Light rail Facts for Kids

Edmonton Light Rail Transit in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Light rail or light rail transit (LRT) is a form of urban rail public transportation. Generally it can carry less people and has a lower speed than heavy rail/metro systems, but it can carry more people and has a higher speed than street-running tram systems. The term is normally used to refer to rail systems with rapid transit-style features that usually use electric rail cars operating mostly in private rights-of-way separated from other traffic but sometimes, if necessary, mixed with other traffic in city streets. Modern light rail technology is highly flexible in how it can be used, and whether any given system is considered a true rapid transit system or not depends on its implementation.

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The light rail in Tunis, Tunisia, was the only light rail in Africa until 2015.
Los Angeles' expansion of mass transit has been driven in large part by light rail. The L Line is pictured above.
Utah Transit Authority's TRAX has 50 stations on three lines.
London's Docklands Light Railway is run by Transport for London.
The CTrain is a light rail system operated by Calgary Transit
Streetcar built by Preston Car Company in Ontario
Edmonton Light Rail Transit in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was the first modern LRT line in North America
The MetroLink light rail in St. Louis, Missouri, United States
The Buenos Aires Premetro, built in 1987
An MBTA Green Line train in Boston
Pittsburgh Light Rail at Station Square
SEPTA's 101 trolley pulling into 69th Street Terminal near Philadelphia
Metrolink in Manchester city center, England, is an example of street-level light rail
Gold Coast's G:Link Light Rail runs on a mix of a dedicated right of way, tunnels, and at grade intersections
Some light rail networks feature extensive underground sections, like the Edmonton LRT in Canada.
The Tenerife Tram in Tenerife, Spain, includes some operation at street level, but separated from other traffic
Sydney's Dulwich Hill Line is mostly situated on segregated tracks along a former heavy rail corridor
Hong Kong's MTR Light Rail serves the northwest suburbs with unidirectional high floor LRVs.
Belgium's Coast Tram operates over almost 70 km and connects multiple town centres.
Circular light rail in front of the Gate of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
A Crystal Mover LRT train on boarding
The new Ion system in Ontario's Waterloo Region spurred massive development along its route before opening
On the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn, trams sometimes share mainline tracks with heavy rail trains
The Trillium Line in Ottawa was built along a freight railway and is still occasionally used by freight traffic overnight.
The Tren de la Costa in Greater Buenos Aires
A light-rail vehicle on the Hämeenkatu street in Tampere
Metrotram in Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine) was separated from the streets, but later it was upgraded to be compatible with common tramways
A light-rail vehicle, a part of the TTC streetcar system in Toronto

Light rail facts for kids

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