Karlsruhe Stadtbahn
A Karlsruhe Stadtbahn train
in the Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof. |
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Locale | Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany | ||
| Transit type | Light rail (Stadtbahn) | ||
| Number of lines | 12 | ||
| Number of stations | 190 | ||
| Website | AVG and KVV | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 25 September 1992 | ||
| Operator(s) | Albtal Verkehrs Gesellschaft mbH (AVG); Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 262.4 km (163.0 mi) | ||
| Track gauge |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
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| Electrification | 750 V DC 15 kV AC 16.7 Hz |
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The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is a German tram-train system combining tram lines in the city of Karlsruhe with railway lines in the surrounding countryside, serving the entire region of the middle upper Rhine valley and creating connections to neighbouring regions. The Stadtbahn combines an efficient urban railway in the city with an S-Bahn (suburban railway), overcoming the boundary between trams/light railways and heavy railways. Its logo does not include the green and white S-Bahn symbol used in other German suburban rail systems and the symbol is only used at stops and stations outside the inner-city tram-operation area.
The idea to link tram and railway lines with one another in order to be able to offer an attractive transport system for town and outskirts was developed in Karlsruhe and implemented gradually in the 1980s and 1990s, with the system commencing operation in 1992. This idea, known as the Karlsruhe model or tram-train, has been adapted by other European cities.
The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is operated in co-operation by Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (Alb valley transport corporation, AVG), Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe transport authority, VBK) and Deutsche Bahn (DB). The two urban transport operators, VBK and AVG, operate most services, while DB is responsible for the sections from Pforzheim and Bretten to Bietigheim-Bissingen. As of 2013[update], AVG quotes the size of the part of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn system that is not operated by DB as 262.4 kilometres (163.0 mi), with 12 lines serving 190 stations.
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