Bucharest Light rail

V3A-93-CH-PPC tram on light rail line 41

The Bucharest light rail (Romanian: Metroul ușor or "light metro") is a light rail transit system in Bucharest, Romania.

Operated by the Societatea de Transport București (STB), the municipal public transit operator, the service is technically similar to a light rail and not to a light metro system.

History[]

Light rail station "Pasajul Basarab"

Light rail use more modern rolling stock than trams and also run on separate designated corridors for faster travel times.

The first line (41) was opened in 2002, and runs through the west part of the city (from FC Steaua București's Ghencea Stadium in the south-west, to the House of the Free Press in the north).^[1] (41) tram line is single on its route, meeting other lines only at the end, the 3 route at Piața Presei Libere and the 47 route at Ghencea.

Light rail tram lines 32 and 21 are considered light rail due to their low waiting times, superior speed and segregated pathways. They also use new or modernized rolling stock. 32 is single until Calea Ferentari where it meets 8 for a short distance and 23, 27, 7 and 47 from 11 Iunie until its end at Piața Unirii. 21 is mainly single on its route, sharing the line and stops with tram route 16 and bus route 605 from Piața Sf. Gheorghe to Strada Paleologu. At Bucur Obor (Șoseaua Colentina), it meets route 36 for a short distance, although they have no common stops. From Obor to the other end, it is again single.

Bucur LF tram on light rail line 1

V3A-93M-EPC tram on light rail line 32

Lines 1 and 10 are considered light rail; due to recent modernizations, these routes use upgraded tracks for almost the entire line and mostly new rolling stock. They form a ring around central Bucharest, with line 10 running services clockwise (from Romprim – Piața Sudului – Șura Mare – Șoseaua Viilor – Pasaj Basarab – Bucur Obor – Pod Mihai Bravu – Piața Sudului – Romprim) and line 1 running services counterclockwise (from Romprim – Piața Sudului – Pod Mihai Bravu – Bucur Obor – Pasaj Basarab – Șoseaua Viilor – Șura Mare – Piața Sudului – Romprim).