An endless belt of hemp-cored wire rope runs from a powerhouse through a conduit below the surface of the street along the length of the line and back. A car is moved by means of a grip that extends down through a slot in the pavement to the moving cable. When the gripman aboard the car pulls a lever, the grip seizes the cable and the car is pulled along. The car also has three sets of brakes that the gripman uses to stop the car. Electric railways replaced most cable systems in the early 20th century.
Electric streetcars draw power from a stationary generator.
The power is transmitted most commonly by an overhead wire, and the current is drawn from the wire by a pole with a wheeled or sliding-shoe type of contact, a framework of bent metal called a bow, or a folding and collapsible frame called a pantograph. The current passes to the motors, then returns to the powerhouse by way of the running rails. LRT vehicles operate singly, in short trains of two or three cars, or as longer articulated units that are hinged in order to turn corners. Their tracks may run in the common roadways, but typically the tracks are segregated from traffic except at cross streets and often run in subways or on elevated structures. LRT systems can transport many passengers, accelerate rapidly, and travel at high speeds.