Straßenbahn

• Strassenbahn (Switzerland, Liechtenstein)

From Straße +‎ -n- +‎ Bahn.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃtraːsənˌbaːn/, [ˈʃtʀaːsn̩ˌbaːn], [ˈʃtʀaːsənˌbaːn], [ˈʃtraːsn̩ˌbaːn], [ˈʃtraːsənˌbaːn]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Straßenbahn f (genitive Straßenbahn, plural Straßenbahnen)

1. streetcar, tramway

   Synonyms: (dated) Elektrische; (Austria, Switzerland) Tram; Trambahn; (Austria) Tramway; (Saxony — Würzburg) Straba

An urban train might drive on the streets on paths that are also used by cars, or it might move in tracks separated from the rest of the road traffic in an open-air area called Gleiskörper, and it might drive underground in tunnels. It depends on the city whether the very same trains drive on all three tracks or whether there are different trains for the three types of tracks. In the latter case, as in Berlin, one distinguishes the three types by name, calling the one driving with the cars Straßenbahn, the one on exclusive tracks S-Bahn, the ones serving the subway U-Bahn.

In the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region there is an indistinct Straßenbahn, U-Bahn or Stadtbahn, while the S-Bahn is a distinct means of transportation of greater distance to connect the whole urban area with its multiple cities. But in places where there isn’t such a tripartite system and a single train moves between tracks used by cars, exclusive s-train-tracks and tunnels in a single route, it is called Straßenbahn indistinctly, or Stadtbahn, as it is widely marketed by the administrations of urban centres.

This non-distinction is even more pronounced in Bielefeld, the terms S-Bahn and U-Bahn being uncommon, the city being surrounded by rural areas otherwise only having busses for local traffic, though there are serious political plans to build a S-Bahn network from regional train lines; and even more ambitious and urbanite ones conceive the same extent of network a Stadtbahn.

• 2025 September 2, Stephan Rechlin, “Gymnasium Bethel bittet Bielefeld OB-Kandidaten aufs Podium. „Ist der Döner zu teuer geworden?””, in Westfalen-Blatt, page BF07:

  An der Applausstärke bemessen, kommen die Statements von Dr. Onur Ocak (Linke) am besten an: „Bielefeld denkt immer so engstirnig. Wir brauchen eine große, ostwestfalenweite Straßenbahn.“

  Measured from the heavy applause, the statements of Dr. Onur Ocak (Left) appeal the most: „Bielefeld is always too narrow in its thinking. We need a major, East-Westphalia-wide tram.

In Hamburg “Straßenbahn” is a historical term since the Straßenbahnen proper have been abolished completely by 1978.

• → Russian: штра́сик (štrásik) (only in Germany itself)
• → Silesian: sztrasynbana

• “Straßenbahn” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Straßenbahn” in Duden online
• Liste von Städten mit Straßenbahnen on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de