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
Tropenmuseum	Amsterdam	195 m	640 ft	3	3				52.3633°N 4.9228°E
Slotermeerlaan	Amsterdam	212 m	696 ft	4	4		6	junction with Burgemeester Röellstraat	52.3757°N 4.819°E
Place Dumon/ Dumonplein	Brussels	242 m	794 ft	2	2		2		50.84°N 4.465°E
Bersarinplatz	Berlin	254 m	833 ft	3	3		4	stops off ring	52.5186°N 13.453°E
Moscow Triumphal Gate	St Petersburg	290 m	950 ft	2	2				59.8917°N 30.3195°E
Turgenev Square	St Petersburg	557 m	1,827 ft	2	2		2		59.9184°N 30.289°E
Lenina / Lunacharskogo[1]	Yekaterinburg	188 m	617 ft	4	4				56.8402°N 60.6206°E
Moscow Highway	Ulyanovsk	230 m	750 ft	4	4				54.3064°N 48.3497°E
Lee Circle	New Orleans	283 m	928 ft	3	2				29.9433°N 90.0725°W
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
Wolności Square	Silesian	366 m	1,201 ft	2	2			near Katowice railway station	50.2598°N 19.0132°E
Mihaljevac	Zagreb	170 m	560 ft	2	2		3		45.8422°N 15.9746°E
Square of the Victims of Fascism	Zagreb	456 m	1,496 ft	3	3		2		45.81°N 15.9872°E
Będzin Rondo	Silesian	218 m	715 ft	4	4		8		50.2598°N 19.0132°E
Koszutka Słoneczna Pętla	Silesian	221 m	725 ft	2	2		4	one platform on loop	50.2736°N 19.0248°E

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
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
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
Rond-point Winston Churchill/ Winston Churchillplein	Brussels	154 m	505 ft	2	2	2	8		50.8119°N 4.3539°E
Verboekhoven Square	Brussels	241 m	791 ft	4	4		2	over main line rail tracks	50.8714°N 4.3759°E
Maxmonument	Munich	255 m	837 ft	4	4	2	4	separation around the monument	48.1376°N 11.588°E
Alt-Köpenick	Berlin	916 m	3,000 ft	3	3		3	old town centre	52.4456°N 13.576°E
Hackescher Markt	Berlin	672 m	2,200 ft	3	3		3	around station, with sidings	52.523°N 13.4018°E
Basel SBB railway station	Basel	220 m	720 ft	4	4	4	6	station forecourt	47.5483°N 7.5903°E
Haarlemmermeer station	Amsterdam	195 m	640 ft	4	4	1	2	next to Electric tram museum line	52.3496°N 4.8575°E
Surinameplein	Amsterdam	170 m	560 ft	3	3	1	4		52.3584°N 4.8532°E
Hoofddorpplein	Amsterdam	180 m	590 ft	2	2				52.3584°N 4.8532°E
Paunsdorf-Nord	Leipzig	266 m	870 ft	3	3	1	5	operates clockwise	51.3606°N 12.47°E
Stortorvet	Oslo	256 m	840 ft	3	3	1	3		59.9128°N 10.7453°E
Pilestredet / Welhaven Gate	Oslo	904 m	2,966 ft	3	3		2	residential one-way	59.921°N 10.732°E
Chebzie Pętla / Rondo	Silesian	244 m	801 ft	4	4		5		50.3007°N 18.8824°E
Porta Maggiore	Rome	435 m	1,400 ft	5	4	2	6		41.8915°N 12.5151°E
Regina Margherita	Rome	145 m	476 ft	2	2	2	2		41.9111°N 12.509°E

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

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.