The ("Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Street Railways" / light railway regulations), abbreviated as BOStrab, is a German law regulation governing the field of

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way,

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

and light rail operations. The orders are enacted by the Federal Ministry of Transport based on enabling act through the General Railway Law ("", first issued on 29. March 1951). The supervisory authority is delegated to the

Federal Railway Authority The German Federal Railway Authority (german: Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, ) has been the independent federal authority for the regulation of the railways in Germany since 1 January 1994. It is under the supervision and direction of the Federal Minist ...

of Germany. Systemwechsel Stadtbahn Karlsruhe

The BOStrab regulations are not as strict as the EBO main railway regulations; for example the BOStrab does not specify a strict loading gauge to follow. A third law ESBO () covers narrow-gauge railway regulations. The distinctions for these light rail systems are slightly different from in the UK

Tramways Act 1870 The Tramways Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict c 78) was an important step in the development of urban transport in United Kingdom. Street tramways had originated in the United States, and were introduced to UK by George Francis Train in the 1860s, the f ...

Light Railways Act 1896 The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...

. Some

Stadtbahn ' (; German for "city railway"; plural ') is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...

systems are subject to both BOStrab and EBO regulations as their vehicles use both types of networks. This is common with

tram-train A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This all ...

systems - apart from a technical switch on the boundary (e.g.

EMUs Emus may refer to: * Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the g ...

need to change from 750 V to 15 kV) a different set of safety regulations needs to be followed (e.g. tramways are run on sight while main railways use block control).

Trackbed

The § 16 BOStrab defines the legal types of trackbed: : Street running trackbed (""): :: These tramways are running directly along public streets, without any separation which makes them subject to rules of the road as automobiles. As such the streetcars need to be equipped with mirrors and blinkers. : Exclusive Trackbed (""): :: The tramway is part of the urban traffic structure but its railroads are separated from other traffic by an embankment, trees or curbs giving them an exclusive right of way. There may be

railroad crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term also ...

s marked with signs or traffic lights that regulate the access. : Independent Trackbed (""): :: The railway is independent of the urban traffic structure which in most cases has the railroad trackbed grade-separated in the city. The law allows level crossing as they are common outside of the city centre. If the tramway is street running or the crossings of the exclusive trackbed do not fit in the scope of § 20 BOStrab then tramways are limited to a maximum length of and a maximum width of . Current eligibility criteria define that federal funding for railroads is only permitted for sections that have a trackbed that is at least exclusive.

References

Law of Germany {{Germany-rail-transport-stub

Trackbed

See also

References