Essen Stadtbahn
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Locale | Essen & Mülheim an der Ruhr, NRW, Germany | ||
| Transit type | Light rail (Stadtbahn) | ||
| Number of lines | 3 | ||
| Number of stations | 45 | ||
| Website | EVAG and VRR | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 28 May 1977 | ||
| Operator(s) | Essener Verkehrs-AG (EVAG) / Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 19.6 km (12.2 mi) | ||
| Track gauge |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
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The Essen Stadtbahn (German: Stadtbahn Essen) is a 19.6-kilometer (12.2 mi)light rail (Stadtbahn) network in Essen and the two neighbouring towns of Mülheim an der Ruhr and Gelsenkirchen in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia. It forms part of the Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn.
Like the Frankfurt U-Bahn, it is a mixed system of light rail and underground railway. One of its three lines, U18, runs completely free of intersections with other traffic. The other two lines are partly tramlines and partly underground lines. The sections of tramline have only a few sections that have no intersections with road traffic.
Like all urban public transport in Essen, the Essen Stadtbahn is operated by Essener Verkehrs-AG (EVAG), a company owned by the City of Essen. The transport companies of neighbouring municipalities are also involved with the operation of some lines under concessions.
The Essen Stadtbahn includes three standard gauge lines: U11, U17 and U18. The Essen tram network also has seven "classic" tram lines with around 52 kilometres of track. These tram lines run on metre gauge tracks and run underground in the centre of Essen. While sections are built as Stadtbahn lines, partly in tunnel, and have stations with high platforms, there are also tram lines used only by low-floor trams serving stops with low platforms. An exception is the underground section of the southern route to Bredeney where the stations are served by a mixture of high-platform and low-platform rollingstock and therefore the stations have to be adapted for both types of vehicle.
The four-track station at Essen Hauptbahnhof is the most important point of intersection between the three Stadtbahn lines and four, sometimes five tram lines where it is possible to switch between Stadtbahn trains and trams on the same platform. For this purpose the two different levels of the platform are connected by ramps. The platforms are arranged so that it is possible to transfer across the platform between trains and trams running to the north and between trains and trams running to the south. A bridge spans the entire underground station that is accessible by lifts, providing an easy interchange and a barrier-free transfer for the disabled to trains running in opposite directions. Stadtbahn cars and trams share several other stations. Tram lines 101 and 107 run on the southern section of the Stadtbahn tunnel from Essen Hauptbahnhof to Martinstraße, using the high platforms of the Stadtbahn. Therefore, the high-floor tramcars use fold-up steps on these two lines. This line is equipped with dual gauge track with three rails to cater for the different track gauges.
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