[@vjaska]

I wouldn't go as far as describing myself as pro bus anti tram but there are certainly obstacles to merely suggesting a tram on any old corridor, even with the benefits. The Croydon Tram works in London because Croydon had the old rail lines to take over and the room to make it all work where as the proposed North South river tram that was scrapped years ago would of caused more issues than solved - far easier & practical to have bus routes instead when you have serious obstacles to overcome and if you invest in that bus network, it can really be just as good like London's was before they stopped investing and started to cut it instead. I think the US however would benefit massively from trams if done right

[@AmurTiger]

This is working at cross purposes a bit. If 'close integration with pedestrianized areas' is part of what makes a 'proper tram' then you can't transplant a tram into a metro line's right of way and still call it a tram. From a vehicle perspective I don't think there's any bright red line between what's a tram and a metro other then floor height but that's a feature that has fairly limited overall impact on service. Most of what makes a tram a tram and a metro a metro comes down to where the right of way is placed and how ( and if ) it interacts with other traffic. A fully separated and dedicated right of way will tend to be a metro, less separated will be more like a tram alongside which you can place some trends around station distance where shorter distances tend to be the norm for trams. Interestingly​@@tomassakalauskas2856 mentioned a feature of metros that doesn't quite have to be necessary though can be harder to avoid in dense urban areas. Elevated metros are certainly a thing and I can say I've often enjoyed the morning views while on the skytrain to work.

[@RMTransit]

Yes, done right trams can be excellent! But there are less examples the many think of a truly great system!

[@hansklaus6860]

The thing with trams is that they are incredibly versatile. A tram can run fully grade separated like a metro, or run in traffic like a bus, and anything in between. This can allow for highly specialized and very unique transit systems, such stadtbahn systems. But it also makes it really easy for trams to be used in a lazy and suboptimal manner. Trams are an extremely powerful and versatile tool. But if your only tool is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

Very well said

[@jasonriddell]

I LIKE TRAMS and think they are the MOST versatile option and for a lot of sub optimal "solutions" IMHO are not "BAD" unlike some "rapid bus" projects that actually suck big time and have near zero ridership one BIG + for trams done "lazy" is the "on grade" guideway acts as a "big billboard" advertising its existence and is itself built in wayfinding

[@KRYMauL]

@@jasonriddell What I don’t get is LCDs are cheap, and so are LEDs. What’s the hold up.

[@vxathos]

And, hell, even as a semi-subway network - looking at SF's muni metro system, for example.

[@Pidalin]

But trams also need much more qualified drivers with rail vehicle driver license, which is a massive problem, you can always find someone who can drive a bus, but with trams, it's much more complicated, some cities have real problem with this. Metro will be operated by autopilot in the future in most of cities, but you can't do that with trams.

[@piotrrywczak7971]

The main benefit of tram system is how seamless it is. You exit the building, walk along the road to the near tram stop, you board the vehicle and sit down/hold the handrail, and after a few/dozen minutes you exit and walk to your destination. The rails provide smooth ride, you don't need to get out of your way to go downstairs to an underground station and back up. There isn't even a station to speak of. It's all in one place already, there is a shelter and a place to sit down but most of the time you won't use it and the tram is directly next to the things you want to visit.

[@jessecruzu]

Can we all appreciate the fact that this guy pushes a great video almost every day. It is now a daily routine to watch RMtransit

[@bluebox2000]

Seriously, he produces some of the best and most detailed videos about transit. I can't get enough of it. Make sure you subscribe to help him out!

[@bobbyswanson3498]

it’s a shame what happened to the classic american streetcar. they created some of the most human scale neighborhoods in modern cities with 2-4 story density and would’ve developed wonderfully if we moved in the direction of european trams rather than ripping them out

[@nathanieldaiken1064]

For cars, which are now going electric and may run on rails!🤔

[@leonpaelinck]

Oh but in Europe we also ripped them out. Just the BIG cities kept (part of) them

[@Hiro_Trevelyan]

As a French myself, I have to add a precision : almost all modern trams in France are the same Citadis model from Alstom. They've been altered for each city (sometimes each line like T3 in Lyon that has its own special Citadis) but most of our trams are derived from the same model over and over again. In France alone, Alstom sold more than 800 Citadis tramways to 23 tramway networks. Worldwide, 55 cities are equipped. They're everywhere. This is obviously done to reduce the costs, since it's mass-produced and it seems to be a very versatile model, so... Good for us I suppose.

[@railotaku]

Yep, Alstom have a few standard front end designs, but is happy to do custom to give each city a unique look, behind the custom panels the underlying tram is pretty much identical cross France.

[@chickenpommes19]

I wonder what would happen if they ever have issues like the Combinos had in the early 00s. Faults across the whole series means massive service breaks

[@jasonriddell]

Translink in Vancouver Canada has custom noses on there New Flyer LF40 Transit busses ones unique to there system and NOT used anywhere else

[@markdebruyn1212]

My city (Rotterdam) also uses Citadis, but they do look nothing like any other Citadis in the world

[@hypernewlapse]

Yeah but that is the standard tho. Like, each company has its own line, like CAF has the Urbos, stadler the Tramlink, Bombardier (now alstom) the flexity, siemens the avenio.

[@hollywood1340]

In the US I think the Build America requirement for federal funding plays a huge role in why our trams all look alike from maybe two builders. We don't have the ability to simply pick and choice from competing manufactures. Not to mention our need to ensure it meets our US build requirements. And i believe that's worth mentioning.

[@jasonriddell]

not applicable outside the USA so Canada / Mexico can go "global"

[@KRYMauL]

That was a more recent thing. But yeah, GE should really start making trams. There’s probably a few others like Hyundai that make trams and can be used in the US, too.

[@MrAronymous]

Essentially the Buy America act is about assembling and having sourced a percentage of the components of the vehicle in the US. However most of the big manufacturers (Alstom, Siemens, CAF, KinkiSharyo, Stadler) have set up shop in the US now, so they could easily have a special front fascia made in Europe and assembled in the US.

[@MrMarinus18]

I think we should let the people decide. Have like 5 different designs and have them shown off to the public and hold a popular poll to decide.

[@KRYMauL]

@@MrMarinus18 That would be fun.

[@peachtpm2528]

I feel that a lot of the poor design choices in NA are made because of the idea that "only the poor use transit", whereas in Europe transit is seen both by the mass and by transit designers as something that is often used even by the middle class. NA designers for this reason just do not put enough care and effort into transit which is seen as some welfare program.

[@IshtarNike]

This reminds me of the scene in crash where they poor black criminal character is saying that the buses have big windows to shame the poor people inside who have to ride it. That was confusing to me because in London a bus is just a bus, it's not a class signifier. You use whichever mode of transport is most efficient.

[@Novusod]

Transit is a welfare program. There are homeless who sleep on trains and buses all the time America's cities. Trams and such aren't just for transportation. They also serve as temporary housing for the poor. This happens because transit authorities sell unlimited all day passes when really they should charge riders by the minute and kick everyone off at the end of the line. Bums and criminals ruin everything though.

[@marcomontella6006]

You're right about the perception in NA, but I've the impression that in places like say New York City, which already has a huge and convenient public transport network, people do not see transit that way and everybody use it.

[@4473021]

That idea was very carefully crafted by the car lobby and its shills, just like all the anti-pedestrian propaganda they had.

[@eriktoth7]

If you want to make a video about the Budapest transit system, I am happy to help you with it. 4 metro lines (one is the oldest in continental europe, another is just beautiful), shiplines, 30+ tramlines, 10+ trolleylines, a funicular and a really widespread an well-connected bus system, so plenty to talk about. And also I really like your vids, keep up the great work!

[@pixoontube2912]

This sounds like a perfect chance for a collab between RMTransit and Adam Something

[@taccus3990]

I recently moved to Budapest and I've never used public transportation so much. And I say this coming from Italy, where we have a pretty much developed public transportation system. In Budapest it's not only functional, but enjoyable too. There will always be a metro, tram, bus coming shortly wherever you are.

[@DanTheCaptain]

He’s made one about the trams, with the help of some other creators. It’s really good, take a look!

[@RMTransit]

I did one previously along with Adam something, but it needs to be refreshed

[@lime56]

Aren't trams and trolleys the same thing?

[@RMTransit]

A few people have mentioned that I am talking too much about aesthetics, but I think they are critical! Public transit should be attractive and bring people joy so pleasant visual design is really important in my opinion! Obviously service Is the most important thing, but there’s no reason not to have an attractive system as well! I think it’s a big part of being user centric in your planning!

[@procrastinatingpuma]

What are your thoughts about the aesthetics of the San Diego Trolley?

[@btomimatsucunard]

@@procrastinatingpuma or of the LA Metro cars/ station design

[@KaiHenningsen]

You mentioned color. Traditionally (in my lifetime of now 62 years), at least in Germany, trams and buses were yellow or pale yellow. Then that changed around ... well, from my perspective, in the 1970s. And while they did change in different ways, most systems I saw changed to some version of blue. I never found out why. Currently, here in Münster, the city buses are shades of blue, the regional buses are red, even though they're not DB. (DB, of course, these days are either red-stripe-on-white for long-range, or white on red for regional, unless the local authority (almost all regional public transit is contracted out by a regional authority, like the local state) explicitly demands a different color scheme (which seems the trend nowadays), and traditionally DB buses were red, too. (Post buses, back when we still had them, were postal yellow; maybe that's where other transit got their colors.) Maybe as an aside I should mention Flix - both trains and buses are green. Oh, and whatever the reason Münster ripped out their trams sometime before I moved here in the 1970s (and even ten years ago, there were still streets with old tracks in them), I'd argue that putting new ones in today would be stupid - the streets in the city are just too narrow and windy. Even buses often have trouble coping. And any kind of subway/metro would probably politically impossible - the city center has had serious problems before with building projects that dug deep, with water table going up or down (mostly down, I suspect) leading to trouble with the many, many old buildings. The way the city is built, anything except trains (on the lines built before even WW II, even with slight modernization) and buses is pretty much out, sadly. You could do stuff in the outer parts, but that would be pretty much the reverse of how this is usually done.

[@schwenda3727]

In retrospect in America & parts of Canada, a good share of modern transportation infrastructure in general has historically been uglier than the older school counterparts. Look no further than plentiful streetlight pole designs since the mid-20th century like the “A” shaped or Minnesota/Dakota or plentiful standard armless Canadian designs as well as plentiful mass produced late 20th century NYC streetlight pole designs. They look moderately better in black, dark brown, or dark green paint (or certain other pain colors depending on location) but compared to the turn of the 20th century revival designs that’ve thankfully appeared on plentiful American main streets in recent decades, THEY’RE STILL ABSOLUTELY HIDEOUS!!! Only so very many places that actually built streetcar/light rail infrastructure in the US have attempted to beautify the catenary poles in spite of a handful of setups primarily used to power “heritage” streetcars. Seems like a better piece of infrastructure than any to beautify with either sleek curves or even those retro turn of the 20th century revival patterns if you think about it, much less with dark but solid black/brown/green paint jobs…

[@odess4sd4d]

Is aesthetics just having colors and the nose of the tram look like it is designed for 300 mph, or is it something more than that?

[@transitspace4366]

In Europe, TBMs are used precisely because the streets are too narrow to build cut and cover tunnels, I really don’t understand why line 5 in Toronto wasn’t built entirely like this given the impressive width of the Eglinton avenue, in Europe we dream of having so much space! It seems like the Quebec City tramway will be the first modern European tramway in North America (they will even have Alstom Citadis 405 trains, like T9 in Paris)

[@transitspace4366]

I'm a big fan of the Montpellier trams, there are 4 lines, each one has an associated element. Line 1 (air), line 2 (earth) crosses natural spaces, line 3 (water) goes towards the sea, line 4 (fire) is a ring line. A fifth line is under construction, its themed around "science and biology" because it serves many parks and universities. Tours, France also have a very futuristic tram.

[@transitspace4366]

If trams in France, and in Europe in general, are more aesthetic than in North America, it’s mostly because they are designed by specialized agencies, the Montpellier trams were even designed by Christian Lacroix, one of the most famous designer who usually works for luxury brands.

[@ethandanielburg6356]

North American cities probably could do more cut-and-cover construction, but I feel like they prefer tunnel boring nowadays since it doesn’t involve moving as many underground utilities and it’s also less disruptive at the surface. The Canada Line in Vancouver used cut-and-cover for the underground sections and many local residents and business owners were upset about the disruption and filed lawsuits.

[@zackgro8440]

Europe is not a monolith babe. It's a continent.

[@KyrilPG]

@@transitspace4366 Well, he (Lacroix) was his very own luxury and haute-couture brand for decades... He's now mostly retired from haute-couture and operations of the brand. But he continues designing things and opera / theater costumes IIRC. He also designed one generation of TGV interior refurbishments. And if you get the reference: This is Lacroix sweetie darling ! (From Absolutely Fabulous, one of the greatest UK comedy series).

[@MrBirdnose]

My theory is trams in North America are ugly because people are really cost-sensitive about public transit, so anything that "looks expensive" is likely to draw criticism as an example of government waste.

[@johnruskin4290]

Yet they will spend all kinds of money on the stations, or insist on tunneling under the river in Pittsburgh when they could have used any number of existing bridges.

[@denali637]

Houstonian checking in: Our "metro" system is drastically insufficient, because we desperately need true intracity and regional rapid transit. But our "light rail" network - the red line in particular - really is a high quality example of a tram, in my opinion, and it exemplifies the specific advantages of trams over underground metros or regional rail, in that you can get from the tram door to the cafe counter in a couple of steps. Also, the six-minute headways, while not quite world-class, are pretty excellent for the US. The green and purple lines are not frequent enough (12min peak, 18min off-peak) to be useful "walking accelerators" downtown, but they become handy outside of downtown, and are accelerating development along their corridors. It will be interesting to see how they are impacted by the Inner Katy BRT line, whose proposed route runs along the same downtown streets as the green and purple lines - hopefully this will mean fully dedicated transit ROW and signal priority along those corridors (maybe even partial pedestrianization, like the red line corridor? I'm afraid to dream of it...). If you ever get far enough down your list to consider a video on Houston, definitely look at the Inner Katy (/silver line extension) and University BRT lines. If executed right, they could be quite transformative, and the former could be one of the country's best examples of BRT (though I'm not convinced the University line is best served by BRT). The MetroHouston youtube channel has good flyover animations of both projects.

[@jtsholtod.79]

When I used to travel for work to Houston, I was always so disappointed by METRORail. It was cheap, but had such low ridership and didn't seem to go places that people wanted to actually travel. It seems to have improved greatly, but still has a long, long way to go. Given the terrible traffic in Houston, there is just so much potential.

[@a-dot-s-dot]

I used to plan light rail for Houston METRO. When the Red Line first opened, it had the highest ridership per mile in North America and was getting up to 40-45k a day. I was Planning PM for the Red Line extension to Northline and Green Line down Harrisburg. Oh, and University was initially planned as LRT (tram) as well but politics literally intervened.

[@PresentGenGamer]

The green and purple lines will be extended down to Hobby. Once that happens we will then see the same 6 minute headways as the red line, as airports are generally ridership generators in their own right. Despite the light rail's problems (mostly due to motorists) it's actually really well implemented at connecting major nodes around the city. All while keeping costs down that comes with building light rail when used in the right way i.e. only building elevated tracks when it's absolutely necessary.

[@denali637]

@@jtsholtod.79 All three lines go through Downtown, and the red line goes to the Museum District, Rice, the Medical Center, and NRG, while the green line goes to the East end and the Purple line goes to TSU amd UofH. Nimbyism in Upper Kirby and Afton Oaks killed the hopes of bringing Montrose (and, I guess, UK/Greenway/Galleria, but, like, ew) into the fold, and I'm not sure if anything has really been seriously proposed for Washington or the Heights (both would greatly benefit from lines, IMO). So I stand by my original assessment: there are lines and service levels that are **missing** (a tram is not true rapid transit or mass transit), but the three existing lines are all solid examples, and the red line remains, in my eye, one of the country's best tram lines.

[@suuwooski6416]

Sucks that txdot doesnt care about mass transit and only cares about one more line. Seen they’re destroying 5by1s all over hosuton for “future” highway expansion. Some near the red line lol. Pretty hilarious

[@DChatburn1]

The #4/#6 trams in Budapest, where I live, runs 24 hours a day. I think that it is the only tram line in our city that runs 24/7. The Budapest tram system is clean, efficient, and frequent.

[@LrdZanny]

Theres a chicken and egg problem in North American urbanization that feedback loops into these light rail projects. I'm in Baltimore and the Red Line that will probably get built now is going to be a tunneled light rail, and its largely because it won't get the ridership to support denser metro because so much of the urban core is unlivable due to 50 years of car dependency. Its hard to convince government, especially when talking about billiions in transit investment, that if they just built a comprehensive metro grid and deprioritized cars and gave bikes good access everywhere people would mode switch and the city would revive. Because thats what it would really take to really make it work, you can't just do one piece of the puzzle, you need to reallocate public space, you need to rezone and invest in transit oriented and car free mixed use development, and you need to build a dedicated right of way rail network to get people in out and around the broader city. If anything is missing you just don't see adoption at the scale you would hope for.

[@jasonriddell]

yup car is king and few politicians WANT the "wrath" of voters stuck in commuter he!! I think part of the "issue" is also the belief that TRANSIT will transform / revitalize cities / make new "greenfield" developments instant attractive without the rest of the public "infrastructure"

[@traveller23e]

What's the difference between tunneled light rail and metro?

[@melaniers]

@@traveller23e Train sizes and speeds. Light rail trains are shorter, lighter, and have lower top speeds and slower acceleration. Full metro trains are bigger, heavier, carry more people, accelerate faster and can hit higher top speeds.

[@traveller23e]

@@melaniers Ah, got it. Where I am there's not really a concept of "light rail", so for example the metro in my city generally runs two quite short vehicles of lightweight construction on track which probably has a low maximum axle weight and maybe a smaller loading gauge but is otherwise completely compatible with the regular rail system. There _are_ regional trains on certain routes with a single railcar of heavier construction that has a lower nominal capacity than the metro, though.

[@raghunandan9290]

​@@traveller23e Yes Light Rail refers to Train body size, features etc . Metro refers to service name . For ex, Light Rail can be used for as a Team or as a Metro .. But for each application, they modify Trainsets..

[@Nam3y123]

Glad to hear someone else say some good things about the G:Link! Sometimes I feel like the only person not in Australia to care about it at all. Usually when I hear people talk about it, it's just "that weird light rail that's connected to Brisbane" lol

[@chrismckellar9350]

I have been on G Link and its is great system considering that the Gold Coast is very car centric. G Link when completed will compliment Brisbane's metro passenger trains services to/from the Gold Coast.

[@RamonInNZ]

I had used Brisbane Metro service to shuttle between near east of Brisbane to Varsity Lakes when visiting my daughter and sister - we would then jump in a car to go to GC (10mins away). Having rail link sorted will be fantastic once I get back in the next year or so. Great system & service by the way.

[@davebirch1976]

Here in south Yorkshire the Sheffield supertram network is still using the same trams they had when they started in 1994,they run on former train lines into Sheffield, and then on-street tracks once in the city centre. A couple of years ago we got some new Tram/Trains which run on the national rail network between Parkgate and Tinsley-Meadowhall south where the tram joins the existing tram network into Sheffield city centre

[@visg8303]

if only we could get extensions!!

[@ashleyjiscool]

Surprised that they managed to get a big(ish) network (insert joke about Sheffield here)

[@_CaptainCookie]

Are you planning on doing a video on London's non underground railways? Aka the tramlink system, the London overground and the various non TFL railways. There's so much to talk about and I think they're all really interesting

[@RMTransit]

Yes, I will!

[@prendo1474]

The Manchester MetroLink needs a video too, it’s the biggest light rail system in the UK!

[@fatherfountain1906]

@@RMTransitI thought you did a video about this already? Called something like londons urban railways.

[@_CaptainCookie]

@@fatherfountain1906 I can't seem to find it. It might have been deleted or privated if he did make it

[@Santiago-in1xf]

Munich is another good example of the "could walk" trip city. From the Old Town to one of the adjacent neighborhoods is usually walkable but a well timed tram can speed up the trip or make a longer not walkable trip that much more walkable. I'd find myself hoping on a tram for part of the trip and walking the rest or for longer trips, chaining two tram rides.

[@davidreichert9392]

In Canada there is always a push and pull between doing things the European way and doing it the US way, and it becomes highly poltiicised to the point where little gets done. We have to stop thinking "North America" and start thinking with common sense. We have to stop waiting for the US to do something sensible before we get on with it. Sometimes we manage it, and it ends up being the US following our lead soon after.

[@zackgro8440]

LOL ls S T F U you have idea what you're talking about. There is no "european way" more than a "north american" way. If you're going to be ignorant at least compare apples to apples.

[@Abrothers12]

The Vancouver skytrain has a lot of limitations for its price tag, but man, it’s so useful having frequent, reliable rapid

[@jasonriddell]

@@Abrothers12 the "OG" skytrain was pretty revolutionary in 1986 and I would say has done well in SHAPING the lower mainland and TransLink has grown it relatively "smartly"

[@Londoncycleroutes]

Great video - it would be interest to hear your analysis of where would be most suitable for trams. In London we tend to take the ex-rail-alignment approach you talk about but one big issue is these don't necessarily exist everywhere!

[@RMTransit]

Yeah, perhaps that’s a video for 2023!

[@KyrilPG]

One good alignment for cities is what Paris does : take one or two lanes of car traffic for the 2 tracks of the line and decrease the car's share of the public space in dense urban environments while also offering new ways and lanes for soft mobility (bikes, personal e-mobility devices) and green bands that decrease urban heat accumulation spots. It helps shape urbanism and new appeased car traffic patterns. That's what they did with several lines, specifically T3a, T3b and others... They also do a mix of that and ex-rail-alignments on other lines, specifically the "Txx Express" lines (like T11 Express) where Citadis Dualis (tram-train) rolling stock is used so that they can run in both SNCF corridors and streets. There are also lines that took almost half the width of previous long straight wide streets that used to be Paris center's access / way out before freeways ; the French / European softer version of stroads. Like T6 line's Eastern part (this line's Eastern terminus called Châtillon-Montrouge is located above ground but through a building, like Reece mentioned. Located next to line M13 South terminus of the same name). Really, France has such a variety of modern tram installations that you can pick from, even underground metro-like ones in city centers (Rouen). For urban spacing that would be more comparable to US cities, look for tram lines in suburbs or outlying parts of cities. The likes of Lyon's East far reaching trams for example, Paris' T6 that I mentioned and many others. You can use the cartometro site in conjunction with Google Maps satellite view and street view to follow the different lines and types of integration and alignment in urban environments. In case you don't know already, cartometro is a treasure trove of exact maps of track layouts for a number of cities throughout the world, France being the most covered country, Canada the second. The site is available in English, and is extremely useful to have a better perception of transit installations. That should give you some enjoyable homework while we wait for Reece's video on the matter ! 🤣

[@jasonlescalleet5611]

Around here, disused rail lines are often snapped up and turned into bike trails. This is great if you like to bike places (and lots of people here ride bicycles, for exercise and sometimes even for transportation) but it precludes using them for trams. Offhand I can’t think of any rail rights-of-way in my area that aren’t either still used for (freight) trains, or converted to bike use. And I know I’m not the only cyclist here who would raise a stink if someone tried to take away one of my bike routes.

[@filipthorne7260]

Could you do a video on Prague? We have great trams!

[@RMTransit]

2023!

[@biscuit715]

God I loved Prague trams. Never used the metro because I liked the trams too much! Shame about some roads being so anti pedestrian though, crossing the bridges is horrible! (Charles bridge is horrible for a different reason lol)

[@DanielFildan]

@@RMTransit Would be happy to help out with Prague. The various modernisations and renovations of the tram vehicle fleet can be a tough not to crack.

[@DavidFraser007]

Brno has better! nejlepší šalina

[@filipthorne7260]

@@DavidFraser007 BRUH Brno has no metro lol JK it’s ok.

[@sciamachy9838]

Proud of living in one of the cities with the most iconic trams of all times: Milan. The class 1935 has been exported a lot, even in San Francisco.

[@idot3331]

3:19 I don't know much about American trams, but I much prefer the aesthetic design of the first tram to the second one. It looks quite retro, but if it's nice and well maintained I think I prefer it over a lot of modern European tram designs which often look a bit cheap and tacky in my opinion. Obviously practicality is the most important factor, which I can't comment on based one one photograph, but I really love that boxy retro design for trams and trains.

[@PatrickLechevallier]

Excellent...as always!I very often watch transit videos in different languages but honeslty you are the best and you know your stuff very well.Because of you RM Transit is the best.What I also like is that you don't only focus on North american transit systems.With you,we can travel in many cities around the world....your comments are well done ....Go on with your good work! Merry Xmas and happy new year to you !Joyeux Noel et bonne année!(Bonjour de Québec au Canada)...

[@hintmations]

Personally, I don't like the U.S light rail system because they forget that you're supposed to remove cars from the streets before building it, otherwise, it gets stuck, the best case (I've seen) that an LRV stops at a road crossing, the tram with more people should have priority. Also, I feel that Trams should be used as local transit, North American cities build Light Rail even though they run it as a rapid transit-like service while being slower and having less capacity.

[@benqurayza7872]

I agree about signal priority for LRTs on city streets. New Jersey Transit management seems afraid to assert this for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail because their political masters have no transit vision.

[@RMTransit]

Yes, local transit service is probably where most trams make sense

[@johnruskin4290]

It's weird because when trying to get a traffic light at an intersection on a Pittsburgh street with light rail tracks, the powers that be said they couldn't because it would impead the "rail line" as if it were akin to a freight train. We didn't mention the one existing traffic light for fear it would be removed. I think there are too many conflicting well-intentioned rules and priorities/perspectives that we need to sort out.

[@wojtusrealname]

I think that best tram systems still exists in central and eastern eErope in countries like Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. These systems are integrated into cities and have different types of usage depending on the likne, within one system, for example Poznan with regional tram, city tram, and high speed tram(premetro) or Kosice with tram line going straight to Tatry Mountains tourist towns. U should look at tram systems in the eastern part of EU. btw great video

[@petrfedor1851]

Trams in Unites States and Canada: We can eighter go full on streetcar or light rail. Trams in Czech ans Slovak cities: We can switch between these mode twice on one line. And between two towns occasionaly.

[@RRAAZZAA]

You should check out, imo (a bit biased as well) the best tram network in the world Melbourne’s tram network

[@LaT00pe]

Merry Christmas Reese ^^ Thank you for all the great content !

[@darynvoss7883]

Melbourne's tram system is a crucial part of the transit system, with 200 million trips annually. Not at all uncommon for people to travel 15 or 20 km by tram.

[@meikahidenori]

It's also not uncommon here to see older ones in service for tourists either. We can have quite an eclectic mix on weekends and holidays

[@user-pv6qk6rm2u]

In Berlin some Tram stops share their platform with buses. This makes the transfer easy and saves space for road vehicles. Cars dont have to stop behind buses

[@elizabethdavis1696]

Please consider doing a video on rail trails and abandoned tracks

[@RMTransit]

That’s a good topic idea!

[@Jaymac720]

In New Orleans, we have street cars. They’ve been a thing here for close to 200 years. The first went into service in 1835. The two most well known lines used are St. Charles and Canal. I’ve actually taken the Canal street car from Mid City to downtown, and it’s pretty convenient in addition to being an experience. But yeah, it’s not gonna get you to every part of the city

[@rudivandoornegat2371]

Great video. I enjoyed it. Merry Christmas.

[@gustavolanata1019]

Thank you for mentioning Budapest. I use the tram for many walkable distances as most of my mates. It can take me out to other areas but for that I use the Metro. Overall the tram is very convenient and makes my trips to work easy on a daily basis. Great work.

[@felixkeller5144]

it would be awesome if you would talk about the different modes of transportation in zurich. Its awesome that you have trams, trolleybuses, regular buses and the s bahn all in the same city with very good interchanges.

[@skylinetravels]

Always I enjoy watching your videos thank you for sharing amazing information

[@unspeakablek5750]

I think a perfect example would be a city like Dublin, Ireland. This is because of the various ways the tram is utilised. There, the trams run on streets, they're grade separated, run the middle of main roads, they run along old rail corridors and also run on viaducts. This gives the Dublin tramway network very high versatility, as they run like buses in the city and like suburban rail in the suburbs. Another interesting factor is the speed of the trams, because in Dublin city's dense core the tramway runs quite slowly at an average speed of 35 km/h, where as in the suburbs they operate up to 70 km/h on old rail corridors and right of ways. And all of that is achieved with the most simple and basic European tram, made by Alstom. So, in my opinion this is the perfect case study for the possible uses of modern European trams in north America and all over the world.

[@rolandharmer6402]

Many thanks for the video and best wishes for the New Year. I agree about design - good design make you feel good. The trams system in Strasbourg is very elegant. When they were put in the opportunity was taken to redesign the streets and in some cases reduce the space for cars. The system works well and has been gradually extended.

[@jasonriddell]

IMHO North America as a whole views TRANSIT / Mobility differently then Europe and in North America the personal car is the "highest form of mobility with the BUS at the bottom add it a MAJOR distrust / "hatred" for anything involving "tax dollars" and you get a transit system that LOOKS and FUNCTIONS way differently then ones in areas that believe that PUBLIC TRANSIT and GREATER PUBLIC infrastructure is required to BUILD better communities / cities

[@fenleyjones]

In north America, light rail means the vehicle has steel wheels.

[@AaronSmith-sx4ez]

Good video! In my view trams are overused and misunderstood in NA. Typically they are sold as a cheaper alternative to a metro, but most city managers are naive to how much slower they are. They do have their niche though... The station walkshed can be incredibly quick for a tram...maybe 30 seconds compared to 5 minutes+ for bigger metro stations. Also many trams have mixed standing room/seats and it's easier to get a seat on a tram vs a bus...the latter of which can be claustrophobically packed. They unload faster than a bus, pollute less nitric oxide than a diesel bus, depreciate slower than a bus, and are a great option for cities in cold climates where yes you could walk...but it wouldn't be fun. I think as you put it they are best used in dense downtowns corridors and walk extenders...and not for long distances, low density areas, suburban commutes or where capacity is needed.

[@AaronSmith-sx4ez]

@@grahamturner2640 I agree!

[@longiusaescius2537]

Exactly bru

[@NotReallySan]

Our DWA (now owned by Bombardier) ‘HermeLijn’ trams were originally supposed to be 100% low-floor but De Lijn (our operator) switched it to 70% low-floor at the last moment. Thankfully we have 100% low-floor Bombardier Flexity 2’s now and they’re amazing.

[@bryanCJC2105]

It doesn't help that most US transit agencies and political leaders view public transit as an extension of welfare and therefore, only worthy of the minimum design and options, minimum operable segments, and minimum integration. In fact, US trams are rarely built along the busiest transit corridors and instead serve a wealthier part of cities. They are frequently built, not as a bona fide transit solution but, as a development solution aimed at choice riders to revitalize dead downtowns and for new sports stadiums, aka "vanity trains". This is why most new tram/light rail lines in US cities often barely exceed the ridership of a moderate bus line.

[@Sam-pv7bd]

I loved the Berlin Tram. It was so fun to ride. There was a Tram station and an S-Bahn station right outside the hotel where my parents and I stayed.

[@hsantana]

An interesting tram system to check is in Santos - Brazil, even if trams are ugly, system is getting a lot of popularity and under major expansion in downtown area. Just search for "VLT Santos"...that's how LRTs are called around here.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

One thing is, in North America a lot of light rail systems are implemented in cities with metro area populations of over a million people. In Europe, cities that big normally have a metro as their highest system of transport. (Though not all) Most european light rails can be found in cities between 300.000 and 1.000.000. Like Karlsruhe or Valencia. But Europe also has its Ottawa like low floor Metros, like Granada, Sevilla, Porto, Kryvy Rih, Wolgograd,

[@MarioFanGamer659]

Just FYI, only Sevilla and Kryvy Rih are proper examples since they're fully grade separated while the ones only underground in the city centre but act like a normal tram (i.e. with grade crossings) otherwise.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

@@MarioFanGamer659 Yeah, your right.

[@jasonriddell]

a lot of global cities STARTED Metro / Trams a LOT earlier then North America that will usually NOT build a train based transit solution till 800K OR MORE people

[@starborneolympus3907]

Here I am like - wait - there are cities without trams ? I am from a city of 250k and never thought, there could exist cities above 100k without trams in Europe.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

@@starborneolympus3907 Unfortunately, there are still a lot of cities with over 100.000, that don't have trams. Maybee even more than half.

[@ollebrandt]

Love your videos, you are so right in time...

[@johndemcko8585]

I'm glad you've covered Phoenix. The light rail here is almost always street running, but with some signal priority (Phoenix City, at least).

[@tobias5224]

Love to see my hometown Karlsruhe featured in different shots. It really has a great 'Stadtbahnnetz' and using rail lines connects many surrounding cities right into the city center.

[@aleksstosich]

I share your love of French trams - I really liked Caen's system when I was there years ago. I hope Metrolinx does it right with the Hamilton LRT.

[@stephankoenig6116]

I get that optical factors play a role in the attractiveness of public transport, but for me, what plays a much more important roles are the technical, planning aspects as opposed to e.g. livery. Can you give me your thoughts on that?

[@RMTransit]

I don’t think you can have great transit without getting most of these things, right, and I think usually systems that don’t have great service. Also, don’t get the aesthetics, right

[@jasonriddell]

in North America when transit systems upgrade to a NEW series of transit bus ridership goes up and always has happened and in all cities that track that have shown that "new" does draw in MORE usage

[@joestrahl6980]

@@RMTransit trams can be part of the cityscape and soul of a city in a way that is difficult for a bus. That is a reason why the design and beauty of tram vehicles is important. Also among others a tramway is a long term committment that then effects the further development of the corridor and city blocks at a short distance away.

[@torenthe_expert8977]

I love how all the public transit KZbinrs watch eachother

[@diedampfbrasse98]

what North America also seems to have missed in many cities is that Trams can and should be extremely well combined with bus lines. Over in the US I often was forced to walk around a lot when I needed to switch from one public transport to another ... Modern european tram networks design stops for a seemless transition between busses and trams, or other public transport options. You step out of your bus and just need to turn around on the spot to wait for your tram. That goes for stops on a regular street and for the dedicated tram pathways which allow busses to get on and off for the stops. Hence low capacity bus lines feeding directly into the higher capacity tram lines (which then feed into S-Bahns/rail/etc), extremely minimizing the need to walk when using public transport overall.

[@jamesmilham9491]

OMG!!! He mentioned the Gold Coast. I've been waiting for so long for Reece to talk about our G:LINK, and he loves it!! 😍😂

[@thismetrotunnellife]

Fancy that - footage of Acland St, St Kilda Melbourne, Australia featured on Canadian YT...good one

[@zedspoint4614]

When I went to Augsburg, Germany, the trams there were quite great, different types (newer and older) mixed together. It worked great and all the trams I boarded where always on time within 30seconds of what the timetable says. The trams were always different from the one before it with the sheer amount of advertisements/posters on the trams. One tram would be decorated with Lidl/Aldi bakery, another one with Volkswagen or Audi, others with Pharmacies/Apotheka, and electric/water distributor. I think that really helped with sustaining the frequent running of the trams with some operating every 5-10mins near the university while other areas with 15-30min frequencies aside from weekends

[@gregderise9969]

This is an outstanding video that I firmly believe would be highly instructive to all planners to view. I wish somebody in the US administration that’s involved with transit funding would see this and require any city applying for federal funds to watch this and apply some of the lessons in it. This is an incredibly valuable video that makes me envious of European cities which have tram systems planned, I am more human centric planners, in other words planners no that the days of individual car ownership for moving around in dense urban areas is sub optimal

[@unknownPLfan]

This doesn't mention tho some of the newer tram systems in the US that do act more like streetcars in city centers with some mixed results. E.g. KC, Portland, Atlanta, and Milwaukee, etc. It's wild what we do here. Either we have tram systems trying to cover interurban type distances in places where it should really be a metro, or we have dinky city center loops that are only marginally better than old school pre war trolleys because they at least have articulated vehicles and somewhat better separation from traffic, but ultimately often fail because they don't connect to much outside of the immediate city center.

[@PSNDonutDude]

You've criticized the Hamilton LRT before, but it actually has a lot of the design features that you enjoy. It will be side running for a portion of time, it will significantly reduce vehicle lanes, and when they do run in the centre, there is only 1 lane and sometimes 2 retained with no widening. There are many spots where vehicle lanes are being reduced from 4 to 1, for deliveries and such. It will be grade separated except at intersections and will have transit priority at intersections. I hope we get green track as well and will be advocating for this. Much of the LRT route is also a walkable or cyclable distance, and ultimately will be for capacity rather than speed.

[@brunosantos7529]

I really think you would like to investigate a little about the light-rail metro in Porto, Portugal which uses tram vehicles (like the EuroTram used in France). This system is used to connect the suburbs to downtown, and all the lines (except for line D) run through downtown using the old train course and diverge at begin and end of the lines connecting to different cities around Porto.

[@macbuff81]

Alstom also built some of Washington, DC subway cabs. The original ones were built by Rohr. The newest ones running on the Silver Line are built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. DC has also put back an above ground tram system which really looks nice

[@MrMarinus18]

9:00 In many parts of Europe trams also have signal priority. They always get a green light except for some highly specific circumstances.

[@arokh72]

I hope when it opens, you cover, and perhaps visit, the Parramatta Light Rail. It'll give, in part, easy access to one of Sydney's busiest, if not the busiest, hospital districts at Westmead. An area that is currently serviced by a few roads, that get very congested, and a heavy rail station about 10 min uphill walk from the hospital main entrance. This hospital also services country areas of the state, so you can imagine how busy it can get. Also part of the route will have green rail, which will be lovely if maintained properly. As for the overhead power lines, there are options. As you'd be aware Sydney has a third rail option along part of the route, which looks so much nicer than overhead lines, and Newcastle uses capacitive power, in that the LR runs off capacitors, which are charged via pantograph, at stations. On a personal note, as a teen, and early 20s, lad in the late 80s and early 90s, I did enjoy going to the George St entrainment area in Sydney, but hated needing cross the road as it was always busy, but at least narrow. Seeing that traffic has been removed and it's a shared street with LR, makes me happy knowing that young people today have easier access to the area.

[@longiusaescius2537]

Interesting

[@shirschi98]

Can you have a look at the tram networks from Bern, Basel and Zürich (all Switzerland) also a look into the Intercity Network from Switzerland would be really cool.

[@MrIknowyoudont]

Be interesting to hear your take on the Manchester Metrolink. The UK’s largest light rail network. It’s referred to locally as the ‘tram’ and covers a few a city centres in the Greater Manchester Metro area.

[@dropshot1967]

I think you hit the nail on the head with your remark that the city planners still wanted to have the option to use their cars themselves. I feel in northern America (USA and Canada) planning still largely is done car centric. This is slowly changing in some cities and your video neatly lays out a number of points that need to see improvements in that area.

[@mariocelej3613]

@RMTransit, you should plan a visit to Warsaw and then with a train you may go to Berlin(it would be 2 in 1 trip...) There is a direct line to Warsaw(from TO) and you can also see the new Hyundai trams that are driving around the city.

[@kidrissa]

I feel like what we have in Houston is a PERFECT example of "Minimum Viable Tram". It seems like folks tried to make EVERY compromise, and what we ended up was a system that is, at best, "meh".

[@MrMarinus18]

Americans are super stingy with tax dollars and they tend to be super critical of their government. If you have a government that's more trusted they can actually put quality first and build a good system even if it ends up being expensive. In countries with strong socialist politicians there is a requirement for a good system regardless of what it costs. Of course money is not infinite but in America they often try to get the minimum they can get away with. While in Europe they try to get the maximum they can get away with.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

@@MrMarinus18 The French are even more critical of their government. That is why they are more courageous about protesting and forcing their government to be afraid of THEM, rather than the way Americans are terrified of THEIR government and terrified to protest.

[@MrMarinus18]

@@theultimatereductionist7592 Yet in France it seems to work a little better. Mostly because people are a little more sane and a little less likely to believe dumb conspiracy theories. Note my use of the word "little".

[@_me-ta-_3780]

@@MrMarinus18 Trust needs to be earned. The amount of corruption and funds being diverted to other things in the US is insane. Just raise taxes and give the government more money is obviously not a sane answer when they have proven that they will mismanage the hell out of it and pocket it every step of the way. The other thing that should be mentioned is that public transit doesn't have to be publicly-owned. In Japan many of the better train lines are actually private railways. This model may work better for the US than the European model, but only if transit stops being seen as for poor people. (the amount of crime on US transit doesn't help with this perception)

[@MrMarinus18]

@@_me-ta-_3780 The US already has very low taxes compared to other nations. One funny thing about that is actually that the Japanese model is the original American model. Japanese trains themselves are operated at a loss almost universally but profit is made through the stores and through underused membership cards. They also very often make money by making a station and selling the land to developers at considerable price. This profit model was invented in the US where railways were sold at a loss and profit was made from real estate.

[@luhso7552]

I'd love to see a take on Lisbon's tram network. Visited recently and found it pretty intimidating to try to figure out.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

The problem with Toronto is that trams are used as a cheaper (key word) "alternative" to metro systems which is a problem. If they are needed they should be on their own merits based on need.

[@MrAronymous]

There is limited vision though. Zoning is lagging. The current tram routes under construction are all surrounded by low rise sometimes even low density buildings. For a proper metro to pay of density would have to be increased along the whole line, more than just 1 block surrounding a station like is the case right now.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

@@MrAronymous For a metro to pay off all you need is to ensure that it will attract ridership. And one of the ways to do this is to make sure the stations act as hubs (i.e. buses service/terminate at those stations). You see this on Line 2 (particularly the Scarborough and Etobicoke stations) where most of the ridership does not live in close proximity to the subway line but is connected to it by buses. This was part of the problem with the discourse surrounding the Scarborough LRT vs. subway extension. Sure, the LRT would be (by virtue of its seven stations as opposed to three) closer to more people but (as current usage rates for the SRT prove) the busiest stations (in this case Scarborough Centre, and Lawrence East) are those where the buses go. Put another way, metros can be justified when you build existing infrastructure (i.e. buses and other routes) to service them more so than the immediate density of the surrounding area.

[@yarwar]

It's worth mentioning that a substantial part of what you praise as modern European tram designs were actually provided by Bombardier :)

[@strassenbahntk]

Thanks for the very profound insight into Canadian and US transportation design culture. I can tell you that there are also modern tram systems in Europe with sections in mixed traffic, low vmax, no grass tracks, and insertion of tracks into streets without improving the urban environment. Nevertheless it's obvious that the French style will win probably everywhere long-term because its elements are just elements of the car-reduced 21st century city.

[@TaiyakiFox]

Greetings from Germany 👋 In my Hometown Kassel we mostly rely on our Tram System. With 9 regular Tram Lines we have quite a lot of them for a city of this size. Additionaly we have specialized Trams which are called "RegioTram". Those RegioTrams are not only able to use the citys's Tram rails, it can also drive on train rails to connect to other citys. Oh of course, we do have bus lines too, but this is about Trams after all.

[@hubertseidl1074]

your definition that it is somewhat like an elevator... I can understand it. I am in vienna and here it really works. in vienna, they even span a bit too long distances for that comparison. because there are lines that go straight for 5km or more. that's for me outside the realm of travelling comfortably by foot (but yes, I can do it). by the way, I am one of those who purchased the klimaticket Ö, and so far it is great. no more buying tickets for railways, busses etc.

[@nacaclanga9947]

The thing I really learned about this video is that there are indeed different types of overground inner urban methods of transit. I wasn't aware about them (with the exception of the inner city railway in some large cities) and that they need different rolling stock.

[@alainmellaerts8926]

For the enthousiasts, check out Tram 44 Brussels - Tervuren. One of the most beautiful in the world with classic trams from the Tram Museum running occasionally in Summer.

[@Master_Blackthorne]

Cool model in the background!

[@givolettorulez]

There's a big difference with some tram lines in Europe compared to the one are shown in the video. In some cities, in Italy Turin, Rome, Milan and Naples, some lines and some rails are survivors from 1800s. This means that tramways are present in narrow streets and get interfered by private traffic.

[@Sven_Okas1967]

I like my Tram in Berlin. In the next May a new line is open from berlin Mainstation to the underground station Turmstraße. The nex new tramline in Berlin is the Line to the station Ostkreuz. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven

[@XZenon]

Here in Germany, trams (U-Bahn, Stadtbahn etc.) often do allow for travel from one edge of the city to another on just one line going through the center but the are faster alternatives.

[@johnlang4198]

The illustration of the CAF trams for Calgary looks almost identical to the trams being used on Sydney's L1 Dulwich Hill light rail line, albeit with more sections.

[@maccrazy7335]

You should check out Vienna. We have a tram system you can use for trips that are almost un-walkable and while the change to low-floor in ongoing a decent amount of tram-trains are stilll completely high-floor... Also the Siemens ULF that makes up the majority of our low-floor fleet are among the most uncomfortable things you can imagine...

[@jaskoscricketos6682]

Do you plan to do something about public transport in Prague? 3 subway lines, another one under construction, one trolleybus line (they recently opened it, it is the official return of trolleybuses since the 1980s), 25 tram lines and more in the stage of planning or construction, and 175 bus lines. It is also unique in some ways and it is really cool. You could also mention the controversy about the new paint for public transport in Prague. Or the unique between-city tram line that is running between Jablonec nad Nisou and Liberec, which is also a cool topic. Well, anything about Czechia would be cool!

[@CameronKang91]

I like trams. When I was at Istanbul last month, the tram was so busy to point it get tram traffic jam near Eminonu and the drivers allow us to alight out of the station when we are stuck in tram traffic 🤣🤣

[@drdewott9154]

The biggest issues in North America are by far that they dont find that sweet spot in which trams work. Trams usually work best perfectly in between the needs of a bus or BRT, and between that of a Metro. So larger capacity needed than a bus, and yet where a full metro line isn't viable, and with a higher degree of priority in traffic than a bus, with dedicated lanes wherever possible and high degree of signal priority Yet in North America most systems either overbuild their infrastructure with hugely long trams and large amounts of grade separated infrastructure except a few sections, that make you question why its not a metro. And in the other end you have systems with barely any kind of priority in traffic or dedicated lanes, combined with slow operations and small vehicles where it makes you wonder why they didn't go for a bus.

[@kskssxoxskskss2189]

Learned a lot from this one. As usual.

[@krcprc]

I wonder what you think about trams in the Eastern block. Cities usually have large prefab house complexes on the outskirts with tens of thousands of inhabitants. These "suburbs" usually need more transit service than a bus and those cities usually already have a streetcar network (more like Toronto's than Paris'). So the same trams that wingle in those tiny old streets with low speed also go there, usually on a railway corridor with high speed and less frequent stops, basically light rail. I suppose that this need for medium capacity service way out of the centre is the reason this type of mixed tram system is not seen in America, although there's probably no technical reason why Toronto's trams couldn't also work as light rail.

[@a-dot-s-dot]

Another here curious to see your thoughts on Houston--mainly from UHD to Fannin South. FWIW, I also worked on the G:Link on the Gold Coast.

[@urbsinhorto]

This is one of the best videos I've seen on this channel. NA agencies deserve to be grilled for many of their decisions, from minor to major. As a designer, or just someone who "gets" good aesthetics, it is painful how difficult it seems to be for many NA agencies to intuitively understand what looks "great" versus "meh". Yes, many riders are indifferent - as long as it gets them where they're going - but get design is most definitely a factor in attracting choice riders. Something more international operators seem to inherently care about.

[@tygrallure6895]

I'm not sure why any of the planners in North America does not take notes from Europe and improve upon what they already successfully do. It's crazy living in Europe as an American, and seeing how easy it is to get around places, while these places are heavily populated. It is very possible to do it and for people to still keep their vehicles. And this would create jobs, and be better for the environment. I'm not sure why we don't want to get behind this, but it's immature and very saddening because we could be doing so much more with this land. It could really be a beautiful county.

[@jeroenska.]

I think you touch on something really important in the end. Most systems that I have been on in America seem like they have been their forever, and gives my the impression they are rarely improved after being built, at most a new set of trains. In the cities I know in Europe, the lines are constantly being developed, and often routes will change over time.

[@ethandanielburg6356]

I agree that modern French tram networks tend to be an excellent example of using trams where they make the most sense. I do wonder though why some tram lines in greater Paris are largely grade-separated but also have some street-running sections, like T2 and T13; I imagine it wouldn’t have cost that much more to grade-separate the entire thing and run a (light) metro-like service. The plans for a mostly underground tram line in the west of Lyon to replace what was going to be metro line E also seem a bit confusing. If you’re going to do all this tunnelling, would it really cost that much more money to build a fully grade-separated light metro rather than a heavily tunnelled tram line?

[@marcomontella6006]

Afaik Paris tram lines which are almost fully grade separated run on former rail corridors, such as T2 and T4. Then the cost of grade separation of the lines wasn't in the budget as the grade separated infrastructure was already there. Unused

[@janhofmeier9427]

The red troronto Trams remind me of the Trains that we have on Line 5 (also called OEG) in the "Rhein-Neckar-Kreis" (Mannheim-Heidelberg-Weinheim)

[@jnrfalcon]

Like some political commentators said. Mass transit system in the US often doesn't cost that much money, it cost votes. Especially when they got delayed by both sides, either for property right, or environmental feuds.

[@joermnyc]

Old streetcar systems were better at being trams. But we ripped that out to replace them with buses, or more car centric infrastructure. (Whether or not it was a conspiracy by GM or just market forces is up to your discretion.)

[@Damien.D]

You're joking about Paris tram, I hope? There's only one line, cut in half for maximum convenience, that requires to walk through a 6 lane boulevard to continue a journey started *on the same line*, and the whole darn thing is built parallel, 300m maximum appart, next to a disused heavy rail line, which is completely segregated from road traffic since when it was built. In 1870. There were also massive cost overrun because stupid art installations had been added at nearly each stop, for a price of hundreds of thousand euro *each*. As soon as it was finished, it was congested, because at each road crossing, there are inevitable slow downs.

[@davidmarkwort9711]

You should take a look at the history of the trams in Hannover, Germany from the year 1972 onwards, you will see how a city changed its face, the infrastructure and its trams to those of today.

[@DanTheCaptain]

The best “tram” in North America is line 512 in Toronto or the iON LRT in Kitchener Waterloo. A lot of the trams North American cities build are not that great because they often lack the right-of-way and aw just some tracks running in the street. Or they go the opposite direction and try and be something else, like a light metro.