Metrolink has smaller flanges than standard heavy rail, so had to have raised checkrails on the converted Altrincham and Bury lines, which are still compatible with standard railway wheels and have been used by ballast wagons and even a steam locomotive during engineering works.
Sure, but my point is Sheffield isn't a great example and makes the issue look harder than it need be. Most of the problem with Sheffield was that Supertram was designed specifically for standard tram wheels, and built-in those limitations. That necessitated the use of a complex tram-train wheel profile that further complicated the mitigation neccessary on the NR tracks.
If you are designing the light rail sections from scratch like Cardiff you can build-in a more tram-train friendly rail profile. Street running with a modified heavy rail wheel profile can be done, as demonstrated by Metrolink, and that significantly simplifies the modifications needed on heavy rail sections.
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