Tram stops can range from purpose-built, tram-exclusive infrastructure similar to conventionaltrain stations(example inLyon),...... over stops threaded into narrow urban environments (here inHong Kong)...... to simple stops within a public road (here inFrankfurt am Main).
Atram stop,tram station,streetcar stop,orlight rail stationis a place designated for atram,streetcar,orlight railvehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics ofbus stops,but because trams operate on rails, they often includerailway platforms,especially if stepless entries are provided foraccessibility.However, trams may also be used with bus stop type flags and with mid-street pavements as platforms, instreet runningmode.
Many tram or streetcar stops, especially on older tram lines street-running on narrower streets, have no dedicated platforms. Instead, stops are located in the middle of the roadway. Passengers need to cross lanes for motor vehicles to board or alight from trams.
Examples of systems with this type of stops include:
North America
Toronto, ON, Canada: Most stops on allTTC streetcarroutes except 509, 510, and 512
San Francisco, CA, United States:Muni MetroLines J, K, L, M, and N andcable cars
Philadelphia, PA, United States:SEPTARoutes 11, 13, 14, 15, 34, 36, 101, and 102.
In most jurisdictions, to protect passengers' safety, at stops without a safety zone or designated platform, traffic cannot legally pass a tram or streetcar whose doors are open.[1][2][3]
Several light rail systems have high-platform stops or stations with dedicated platforms atrailway platform height.Reasons for this include systems being created from formerheavy railroutes (as in the case of theMetrolinksystem inGreater Manchester,England), or to provide a morerapid transit-like commuting experience (such as theMetro Railsystem inLos Angeles,California). Such trams also stop at dedicated platform stops onStadtbahnsystems in Germany, especially in underground stations in city centres.
Platforms ofBoileaupremetrostation, showing the dual platform heights
Some stops in thepre-metro networkinBrusselsfeature high platforms with cutouts along the edge. This allows passengers to board low-floor trams while maintaining the potential for future upgrade to full-scale metro operations. The cutouts act as access points for low-floor vehicles, ensuring the station can easily transition to a fully high-platform configuration when necessary.
TheMuni Metrosystem in San Francisco utilizes high-floorlight rail vehicles(LRVs). To ensure accessibility for wheelchair users, many street-level stations feature ramps for level boarding. Non-wheelchair users, however, access the LRV by climbing the interior steps from the street-level platform.
Not all tram stops are served full-time. In the 1920s, Toronto created Sunday stops in addition to regular stops along its streetcar routes. Sunday stops were only used on a Sunday and, with few exceptions, were always near a Christian church. There were also a few Sunday stops near subway stations that were usable only before 9 am, the Sunday opening time of the subway system. However, theToronto Transit Commissiondecided to close all Sunday stops on June 7, 2015. The TTC found that Sunday stops slow down streetcars making it more difficult to maintain schedules. Also, Sunday stops were also unfair to non-Christian places of worship which never had the equivalent of a Sunday stop. By 2015, most Sunday stops were along current and former streetcar routes.[4]
Just like bus and conventional train stations, street car stations can be located underground, such as in this shopping district inThe Hague.Train/railway station
