PORTO | Metro

[Paulo2004]

[cellete]

It´s no so much "subway" on those pictures, but still nice.

[Thelème]

we have the same thing in Milan... and we are used to call it: "tram"

[Nephasto]

Lol.
He only showed the tram part of it.



The only line operating right now is the blue line.

In the thinner part of it (Senhor de Matosinhos - Senhora da Hora), it's like what you see on the 2nd image, like a tram, and independant from road traffic.

In the thicker part of the line (Senhora da Hora - Trindade), it's just as any other metro or train on the surface. (Casa da Música station is underground, and there's a tunnel between Lapa and Trindade stations)

On the even thicker part of it (Trindade - Estádio do Dragão) it's underground.

[ZielonaGora]

i think it is a great idea to built the metro system like in Porto, the semi-metro and semi-tram type is far cheaper that the normal metro so it can be built muchfaster and serve more areas. in the city centre under groud and outside above ground, on the street level or elevated. similar idea had german in Ruhrpot, Koeln and Stuttgart

[Vertigo]

It's indeed similar to the Stadtbahn concept in Germany. A fast tram, running underground in the city center. Clever concept, combining the advantages of a metro (very fast in the city center) with the advantages of a tram (cheaper to build).

[Paulo2004]

[Vertigo]

The underground stations look rather simple, but nice.

[Paulo2004]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

The underground stations look rather simple, but nice.

Glass, inox or inox-like materials, plain and almost one coloured walls, seem to be what characterizes modern portuguese arquitecture today. The aim is to convey cleaness, peacefulness and tranquility to the surroundings. Yet, I think a portuguese architect would explain it to you much better.

Have a look at:modern houses in portugal

[Paulo2004]

[Morten M]

What is the driving speed in the different parts of the line? (Underground, Tram and "normal train")

[beto_chaves]

Originally Posted by Morten M

What is the driving speed in the different parts of the line? (Underground, Tram and "normal train")

I can't tell you the exact speed but trains run with the same speed in the central zone and new trains (they are not yet working) will increase the speed in the external zones of the red line.

[Eletrix]

WOW!!! Fantastic PORTO! Very, very, very GOOD!

[Petronius]

The ideas behind this lightrail system are as follows:

1-No rail/road junctions WITHIN the city itself. Even when the trains travel at surface level within the city the rails never cross any roads or even pedestrian walks. It goes underground in the city centre for obvious reasons(Medieval borough, the streets are TOO freakin' narrow!!!! ).
2-In the suburbs(Matosinhos, Maia), the lightrail becomes just like a regular Tramway, with the rails at exactly the same level as the rest of the roads, and where car/train junctions can occur regularly, however the trains ALWAYS have the priority over all the rest.

Answering your question, and taking all this into account, in the suburbs, the average speed of the trains is at least half of that inside the actual city. I can't give any figures though. I estimate an average of 32 Kmph Suburbs and 64 Kmph within the city. I might be wrong though(it takes 12 min to travel from where I live (Senhora da Hora) to the city centre(Boavista) - about 8Km apart. )

[Nephasto]

Originally Posted by Pedrocid

The ideas behind this lightrail system are as follows:

1-No rail/road junctions WITHIN the city itself. Even when the trains travel at surface level within the city the rails never cross any roads or even pedestrian walks. It goes underground in the city centre for obvious reasons(Medieval borough, the streets are TOO freakin' narrow!!!! ).
2-In the suburbs(Matosinhos, Maia), the lightrail becomes just like a regular Tramway, with the rails at exactly the same level as the rest of the roads, and where car/train junctions can occur regularly, however the trains ALWAYS have the priority over all the rest.

Answering your question, and taking all this into account, in the suburbs, the average speed of the trains is at least half of that inside the actual city. I can't give any figures though. I estimate an average of 32 Kmph Suburbs and 64 Kmph within the city. I might be wrong though(it takes 12 min to travel from where I live (Senhora da Hora) to the city centre(Boavista) - about 8Km apart. )

This post really explains well how it works!
As for the average speed, i don't know it, but it can't be 64km/h inside the city, because that would be one of the fastest metros in the world! (I must remember you that 60km/h is the average speed for Madrid's line 8, which is really fast and with few stops).
Anyway, the vehicle's top comercial speed is 80 km/h.

[Vertigo]

1-No rail/road junctions WITHIN the city itself. Even when the trains travel at surface level within the city the rails never cross any roads or even pedestrian walks. It goes underground in the city centre for obvious reasons(Medieval borough, the streets are TOO freakin' narrow!!!! ).
2-In the suburbs(Matosinhos, Maia), the lightrail becomes just like a regular Tramway, with the rails at exactly the same level as the rest of the roads, and where car/train junctions can occur regularly, however the trains ALWAYS have the priority over all the rest.

Many German light rail systems (Stadtbahn) have exactly the same system, running as a metro in the city center and as a tram in the suburbs.

Here's an example in Essen:

[Paulo2004]

Let's hope for Porto residents and tourists alike that its connection to the Oporto Inter. Airport is completed without delays.

[Nephasto]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Many German light rail systems (Stadtbahn) have exactly the same system, running as a metro in the city center and as a tram in the suburbs.

Here's an example in Essen:

Yes, it's like a stadtbahn.
However, in that 2nd picture looks like the stadtbahn share it's route with car traffic, which means it can be stuck in traffic.
This doesn't happens in Oporto, because it never shares tracks with the cars. There are only road intersections with traffic lights allways green for the metro.

[Paulo2004]

[spsmiler]

Originally Posted by Nephasto

Yes, it's like a stadtbahn.
However, in that 2nd picture looks like the stadtbahn share it's route with car traffic, which means it can be stuck in traffic.
This doesn't happens in Oporto, because it never shares tracks with the cars. There are only road intersections with traffic lights allways green for the metro.

In Essen line U17 is an upgraded tram converted to light rail.

In the suburbs it mostly has its own tracks but there are a few places where the roads is not wide enough so it shares roadspace with the other traffic.

At one location the trams / light rail vehicles cross a high bridge, and here too they share the road with the other traffic - but special traffic signals let them go first.

Nowadays this route uses "high floor" lrv's where passengers can enter without climbing steps - whilst this was good for people who need easy access it also meant that at least one tram stop had to be closed because it was not possible to build proper platforms.

btw, both the lrv's seen here originally came from London's Docklands Light Railway. They were sold to Essen because they did not comply with British safety standards for use in the underground tunnels built for the line to Bank. For Essen they were fitted overhead wire collection devices (pantographs) and at each end of the vehicle a cab for a driver (in London the DLR trains are driven by computers - this is not possible in Essen on lines which also use the roads with cars, lorries, pedestrians, etc!)

Simon