The light train, also called light metro, is a rail transport system in which rolling stock with characteristics similar to those of the tram is used, however, it differs from this by its operation on a segregated platform from the rest of the vehicular traffic, with priority right of way at intersection points and with traffic light priority.[1]​ They have an intermediate transport capacity on a regional and metropolitan scale, generally greater than that of the tram and less than that of the conventional railway.[2]​.

The definition has evolved in recent decades according to the expansion of urban rail that has occurred in recent decades, especially in Europe and the United States. According to the International Public Transport Association, the concept of light rail encompasses a wide spectrum of railway services: modern trams to which priority of passage measures and segregated sections have been incorporated, train-trams that incorporate elements of commuter trains and light rail; that provide a frequency service and benefits similar to those of the heavy metro.[3]​.

The term is a non-literal translation of the English «Light rail» (or LRT, Light Rail Transit). It was conceived by the US Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) (currently FTA - Federal Transit Administration) in the United States to describe the transformations that were being carried out in that country and in Europe in tram matters. In Germany, the term used is "Stadtbahn", which means "urban railway". However, the UMTA eventually adopted the term light rail for all modern systems, while traditional systems continue to be called trams.[4] Other countries with systems of this type continue to use the term tram.[5]​.

Africa

Below are details of all the African countries that already have light rail and that use it for urban transportation, ordered according to the kilometers of length that each country has and its respective inauguration date.

Light regional railcars are railway units in diesel or electric multiple unit versions that operate on main lines and that part of their route exit onto exclusive lanes in urban areas. They are mainly used so that regional and intercity services can enter cities. They belong to a new generation of modular "light railways" with streamlined designs that have become very common in some European countries.