The French are converting old unused freight rail lines into light rail passenger operations:

[www.francetvinfo.fr]

For those of you who don't read French:

Lighter trains to relieve the rails

The region has a project: to experiment with a new type of train. It would be lighter, transport fewer passengers and cost less to buy than to use. "There is less effort on the rails so it uses the rails less, and therefore, it is much easier to maintain," said Adeline Diebold, deputy director of rail transportation in the Grand Est region. Light trains already run, in Germany for example, or in Loire-Atlantique. The development of light rail is a boon for manufacturers.