Romania's Long Road Back from Austerity
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THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE www.lrta.org www.tautonline.com MAY 2016 NO. 941 ROMANIA’S LONG ROAD BACK FROM AUSTERITY Systems Factfile: Trams’ dominant role in Lyon’s growth Glasgow awards driverless contract Brussels recoils from Metro attack China secures huge Chicago order ISSN 1460-8324 £4.25 Isle of Wight Medellín 05 Is LRT conversion Innovative solutions the right solution? and social betterment 9 771460 832043 AWARD SPONSORS London, 5 October 2016 ENTRIES OPEN NOW Best Customer Initiative; Best Environmental and Sustainability Initiative Employee/Team of the Year Manufacturer of the Year Most Improved System Operator of the Year Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award Project of the Year <EUR50m Project of the Year >EUR50m Significant Safety Initiative Supplier of the Year <EUR10m Supplier of the Year >EUR10m Technical Innovation of the Year (Rolling Stock) Technical Innovation of the Year (Infrastructure) Judges’ Special Award Vision of the Year For advanced booking and sponsorship details contact: Geoff Butler – t: +44 (0)1733 367610 – @ [email protected] Alison Sinclair – t: +44 (0)1733 367603 – @ [email protected] www.lightrailawards.com 169 CONTENTS The official journal of the Light Rail Transit Association MAY 2016 Vol. 79 No. 941 www.tautonline.com EDITORIAL 184 EDITOR Simon Johnston Tel: +44 (0)1733 367601 E-mail: [email protected] 13 Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Road, Peterborough PE2 6XU, UK ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tony Streeter E-mail: [email protected] WORLDWIDE EDITOR Michael Taplin 172 Flat 1, 10 Hope Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight PO37 6EA, UK. E-mail: [email protected] NEWS EDITOR John Symons 17 Whitmore Avenue, Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST9 0LW, UK. E-mail: [email protected] SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Neil Pulling WORLDWIDE CONTRIBUTORS Tony Bailey, James Chuang, Paul Nicholson, Richard Felski, Ed Havens, Bill Vigrass, Andrew Moglestue, Mike Russell, Nikolai Semyonov, Vic Simons, Herbert Pence, Alain Senut, Thomas Wagner. NEWS 164 SYSTEMS FACTFILE: LYON 184 PRODUCTION CRRC Sifang wins big Chicago order; Neil Pulling explores a French city where Rick Wilson Stadler and Ansaldo STS to re-equip the tramway has overtaken the older metro Tel: +44 (0)1733 367604 E-mail: [email protected] Glasgow Subway; Maryland agrees Purple as the bigger network. DESIGN line PPP; Frankfurt-am-Main marks classic Debbie Nolan U2 retirement; Manchester's draft plan WORLDWIDE REVIEW 190 ADVERTISING considers orbital routes. Barcelona tramways to join; Phase 2 of COMMERCIAL MANAGER Geoff Butler San Francisco expansion approved; Seattle Tel: +44 (0)1733 367610 E-mail: [email protected] ISLAND LINE FIT FOR CONVERSION? 169 extends in subway; Lausanne T1's first PUBLISHER Isle of Wight resident Michael Taplin offers stage given go ahead; Alstom wins again in Howard Johnston an insider's view on proposals to convert Algeria; Strasbourg extension to open. Tramways & Urban Transit is jointly published by the the island's heavy rail route to LRT. LRTA and LRTA Publishing on the third Friday of each MAILBOX 194 month preceding the cover date. ROMANIA'S TRAMWAY REVIVAL 172 Why the world maybe isn't ready for LRTA WEBSITE AND DIARY In a two-part series, Mike Russell explores wire-free; questions over plans for the UK's Brian Lomas E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] the fascinating operations in the eastern 'Northern Powerhouse'; and how about LRTA MEMBERSHIP (with TAUT subscription) half of this central European nation. trams for London's Oxford Street? Tramways & Urban Transit is sent free to all paid-up members of the Light Rail Transit Association. MEDELLÍN'S MIRACLE 180 CLASSIC TRAMS: ARNHEM 196 SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES Columbia's second city has undergone a Mike Russell examines a heritage tram LRTA Membership Secretary (Dept T06), transformation in the 21st Century, fuelled service in the Netherlands that transports 38 Wolseley Road, Sale M33 7AU, UK. by investment in innovative urban transit. visitors around an open-air museum. Tel: +44 (0)117 9517785 BACK ISSUES Tel: +44 (0)117 951 7785 Bomb-struck Metro station didn't stand a chance PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391000. A definition of terrorism is the unlawful use of violence to disrupt and LRTA REGISTERED OFFICE shatter public confidence, and many major world cities have been badly c/o 138 Radnor Avenue, Welling, Kent DA16 2BY, UK. hit over the last ten years. The bombs that exploded in Brussels during Private company limited by guarantee, No. 5072319 the early morning rush hour on 22 March struck first the Belgian national in England and Wales. airport and then Maelbeek Metro station, where 20 lives were lost and LRTA CHAIRMAN scores were injured when a train was targeted. For the Metro operator, it Andrew Braddock is a nightmare that while it can work as hard as it likes to ensure that its buildings and E-mail: [email protected] vehicles are safe from natural mishaps, it is virtually powerless when it becomes the LRTA DEPUTY CHAIRMAN innocent victim of politically-motivated mayhem. Paul Rowen Like its skyscaper buildings and its giant plates of fast food, the United States always LRTA PUBLISHING REGISTERED OFFICE c/o 8 Berwick Place, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4TU, thinks big, and the Chicago Transit Authority's order for 400 rapid transit cars from UK. Private Limited Company, No. 06169422 Chinese builder CRRC Sifang is of a magnitude that can barely be comprehended. in England and Wales. Competing manufacturers could do little but watch as CRRC, already the world's largest © LRTA Publishing 2016 rolling stock manufacturer with 90% of its domestic market, won fairly on price, and the Articles are submitted on the understanding they may also attractive offer of setting up a local assembly plant. Bombardier wins nothing for coming later be used on our websites or other media. A contribution is accepted on the basis that its author is responsible for the second; it was significantly outbid by the Beijing price of USD632m, and is further hurt opinions expressed in it, and such opinions are not those of knowing that the value of the order can more than double if all the options are taken up. LRTA Publishing or the LRTA. All rights reserved. At the other far end of the spectrum, we have news of a public service that still relies on No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in a completely obsolete form of traction - horses. Although the Isle of Man's Douglas Bay any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and Tramway is running (plodding?) at a substantial annual loss, it is guaranteed another retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from year's operation for little other reason than it helps to bring the tourists in. While it will the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the be managed by the island's high-tech Department for Infrastructure, and the fares are magazine without prior written approval is not permitted. now part of the contactless Go-Card network, the fuel for the motive power will be the COVER: Bucharest's rebuilt car 4035 is on city same - lots of hay. Howard Johnston, Publisher circular line 1, 4 September 2011 . Mike Russell www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2016 / 163 News CRRC Sifang wins big in Chicago Transit Authority awards largest-ever contract for Subway cars to Chinese rolling stock giant hicago Transit rail cars and Chicago returns to Authority has awarded our roots as the place where the its largest ever contract next generation of rail cars are for new subway rapid built, providing good jobs for Ctransit cars to Chinese builder our residents. That is a classic CRRC Sifang America JV. The win-win for Chicago,” said decision was approved on Mayor Rahm Emanuel. 9 March. “This historic agreement The immediate USD632m was the result of strong order is for 400 cars, but if all collaboration between the the options are taken up the City, our federal partners, the price could reach USD1.4bn Chicago Federation of Labor, for 846 cars. CRRC Sifang bid and Jobs to Move America, and USD226m less than rival bidder I cannot thank them enough Bombardier, and offered to build for their partnership in making a USD40m final assembly plant it possible. We will continue for the new AC propulsion cars Chinese-built cars for Chicago could replace half the existing fleet. CTA to bring more 21st century on the city’s Far South side, manufacturing jobs to Chicago employing 169 people. replacement of the 3200-series, what it was in 2011. Use of the to help power our 21st century A 7000-series prototype train is built by Morrison-Knudsen from new cars is projected to reduce economy.” due for delivery in October 2019, 1992. The 7000-series will have maintenance and power costs by CRRC Sifang was the and the first 400 vehicles should stainless steel bodies (like the around USD7m per year. first Chinese rolling stock be in service by 2024. predecessor 5000-series), and Funding for the CTA order will manufacturer to break into the The new trains are intended to LED lighting and signage. The come from a bond issue, with American market, with a 2014 replace the 2600-series cars, the CTA says delivery of the new some federal assistance. order for 284 rapid transit cars last rolling stock built by Budd trains will reduce the average “With this agreement, CTA from Boston’s MBTA, which are Company, in 1981-87, and start age of the fleet to 13 years, half riders will get state-of-the-art still to be delivered.