Tram roundabout

A tram roundabout or grand circle is a circular rail junction for trams in the shape of a roundabout. A tram roundabout is able to provide the equivalent any-to-any connection of a grand union, but with a simplified tramway track configuration using one-way traffic, fewer turnouts and reduction in level junctions, at the cost of slightly more space. Trams may continue as one-way traffic in an endless loop around the tram roundabout junction.

Tram exiting Moscow Triumphal Gate roundabout in St Petersburg

A circular roundabout design is often used to allowing passing around a centrally-placed monument, or fountain, or small park.

Standard design

Standard tram roundabouts
Name	System	Ring track		In	Out	Thru	Stops	Notes	Geo
Hoofddorpplein	Amsterdam	180 m	590 ft	2	2				52.3513°N 4.85°E / 52.3513; 4.85 (Hoofddorpplein tram roundabout)
Tropenmuseum	Amsterdam	195 m	640 ft	3	3				52.3633°N 4.9228°E / 52.3633; 4.9228 (Tropenmuseum tram roundabout)
Slotermeerlaan	Amsterdam	212 m	696 ft	4	4		6	junction with Burgemeester Röellstraat	52.3757°N 4.819°E / 52.3757; 4.819
Place Dumon/ Dumonplein	Brussels	242 m	794 ft	2	2		2		50.84°N 4.465°E / 50.84; 4.465 (Dumon tram roundabout)
Bersarinplatz	Berlin	254 m	833 ft	3	3		4	stops off ring	52.5186°N 13.453°E / 52.5186; 13.453 (Bersarinplatz tram roundabout)
Romanplatz	Munich	137 m	449 ft	3	3		4	stops off ring, two tracks at one of the Ins	48.1555°N 11.5116°E / 48.1555; 11.5116 (Romanplatz roundabout)
Moscow Triumphal Gate	St Petersburg	290 m	950 ft	2	2				59.8917°N 30.3195°E / 59.8917; 30.3195
Turgenev Square	St Petersburg	557 m	1,827 ft	2	2		2		59.9184°N 30.289°E / 59.9184; 30.289 (Turgenev Square tram roundabout)
Lenina / Lunacharskogo[1]	Yekaterinburg	188 m	617 ft	4	4				56.8402°N 60.6206°E / 56.8402; 60.6206
Moscow Highway	Ulyanovsk	230 m	750 ft	4	4				54.3064°N 48.3497°E / 54.3064; 48.3497
Lee Circle	New Orleans	283 m	928 ft	3	2				29.9433°N 90.0725°W / 29.9433; -90.0725
Kaiserplatz	Karlsruhe	245 m	804 ft	2	2	2		around Kaiser Wilhelm monument (Karlsruhe), with "Kombilösung" bypass tunnel underneath	49.0103°N 8.3889°E / 49.0103; 8.3889 (Kaiserplatz tram roundabout)
Wolnośći Square in Katowice	Silesian	366 m	1,201 ft	2	2			near Katowice railway station	50.2598°N 19.0132°E / 50.2598; 19.0132 (Wolności Square tram roundabout)
Mihaljevac	Zagreb	170 m	560 ft	2	2		3		45.8422°N 15.9746°E / 45.8422; 15.9746 (Mihaljevac tram roundabout)
Square of the Victims of Fascism	Zagreb	456 m	1,496 ft	3	3		2		45.81°N 15.9872°E / 45.81; 15.9872
Będzin Rondo	Silesian	218 m	715 ft	4	4		8		50.3249°N 19.1243°E / 50.3249; 19.1243 (Będzin tram roundabout)
Koszutka Słoneczna Pętla	Silesian	221 m	725 ft	2	2		4	one platform on loop	50.2736°N 19.0248°E / 50.2736; 19.0248 (Słoneczna Pętla tram roundabout)

Four-way circular tram roundabout in Będzin, Poland, on the Silesian Interurbans system, often referred to as 'the kidney' due to the entire junction's rather unusual shape.

Special variations

Special variations of tram roundabout
Name	System	Ring track		In	Out	Thru	Stops	Notes	Geo
Rond-Point du Meir/ Meerplein	Brussels	210 m	690 ft	2	2	1	3	with tram stop in middle	50.8327°N 4.3023°E / 50.8327; 4.3023
Barrière de Saint-Gilles/ Bareel van Sint-Gillis	Brussels	115 m	377 ft	3	3		4	overlapping tracks, stops off ring	50.8269°N 4.3446°E / 50.8269; 4.3446 (Saint Gilles tram roundabout)
Place de l'Altitude Cent/ Hoogte Honderd	Brussels	262 m	860 ft	2	2		2	around Saint Augustine Church, Vorst	50.8166°N 4.3368°E / 50.8166; 4.3368
Rond-point Winston Churchill/ Winston Churchillplein	Brussels	154 m	505 ft	2	2	2	8		50.8119°N 4.3539°E / 50.8119; 4.3539
Verboekhoven Square	Brussels	241 m	791 ft	4	4		2	over main line rail tracks	50.8714°N 4.3759°E / 50.8714; 4.3759
Maxmonument	Munich	255 m	837 ft	4	4	2	4	separation around the monument	48.1376°N 11.588°E / 48.1376; 11.588 (Maxmonument tram roundabout)
Alt-Köpenick	Berlin	916 m	3,000 ft	3	3		3	old town centre	52.4456°N 13.576°E / 52.4456; 13.576 (Alt-Köpenick tram roundabout)
Hackescher Markt	Berlin	672 m	2,200 ft	3	3		3	around station, with sidings	52.523°N 13.4018°E / 52.523; 13.4018 (Hackescher Markt tram roundabout)
Basel SBB railway station	Basel	220 m	720 ft	4	4	4	6	station forecourt	47.5483°N 7.5903°E / 47.5483; 7.5903 (Basel SBB station tram roundabout)
Haarlemmermeer station	Amsterdam	195 m	640 ft	4	4	1	2	next to Electric tram museum line	52.3496°N 4.8575°E / 52.3496; 4.8575
Surinameplein	Amsterdam	170 m	560 ft	3	3	1	4		52.3584°N 4.8532°E / 52.3584; 4.8532 (Surinameplein tram roundabout)
Hoofddorpplein	Amsterdam	180 m	590 ft	2	2				52.3584°N 4.8532°E / 52.3584; 4.8532 (Hoofddorpplein tram roundabout)
Paunsdorf-Nord	Leipzig	266 m	870 ft	3	3	1	5	operates clockwise	51.3606°N 12.47°E / 51.3606; 12.47 (Hoofddorpplein tram roundabout)
Stortorvet	Oslo	256 m	840 ft	3	3	1	3		59.9128°N 10.7453°E / 59.9128; 10.7453 (Stortorvet square tram roundabout)
Pilestredet / Welhaven Gate	Oslo	904 m	2,966 ft	3	3		2	residential one-way	59.921°N 10.732°E / 59.921; 10.732
Chebzie Pętla / Rondo	Silesian	244 m	801 ft	4	4		5		50.3007°N 18.8824°E / 50.3007; 18.8824 (Chebzie tram roundabout)
Porta Maggiore	Rome	435 m	1,400 ft	5	4	2	6		41.8915°N 12.5151°E / 41.8915; 12.5151 (Porta Maggiore tram roundabout)
Regina Margherita	Rome	145 m	476 ft	2	2	2	2		41.9111°N 12.509°E / 41.9111; 12.509

Former

On 8 September 1968, one week before closure of Liverpool Corporation Tramways, tram car 245 completed three complete laps of the St. Oswald Street tram roundabout whilst being filmed.[2]

References

Zlokazov, Vladimir (27 August 2014). "Трамвайное кольцо" [Tramway roundabout] (in Russian). Трамвайное кольцо на пересечении улиц Ленина и Луначарского в Екатеринбурге / Tramway circle on the crossing of Lenina and Lunacharskogo streets in Yekaterinburg
Blackburn, R.E. (1968). "Post-War Liverpool - Part 8". The Modern Tramway. Ian Allan Publishing. 31 (362): 58. On Sunday, 8th September [1957], the LRTL hired car 245 for a final tour of the remaining routes, including three complete circuits of the roundabout at St. Oswald Street, where the cine-photographers gyrated in the centre of the grass as the tram went round and round like a clockwork toy. … On the evening of Saturday, 14th September, 1957, tramway operation in Liverpool came to an end.

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[1] Zlokazov, Vladimir (27 August 2014). "Трамвайное кольцо" [Tramway roundabout] (in Russian). Трамвайное кольцо на пересечении улиц Ленина и Луначарского в Екатеринбурге / Tramway circle on the crossing of Lenina and Lunacharskogo streets in Yekaterinburg

[2] Blackburn, R.E. (1968). "Post-War Liverpool - Part 8". The Modern Tramway. Ian Allan Publishing. 31 (362): 58. On Sunday, 8th September [1957], the LRTL hired car 245 for a final tour of the remaining routes, including three complete circuits of the roundabout at St. Oswald Street, where the cine-photographers gyrated in the centre of the grass as the tram went round and round like a clockwork toy. … On the evening of Saturday, 14th September, 1957, tramway operation in Liverpool came to an end.

Railway track layouts
Railway track	Single track Passing loop Double track Quadruple track Crossover
Rail sidings	Balloon loop Headshunt Pocket track Refuge siding Rail yard Classification yard
Junctions	Flying junction Level junction Double junction Facing and trailing Grand union Grand circle / roundabout Wye Switch / turnout / points Swingnose crossing Level crossing
Stations	Railway platform Bay Island Side Split Terminal station Balloon loop Spanish solution Cross-platform interchange Interchange station Infill station
Hillclimbing	Horseshoe curve Zig Zag / Switchback Spiral
Track geometry	Track gauge Ruling gradient Minimum curve radius Cant Cant deficiency