Car shuttle train
Encyclopedia
A car shuttle train, or (sometimes) car-carrying train (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: navette-auto; German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Autoverladung; Swiss German
Swiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
: Autoverlad), is a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
used to transport accompanied car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s, or automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s, and usually also other types of road vehicles, for a relatively short distance.
Car shuttle trains usually operate on lines passing through a rail tunnel and connecting two places not easily accessible to each other by road. On car shuttle train services, the occupants of the road vehicles being carried on the train usually stay with their vehicle throughout the rail journey.
As such, car shuttle train services are to be contrasted with Auto Train
Auto Train
Auto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...
or Motorail services. Unlike a car shuttle train, an Auto Train or Motorail train is a passenger train on which, except in France, passengers can take their car or automobile along with them. On Auto Trains or Motorail trains, passengers are carried in normal passenger cars or in sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
s on longer journeys, while the cars or automobiles are loaded separately into autorack
Autorack
An autorack, also known as an auto carrier, is a specialized piece of railroad rolling stock used to transport automobiles and light trucks, generally from factories to automotive distributors...
s, car carriers, or flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
s that normally form part of the same train.
Austria
- Böckstein (SalzburgSalzburg (state)Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
) – MallnitzMallnitzMallnitz is a town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia in Austria....
-ObervellachObervellachObervellach is a municipality in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia in Austria. It is situated in the valley of the Möll river, on the southern slope of the Hohe Tauern mountain range...
(CarinthiaCarinthia (state)Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
): Autoschleuse TauernbahnTauern Rail TunnelThe Tauern Railway Tunnel in Austria is the longest tunnel of the Tauern Railway crossing the main chain of the Alps. Currently, it has a length of . The highest point of the tunnel, which is also the highest point in all of the railway line, is at above sea level...
(ÖBB)
Between France and the United Kingdom
Accompanied road vehicles are carried in closed railway wagons through the Channel TunnelEurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
between Sangatte
Sangatte
Sangatte is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department on the northern coast of France on the English Channel.Like many place names in French Flanders, the name is of Flemish origin and means "gap in the sand".-Engineering:...
(Pas-de-Calais, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and Cheriton
Cheriton
-England:*Cheriton, Hampshire, a village and parish near Winchester**The Battle of Cheriton, a battle in the English Civil War*Cheriton, Kent, a one-time village, now a part of the urban area of Folkestone**Cheriton Halt railway station closed in 1947...
(Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
).
Germany
The SyltShuttle operated by DB AutoZug transports road vehicles on railway wagons over the HindenburgdammHindenburgdamm
The Hindenburgdamm is an 11 km-long causeway joining the North Frisian island of Sylt to mainland Schleswig-Holstein. Its coordinates are . It was opened on 1 June 1927 and is exclusively a railway corridor...
from Niebüll
Niebüll
Niebüll is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast and the border with Denmark, approx. 35 km northwest of Husum.-International relations:...
to Westerland in Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
(or in the opposite direction).
Switzerland
The following car shuttle trains operate in Switzerland (mostly through tunnels):- AndermattAndermatt railway stationAndermatt railway station is an important railway junction on the metre gauge Furka Oberalp Bahn . It serves the municipality of Andermatt, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland...
(UR) - SedrunSedrun railway stationSedrun railway station is a metre gauge station serving the village of Sedrun, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The station is at the eastern end of the Oberalp Pass...
(GR): Oberalp (only during winter while the road is closed) (MGBMatterhorn-Gotthard-BahnThe Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn is a narrow gauge railway in Switzerland. The track width is . It was created in 2003 through an amalgamation of Furka-Oberalp-Bahn and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn . The name comes from the Matterhorn and St...
) - BrigBrig railway stationBrig railway station is an important railway junction in the municipality of Brig-Glis , in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland...
(VS) - Iselle di TrasqueraIselle di Trasquera railway stationIselle di Trasquera railway station serves the village of Iselle and comune of Trasquera, in the region of Piedmont, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1906, the station is at the southern portal of the Simplon tunnel, on the Brig–Domodossola railway, between Brig, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy...
(ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
): SimplonSimplon TunnelThe Simplon Tunnel is an Alpine railway tunnel that connects the Swiss town of Brig with Domodossola in Italy, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart...
(SBB) - KanderstegKanderstegKandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a...
(BE) - Goppenstein (VS): Lötschberg (no road connection) (BLSBLS AGBLS AG is a Swiss railway company created by the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. It is 55.8 % owned by the Canton of Berne, and 21.7 % by the Swiss Confederation. It has two main business fields: passenger traffic and infrastructure.BLS has a subsidiary BLS...
) - KanderstegKanderstegKandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a...
(BE) - Iselle di TrasqueraIselle di Trasquera railway stationIselle di Trasquera railway station serves the village of Iselle and comune of Trasquera, in the region of Piedmont, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1906, the station is at the southern portal of the Simplon tunnel, on the Brig–Domodossola railway, between Brig, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy...
(ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
): Lötschberg and SimplonSimplon TunnelThe Simplon Tunnel is an Alpine railway tunnel that connects the Swiss town of Brig with Domodossola in Italy, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart...
(BLSBLS AGBLS AG is a Swiss railway company created by the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. It is 55.8 % owned by the Canton of Berne, and 21.7 % by the Swiss Confederation. It has two main business fields: passenger traffic and infrastructure.BLS has a subsidiary BLS...
) - OberwaldOberwald railway stationOberwald railway station is a metre gauge station serving the village of Oberwald, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. The station is close to the western portal of the Furka Base Tunnel, on the Furka Oberalp Bahn , which connects Brig in Valais, via the base tunnel and Andermatt in Uri, with...
(VS) - RealpRealp railway stationRealp railway station is a metre gauge station serving the municipality of Realp, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland. The station is close to the eastern portal of the Furka Base Tunnel, on the Furka Oberalp Bahn , which connects Brig in Valais, via Andermatt in Uri, with Göschenen, Uri, and...
(UR): Furka Base Tunnel (MGBMatterhorn-Gotthard-BahnThe Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn is a narrow gauge railway in Switzerland. The track width is . It was created in 2003 through an amalgamation of Furka-Oberalp-Bahn and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn . The name comes from the Matterhorn and St...
) - SelfrangaKlosters (Rhaetian Railway station)Klosters station is located in the municipality of Klosters-Serneus in the district of Prattigau/Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is a station on the Landquart-Davos railway line....
(GR) - SagliainsSagliains (Rhaetian Railway station)Sagliains is a station on the Pontresina-Scuol-Tarasp railway line.There are two trains per hour to Scuol-Tarasp, and one to each of Disentis/Muster and Pontresina.There are currently two platforms in use at Sagliains station.*RE3 - 1tph*R7 - 1tph...
(GR): Vereina TunnelVereina TunnelThe Vereina Tunnel is a railway tunnel situated in eastern Switzerland, which at 19,058 m is the longest tunnel on the Swiss RhB railway network as well as the world's longest metre gauge railway tunnel...
(instead of the drive over the Flüelapass) (RhB) - ThusisThusis (Rhaetian Railway station)Thusis is a railway station in Thusis, Switzerland. It is the terminus of the Landquart-Thusis railway line. Hourly services originating from Chur on that line also continue along the Albula Railway line to St. Moritz.-Rhaetian Railway services:...
(GR) - SamedanSamedan (Rhaetian Railway station)Samedan is a railway station in Samedan, Switzerland. It is an important interchange station between the Albula Railway line and the Pontresina-Scuol-Tarasp line. Hourly services operate on each line....
(GR): Albula RailwayAlbula RailwayIn 1890, the Davos hotelier Willem-Jan Holsboer proposed the construction of a rail link from Chur via Davos, and through a tunnel under the Scaletta Pass, to St Moritz, and then onwards via the Maloja Pass, to Chiavenna in Italy. Holsboer later had to abandon this planned Scalettabahn, in favour...
, including the Albula TunnelAlbula TunnelThe Albula Tunnel is the centrepiece of the Albula Railway, which forms part of the Rhaetian Railway network, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland...
(as an alternative to the Julierpass) (RhB)
Up until the opening of the Gotthard Road Tunnel
Gotthard Road Tunnel
The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the Canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is just under in length below the St. Gotthard Pass...
in 1980, there was also a car shuttle train through the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
Gotthard Rail Tunnel
The Gotthard Rail Tunnel, is a 15-kilometre long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Gotthard massif...
between Göschenen
Göschenen
Göschenen a village in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:Göschenen is first mentioned in 1280 as Geschenden. In 1290 it was mentioned as Gescheldun, then in 1294 as Geschenen and in 1429 as ze Gestinen.-Geography:...
und Airolo
Airolo
Airolo is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:In the settlement of Madrano, Roman tombs from the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD were found. They belonged to a Vicus, whose inhabitants probably collected crystal, which was processed in Locarno into...
. Following the catastrophic fire in the road tunnel on 24 October 2001, this car shuttle train resumed operations for a few weeks.
United Kingdom
The Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
introduced a car shuttle service in 1924 to transport cars and their passengers through the Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
. The service survived until it was made redundant by the Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
in 1966.
See also
- Accompanied combined transportAccompanied combined transportAccompanied combined transport is a form of intermodal transport, which is the movement of goods in one and the same loading unit or road vehicle, using successively two or more modes of transport without handling the goods themselves in changing modes...
- Auto TrainAuto TrainAuto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...
- Intermodal passenger transportIntermodal passenger transportIntermodal passenger transport involves more than one mode of transport of passengers. Some modes of transportation have always been intermodal; for example, most major airports have extensive facilities for automobile parking and have good rail or bus connections to the cities nearby. Urban bus...
- Motorail
- Rail transportRail transportRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
- Road transportRoad transportRoad transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
- Rolling highwayRolling HighwayA rolling highway is a combined transport system to transport trucks by rail....