Nordhausen – TramTrains for small towns

Nordhausen is a German cityAi??Ai??at the southern edge of the Harz Ai??Ai??mountains, in the state of Thuringia.Ai??Ai?? Nordhausen’s population is a very modest 44,272 andAi??Ai??with a population density of 421 /kmAi??A?, one would think that the town is just too small for light-rail butAi??Ai??has a metric gauge tramway networkAi??Ai??with 2 lines (7 km long, built at the beginning ofAi??Ai??20th century). The central point of the system is located at the railway station, where a double track ring allow urban electric trams (internal track) and diesel trains (external track) from Ilfed to the Central Station or Bahnhof.Ai??Ai??To extend the metre gauge tram service along existing metre gauge railways,Ai??Ai??the local railway adopted the TramTrain concept, first pioneered in Karlsruhe Germany.Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??This allowsAi??Ai??local trams to act as regionalAi??Ai??trains toAi??Ai??extend their run alongAi??Ai??existing Harz railwayAi??Ai??tracks without any vehicle interchange at the railway station.

Look, no overhead wires!

Nordhausen trams and TramTrain should dispel any notion that towns in the Fraser Valley do not have the population or density for successful operation of light-rail, either electric or diesel!