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")

[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.

[Balsen]

I think that's the most successful project of rail public communication system in the new Europe. It combines the fast/street tram and the subway, cars are 100 % low floor, low suspended, look really modern and nice - in opposite to heavy typical subway cars... Because of construction this cars are more flexible, they can easily get underground and make shorter curves.
Actually that's my favourite solution in city public transportation.

[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]

[Vertigo]

However, in that 2nd picture looks like the stadtbahn share it's route with car traffic, which means it can be stuck in traffic.

Yes, sometimes Stadtbahn networks share routes with car traffic. Most of the cases they have their own right of way, though.

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

That's a good thing. In that way, you can achieve the speeds of a "full" metro (=fully underground or elevated) at a fraction of the costs.