Talk:Subway–surface line

System name vs. generic name

Hello 2018rebel, today I have re-opened the link I had provided earlier and I found this statement: "The Stadtbahn (“city rail”), or the subway-surface line in US usage, is an urban line running light rail vehicles, with grade separation in city center and street running outside city center." So it not only supports the claim that it's a generic name in the U.S. but it also gives a definition and also the German generic name. Furthermore, using Google for only a few minutes, I found two more sources that support this claim.

"Not shown on this map are some similar systems such as Subway-Surface trolley systems which are more similar to light rail — such as the Muni Metro (San Francisco) and Boston’s Green Line." at Comparing America’s Streetcar Systems At The Same Scale
"This books tells the story of all urban rail systems along the U.S. East Coast, from the old subway-surface trolleys in operation in Boston and Philadelphia, to the well-known New York City Subway..." at SUBWAYS & LIGHT RAIL in den USA

P.S.: just like with the SEPTA system, also Aspirin started as a name for single use but over decades became a generic name. KatVanHuis (talk) 20:18, 18 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The sources you provided do not prove that subway—surface trolley line most commonly refers to the generic term for a semi-metro. Philadelphia is the only city in the U.S. with a semi-metro system that uses both the trolley and subway—surface monikers. The other systems you mentioned use an alternate name. 2018rebel 05:17, 19 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your quick reply. The book at source 1. specifically states "Subway-Surface trolley systems", each of these systems can contain several "Subway-Surface trolley lines". Source 2. omits indeed 'lines', but refers to the same phenomenon nonetheless.

However, I think I understand what you mean and so I have turned the page into a disambiguation page. Now people can find one of the two options: exactly the one they need. As we both can't decide which option is most commonly used. KatVanHuis (talk) 15:41, 19 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]