Editing Tram (section)

{{Short description|Street-running light railcar}}
{{Redirect|Streetcar|other uses|Tram (disambiguation)|and|Streetcar (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|trackless train}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
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[[File:Muzeum MHD, tramvaje T3 8084 a 6149, zepředu.jpg|thumb|With over 14,000 units, [[Tatra T3]] is the most widely produced type in history.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-16 |title=60 years since iconic Tatra T3 tram began roaming streets |url=https://english.radio.cz/60-years-iconic-tatra-t3-tram-began-roaming-streets-8767147 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Radio Prague International |language=en}}</ref>]]
A '''tram''' (also known as a '''streetcar''' or '''trolley''' in Canada and the United States) is an [[urban rail transit]] in which [[Rolling stock|vehicles]], whether individual [[railcar]]s or [[multiple-unit]] [[train]]s, run on [[tramway track]]s on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-way]].<ref>{{cite web |title=tram |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/tram |access-date=19 February 2018 |work=The Free Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=tram |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tram |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409061036/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tram |archive-date=9 April 2015 |publisher=[[Merriam Webster]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 January 2018 |title=Streetcars vs LRT |url=http://www.edmonton-radial-railway.ab.ca/learn/streetcarsversuslrt/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |website=Edmonton Radial Railway Society}}</ref> The tramlines or tram networks operated as [[public transport]] are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Because of their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term ''[[light rail]]'',<ref>Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014</ref> which also includes systems separated from other traffic.

Tram vehicles are usually lighter and shorter than [[Main line (railway)|main line]] and [[rapid transit]] trains. Most trams use electrical power, usually fed by a [[Pantograph (transport)|pantograph]] sliding on an [[overhead line]]; older systems may use a [[trolley pole]] or a [[bow collector]]. In some cases, a [[contact shoe]] on a [[third rail]] is used. If necessary, they may have dual power systems—electricity in city streets and diesel in more rural environments. Occasionally, trams also carry [[freight (rail)|freight]]. Some trams, known as [[tram-train]]s, may have segments that run on mainline railway tracks, similar to [[interurban]] systems. The differences between these modes of rail transport are often indistinct, and systems may combine multiple features.

One of the advantages over earlier forms of transit was the low [[rolling resistance]] of metal wheels on [[steel]] rails, allowing the trams to haul a greater load for a given effort. Another factor which contributed to the rise of trams was the high [[total cost of ownership]] of horses. Electric trams largely replaced animal power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Improvements in other vehicles such as [[bus]]es led to decline of trams in early to mid 20th century. However, trams have seen resurgence since the 1980s.
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