THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE

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MAY 2015 No. 929 DUBAI’S TECHNOLOGICAL TRAMWAY TOUR DE FORCE

Issues for modern track maintenance and renewal US submits USD478bn transit plan Chinese hydrogen tram revealed Brussels approves north-south metro ISSN 1460-8324 Oxford Denmark 05 £4.25 Tram lessons from Green credentials its French twin city supported by LRT 9 771460 832043 2015 INTEGRATION AND GLOBALISATION

Nottingham Conference Centre, UK: June 17-18 2015

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D O C K L A N D S 172 CONTENTS The official journal of the Light Rail Transit Association MAY 2015 Vol. 78 No. 929 www.tramnews.net EDITORIAL 188 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 Flat 1, 10 Hope Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight 178 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, Alain Senut, Thomas Wagner. PRODUCTION Lanna Blyth NEWS 172 SMALL CITY LRT 195 Tel: +44 (0)1733 367604 E-mail: [email protected] CSR Sifang unveils hydrogen tram; OSIRIS Dr Nicholas Falk and Reg Harman argue the DESIGN programme’s energy efficiency successes; case for a modern tramway for Oxford, UK. Debbie Nolan US submits USD478bn transit funding plan; ADVERTISING Brussels north-south metro plan aproved. HAMBURG: METRO NOT TRAMS 199 COMMERCIAL MANAGER Geoff Butler Günter Elste explains why the German city Tel: +44 (0)1733 367610 E-mail: [email protected] DENMARK’S LRT RENAISSANCE 178 of Hamburg favours metros over tramways. PUBLISHER Trams last ran in Denmark in 1972; now Howard Johnston

David Steele from SYSTRA looks at the four SYSTEMS FACTFILE: CONSTANTINE 201 Tramways & Urban Transit is jointly published by the new systems currently under development. How the new tramway has revitalised this LRTA and LRTA Publishing on the third Friday of each traffic-clogged city – Mike Russell reports. month preceding the cover date. MAINTENANCE AND RENEWAL 182 LRTA WEBSITE AND DIARY James Snowdon considers some of the WORLDWIDE REVIEW 205 Brian Lomas aspects that influence the life of street track. Argentina renationalises surburban rail E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] networks; tram works begin in Rio de Janeiro; LRTA MEMBERSHIP (with TAUT subscription) Tramways & Urban Transit is sent free to all paid-up DUBAI: SHOWCASE FOR THE GULF? 188 Montpellier resurrects tramline 5 plan. members of the Light Rail Transit Association. Tramways & Urban Transit looks at the SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES technical innovations that make the new MAILBOX 210 LRTA Membership Secretary (Dept T06), Dubai Tramway a pioneeer in modern LRT. On the need for a tramway ‘TripAdvisor’. 38 Wolseley Road, Sale M33 7AU, UK. Tel: +44 (0)117 9517785 DUBAI RAIL REGULATION 193 CLASSIC TRAMS: TROLLEY-POLES PT.2 212 BACK ISSUES Gurmeet Kaur examines the governing The decline of the trolley-pole is charted Tel: +44 (0)1406 373070 principles of Dubai’s urban rail development. by Mike Russell and Alan Pearce. PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391000. LRTA REGISTERED OFFICE c/o 138 Radnor Avenue, Welling, Kent DA16 2BY, UK. Reliability and superb service at no extra charge Private company limited by guarantee, No. 5072319 In many parts of the world, why is the reputation of rail travel tarnished by in England and Wales. a perception of delays and disruption? What kind of message are we giving LRTA CHAIRMAN by suggesting that there is a chance that travelling by tram, metro or train Andrew Braddock E-mail: [email protected] will mean you won’t get to your destination on time? LRTA DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Delays and disruption are one of the inevitable distractions of modern Paul Rowen life. We’re all in a rush to get to where we need to be and public transport LRTA PUBLISHING REGISTERED OFFICE: should fit seamlessly into the routine in enhancing people’s lives and making it simpler c/o 8 Berwick Place, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4TU, and more convenient, not more difficult and more stressful. Unpreparedness on the UK. Private Limited Company, No. 06169422 behalf of operators in managing essential works or unexpected hold-ups, or dealing in England and Wales. with passengers when things do go wrong simply cannot be acceptable. Having spent © LRTA Publishing 2015. Articles are submitted on the understanding they may also 36 hours in airport lounges and at railway stations delayed upon my return to the office later be used on our websites or other media. A contribution in the past week – with little information or compensation – has convinced me of this. is accepted on the basis that its author is responsible for the Following on from one of the themes from last month, if things do go awry where are opinions expressed in it, and such opinions are not those of the staff comforting passengers and doing their best to guarantee an onward journey? LRTA Publishing or the LRTA. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in The UK’s Docklands Light Railway is one network that has an enviable reputation for any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including high reliability and customer satisfaction. As Managing Director Kevin Thomas from photocopying, recording or by any information storage and KeolisAmey Docklands explains in this month’s supplement, a 99% service should be retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from “the norm, a given”. This is even more important if a large percentage of your customers the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the magazine without prior written approval is not permitted. are tourists. Guiding those unfamaliar with your network – or perhaps trams and metro travel in general – is a constant process and passenger information and education is crucial in presenting a positive image of modern urban rail. Simon Johnston, Editor COVER: A spectacular view of an Alstom Citadis tram crossing Dubai Marina in March 2015. Neil Pulling

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 171 News EU energy project hails progress OSIRIS programme develops ‘toolbox’ for optimising energy consumption in urban rail

he three-year OSIRIS efficiencies across the entire rail the 2020 target set at the outset OSIRIS PARTNERS (optimal strategy to system, the result of the EUR7.3m of the programme. Alstom innovate and reduce project – co-funded by the EU’s OSIRIS has also laid AnsaldoSTS energy consumption in Seventh Framework Programme, the framework for a new Areva Turban rail systems) programme which provided EUR4.3m – is comparative rolling stock energy ATAC Roma concluded in March, with the development of a ‘toolbox’ consumption tool through a ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi) partners and participants hailing relevant to the specific segments modular duty cycle system. CAF the progress made in reducing of the urban transport sector. Among the technical CMM (Center for Mathematical energy usage and improving This includes new methodologies innovations are a new tram Modelling) efficiency in Europe’s tramway for simulating, evaluating and onboard lithium-ion energy D’Appolonia and metro networks a success. optimising energy consumption, storage system developed by Istanbul Ulasim The UNIFE-co-ordinated which has since contributed CAF Power & Automation and ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón) programme brought together 17 to a 10% reduction by some Saft that has been proven on NewRail partners (see right). Focusing on European systems, well ahead of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tramway, an RATP Alstom-developed lightweight Saft auxiliary converter for Milan’s Siemens metro line 3, and a water-cooled Technische Universität Wien HVAC system for equipment UITP rooms from AnsaldoSTS that has been successfully trialled at Rome’s Barberini station in in Istanbul, 50GWh in Paris, and partnership with ATAC. 15GWh in Milan. The partners RATP and Istanbul metro have also developed KPIs which operator Istanbul Ulasim co- allow direct comparisons for operated on energy-efficient consumption and business and escalators, tunnel and station economic factors. ventilation systems and new Many of the research projects lighting systems. The potential are still at an early stage, with Vitoria-Gasteiz 511 was fitted with a new onboard energy storage system that for these to reduce energy further work required, in all gave 25% greater efficiency and improved energy recovery from regenerative consumption – and bills – was likelihood through the Shift²Rail braking by 5%. OSIRIS/UNIFE reflected in a 10GWh reduction and Horizon 2020 initiatives.

Cardiff Metro and Seattle’s Inekon battery tram arrives cable car plans Following testing in the Czech from Capitol Hill to Pioneer could also be appropriate for A call has been made for the Republic, a prototype Inekon Square (4km/2.5 miles), with segments of the planned Center creation of a new organisation low-floor tram with off-wire regenerative braking charging City Connector extension. at arm’s length from the Welsh capabilities has been delivered the batteries. On the outbound The onboard storage solution Government to oversee proposals to Seattle prior to testing on return journey a conventional was developed for the First Hill for a Cardiff City Region Metro. the First Hall line where it will overhead contact system will Streetcar to reduce overhead The body would have powers enter service later in 2015. provide traction power. wire conflicts with the Metro to acquire land and provide The bi-directional three- Initial tests were performed trolley bus system and reduce opportunities for developments section tram is fitted with on at Ekova Electric’s factory the visual impact of further that would help finance the lithium-ion Saft batteries in Ostrava, followed by trial overhead contact systems in project. It is hoped a City Deal and claims a capability of running on the city’s network. the city. A second prototype for the UK region could bring in running for 16km (ten miles) During this period, the tram is under construction before around GBP900m (EUR1.23bn). without overhead wires. When reportedly ran on battery series production begins. Cardiff Business Council has operating on the First Hill line, power alone for distances The M-1 consortium in also identified the City Deal as a the tram – part of a seven-car up to 6km (four miles) and Detroit has also ordered source of potential funding for order worth USD30m – will be for durations as long as 37 off-wire capable trams from a cable car link between Cardiff powered by onboard energy minutes. These results indicate Inekon for its Woodward Bay, Penarth and the city centre. storage on each inbound trip that the off-wire solution Avenue project.

First Avenio for Doha Education City tested in Vienna The first SiemensAvenio low-floor EUR412m turnkey contract for in high temperatures with tram for the 11.5km (7.2-mile) the line. uprated air conditioning, tinted Education City tramway was The new trams feature windows and shades to protect tested in the Rail Tec Arsenal supercapacitors and NiMH roof-mounted equipment. climatic chamber in Wien batteries to permit catenary- Maximum speed on the campus (Vienna), Austria, in March; 19 free operation; batteries will line will be 40km/h (25mph) and three-section, double-ended, be recharged at the 25 stops, no fares will be charged. The line Education City 002 on its way to the 27.7m cars are on order and requiring just 20 seconds. The is due to start carrying passengers RailTec climate facility in Wien being built in Wien under the trams are adapted for operation in September 2016. BahnNews Austria

172 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org CSR Sifang unveils new hydrogen- powered tram at its Qindao factory Chinese manufacturer claims a world-first with its prototype low-floor fuel cell vehicle

s our reporting on new was demonstrated on the works Chinese tramways test track in 2014, but does not shows, wire-free appear to have gained any orders. operation is a valued It is not clear if the hydrogen- Aaspect of the development of this powered prototype is a rebuild ‘new’ mode of public transport, of this car, or a completely new not because it is needed to avoid product. The tram can carry the overhead visual impact 380 passengers (60 seated), of historic city centres (as in while storage bottles onboard Europe), but because of the need the vehicle can take 1000kg to be seen to embrace the latest of hydrogen under pressure technology. The new lines in with maximum temperatures Chinese cities rarely penetrate not exceeding 100°C. The the central area, but instead only product passed to the serve developing suburbs and atmosphere is water. technological and business The city of Foshan in central parks, often as metro feeders. Guangdong province (population On 19 March domestic rolling The prototype tram in the Qingdao production plant. eight million) is leading the stock manufacturer CSR Sifang S. Xuechun, courtesy CSR Sifang nation on hydrogen production, of Qingdao unveiled a 100% low- investing USD72m last year floor articulated tram powered tram powered by two hydrogen 15T three-section eight-axle car, to bring Sifang’s factory and by hydrogen fuel cells, claiming fuel cells). which CSR is licensed to produce distribution network to the city, it as a world first (neglecting CSR Sifang claims its tram for the Chinese market, and the and collaborating on a national the TIG/m heritage-style cars can be refueled in three minutes manufacturer says production hydrogen research centre. already operating in Aruba and and run for up to 100km (62 versions will be offered in Foshan already has a 20.4km soon to feature in Dubai, and the miles) at speeds of up to 70km/h multiple lengths from two to (12.7-mile) metro line, with plans 2011 Spanish operator FEVE’s (43.5mph). The vehicle appears five sections. for two further lines and a multi- unveiling of a rebuilt ex-Vicinal to be based on the 31.4m Skoda A prototype Chinese-built 15T line tramway network.

Amsterdam operator ‘Tube’ modernisation to continue calls for airport metro The chief executive of Amsterdam The London Mayor and London Metropolitan line from its operator GVB and former Underground have confirmed current Watford terminus to councillor Alexandra van Huffelen plans to ensure the delivery of serve Watford High Street and has called for the Netherlands’ modernisation of the UK capital’s Watford Junction stations, capital’s metro to be extended to the city’s Schiphol airport, Dutch Circle, Metropolitan, District and as well as two new stations media has reported. Hammersmith & City lines. at Cassiobridge and Watford Van Huffelen has said that an A new train control system Vicarage Road. Most of the route east-west line should be built to will be introduced that will would follow the alignment of a complement the currently under allow more trains to run; once closed branch line. construction north-south line, completed the Circle line will Following the agreement, which is delayed and running over budget. see a train up to every four Changes to the District line will see with the UK Department for Schiphol is served by a minutes instead of every ten headways reduced from ten to four Transport and Hertfordshire dedicated heavy-rail station, minutes and additional District, minutes within ten years. N. Pulling County Council, previous which has local and long-distance Hammersmith & City and project manager for the new rail trains. It also has a variety of bus Metropolitan services will provide Piccadilly, Central, Bakerloo, and link, construction could begin services. trains every two minutes across Waterloo & City lines. later this year, with first services much of this part of the network. TfL is exploring options to running in 2019. Canberra tramway The four lines carry around replace the technology inside its However, after LU’s own consortia shortlisted 1.3 million passengers a day and Oyster smartcards. Future Oyster studies had identified a Two consortia have been shortlisted to build, equip and the improvements will see the cards are expected to incorporate significant shortfall in project operate the proposed tramway in completion of the GBP5.54bn the same contactless payment funding, Director of Major the Australian capital of Canberra. (EUR7.5bn) modernisation card technology used by bank Programme Sponsorship David Canberra Metro is led by programme that has been credit and debit cards. The Hughes said: “Late last year, Leighton subsidiary Pacific ongoing for the last few years. The existing Oyster brand would be faced with significant project Holdings and includes improvements will all be delivered retained. It is hoped that the new slippage and cost escalation, Mitsubishi, John Holland and within the existing Transport for card will be available next year. the Government asked us to DB International, while Activate London business plan. In further news, following a consider stepping in and taking is led by Downer EDI and includes Bombardier and Circle works will be completed formal agreement announced over responsibility for delivery of Keolis Downer. by 2021, with the full benefits on 27 March, LU has agreed the scheme. We were clear that a The 12km (7.5-mile) AUD594.5m seen across all lines in 2022. LU to take over responsibility for suitable funding package needed (EUR420m) line should start will then move on to buying new the Croxley Rail Link project to be in place before we would be construction in 2016-17. trains and control systems for the that involves diversion of the prepared to take this on.”

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 173 News US submits USD478bn funding plan Transportation Secretary sends bill to Congress aimed at improving ‘crumbling infrastructure’

n 30 March US Congress with the option of their public transportation funding by 76%; streamline Transportation increasing investment in surface networks, he added: “This is an the existing project permit Secretary Anthony transportation by 45% and opportunity to break away from process; increase “innovative Foxx sent to supporting millions of new jobs ten years of flat funding, not financing” by strengthening the OCongress a six-year, USD478bn in addressing the USD86bn to mention these past six years Transportation Infrastructure transportation reauthorisation bill repairs backlog estimated in in which Congress has funded Finance and Innovation designed to improve the nation’s the recent Beyond Traffic study transportation by passing 32 Act (TIFIA) and Railroad “crumbling infrastructure.” prepared by the US Department short-term measures.” Rehabilitation and Improvement The bill, a revised version of Transportation. The ambitious funding plan Financing (RRIF) loan of President Obama’s GROW “All over the country, I hear would primarily receive its programmes, by making more America Act, would provide the same account: the need to funding from a scheme of Private Activity Bonds (PABS) funding certainty to authorities repair and expand our surface taxation repatriation, with available, and by nearly doubling seeking to pursue development transportation system has companies required to bring funding for the Transportation and upgrade projects for roads, never been greater, and yet overseas earnings back to the US Investment Generating bridges, rail and urban transit federal transportation funding at a taxation rate of 14%, adding Economic Recovery (TIGER) networks. has never been in such short up to an expected USD238bn grant programme; and provide As lawmakers try to fund supply,” Foxx said in a press according to the US Department more funding to Metropolitan transportation beyond the May release. On offering funding of Transportation. planning organisations. 31 deadline for expiration of certainty for many States seeking Specifically, the bill “It is clear to me that the current bill, the act provides to modernise and improve would increase transit transportation is still a bipartisan issue, and I am really encouraged “All over the country, I hear the same account: to see members of both parties working to get something done,” the need to repair and expand our surface Foxx said. “During these next two months, though, all of us transportation system has never been greater, who work in Washington need to be relentless in trying to get and yet federal transportation funding has to ‘yes’ on a bill that is truly transformative and that brings never been in such short supply,” the country together.”

New Brussels north-south metro to replace trams

On 26 March national and regional governments approved Rol Baudouin 3 long-term plans to convert 6 Bordet Brussels’ north–south tram Paix subway to full metro operation, Tilleul and build 4.4km (2.7 miles) of new Riga The new north– metro from Nord to Bordet via south metro line Schaerbeek at a cost of EUR700m. Canal 3 to be built in It is hoped to open the new Verbroekhoven Brussels, and its automated metro line from relationship to Liedts Collignon Bordet (interchange with other lines SNCB) to Albert in 2024, with Gare du Nord construction starting in 2019. A portion of the existing subway 2 6 Rogier at Lemonnier will be bypassed Elisabeth 1 by a new alignment with a new station at Constitution. A new De Brouckere Stockel depot will be built at Haren. Whilst detailed implications 1 Bourse for the tramway system have Anneessens not yet been announced, it is Gare de rOuest clear that Nord and Albert will Constitution become interchange stations for revised routes that at present use Gare du Midi the north–south link (lines 3, 4 Porte de and 32). The new construction is Hal Parvis de Saint-Gilles duplicated by tram 55. Horta 5 The tram subway was built Herrmann-Debroux with conversion to full metro in Albert mind, and STIB/MIVB is already experienced with work such as 3 5 this as the existing east–west metro involved conversion of the Erasme city’s first tram subway.

174 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org China’s Nanjing opens new 45km line 3 Brookville’s new Liberty A new 45km (28-mile) metro line has opened in Nanjing, China. Starting services on 1 April, the 29- tram is unveiled in Dallas stop route is part of an expanding network expected eventually to reach 224km (139 miles). Modern-outline vehicle rolled out at DART workshop in March The standard gauge line 3 links Linchang and Moling, The first section of metro he first of two 70% low- serving Nanjing, which is the floorLiberty trams (301-2) capital of Jiangsu province, built by Brookville opened in 2005. Equipment Corporation Lisbon strike planned Twas rolled out at DART’s Fair over transport tender Park workshop on 23 March, just Trades union members have three weeks before the planned called for industrial action after opening of the 2.6km (1.6-mile) an announcement that operation Oak Cliff tramway in Dallas. of public transport in Lisboa Brookville was awarded a (Lisbon) in Portgual is to be put out USD9.4m contract in March 2013 to tender. for two trams, with an option for Union members are against the a further two.The 20.3m, double- possible privatisation of transport services, which are currently ended, three-section car is offered through the municipality. mounted on two bogies and has a A 24-hour strike taking in the lithium-ion battery storage system metro and Carris buses was to permit wire-free operation The first modern-outline Brookville tram for the Oak Cliff streetcar line to be expected to take place on 10 April. across the historic Houston St unveiled was Dallas 302. Courtesy of DART Washington line review viaduct across the Trinity River. recommends further There are 34 seats, with space would open to passengers on 13 The USD48m Oak Cliff training for wheelchairs, bicycles and 65 April, with fare-free service 05.00- streetcar project received As TAUT went to press, safety standing passengers. Both doors 19.15 Monday-Friday between USD26m from the federal concerns continued to bedevil are in the suspended low-floor Union Station and the Methodist government, and USD22m from the long-delayed H St/Benning centre section. Hospital. Phase II to the Bishops regional transport authority Rd tramline in Washington DC. At the time of going to press Arts District and the Convention DART. The line is owned by the Although an APTA peer review DART maintained that the line Center in planning for 2016. city council. of the project found no fatal flaws, it recommended more training for maintenance staff, a review of procedures and recruitment of Jeddah ‘vision’ staff with tramway experience. Taipei designs revealed It has been suggested that the city council’s bruising experience contract signed As previously reported, Taipei, with this project makes the A vision for the city-wide public the capital city of Taiwan, significant expansion throughout transport plan in Jeddah, Saudi is building a 9.6km (six- the US capital originally proposed Arabia, is to be developed by mile) tramline connecting unlikely. Foster + Partners, following the Hongshulin station on the Finance secured for new signing of a contract on 30 March. Tamsui Line metro with Amsterdam order Metro, ferry, bus, cycle and the Danhai district in New An impression of the Voith- Finance has been secured for public spaces are all part of the Taipei City, a project costing developed tram for the Green a new tram order of 40 or 50 vision, which aims to shift the TWD12.8bn (EUR377m). Mountain line in Taipei, Taiwan. Voith vehicles for the Amsterdam percentage of population living Construction is in the hands tramway to replace the non- within a ten-minute walk of of the China Steel Corporation, The five-section low-floor Combino stock and provide for Jeddah’s transport nodes from which has contracted Taiwan tram will be 34.5m long with expansion. 12% to 50%. The intention is Rolling Stock Co to provide the supercapacitors to permit Separately, from 9 March the Netherlands’ capital’s route 2 that new neighbourhoods will be trams, with Voith designing operation away from the resumed its normal routeing that created around the new stations. the cars and assisting with overhead wire. A prototype is takes it along Willemsparkweg The contract was signed by production and systems due for delivery in 2016, with and Koninginneweg. governor of Makkah Province. integration. the line opening in 2018.

IN PICTURES Düsseldorf and Köln choose St-Etienne line T3 Bombardier On 1 April France’s Saint-Etienne Siemens withdrew its appeal against the Metropolitan Council gave the award of a joint order for new Stadtbahn cars to Bombardier and the EUR191m contract has go-ahead to develop plans for the now been placed. The Bautzen factory will city’s third tramline. deliver 20 cars to KVB (Köln/Cologne) and 42 Line T3 will link Châteaucreux, to Rheinbahn in Düsseldorf (with an option for the city’s main station and 16 more). terminus of T2 with La Terasse The new LRVs will be 28m long and mainline station – serving the 2.65m wide, and will replace the remaining Technopole business district, GT8SU trams in Düsseldorf and life-expired also served by light rail line T1. Stadtbahn-B cars from the 1970s in both cities. Each 41t car will carry 245 passengers (60 Two route options are being The new Bombardier design for Düsseldorf and Köln. The vehicle seated) and delivery will run from 2017-2021, considered; Line T3 is to open in in this image is numbered Rheinbahn 5001. Rheinbahn with the Düsseldorf cars arriving first. late 2019.

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 175 News

Aalborg to have SMILE at UITP World trams by 2021? Aalborg could be operating congress in Milan trams in 2021 if plans adopted by a consortium of authorities More than 2000 expected in Italian city to discuss public transport issues and transport operators are realised. A secretariat has been set up to prepare for formation ‘ mile in the city’ is the believes public transport 2013 edition in Geneva attracted of a construction company, theme of the 2015 UITP must perform better and more some 25 000 visitors and 320 Aalborg Letbane, with the Danish World Congress and efficiently. exhibitors across the 30,000m² city hoping for funding from a Exhibition, to be held In 2009, the sector set itself the of exhibition space. During the national environmental budget of inS Milan. More than 2000 ambitious target of doubling the event, a series of Expo Focus DKK28.5bn (EUR38bn) to build a people including political market share of public transport Sessions will offer a dedicated 12.3km (7.6-mile) line estimated decisionmakers, public transport worldwide by 2025 compared to space for public transport to cost DKK2.4bn (EUR320m). leaders and representatives from 2005 – and progress so far will be pioneers to display their latest Consultants have suggested operators, authorities, industry assessed at the Milan event. technological developments. an east–west line driven by the and academia are expected to On the agenda for the first time The Global Public Transport planned University Hospital at gather in the Italian city from will be the topics of financial risk Awards will recognise local its eastern end, and running via 8-10 June. management, smart cities and mobility projects introduced the city centre and station to the Two years after the last event the corporatisation of informal in the past two years that industrial Norden area in the in Geneva, the theme of the transport. Emerging markets demonstrate vision for city west; 109 000 passengers/day are latest congress is covered by the such as Brazil, Mexico, India and mobility systems, operational and predicted compared with 52 000 acronym SMILE – Sustainability, Eurasia will also be the focus of technical excellence and that can using buses at present. Mobility, Innovation, Lifestyle dedicated sessions. be transferred to other cities and With new tramways already and Economy. Running in parallel to the regions. UITP and Y4PT (Youth for approved or planned in Aarhus, With challenges including content-focused Congress Public Transport) will also jointly København and Odense, Aalborg urbanisation, climate change, sessions is the UITP Exhibition. grant the ‘Health and Public could be the fourth Danish city finding alternative funding This is widely-recognised for Transport Award,’ recognising the to adopt the mode. The last sources, adopting a more- attracting political, operational contribution of public transport city trams were in København, customer-oriented approach and technical decision-makers, to a healthier society. abandoned in 1972.Unlike the and ensuring there are adequate who come from around the world > For more details, visit other three, Aalborg in north regulatory frameworks, UITP to network and place orders; the www.uitpmilan2015.org Jutland never had a tramway.

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176 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Advertorial

FUND FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF COMPETITION IN THE FRENCH PUBLIC TRANSPORT SECTOR:

Operators bidding for certain urban transport contracts in France over the 2012-2016 period should be entitled, under certain conditions, to the compensation of all or part of their bidding costs.

n the context of the French concerned in order to contribute to as to increase the number of bidders and Competition Authority’s decision the payment of all or part of outside enhance competition between them). no. 10-DCC-198 of 30 December consulting costs). The above mentioned fund relates 2010, a fund has been put in place To contribute to the compensation, by to the contracts which will be put to to enhance competition in the the PTAs concerned, of bidding costs tender between 2012 and 2016 for the urbanI transport services sector, with a view: incurred by players challenging the operation of 44 urban transport networks, To finance consulting services incumbent operator (grant of lump which are currently operated by purchased by public transport sums to the PTAs concerned in order VEOLIA TRANSDEV and/or its affiliates/ authorities (“PTA”) concerned, so as to to contribute to the compensation by subsidiaries1. strengthen the role of such PTAs in the such PTAs of all or part of the bidding effectiveness of the tender procedures costs incurred by unsuccessful bidders For the period from 2015 to 2016, the (grant of lump sums to the PTAs other than the incumbent operator, so contracts concerned are listed below:

URBAN TRANSPORT NETWORK DATE OF EXPIRY OF CURRENT CONTRACT Antibes 30/06/2015 Creusot-Montceau-les-Mines 31/07/2015 Epernay 31/07/2015 Vannes 31/08/2015 St Dié-des-Vosges 31/08/2015 Calais 31/12/2015 Fos-sur-Mer / Istres 31/12/2015 Ajaccio 31/12/2015 Beauvais 31/12/2015 Thonon-les-Bains 31/12/2015 Tulle 30/06/2016 Thiers 31/08/2016 Bollène 31/08/2016 Fougères 31/12/2016 Vernon 31/12/2016

1 The detailed description of the fund is attached FOR FURTHER INFORMATION to the decision of the French Competition Authority no. 10-DCC-198 of 30 December Operators interested may contact the relevant PTAs or the Manager in charge of the operation of the fund, under the supervision of the Trustee appointed by the French 2010 relating to the setting-up of a joint venture Competition Authority: between Veolia Environnement and Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, available on the

Mr Gilles Panetto / Mme Caroline Montane (Tel: +33 1 58 19 30 42 / +33 1 58 19 34 67) Authority’s website at:

[email protected] / [email protected] Natixis, 68-76 quai de la Rapée 75012 Paris www.autoritedelaconcurrence.fr/user/ avisdec.php?numero=10-DCC-198.

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 177 Danish LRT projects THE DANISH LIGHT RAIL RENAISSANCE A popular mode in Denmark for over a century, the country’s last tram ran in 1972. Now light rail is making a comeback, with four schemes planned or in delivery. SYSTRA’s David Steele explains why.

ABOVE: LRT systems are seen as a catalyst for development in Denmark; pictured in September 2014 is the construction project for a bridge for the new Aarhus LRT system alongside a new multimedia complex which is due to open in 2015. Aarhus Letbane

hen the new LRT line in of all trips made by bike and 36% of Danes developments along the harbour front, to Aarhus opens for business cycling to work daily, or at least once a week. Aarhus University which has ambitious in 2017, it will be the first The Government uses fiscal incentives to expansion plans and to the new University tram the city has seen in increase the use of alternative modes, adding Hospital, due to open in 2019. The LRT system over 45 years. A mode of significant taxes to the cost of new vehicles to will ensure adequate capacity and encourage transportW which was killed off by the rise discourage private car use. At the same time, sustainable growth along its corridors. of the motorcar and motorbus has been it is investing in public transport and the Another important factor which makes reincarnated by a country which wants to development of green technologies. trams an obvious choice in Denmark is the reduce the negative impacts of road traffic, Better public transport is widely seen moderate size of its major cities outside the while enabling towns to grow and develop. across the nation as a catalyst for urban capital, which are ideal for trams. Copenhagen Aarhus is the first modern scheme in development, both private and public. is the exception of course, as here the outer Denmark, but more will follow. Authorities are With existing train and bus systems reaching ring system will encourage development working on tender documents for a 14.7km capacity in Danish inner city areas, trams and inward investment in the municipalities (9.1-mile) network for Odense, Copenhagen are seen as a good answer since some investing in the scheme, forming a key part of is planning an outer light rail ring to link municipalities see LRT as the key to more the overall regional development plan as they outlying municipalities to the city centre, sustainable, energy-efficient cities. shape their city for the future. and in Aalborg a light rail solution is under Odense, to which SYSTRA, with its Danish consideration to help aid growth in the city. partner COWI, is technical consultant, A long history There are several reasons why LRT is a has a vision of a compact city, defined by The story of trams in Denmark begins over tempting solution for some of Denmark’s squares and urban spaces with access to the 150 years ago. The country was the first in cities right now: growing populations, developments provided by its new tramway. Its Europe to open a horse-drawn service, in congestion, and the political will to reduce environmental policy sets out goals to increase Copenhagen in 1863, and in 1899 the first carbon emissions and noise pollution. public transport use by 40% by 2015 and by electric tram was also commissioned. Aarhus, for instance, which had a population 200% by 2025, aided by the new tramway. Three of the four cities now planning or of 259 754 in 2014, expects a 25% increase Because LRT systems provide more reliable considering modern systems previously had by 2030 with the number of jobs expected to modal connections and more efficient trams: Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense. rise by 28% over the same period. delivery of passengers to destinations along Evidence of these networks can still be Scandinavia has a deserved reputation as the line, they have the potential to encourage found and some of the trams now run on a leader in sustainable living. Bicycles are a development at targeted locations. In Aarhus a 1.8km (1.1 mile) heritage tramway at the key mode of transport in Denmark, with 16% the light rail corridor runs through two major Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldenæsholm museum.

178 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org THE DANISH LIGHT RAIL RENAISSANCE

The mode’s popularity gradually declined due to competition from other modes, particularly private vehicles. As a result the system in Odense closed in June 1952, Aarhus followed in November 1971 and the final tram ran in Copenhagen on 23 April 1972, with its rolling stock sold to Alexandria in Egypt. Some of Denmark’s Nordic neighbours, such as Oslo, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Norrköping, continued tram operations up to the present day, so with existing infrastructure the cost of upgrading to modern standards – rather than building new – has been considerably less. The idea for a light rail system in Aarhus, where SYSTRA with COWI is also providing technical support to the client, began as early ABOVE: One of the challenges for the new light BELOW: Bicycles are a popular transport mode as 2000. The Danish Parliament approved rail system in Aarhus, as well as other Danish cities, in Denmark. LRT systems, like this one planned funding in 2009, the scheme’s Environmental is integrating it into the urban fabric and existing for Odense, must allow for safe cycling and ease of Impact Assessment (EIA) was completed in transport systems. Aarhus Letbane transfer between the two modes. Odense Light Rail 2010 and it passed into law in 2012.

Modern challenges Despite its proud tram heritage, the lag between its first-generation systems closing and new ones opening means that Denmark is practically starting from scratch in terms of expertise and technology. The challenges are considerable, ranging from issues relating to climate through to the need to integrate with existing urban environments. Cold winter weather can offer major challenges for trams: ice on the catenary systems and rails can create operational difficulties; snow and ice can build up on the carriage roofs; damp and humidity inside the carriages can be an issue; and door mechanisms can be affected by ice. Extra care has therefore been taken in developing specifications to ensure that these impacts would be mitigated as far as possible. Also linked to Denmark’s winter weather is the need to have vehicles which can cope with the salts put down on the road there is one particular form of transport package covering bridges, tunnels and to prevent ice forming, which has caused which needs special thought at the design utility diversions, only a limited section near problems in other European cities. In Aarhus stage: bicycles. Unlike Copenhagen’s S-Bane Lyngby involves mixed traffic and this both the situation is compounded by a stretch trains, tram carriages are not big enough to improves safety and limits traffic delays. of line which runs along the seafront in a accommodate more than a few bikes; this For Odense, and its different urban heavily saline environment; similar issues of means that stops need high-quality bicycle layout, the challenge of integration is higher corrosion and salt and sand interfering with parking facilities with secure shelters and and getting it right is central to the city’s components can be found on the Kustram in efficient signage. regeneration plans. It is important to limit Belgium and on the UK’s Blackpool Tramway. Bicycles must also be considered when the visual intrusion from a new LRT system In answer to this problem, rolling stock planning crossing points. Cyclists need by making the design as sensitive as it can manufacturers must consider options to a clear line of vision to see approaching be; ensuring all catenary poles are aligned, or protect the underside of the carriages with trams, and crossings must be perpendicular attaching wires to buildings where possible, stainless steel, a special coating, or other to the rails to ensure that bike wheels which helps limit the impact. solutions. The trams are cleaned regularly don’t get caught in the grooves, causing Aarhus has its own particular technical using an automatic trainwash, but the impact accidents – a common problem with modern challenges since it must use existing track for of damaging salts requires that underframe tramways, especially in new cities where it part of the route. This is a situation which washing equipment is also provided. takes other road users time to adjust to new has caused problems in other European cities, Other technical issues come from the need infrastructure. some of which are yet to be resolved. to make new light rail systems work within The other challenges of weaving a new In Aarhus there will be 12 tram-trains the existing fabric of an already-developed light rail system among existing buildings running on existing lines and 12 trams city. Other modes must form part of an and transport vary from city to city. Some running predominantly on the new sections, integrated network, and aesthetic impacts have spacious boulevards outside the old with both sharing the harbourfront section must be considered and minimised. city areas allowing the LRT to be isolated and the stabling and maintenance facilities. While all new public transport systems from road traffic and reducing disruption Platforms at existing stations will be must provide efficient and hassle-free during construction. For Copenhagen’s lowered to accommodate the new LRVs and interchanges with other modes, in Denmark Ring 3, where SYSTRA is working on the the interface between wheel and rail needs

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 179 Danish LRT projects

SYSTRA has been supporting LRT projects in Denmark since 2010. It has been working on the Copenhagen Metro since 2007. David Steele is a Project Manager, leading a team delivering the Aarhus tramway, the first of its kind in Denmark.

RIGHT: Studies for a tramway in Aalborg are currently underway. Henning Larsen Architects attention for those vehicles whose wheels must run on both new and existing lines. DENMARK’S LRT PROJECTS AT A GLANCE Ride quality must be addressed, as too much movement can accelerate damage to rolling Aarhus stock and lead to fatigue failures. In extreme Electrification of two heavy rail lines running from Aarhus 69km (43 miles) north to Grenaa and 26.5km cases, though not for this phase Aarhus, (16.5 miles) south to Odder, with a new 12km (7.5-mile) loop and 18 stations around the city centre. 12 Stadler Variotrams and 12 Tangos (tram-trains): tracks may have to be re-laid. Because LRT systems are, in effect, brand Variotram Tango new to Denmark, there is a huge challenge Gauge 1435mm 1435mm in terms of regulations and standards: they Length 42.14m 39.2m need to be written. A joint group of clients, Maximum speed 80km/h (50mph) 100km/h (62mph) representing all the municipalities looking Passengers (4/m2) 274 257 at light rail, is working together to develop All power supply for the Danish trams will be 750V dc and although there were detailed investigations the rules and regulations needed. Denmark of catenary-free power supply, none are expected to be utilised for the current schemes. is using the German BOStrab Regulations Civils work largely complete. as a basis, but there are many adaptations Consortium consisting of Ansaldo STS (Italy), Stadler Rail Group (Switzerland) awarded turnkey required to take into account local factors. contract to deliver railway systems and supply and maintain rolling stock in July 2014. There are particular domestic issues related Line due to open in 2017. to LRVs operating in shared areas and signal operation with road traffic; there will also be Odense New 14.7km (9.1-mile) network with 26 stations and 14 trams. knock-on changes to road standards. 13m passengers a year. Aarhus is leading the way in some areas, First phase runs through Bolbro, Odense city centre, the railway station and on to University of for example safety reviews, but generally this Southern Denmark, ending at Hjallese railway station. joined-up approach should lead to a uniform Second phases with two more branches will run from Vollsmose via Vesterbro, connecting to the first approach for all of the nation’s LRT projects. phase at Rosengardcentret; and from Odense Zoo to the city centre stop. Expected to be put out to tender later this year; first phase due to open 2020. Effective funding In Denmark, the development of LRT projects Copenhagen Ring 3 requires contributions from national, 27km (16.8 miles) between Lundstofte in the north of Copenhagen and Ishøj in the south with 27 stations, requiring 27 trams. regional and municipal government, whilst Projected 13m-14m passengers a year. operation and maintenance is funded from Environmental Impact Assessments underway; could open as early as 2020. regional and municipal sources. For the Aarhus scheme, 47.2% of the Aalborg DKK3.5bn (approx. EUR470m) was provided Potentially a 12km (7.5-mile) route; LRT (requiring 18 trams) or BRT both under consideration. by the Aarhus Municipality, 47% from the Line would link the west part of the city centre with Aalborg University and the future University National Government and the remaining Hospital to the east. 5.8% from the Central Denmark Region. A further DKK14.2m (EUR1.9m) was provided and attracting national government funding. Odense and feasibility studies for the proposed by the European Investment Bank under the Once one region has significant funding system at Aalborg, which could be delivered in European Commission and its Local Energy committed to infrastructure spending, a number of phases, are underway. Assistance Programme (ELENA), which was set there is pressure for others to seek similar When Denmark’s first new tram runs in up to support construction and transportation contributions. Aarhus in 2017, the city will be the European projects that contribute to energy savings. Capital of Culture. Aarhus’s choice of theme This system of funding appears to work A bright future for LRT for the celebration year is ‘rethink’. An LRT well. And it should be noted that there is Denmark has truly re-embraced trams as an system which encourages a move away from competition between the Danish cities, both effective form of public transport. There are cars and stimulates urban regeneration is a in terms of encouraging inward investment plans for further phases for both Aarhus and fitting part of that theme.

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Full page 210x297.indd 1 19/02/2015 13:35:49 Maintenance and renewal UK STREET TRACK: HAVE WE GOT IT RIGHT? James Snowdon looks at the aspects that influence the life of street tramway track, and compares UK practice of construction and renewal with that of the Continent.

here are two stages in the beginning to learn. A significant impediment this is an assumption that the return traction life of street tramway track: to the design process in the UK has been that current has to be prevented from leaking back construction, when the object is home-grown tramway engineering expertise to the substations by any path other than to get it built at minimum cost died out in the period between the almost- the rail resulting in an insistence in encasing and time; and operation, when complete demise of first-generation tramways the rails in polymeric, and therefore flexible, Tthe effects of wear and tear, as well as design and the post-1990 arrival of second- compounds in order to eliminate any direct deficiencies, have to be faced at the same time generation tramways. contact between the rails and the earth. as maintaining the tram service. Yet, across the English Channel, street On a well-run commercially aware and tramway engineering is alive and well, and Tumbling rails service-oriented tramway, simply suspending has been so without a break. It would be very With any conventional wheelset, i.e. the service for long periods to deal with difficult to argue that the rest of Europe does two wheels fixed to a common axle, a track issues is not acceptable. Whilst the not understand how to build and maintain consequence of negotiating curved track construction period may last one or two years tramways, or indeed that there is some is an outward force at the rail heads, tending the operational phase lasts forever – at least difference in the laws of physics that prevents to overturn the rails. This originates from in theory – and savings in the design and that knowledge being applied in the UK. the fact that the wheels take up an angle to construction can easily cost the operator If there are two things that have the rails and is proportional to the magnitude far more over the life of the system. Getting characterised modern UK tram track and of that angle. it right in the first place is undoubtedly a distorted the design as a consequence, On a railway, the curves are of relatively wise move. they are an insistence on the track being large radius and, in general, the fixings As far as UK ‘second-generation’ tramway supported on a structural, and therefore between the rail and the sleepers are capable track is concerned, did we get it right? I would heavily reinforced, concrete track slab more of resisting the overturning forces. Translate suggest the answer is ‘no’, although we are worthy of a main line application. Allied to that into the tramway (and light railway) environment, where the curve radii are far smaller and the forces on the tighter curves are capable of forcing the rails from the vertical and out of alignment. The use of elastic polymers means that the rail is not

ABOVE: Street tramway engineering on the Continent should be a example of how to do things ‘right’, such as that long-running system in München (Germany), which has been in continuous operation since 1876. Here Stadler Variobahn 2303 rides between staggered platforms at Schlüsselbergstrasse in 2010. Neil Pulling

182 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org ABOVE: Brussels’ tram network is another example positively held vertical and to gauge; the Curve wear of a long-standing tramway that has seen continued service without breaks. It combines innovative result is that the rails roll outwards on curves. Side wear of both the rail head and the back engineering techniques to expand the system, at This plays havoc with the surrounding road side of the groove will always be a problem the same time as maintaining the sprawling surface, results in increased wear on both sides on the tight curves on street tramways; on traditional network; here the reorganisation of the of the rail groove and can lead to failure of the UK first-generation systems this would have eastern route services in 2013 has required passengers bond between the rail and its containment. been dealt with by providing rails in a hard to switch from car 4034 (on the right) at Rond Point The solution to these problems is the wearing material such as high manganese Winston Churchill to car 4039 on service 3 (shown in fitting of tie bars between the rail webs, steel. The development of automated the foreground). Yves-Laurent Hansart a feature of traditional tramway track arc welding processes has provided an construction. It is worth noting that this alternative, allowing the worn section was exactly the cure applied to the Metrolink to be built up again, often extending the RAIL MACHINING curves at Manchester Victoria station, life of the rail by several times before the TECHNOLOGIES where breakage and wear on the baseplate head wear dictates replacement. Since any Rails can suffer wear and degradation over time, fixings had been a problem. rail replacement in-street is a costly and although this can be prevented and corrected disruptive activity, the benefit is obvious. by grinding – however, this does result in Stray currents removal of some of the work-hardened surface On any DC railway using the rails as the of the rail and curtails the lifetime of the rail return circuit, there is a risk that some with each machining. Typically, preventative current will try to find its way back to the treatment requires metal removal from substation via the earth, or via any metallic the railhead of around 0.1-0.3mm, whereas pipes and cable armouring belonging to corrective treatment typically requires utility companies, causing electrolytic 1-3mm depending on the type of defects and transverse profile requirements. corrosion of the apparatus. The major key to Schweerbau has manufactured two new managing the magnitude of any stray current mobile rail machining trains, designed for lies in the initial design of the traction preventative and corrective treatment of rails: power supply system, i.e. avoiding excessive DHOB 2500 II (a rotational planning train) and return voltage drop in the rails by avoiding the HSM (high speed milling train). excessive gaps between substations, and not encouraging it by connecting the negative These trains work as below: pole of the rectifiers to earth. Rotational planing combines milling and planing characteristics into a single technique. At street level, though, there are simpler Each rail can be independently machined approaches than encasing the rail in to different transverse profiles. Rotational insulating polymer; apart from European planing also offers advantages in terms of experience that a foot (30cm) of concrete quality, productivity and environment over is a good stray current stopper, a simple conventional grinding technology. technique practiced by some European ABOVE: Line 15/16 in Basel is an example of the extremely tight curves that trams can be expected High-speed milling is a development of operators is to line the excavation for the to negotiate, where the forces applied on the curve conventional milling technology – but trackbed with a layer of plastic sheeting, thus machining can take place at much higher radii are capable of forcing the rails out of alignment. separating the whole of the track system speeds of around 2500m/ph compared to Increased wear on both sides of the rail groove can around 600-900m/ph. from the earth without any impact of the result, leading to failure of the bond between the rail actual track construction. and its containment. Neil Pulling

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 183 Maintenance and renewal

UK second-generation track designers often encase the rail in polymeric compounds and follow heavy rail practice in installing hardened rail on curves. If such rail is to be welded successfully the work has to be done at a high temperature and controlling the rail temperature during welding is critical if the polymer is not to be damaged irreversibly. Elsewhere in Europe tramway practice is to use the hard rail on the straighter sections, where there is only rolling contact between wheel and rail – and to install ordinary grade, i.e. non-hardened, rails on the curves, as this steel is easier to weld successfully. Welding then provides the opportunity to rebuild and re-face the rail in a harder-wearing steel.

Track slab Like any railway track, the rails need to be supported on something more load bearing than the ground. Sleepers and stone ballast are usually used on heavy rail and segregated sections of light rail systems; the usual material for street tramways was a good grade of concrete, poured beneath the rails after ABOVE: A solution to the problems of wear created by tight curves is the fitting of tie bars between the rail they had been put in position. The same webs, as applied to the Metrolink curves in Manchester Victoria station, where breakage and wear on the technique is still normal in other parts of the baseplate fixings had been a problem. Here, Metrolink 3001 threads its way through construction works at the EU, sometimes modified by the insertion of a Victoria station junction with Balloon Street in 2014. F. Collins single layer of reinforcement mesh to control any tendency for the concrete to crack. “The track slabs built for There is a valid argument that neither the This simple concrete embedment serves the utility companies nor the operator would purpose well and it is relatively easy to break the UK systems… [are] accept having a gas or water main rupture out to get at services beneath the tramway, in the immediate vicinity of the track as the or for major track renewals or remodelling. built from high strength effects can be quite disruptive. The greatest Provided the rails are given temporary risk is with cast iron pipes, particularly older support, tram services can be maintained concrete… Solid, yes, but examples that are liable to fracture easily under even during the breaking out process. unfavourable loads. Replacement by modern In contrast, the track slabs built for the UK very difficult to break out.” plastic piping would overcome much of the systems (with the possible exception of the problem. Plastic piping also prevents apparatus most recent work for Nottingham Phase 2) it is to tunnel under the slab in an becoming routes for stray traction current. have been heavily reinforced constructions environment where access either side of With cables, both power and built from high strength concrete capable of the tracks is liable to be limited. telecommunications, there is a strong acting as a bridge across modest gaps. Solid, It is instructive to consider how existing argument for leaving these in situ, sleeved, and yes, but very difficult to break out when any utilities apparatus is dealt with when a casting the track slab around them; a degree repair or remodelling work is required. Where tramway is constructed in the UK. It is usual of future-proofing can be created by installing the same construction has been used to to divert each pipe and cable crossing the empty duct routes across the slab without create upstands to contain polymer-encased alignment away from the track route or to a incurring more than marginal cost. On the rails, getting access to the rail in order to deal greater depth, at considerable expense and other hand, not diverting the same cables, with breaks or other defects is difficult. disruption. This is driven by private sector especially the fibre optic telecoms variety, In the event that a utility company should funders – determined to keep the tramway would probably yield greater savings. want to lay a new pipe or cable it is easier service (and revenue stream) running – and with a traditional mass concrete foundation by promoters who do not have the knowledge James Snowdon I.Eng., FIET, FIMechE was to open up a trench across the tramway – as to how such interruptions are mitigated on Chief Engineer at Tramtrack Croydon Ltd, from keeping the rails in situ and in service – than established tramways elsewhere in the EU. 1997 to 2008. Thanks also to Scott McIntosh.

ABOVE: The reconstruction of tram route 1 in Budapest, seen here in 2014, shows ABOVE: UK systems generally use slab track construction, with mesh also that slab track is used widely across the Continent (although to varying depths) as a applied to help prevent stray current leakage. Both of these can be seen in this solid foundation for street track; the downside is that it can prove difficult to break view from Sheffield Street of construction of the East Manchester line in 2010. apart when repair work is required . Neil Pulling Mike Haddon

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A new tramway in 2013 opened up the Maintenance and renewal systems Constantine traffic-clogged ‘City of Bridges’ in Algeria – Mike www.lrta.org Russell pays a visit to www.tautonline.com factfile ALGERIA Ksantina (Constantine), : No. Constantine, witnessing a burst raCK of new life since the UK Street t O. 929 MAY 2015 N 92 Algeria tramway’s introduction. DUBAI’S TECHNOLOGICAL Have We Got It rIGHt? James Snowdon looks at the aspects that influence the life of street tramway track, and compares TRAMWAY TOUR DE FORCE UK practice of construction and renewal with that of the Continent.

this is an assumption that the return traction beginning to learn. A significant impediment here are two stages in the current has to be prevented from leaking back to the design process in the UK has been that life of street tramway track: to the substations by any path other than home-grown tramway engineering expertise construction, when the object is the rail resulting in an insistence in encasing died out in the period between the almost- to get it built at minimum cost the rails in polymeric, and therefore flexible, complete demise of first-generation tramways and time; and operation, when compounds in order to eliminate any direct and the post-1990 arrival of second- Tthe effects of wear and tear, as well as design contact between the rails and the earth. generation tramways. deficiencies, have to be faced at the same time Yet, across the English Channel, street Tumbling rails as maintaining the tram service. tramway engineering is alive and well, and On a well-run commercially aware and With any conventional wheelset, i.e. has been so without a break. It would be very two wheels fixed to a common axle, a service-oriented tramway, simply suspending difficult to argue that the rest of Europe does the service for long periods to deal with consequence of negotiating curved track not understand how to build and maintain is an outward force at the rail heads, tending track issues is not acceptable. Whilst the tramways, or indeed that there is some construction period may last one or two years to overturn the rails. This originates from difference in the laws of physics that prevents the fact that the wheels take up an angle to the operational phase lasts forever – at least that knowledge being applied in the UK. in theory – and savings in the design and the rails and is proportional to the magnitude If there are two things that have of that angle. construction can easily cost the operator characterised modern UK tram track and rance is regularly held up On a railway, the curves are of relatively ABOVE: Reserved- AD311 the old city of Cirta was razed far more over the life of the system. Getting as the shining example this city. The third new tramway to be distorted the design as a consequence, track alignment to the ground. After being rebuilt two it right in the first place is undoubtedly a large radius and, in general, the fixings of a nation that in recent parallel with the opened in Algeria is, like the others, they are an insistence on the track being years later by imperial decree, it was between the rail and the sleepers are capable Curve wear years has rediscovered dual carriageway laid to standard gauge (1435mm). wise move. named in the Emperor Constantine’s supported on a structural, and therefore aBove: Brussels’ tram network is another example positively held vertical and to gauge; the Side wear of both the rail head and the back the tram. More recently, road below Cité The official opening took place on As far as UK ‘second-generation’ tramway of resisting the overturning forces. Translate itsF former colony of Algeria has also Kheznadar, with honour. Subsequently, the city came heavily reinforced, concrete track slab more of a long-standing tramway that has seen continued result is that the rails roll outwards on curves. 4 July 2013 and public service began side of the groove will always be a problem begun a process of establishing, or a panorama of under Ottoman domination before track is concerned, did we get it right? I would that into the tramway (and light railway) the next day – an auspicious date in worthy of a main line application. Allied to service without breaks. It combines innovative This plays havoc with the surrounding road Constantine city falling to the French in 1837. environment, where the curve radii are far on the tight curves on street tramways; on re-establishing, tramways in the more the Algerian calendar, marking as it suggest the answer is ‘no’, although we are engineering techniques to expand the system, at to the left; 109 is With an estimated city population surface, results in increased wear on both sides populated parts of this enormous does the anniversary of independence smaller and the forces on the tighter curves UK first-generation systems this would have ascending from of around 500 000, or 900 000 in the the same time as maintaining the sprawling of the rail groove and can lead to failure of the country – by area, the eleventh largest from France in 1962. Including the been dealt with by providing rails in a hard the city. greater agglomeration, Constantine is are capable of forcing the rails from the traditional network; here the reorganisation of the on the planet. With French know-how two current termini, the existing bond between the rail and its containment. the third city of the country and often vertical and out of alignment. The use of wearing material such as high manganese and equipment, trams have returned line features ten stops and links eastern route services in 2013 has required passengers considered to be the ‘capital’ of east ond Point The solution to these problems is the to the capital, Alger (Algiers) and Oran the edge of the city centre (the old elastic polymers means that the rail is not to switch from car 4034 (on the right) at r steel. The development of automated Algeria. It lies around 80km (50 miles) fitting of tie bars between the rail webs, and, in a third opening, the inland town) with the developing university Winston Churchill to car 4039 on service 3 (shown in arc welding processes has provided an inland from the Mediterranean and city of Ksantina (Constantine) gained district to the south. The present line a feature of traditional tramway track is built on on chalk cliffs, surrounded the foreground). Yves-Laurent Hansart alternative, allowing the worn section its first-ever tramway installation. is approximately 8km (5 miles) in on three sides by the deep Rhumel construction. It is worth noting that this Algeria as a whole and Constantine length, but plans exist to more than to be built up again, often extending the gorge. Although much of the present was exactly the cure applied to the Metrolink in particular are of great antiquity double this with an extension to the cityscape is unremarkable, the bridges life of the rail by several times before the and interest. Over many centuries airport. A contract for this extension curves at Manchester Victoria station, Issues for modern track maintenance and renewal that span the gorge are some of its RaiL MacHining head wear dictates replacement. Since any it has been occupied successively by was recently awarded to a consortium most impressive sights. where breakage and wear on the baseplate US submits USD478bn transit plan several different groups and armies, of Alstom, Isolux Corsan and Cosider, tecHnoLogies rail replacement in-street is a costly and the French – the colonial power with Constantine previously featured fixings had been a problem. and opening is expected in 2017. disruptive activity, the benefit is obvious. which the country is most recently a one-route trolleybus installation, A maximum of 11 Alstom Rails can suffer wear and degradation over time, Chinese hydrogen tram revealed which commenced in 1921 using the Citadis associated – only arriving in the first low-floor trams operating singly are Cedes-Stoll current collection system although this can be prevented and corrected Stray currents half of the 19th Century. The Romans required for the existing line, but the and was converted to under-running by grinding – however, this does result in settled here for over five centuries – anticipated final fleet total has been On any DC railway using the rails as the Brussels approves north-south metro trolley-poles in 1926; it lasted until removal of some of the work-hardened surface ISSN 1460-8324 resulting in some of the finest remains delivered in readiness for the airport return circuit, there is a risk that some £4.25 around 1963-64. Tramways of the 05 in the whole of north Africa – but in extension without the need to provide of the rail and curtails the lifetime of the rail previous generation were never laid in ypically, preventative current will try to find its way back to the Denmark more rolling stock. with each machining. t Oxford treatment requires metal removal from substation via the earth, or via any metallic Tram lessons from Green credentials 9 771460 832043 the railhead of around 0.1-0.3mm, whereas pipes and cable armouring belonging to supported by LRT www.tautonline.com corrective treatment typically requires utility companies, causing electrolytic its French twin city . www.lrta.org may 2015 / 201 1-3mm depending on the type of defects and corrosion of the apparatus. The major key to transverse profile requirements. managing the magnitude of any stray current 201-204_TAUT1505_SF_Constantine.indd 1 schweerbau has manufactured two new lies in the initial design of the traction 07/04/2015 10:55 07/04/2015 09:37 mobile rail machining trains, designed for power supply system, i.e. avoiding excessive preventative and corrective treatment of rails: 169_TAUT1505_cover v3.indd 1 return voltage drop in the rails by avoiding DHoB 2500 ii (a rotational planning train) and excessive gaps between substations, and not the HsM (high speed milling train). encouraging it by connecting the negative These trains work as below: pole of the rectifiers to earth. Rotational planing combines milling and At street level, though, there are simpler planing characteristics into a single technique. approaches than encasing the rail in each rail can be independently machined insulating polymer; apart from European to different transverse profiles. Rotational experience that a foot (30cm) of concrete planing also offers advantages in terms of is a good stray current stopper, a simple aBove: Line 15/16 in Basel is an example of the quality, productivity and environment over technique practiced by some European extremely tight curves that trams can be expected conventional grinding technology. to negotiate, where the forces applied on the curve High-speed milling is a development of operators is to line the excavation for the trackbed with a layer of plastic sheeting, thus radii are capable of forcing the rails out of alignment. conventional milling technology – but Increased wear on both sides of the rail groove can separating the whole of the track system machining can take place at much higher result, leading to failure of the bond between the rail speeds of around 2500m/ph compared to from the earth without any impact of the and its containment. neil Pulling around 600-900m/ph. actual track construction.

: Street tramway engineering on the Continent should be a example of how to do things ‘right’, such as that long-running system in München (Germany), which may 2015 / 184 aBove www.tautonline.com. www.lrta.org has been in continuous operation since 1876. Here Stadler Variobahn 2303 rides between staggered platforms at Schlüsselbergstrasse in 2010. neil Pulling

. www.lrta.org 182 / may 2015 www.tautonline.com Small city LRT : Hamburg piNG HiSt ORic citiES DEvElO FOR aN no place for trams tHE caSE in hamburg OxFORD MEtRO

Now entering its 78th year, Tramways &

nearly four decades after hafencity universität station, the terminus of hamburg u4 and the latest addition to the metro network, abandoning its tramway – opened in 2012. the metro, but also with the fast buses, and despite flirtations with coalition agreement, signed the next year by Urban Transit is the world’s leading monthly Grenoble. trams on which were considered a much more lines a and B mix with re-introducing it – günter effective means of transportation. the CDU and the Green party. According to the plans a 15km (nine-mile) line between people in the heart of elste of hamburger hochbahn the city. Reg Harman For or against the trams Altona and Bramfeld boroughs was to be Dr Nicholas Falk and Reg Harman look to Europe and the US and argue that the explains that the current Despite the city’s ambitious plans, expansion constructed as the first phase of a planned UK city of Oxford should have a transport system more like its ‘twin’, Grenoble. plan to expand eco buses and of the metro did not keep up with the network, consisting of 50km (30 miles) of growth? And would a different approach to development of the city due to financial lines. The opening of the first section was strategic or spatial planning overcome the metro service are entirely constraints, and the further growth of bus planned for 2014, whilst the whole network Benefits of smarter growth was to be completed by 2020; this idea was ressures main objections? All these are key features transport increased the modal shift away for growth are In looking for practical alternatives, we have rational, not emotional. dropped when the coalition collapsed. particularly strong in historic drawn lessons from similar-sized Continental of the approach in France, as well as some from urban rail. Moving to the present day, publication dedicated solely to light and other Continental countries. Witold urbanowicz because of the large passenger flows in this Following the 2011 elections won by the cities such as Oxford and York, cities such as Grenoble and Freiburg, as 2 Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands UK, as places where people not well as American models such as MAX (the The economic benefits from trams . areIn awell city of more than 1.7 million inhabitants, interviewed him for TAUT (SPD), Olaf Schulz, the First Mayor of only want to visit, but also work Metropolitan Area Express) in Portland, set out in a recent study for UKTram . some routes are served by bi-articulated historic university city such as Oxford these Hamburg, stopped all preparatory works Pand live. Oxford house prices, currently at Oregon, in order to propose how the barriers 24m-long buses – no wonder then that every to ‘smarter growth’ could be overcome. would include not only greater modal shift few years the concept of returning trams to for the tramway revival. The main reasons 12 times the average income, are twice as he city of Hamburg – the second Research has shown that France has built five from the private car but also making cycling Hamburg’s streets re-emerges. for such a decision were – according to the unaffordable as other parts of the country and much safer and easier. Keeping cars out of the largest in Germany – once had a times the number of light rail and tramway In the mid 1980s the idea of constructing authorities – the high construction costs and the city has been lagging behind its ancient centre, a central policy in Oxfordshire’s new comprehensive tramway network, systems and ten times the route length as (OTS), would a fast tram network in Stadtbahn strong public opposition. Instead, Hamburg rival Cambridge, as well as Continental draft Oxford Transport Strategy running hundreds of trams right emerged; 1 the UK over the last three or four decades. sadly these plans were stymied by city was to receive a ‘state of the art bus system’, competitors such as Freiburg, as a recent greatly reduce noise and pollution, with across the city in a complex web As Tramways & Urban Transit has revealed over and regional politics. In 2001 they were along with further extensions of the U4 article in The Economist has highlighted. associated health benefits as well as a further ofT routes serving every major area, beginning urban rail developments. the years, this is increasingly due to building metro line and the S-Bahn With limited brownfield sites to build efficiently opposed on the level of Land services. boost to tourism. with a horse-drawn system in 1866 (electric on and tight Green Belts, any new housing in smaller cities such as Amiens or Le Mans. authorities by the new coalition of the One of the main reasons for local The OTS currently favours bus rapid trams were introduced in 1894). However, Trams losing ecological competition tends to develop in dispersed and isolated transit (BRT), on the basis that passenger by the end of the 1950s the city Senate took Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and sites, leading to further congestion as people objections to new housing in the UK is Ronald Schill’s conservative local party, Concerning the future, a lot of public debate pressure on transport capacity; so would it levels on existing bus routes would not the decision over a period of two decades to drive ever further to reach jobs and services. and metro expansion continued – line is continually held in Hamburg about be possible to link new housing development suffice to support a viable tramway. But lift the tracks and adjust services into the Political differences between Labour- U4 was extended to HafenCity, the city’s reducing the pollution caused by exhaust to existing or planned transport the OTS position is based on the typically expanding metro network. controlled city councils and surrounding redeveloped port quarter. Two new stations, emissions; with this in mind, the city has infrastructure? Could the costs of building narrow British approach, in which transport The tramway ceased to be the main Conservative-controlled districts lead to finally opened in 2012, put this project at confirmed that it is to stop purchasing diesel a new system be offset by the resulting mode of transport and lost its priority in vehicles by 2020. stalemate. Both the house building and the may 2015 / 195 EUR323.6m. By comparison, a proposal for strategic planning systems seem broken. . www.lrta.org transportation politics – virtually every year In December 2014 local transport operator www.tautonline.com a section of tracks was closed, with the final two new light rail lines with 49 stops and a depot were costed at EUR485m. Hamburger Hochbahn inaugurated an Dubai services running in 1978. However, trams ‘innovation line’ (109), which is served were losing the competition not only with The idea of a light rail renaissance emerged 07/04/2015 10:23 again in 2007, even forming part of the by buses featuring a variety of alternative motive power sources. The line links the

www.tautonline.com 195-198_TAUT1505_Trams in historicDubai: cities.indd 1 . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 199 We deliver comprehensive news and analysis, showcase 199-200_TAUT1505_Hamburg-Hochbahn.indd 1 for The Gulf? 07/04/2015 09:33 The new tramway in Dubai brought together a number of technical innovations in one place when it opened in November 2014; TAUT incisive technology features, tender information, reports.

aboVe: a Citadis stops at Media city. initial inspiration for the design came rolling stock movements and the latest orders and from local architecture; this evolved into the ‘jewel concept’, reflected in the design of the bespoke element of the nose of the trams. Neil Pulling

lefT: one of the alstom Citadis crossing the bridge at Dubai Marina. fleet Neil Pulling

riGhT: automatic platform screen doors were an innovation – due to key interviews with leading industry figures from Dubai’s harsh climate, alstom mocked up the doors and tested them through millions of cycles to ensure their continued performance. John Smith

Dubai Tramway a T a glaNce December 2009: Dubai tramway statistics construction Number of classes Number of years across the globe each and every month. begins 3 on the trams: gold, Silver, and green 13 of alstom’s maintenance contract. 66 000 November (women and children). expected daily 2014: First passenger numbers Traction power tram runs Fully enclosed by 2020. expectations substations. 11stations, with 8 were for 27 000 per day Client:Dubai platform screen doors initially. roads and and air-conditioning. Number of Transport 11 44m fully low-floor authority alstom Citadis 402 to Distance in Percentage provide the service 14.7 kilometres (9.1 miles) once a Turnkey 100 of main line (capacity 405, length that is catenary free, planned second phase contractor: 44m, maximum powered using a extension has opened; alstom/ beSiX lstom’s speed 50km/h/30mph). consortium aPS. integration with the mall of the world Owner’s Number of control Passenger will influence this representative: centres for the line. 408 capacity development. ideas 1 per tram. SySTra also exist to expand Distance in the tramway further Power supply: road junctions in the mid-term. aPS ii 10.6 kilometres t is 10.6km (6.6 miles) long and uses ground- (6.6 miles) of first phase 23 equipped to level give the tramway full The tramway is part of a programme tramway that opened in Alstom Citadis trams. Such a statement priority over other road Number of trams intended to move public transport take-up More prosaic things mark it out too: November 2014. could make the Dubai Tramway vehicles. 14 in option for Either in print or online, don’t miss out from 15% to 30%. “It’s the first tramway in the Gulf,” explains second phase. appear pretty ordinary – but that’s one the trams’ equipment is located] can reach thing it certainly is not. Situated on the Persian Gulf, Dubai has Alstom’s Managing Director GCC countries 80°C. You have to manage sandstorms, you Dubai’s harsh climate also had a key IThe new light rail line opened in a hot – and sandy – climate. Those things and Project Director of Dubai Tram, Vincent have to manage humidity and corrosion influence on the design of stops, which are “We replicated the kind of passenger November 2014, under a ‘turnkey’ contract themselves create technical challenges, but the Prou, “The first challenge is to incorporate a because you are next to the sea.” quite different to the more basic calling station and we recreated the operation for ten with Alstom that includes maintenance for line also brings together various innovative tramway into a city that has never seen such a Perhaps it’s no surprise then, as Prou points common in many places across the years,” said Prou. “We had the doors opening 13 years. Like the Gulf State’s metro, the features in one place. Most eye-catchingly, it system before and also to integrate with quite explains, that Alstom “had to re-engineer globe. Here, explains Prou, the line has fully and closing every ten seconds to come up tramway is operated by Serco, under a deal is the first modern tramway of its kind to be a few stakeholders. a number of key aspects.” These included enclosed passenger stations “which in turn with millions of cycles.” signed in 2013 that included a period of completely wire-free over its whole service “It’s the first of its kind in many respects. relatively prosaic things as well as the more imposed something new for a tramway, However platform screen doors were preparation then five years of operation. length, using Alstom’s Alimentation par le Sol Full APS along the line is an important one,” headline-grabbing features. For example, automatic platform screen doors. They are not the only aspect of the new line subjected

system of ground-level current collection. says Prou. “You have to manage temperatures compared to other markets, the trams’ heating, very exposed to the environment.” to rigorous testing. Indeed, a whole 44m SUBSCRIBE TODAY! of 50°C, which on the roof [where much of ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) In order to judge the effects on the doors tram was taken to be thoroughly tested in 188 / may 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org systems had to be increased in size to cope. over time under these difficult conditions, the Rail Tec Arsenal climactic wind tunnel Alstom built a ‘mock up’ station to try it out. in Wien (Vienna), Austria; Alstom has a stake in the state-of-the-art facility, which also

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org may 2015 / 189

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For advance booking and sponsorship details contact: Geoff Butler – t: +44 (0)1733 367610 – @ [email protected] www.lightrailawards.com Dubai DUBAI: SHOWCASE FOR THE GULF? The new tramway in Dubai brought together a number of technical innovations in one place when it opened in November 2014; TAUT reports.

t is 10.6km (6.6 miles) long and uses The tramway is part of a programme More prosaic things mark it out too: Alstom Citadis trams. Such a statement intended to move public transport take-up “It’s the first tramway in the Gulf,” explains could make the Dubai Tramway from 15% to 30%. Alstom’s Managing Director GCC countries appear pretty ordinary – but that’s one Situated on the Persian Gulf, Dubai has and Project Director of Dubai Tram, Vincent thing it certainly is not. a hot – and sandy – climate. Those things Prou, “The first challenge is to incorporate a IThe new light rail line opened in themselves create technical challenges, but the tramway into a city that has never seen such a November 2014, under a ‘turnkey’ contract line also brings together various innovative system before and also to integrate with quite with Alstom that includes maintenance for features in one place. Most eye-catchingly, it a few stakeholders. 13 years. Like the Gulf State’s metro, the is the first modern tramway of its kind to be “It’s the first of its kind in many respects. tramway is operated by Serco, under a deal completely wire-free over its whole service Full APS along the line is an important one,” signed in 2013 that included a period of length, using Alstom’s Alimentation par le Sol says Prou. “You have to manage temperatures preparation then five years of operation. system of ground-level current collection. of 50°C, which on the roof [where much of

188 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org ABOVE: A Citadis stops at Media City. Initial inspiration for the design came from local architecture; this evolved into the ‘jewel concept’, reflected in the design of the bespoke element of the nose of the trams. Neil Pulling

LEFT: One of the Alstom Citadis fleet crossing the bridge at Dubai Marina. Neil Pulling

RIGHT: Automatic platform screen doors were an innovation – due to Dubai’s harsh climate, Alstom mocked up the doors and tested them through millions of cycles to ensure their continued performance. John Smith

DUBAI TRAMWAY AT A GLANCE December Dubai tramway statistics 2009: Number of classes Number of years Construction 3 on the trams: Gold, 13 of Alstom’s 66 000 begins Silver, and Green maintenance contract. Expected daily November (women and children). passenger numbers 2014: First Traction power by 2020. Expectations tram runs Fully enclosed 8 substations. were for 27 000 per day 11 stations, with initially. Client: Dubai platform screen doors Number of Roads and and air-conditioning. 11 44m fully low-floor Distance in Transport Alstom Citadis 402 to 14.7 kilometres Authority Percentage provide the service (9.1 miles) once a of main line (capacity 405, length planned second phase 100 Turnkey that is catenary free, 44m, maximum extension has opened; contractor: powered using Alstom’s speed 50km/h/30mph). integration with the Alstom/BESIX APS. Mall of the World consortium Passenger will influence this Owner’s Number of control 408 capacity development. Ideas representative: 1 centres for the line. per tram. also exist to expand SYSTRA the tramway further Distance in Road junctions in the mid-term. Power supply: 10.6 kilometres 23 equipped to APS II ground- (6.6 miles) of first phase give the tramway full Number of trams level tramway that opened in priority over other road 14 in option for November 2014. vehicles. second phase. the trams’ equipment is located] can reach Dubai’s harsh climate also had a key “We replicated the kind of passenger 80°C. You have to manage sandstorms, you influence on the design of stops, which are station and we recreated the operation for ten have to manage humidity and corrosion quite different to the more basic calling years,” said Prou. “We had the doors opening because you are next to the sea.” points common in many places across the and closing every ten seconds to come up Perhaps it’s no surprise then, as Prou globe. Here, explains Prou, the line has fully with millions of cycles.” explains, that Alstom “had to re-engineer enclosed passenger stations “which in turn However platform screen doors were a number of key aspects.” These included imposed something new for a tramway, not the only aspect of the new line subjected relatively prosaic things as well as the more automatic platform screen doors. They are to rigorous testing. Indeed, a whole 44m headline-grabbing features. For example, very exposed to the environment.” tram was taken to be thoroughly tested in compared to other markets, the trams’ heating, In order to judge the effects on the doors the Rail Tec Arsenal climactic wind tunnel ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) over time under these difficult conditions, in Wien (Vienna), Austria; Alstom has a stake systems had to be increased in size to cope. Alstom built a ‘mock up’ station to try it out. in the state-of-the-art facility, which also

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 189 Dubai

Two trams wait at Dubai’s Marina Station. Alstom

CASE STUDY: WORLD FIRST FOR DUBAI TRAMWAY

When the first AlstomCitadis low-floor tram ran on the Dubai Tramway on 12 November 2014, it was also the world’s first to be powered at ground level for the entire length of the line. The 750V dc system features a third ‘conductor’ rail, divided into alternate neutral sections and conductive sections which are activated by two collector shoes when a tram is directly over them. ABOVE: One of the fleet awaiting attention at the ABOVE: The APS II system is used throughout the This is the second generation of Alstom’s depot at Al Sufouh. Alstom tramway – re-engineered to cope with the heat and catenary-free power system and also features dust in Dubai. The effect of sand on the system – a upgrades such as air-conditioning for the BELOW: The new tramway was designed to be fully complicating factor as the trams pick up electricity switchboxes that power the rail. The tramway integrated as part of the wider rail strategy: here, the from ground level – was analysed in a laboratory boasts other technical innovations, as well as tramway and metro cross by Dubai Marina Mall. using sand from Dubai to check for specific wear on being the first in the Middle East to be procured Neil Pulling the interface. John Smith under a turnkey contract. The Dubai Tramway is an important part of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) plans to increase journeys taken on public transport. To encourage people to use the system and reinforce Dubai’s reputation as a leading city in the region, the RTA wanted its LRT to be state-of-the-art. As the RTA’s consultant, SYSTRA’s involvement in the scheme began in 2005 when it created an integrated transportation masterplan for the Al Sufouh corridor, which identified seven new schemes, including the development of the tramway. It then carried out feasibility studies, preliminary design, and oversaw the tender process, going on to be the client’s eyes and ears during delivery. One of the important aims of this project was to ensure that the tram is fully integrated with other means of transport in the city, both now and in the future. There have been challenges during the delivery phase in minimising disruption to the many motorists using the routes where the tramway runs, while installing the necessary infrastructure for efficient and safe interaction between modes.

190 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org LEFT: 2.5km (1.6 miles) of the new tramway runs on viaduct; here one of the new Citadis fleet runs on an elevated section by El Marsa Street. Neil Pulling

RIGHT: The trams are divided into three classes: Gold, Blue, and Green. Here, the pink markings on the floor of the carriage demarcate the Green areas designed for women and children. Neil Pulling

BELOW: The Dubai control centre. Alstom

includes Bombardier and Siemens “To test the platform screen doors, Alstom built a mock-up among its shareholders. “We recreated in the climactic station and replicated a ten-year operational cycle." chamber the exact conditions of Dubai…” explains Prou, “and we tested the performance of the equipment.” the tram, and then in the laboratory we That has meant the Belgian company “Of course we had done a number of tested the choice of material on the contact BESIX, which undertook civil engineering software simulations before that… and shoe to check the wear on this interface. We aspects such as utility diversion, building luckily enough, the results in the climactic used actual sand from Dubai… to ensure we construction, and creating the elevated chamber were quite conclusive and had the exact same sand.” section of line running on a 2.5km (1.6-mile) successful.” Other innovations are less visually viaduct. Initial experience in the period following obvious than the lack of overhead catenary Giving some idea of the range of what has opening appeared to have borne out that or the enclosed stations – or indeed aspects been covered in the creation of the new line, work, says Prou: “We can already say we have such as the fact that the tramway runs Prou explains that “we had within our scope been through the hottest months of the year almost exclusively on its own segregated of work a number of studies and analyses without any surprises, and very successfully.” formation, except at the signal-controlled that traditionally would be delivered highway crossings. by engineering companies before [the Catenary-free operation Given the need for supreme accuracy in authorities] issue the tender.” One of the major innovations is use of driving and the challenge of ensuring tram Examples are Urban Insertion Studies, Alstom’s APS throughout the public section doors line up precisely with platform screen passenger flow analyses, road traffic flows of the tramway, a decision taken on aesthetic doors at stops, the Dubai Tramway has been analysis, and Station Context Planning. grounds. It’s a first – quite aside from it equipped with a form of signalling more He adds that work has also “regenerated having to work in a harsh environment. associated with metro systems: Alstom’s the urban environment by recreating “We knew this would be a major challenge,” Urbalis 400. This is a Communications Based landscapes – examples including the cycle says Prou. “Although APS ‘first generation’ is Train Control (CBTC) system, and provides track that runs parallel to the line”. The result fully proven, we knew we would have to go speed control along the line, interlocking is very much appreciated by the residents to the next generation. We have completely protection at signals and stopping accuracy and commuters.” re-engineered it.” at stations with applied braking profile. Prou seems pleased with the performance That has not only been about ensuring “This is really something new,” says Prou, of the Dubai scheme, and pays credit to the the system can put up with heat and dust “the traditional principle of driving at entire team that created it – including the because, as Prou explains, “there are heavy line-of-sight is still applicable like on any customer. floods in the region.” other tramway but other features are new and “We have delivered the whole project “We had to ensure that the power boxes bring enhanced safety to the system.” ahead of schedule – nearly two months early,” themselves can be immersed; we have also he says, adding “And the introduction into paid great attention to the way we drain the One stop shop service has been very smooth.” whole platform.” In all this, Alstom has acted as the leader Indeed, it is clear that Prou sees the Dubai Nevertheless, dust – or rather sand – was of a consortium to provide a ‘one stop shop’ line as a possible beacon for others. indeed a major complicating factor, given for the customer, Dubai’s Roads and “We will… drive a lot of experience into that trams using APS pick up electricity from Transport Authority. Although the EUR700m the next project which we have secured, ground level. project has included fielding many of its which is Qatar.” “We had to analyse the effect of the sand. own products, it has also meant the French “We hope that Dubai can be a real We incorporated a heavy duty brush under conglomerate working with others. showcase for the rest of the region.”

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 191 12 – 14 MAY 2015 • NEC, BIRMINGHAM, UK 12th INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF RAILWAY EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS & SERVICES

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Supported by: Media Partners: Dubai: Regulations DUBAI’S RAIL REGULATIONS Gurmeet Kaur, Head of Projects UAE at law firm Eversheds LLP, considers some of the key legal and safety regulations governing the rail sector in Dubai.

here have been a number of and ensure safe and effective operation the Rail Agency of the RTA has the significant developments in of railway systems. responsibility for issuing permits for the transport sector in Dubai The key legislation regulating the rail the development of rail infrastructure, and UAE generally. The Dubai sector in Dubai is Regulation 5 of 2009 (as provision of rail vehicles and other work in metro commenced operations amended) on the regulation of railways in relation to development and maintenance Tin 2009 and has been a great achievement the Emirate of Dubai (Railway Regulation). of railway systems. It is also responsible for for Dubai, with ridership numbers This applies to the whole Emirate and sets issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) increasing year on year. out the planning and safety certification for the construction, demolition and With the increasing demand for public process for all rail infrastructure and excavation of railway infrastructure. transport and the successful Dubai Expo operations. Other relevant instruments The processes for applying for the 2020 bid, the Dubai Roads and Transport include Administrative Decision (68) of development permit and obtaining Authority (RTA) has announced further 2010 Issuing the Implementing By-law relevant NOCs are set out in more detail in plans to expand the metro to the Expo site of Regulation (5) of 2009 Concerning the Administrative Decision and the Rail and is studying the feasibility of further Railways in the Emirate of Dubai Planning and Design Guidelines (RPDG), expansions of the Red and Green lines. (Administrative Decision), Dubai and summarised below. Abu Dhabi has also announced plans for a Executive Council Decision 1 of 2014 combined metro, tram and bus network; on the Regulation of Dubai Tramway Pre-design phase further details are expected later this (Tramway Regulation), and the Dubai Rail Under the RPDG, any developer year. The 2116km (1315-mile) Gulf Planning and Design Guidelines (RPDG). of developments that feature a rail Co-operation Council (GCC) railway In addition there are regulations such as transport component is required to network is another significant Dubai Municipality building regulations, submit a Conceptual Master Plan and a development in the region. which need to be complied with for development brief to the RTA as part of an In Dubai transport schemes have building projects in Dubai and also application for the RTA NOC. This must been or are being developed by other requirements of utility providers clearly identify the potential requirement developers, such as the monorail system such as Dubai Electricity and Water for rail transport. Once these have been on the Palm Jumeirah by Nakheel, the Authority (DEWA), to the extent there are reviewed and approved, the RTA will issue peoplemover system by Dubai Airports, interfaces with service lines and utilities. an in principle NOC to the developer. and most recently the heritage tram Regulation 5 contains a fairly broad The developer must then formulate system by Emaar. definition of a railway, and covers the Urban Master Plan, confirm the In the UAE, Dubai has been at the most forms of light and heavy rail forefront of developing a rail-related infrastructure, including the tram and regulatory framework. The RTA, as monorail systems. Under the regulation, regulator, has the responsibility to regulate the design and planning of passenger transport in Dubai, including free zone areas, and has put in place a number of regulations. These regulations provide a framework to guide planning and development of rail infrastructure

The legislation in the Emirates covers all rail-based transport, including the monorail. Courtesy of Eversheds

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requirement for public transport, undertake The scope of work and contract terms Authority (SRA), and the operator obtains a feasibility study to confirm the rail of the IRB shall be approved by the RTA an Operational Safety Certificate from the transportation mode required, prepare a to ensure that it is able to discharge its same. The administrative decision contains Traffic Impact Study (TIS) and finalise the responsibilities, and the appointment of the detailed requirements that will need to Transportation Master Plan (TMP). Any IRB will be approved by the RTA to ensure be satisfied in order to obtain the relevant cost-sharing arrangements and agreements that the organisation has the necessary skills certifications. The operator must design a relating to the proposed rail transport and experience to perform the role. safety management system in accordance project, whether with the RTA or any other The developer may also consider with the criteria set out in Article 14. There entity, should be finalised by the developer appointing an RTA-pre-qualified operator to are substantial fees to apply for the Safety and accounted for prior to the completion of oversee design development and ensure that Certificate and Operational Safety Certificate, the feasibility study. designs are capable of meeting the specified and fines for violations: for example, under After confirming the feasibility of the operational requirements and service levels. new amendments made in 2012, the fees for proposed rail project, the developer produces The developer should develop all stages of the the issuance of the safety status certificate is a a project brief and issues it to the RTA, along design in accordance with the RDPG and any fixed fee of AED2m (EUR0.5m). with the proposed development’s TIS/TMP. additional input provided by the RTA. Subsequent legislation in Dubai such as This brief should describe the scope and Once the concept design is complete the the Tramway Regulation follows the extent of the proposed railway project and developer then submits the same to the IRB approach adopted in the Railway Regulation. include the details required in the RPDG such for review. Once deemed compliant, the IRB The Tramway Regulation is consolidating as details of the project background, funding formally instructs the developer to develop (by bringing together new and existing legal strategy, cost-sharing arrangements, station the preliminary design. The submission provision into a single location and providing planning information, potential impacts of process described above is repeated for the for all subsidiary regulations and codes to the project, projected power demands etc. preliminary and detailed design submissions; be made under it) to deal with technical and Upon review of the developer’s project however, this time RTA approval will be other matters. The Tramway Regulation deals brief, the RTA may request additional required in order for the developer to proceed with the added complexity of interface with information or clarification, which the to the next stage. The IRB will then forward road users and provides for responsibilities developer must address. Once the RTA is these submissions to the RTA. of the owner, developer and operator. satisfied with the information, it will issue The RTA applies fees for the review of There are a number of fines imposed for the development NOC. the preliminary design and detailed design pedestrians and road users who infringe the submissions. If deemed compliant by the IRB tramway right-of-way, and a number of public Design phase and if the RTA has no objections, the RTA will awareness campaigns and programmes have Once the development NOC has been issue a preliminary design NOC to enable the been organised by the RTA. issued, the developer can appoint an RTA- developer to proceed with the detailed design In summary, successful rail regulation will prequalified designer to prepare the concept stage. In cases where the IRB and/or RTA have need to address all aspects of the operation design. Under the RPDG, it is the developer’s comments on a submission that they deem itself, the infrastructure that supports it, responsibility to ensure that any entity as minor and that are easy for the developer’s and its interface with others in complex appointed to undertake rail project-related designer to address in a subsequent design environments. The Dubai regulatory works (whether studies, design, construction, approval submission, then an NOC with framework has provided a good system for etc) are recognised by the RTA and are in comments may be issued by the RTA. regulating rail infrastructure and operations, possession of an RTA Prequalification NOC, If the project is to be delivered as a but there are some areas where further clarity and are licensed by Dubai Municipality. design-build project, the developer ensures would be beneficial. For example, there are Failure to procure the services of RTA-pre- that the appointed RTA-pre-qualified questions on whether all aspects of the RPDG qualified rail service providers is illegal and contractor procures the services of an are suitable for the different modes of railway will result in RTA’s rejection of submitted RTA-pre-qualified designer as well. At the transport, and for smaller projects. There deliverables or completed work. completion of the detailed design stage, the is also no overarching safety regulation for The developer can also appoint an developer submits the final design deliverables non-rail transport in Dubai that would cover RTA-pre-qualified third party reviewer (IRB) for approval and applies for an RTA permit private operators; it may be useful to have to check and verify on behalf of the RTA that to commence construction – which is given general safety principles that are mandatory the appointed designer/contractor’s work upon approval of the detailed design. for all transport providers in Dubai. and deliverables are in compliance with the Another aspect to consider further is the project brief and project information (as Operations impact and interface with rail networks in previously submitted to the RTA), the RTA’s The Railway Regulation includes a the other Emirates and GCC networks, and to requirements for rail transport projects in the prohibition for operating rail infrastructure develop wide-reaching principles that govern RPDG, and with the relevant local governing unless the owner obtains a Safety safety and effective operations between the laws and regulations. Certificate from the Safety Regulatory Emirates and wider GCC.

GURMEET KAUR

Eversheds is a global legal service provider and advises on a range of transport matters. In Dubai, Eversheds has advised on the renegotiation of the Dubai metro concession and advising on the legal aspects of a feasibility study of the red and green line metro extension. Gurmeet Kaur is the Head of Projects UAE at law firm Eversheds LLP and has been practising in Dubai for the last seven years focusing on Tramway Regulations follow the approach adopted in Railway Regulations for systems such as the Dubai transport and energy projects. Metro, but also deal with the added complexity of interface with other road users. Courtesy of RTA

194 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Small city LRT DEVELOPING HISTORIC CITIES: THE CASE FOR AN OXFORD METRO

Grenoble. Trams on Dr Nicholas Falk and Reg Harman look to Europe and the US and argue that the lines A and B mix with UK city of Oxford should have a transport system more like its ‘twin’, Grenoble. people in the heart of the city. Reg Harman

ressures for growth are Benefits of smarter growth growth? And would a different approach to particularly strong in historic In looking for practical alternatives, we have strategic or spatial planning overcome the cities such as Oxford and York, drawn lessons from similar-sized Continental main objections? All these are key features UK, as places where people not cities such as Grenoble and Freiburg, as of the approach in France, as well as some only want to visit, but also work well as American models such as MAX (the other Continental countries. Pand live. Oxford house prices, currently at Metropolitan Area Express) in Portland, The economic benefits from trams are well 12 times the average income, are twice as Oregon, in order to propose how the barriers set out in a recent study for UKTram2. In a unaffordable as other parts of the country and to ‘smarter growth’ could be overcome. historic university city such as Oxford these the city has been lagging behind its ancient Research has shown that France has built five would include not only greater modal shift rival Cambridge, as well as Continental times the number of light rail and tramway from the private car but also making cycling competitors such as Freiburg, as a recent systems and ten times the route length as much safer and easier. Keeping cars out of the article in The Economist has highlighted.1 the UK over the last three or four decades. centre, a central policy in Oxfordshire’s new With limited brownfield sites to build As Tramways & Urban Transit has revealed over draft Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS), would on and tight Green Belts, any new housing the years, this is increasingly due to building greatly reduce noise and pollution, with tends to develop in dispersed and isolated in smaller cities such as Amiens or Le Mans. associated health benefits as well as a further sites, leading to further congestion as people One of the main reasons for local boost to tourism. drive ever further to reach jobs and services. objections to new housing in the UK is The OTS currently favours bus rapid Political differences between Labour- pressure on transport capacity; so would it transit (BRT), on the basis that passenger controlled city councils and surrounding be possible to link new housing development levels on existing bus routes would not Conservative-controlled districts lead to to existing or planned transport suffice to support a viable tramway. But stalemate. Both the house building and the infrastructure? Could the costs of building the OTS position is based on the typically strategic planning systems seem broken. a new system be offset by the resulting narrow British approach, in which transport

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projects are measured only against existing a Garden City that was ‘visionary, popular showed that the development could finance transport demand on that mode. It is now and economically viable without subsidy’. building a new tram system with costs taken evident that guided busways do not provide The 276 entries were narrowed down to five from Nottingham’s recent experience. the same quality of ride or service and so are finalists; these included URBED’s proposals While this would involve taking some land much poorer value for money; sometimes in for Uxcester Garden City, which ultimately out of the Green Belt, in fact only around reality they cost much more than expected.3 won the prize.4 5-8% would be affected, and in return the For example, the Luton guided busway was Modelled on a combination of historic scheme proposes improved biodiversity and preferred over a railway or tramway line, but cities, including York, plans showed how access to open space, as well as potentially the initial passenger figures were less than Ebenezer Howard’s ground-breaking ideas easing the problems of annual flooding half the forecasted level. for a ‘social city’ with districts connected by through creation of new country parks. In contrast, the typical result of municipal tramways to a central city could be A subsequent calculation suggested only 16 introducing a new core tramway in France applied in the 21st Century. The financial key villages at most would be affected out of a has been a step-change of about one-third was to tap what Howard called ‘the unearned total of 246 ‘fine villages’ in Oxfordshire. increase in public transport use, followed increment’, that is the uplift in land values In other words, by growing Oxford as a by a steady rise in carryings. This jump has from building in the countryside. proper garden city, existing residents would usually been accompanied by changes in Having been shortlisted, David Rudlin get an improved quality of life, and their modal split away from car use, especially on and one of the authors of this essay, Nicholas children might not have to move away. radial roads, and in better activity levels at Falk, sought to test their ideas in Oxford. For To test the feasibility of the plan, the city centre and other nodal points served. over a year Nicholas had been working with comparisons were made with Oxford’s twin This trend was also encountered with the the 1000-strong Oxford Civic Society to build city of Grenoble in Southern France and opening of the Tramlink system in some agreement over the idea of concentrated proposals worked up with British tram Croydon, London. growth.5 The initiative drew inspiration and transport experts. Furthermore, light rail can reach places from experience in Cambridgeshire, UK, and that other modes cannot, leaping over Freiburg in Germany. Lessons from Grenoble waterways and tunnelling under centres, The Wolfson submission argued for Grenoble, one of France’s major tramway as in the ancient city of Montpellier, for building garden cities onto ‘strong rootstock’, cities, has close parallels with Oxford. example. Busways, valuable as they can be as it was not economically feasible to start A small regional city outside the sway of outside towns, do not solve the problem of from scratch, showing how a city like Oxford major conurbations, it had a population at what happens in the centre. or York could be doubled in population the last census of 157 000; the administrative without impinging into the flood plain or conurbation focused around it totalled Uxcester Garden City Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This 437 000, while the population in the Looking for a solution to the problem of would enable the new residents to live within metropolitan catchment areas as defined by housing affordability, Lord Wolfson offered 10km (six miles) or 20 minutes of the centre. the national census was 664 000. Equivalent a prize for the best ‘essays’ on how to build Furthermore, the financial calculations figures for Oxford were a city population

“The Oxford Metro… would consist of upgraded local rail services and a three- line light rail system, with complementary bus services.”

196 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Towards a Metro The challenges for Oxford are considerable. The major economic growth points are spread out along what has been called Science Vale, with Harwell south of the railway line ABOVE: Grenoble’s line A extension south of the centre, serving a large modern city extension. Note the green from Didcot to Swindon, Culham which gets track, trees and easy access to the tram stop – and there is still room for roads and car parking. Reg Harman only a few trains a day, and Radley cut off from Abingdon. Potential sites for the major of 152 000 and 666 000 for the County agreed by the city council in 1983. These residential development needed are mostly of Oxfordshire, which is also the Local were met with significant opposition, leading remote from existing rail lines. The A34 road Economic Partnership area. Like Oxford, to a referendum, which saw 53% of voters in running from Southampton to the Midlands Grenoble has a major university, dating favour. The first section of new line opened is overloaded, and there is no connection from 1339, providing internationally- in 1987, followed by completion of the initial with the A40 running from east to west. renowned teaching and especially network in 1990. Since then expansion has Developing a high quality local transit research and development. continued steadily in incremental stages. system thus needs to combine existing Both cities sit in attractive countryside, It has been guided by successive urban infrastructure and opportunities with a which adds to their attraction as tourist transport plans (Plans de Déplacements well-grounded vision of the possibilities centres but imposes development restraints Urbains, PDU), themselves framed by the and practicalities. This approach has been on development. While Oxford’s expansion conurbation’s spatial planning strategy. followed over recent months by bringing is restricted by flood plains and meadows, The current system has five lines totalling together new projects and current plans Grenoble faces the opposite problem, being 43km (27 miles), much of it a compact network by Chiltern Railways, the transit proposals hemmed in by mountains. This has led to within the city and immediately adjacent in the draft OTS, ideas developed by Peter new development spreading south and east, development areas. The two original lines, A Headicar and illustrated in an Oxford Futures coupled with redevelopment within the and B, serve a common trunk from the railway report on transport options and principles city itself. station through the heart of the city. Line B from the studies of light rail in small cities From the mid-19th Century Grenoble links the high-tech ‘polygon scientifique’ to carried out by the Sintropher project at developed as a manufacturing centre, the west with the ‘pole santé’ (hospital and University College London. The issues and focusing particularly on hydropower. health research) and the spreading university proposals have most recently been examined This laid the basis for its expansion over campus to the east. Line A runs south at a workshop held in London.6 time into the present status as a major through areas of modern offices and high-rise These steps have led to the proposal for scientific centre of European significance. residences to the Grand Marché retail mall. what is called the Oxford Metro. It would Its high-tech expertise today is organised Successive extensions have brought lines consist of upgraded local rail services mainly around three domains: information to most residential areas and created direct and a three-line light rail system, shown technology, biotechnologies and new energy or single-change links between them and schematically in the diagram (left), with technologies. It is the largest French research the various commercial and employment complementary bus services. The transport centre after Paris, with national, regional and centres. Today the tramway forms the network would give much improved access commercial research facilities. backbone of the public transport system, for existing urban areas and potential To support this, the city has long sought which also incorporates an integrated development nodes. Well-designed to provide room for expansion and a high complementary network of quality bus interchanges, supported by appropriate quality of life within the restricted confines services. Indeed, the tramway forms the development, would form a fundamental of its area. It was one of the French pioneer backbone of the city’s continued success as a part of this. Projects would need to be worked cities to explore the scope of tramways in major economic centre and an attractive city out in more detail but the main elements the 1970s, leading to detailed plans being with a sustainable lifestyle. and corridors would be as follows:

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Chiltern Railways is launching a new service from Oxford to Marylebone in 2015, with a new station to the north at Water Eaton, named Oxford Parkway. This would also serve the proposed Northern Gateway development project, linked to the A34 and A40 trunk roads. Chiltern has plans to provide a more frequent local service to Didcot and also on the current freight line to Cowley, which would be reopened for passengers and served by two new stations. These local rail services would best be run with new fast-accelerating urban style trains, providing a regular Metro service from Bicester to Didcot or Cowley, and several new stations, as an initial part of an integrated transport network. This is marked as line 1 on the schematic diagram. The basis for the tramway system would start by applying the Garden City concept to the northern area, development around the new station at Water Eaton being supported with a new tram link along the Banbury Road to the centre and in the other direction out to Begbroke Science Park. This could be largely funded from the uplift in land values around Kidlington as house prices to the north of the city are as high as those in London. This line (marked as line 4) could then extend south ABOVE: Grenoble. Junction of lines A and C close to the city centre looking south. This is a key interchange, east to serve potential growth areas along offering frequent trams north-south and east-west. Reg Harman the south of the city, connecting at Cowley with the urban rail service. A complementary The Metro concept can be brought to in more effective economies and higher line (3) could link the station, new shopping reality through establishing clear aims quality lifestyles. centre, and the important Radcliffe Hospital and a clear strategy that will benefit city Some people may consider this approach complex in Headington, along with Oxford businesses, residents and visitors, and also too advanced, while for others the idea Brookes University on the east side. transport providers and their passengers. is not radical enough. Calls have been This approach has lain at the core of tramway made in Oxford for driverless electric cars development in French cities, where initial and suburban lifestyles, or for shifting “The Metro concept can be lines, themselves built following slow and employment to the North of England. difficult gestation, have often been followed However, these would not resolve the brought to reality through by steady expansion to spread benefits fundamental problem created by roads city-wide. crossing each other, or the preference of establishing clear aims international companies engaged in the Conclusions knowledge economy such as that in Oxford. and a clear strategy.” Instead of relying on unpredictable grants, Oxford is known throughout the world, URBED is proposing that use is made of a and was one of the first cities to implement On the west it might go from an expanded county-wide Growth Bond, influenced by the park-and-ride to help ‘tame the car’. It could park-and-ride site at Botley off the A34 and success of Cambridge University in raising also be at the forefront of showing how out to the west beyond Barton Park, where GBP300m (EUR400m) for a scheme to build to plan for posterity within a quality construction of some 850 homes is about to 2000 homes on land it owns, which has been cityscape rather than within the start through a joint venture between Oxford taken out of the Cambridge Green Belt. This polluted suburbia of austerity. City Council and Grosvenor Developments. might be facilitated by the setting up of a The connections provided by these could Municipal Investment Corporation to enable be completed by a further line (2) from new local infrastructure to tap into pension Eynsham through the Northern gateway funds, with the returns coming from selling FOOTNOTES interchange round through East Oxford off sites for housebuilding.7 1 and down through Radley to growth areas The political differences could be Trailing in its wake: How the fortunes of England’s two historic university towns have diverged, at Abingdon. overcome by setting up a Development The Economist, 17 January 2015 The aim throughout would be to deliver Corporation, as the UK Government is doing very high standards of attractiveness and for Ebbsfleet, which may also help to resolve 2 Richard Knowles and Fiona Ferbrache, An environment for everyone in Oxford through the problems of assembling the land at close investigation into the Economic Impacts on Cities use of appropriate light rail technologies. to existing use value. of Investment in Light Rail Systems, UKTram, These could, for example, include operation The full benefits of such a strategy June 2014 through the centre without overhead wires. may well not be seen in our lifetime, but 3 While proposals for long busways are in planning for the next phase of urban Reg Harman, Busways: Do they work in practice?, Tramways & Urban Transit, unlikely to provide the quality, speed and transport development in the UK we do need September 2014 attractiveness of tramway lines over core to start thinking about 2050, and the way routes, buses remain a fundamental part of people will be living and working then. As 4 See www.urbed.coop the transport system. Within the fragmented French and other Continental cities have system created by deregulation (the 1985 shown, tramways can form the core to a 5 Oxford Futures: Achieving smarter growth, Transport Act), achieving integration in the strong and attractive system of quality public Oxford Civic Society, March 2014 French style is very difficult. Nonetheless it is transport. French cities too have often gone 6 Trams for Oxford? www.oxfordfutures.org.uk possible through working in partnership to through some years of controversy and provide bus priorities on the road (including debate before taking the decision to build 7 Nicholas Falk, Funding Housing Growth and brief stretches of bus-only routes), with their first tramway; but the resulting systems Local Infrastructure, The Smith Institute, 2014 co-ordinated ticketing and promotion. have almost invariably proved a major factor

198 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Hamburg NO PLACE FOR TRAMS IN HAMBURG

HafenCity Universität station, the terminus of Hamburg U4 and the latest addition to the metro network, Nearly four decades after opened in 2012. abandoning its tramway – the metro, but also with the fast buses, coalition agreement, signed the next year by and despite flirtations with which were considered a much more the CDU and the Green party. According to effective means of transportation. the plans a 15km (nine-mile) line between re-introducing it – Günter Altona and Bramfeld boroughs was to be Elste of Hamburger Hochbahn For or against the trams constructed as the first phase of a planned Despite the city’s ambitious plans, expansion network, consisting of 50km (30 miles) of explains that the current of the metro did not keep up with the lines. The opening of the first section was plan to expand eco buses and development of the city due to financial planned for 2014, whilst the whole network constraints, and the further growth of bus was to be completed by 2020; this idea was metro service are entirely transport increased the modal shift away dropped when the coalition collapsed. rational, not emotional. from urban rail. Moving to the present day, Following the 2011 elections won by the Witold Urbanowicz because of the large passenger flows in this Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands city of more than 1.7 million inhabitants, (SPD), Olaf Schulz, the First Mayor of interviewed him for TAUT. some routes are served by bi-articulated Hamburg, stopped all preparatory works 24m-long buses – no wonder then that every for the tramway revival. The main reasons few years the concept of returning trams to for such a decision were – according to the he city of Hamburg – the second Hamburg’s streets re-emerges. authorities – the high construction costs and largest in Germany – once had a In the mid 1980s the idea of constructing strong public opposition. Instead, Hamburg comprehensive tramway network, a fast tram network in Stadtbahn emerged; was to receive a ‘state of the art bus system’, running hundreds of trams right sadly these plans were stymied by city along with further extensions of the U4 across the city in a complex web and regional politics. In 2001 they were metro line and the S-Bahn services. ofT routes serving every major area, beginning efficiently opposed on the level of Land with a horse-drawn system in 1866 (electric authorities by the new coalition of the Trams losing ecological competition trams were introduced in 1894). However, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Concerning the future, a lot of public debate by the end of the 1950s the city Senate took Ronald Schill’s conservative local party, is continually held in Hamburg about the decision over a period of two decades to and metro expansion continued – line reducing the pollution caused by exhaust lift the tracks and adjust services into the U4 was extended to HafenCity, the city’s emissions; with this in mind, the city has expanding metro network. redeveloped port quarter. Two new stations, confirmed that it is to stop purchasing diesel The tramway ceased to be the main finally opened in 2012, put this project at vehicles by 2020. mode of transport and lost its priority in EUR323.6m. By comparison, a proposal for In December 2014 local transport operator transportation politics – virtually every year two new light rail lines with 49 stops and a Hamburger Hochbahn inaugurated an a section of tracks was closed, with the final depot were costed at EUR485m. ‘innovation line’ (109), which is served services running in 1978. However, trams The idea of a light rail renaissance emerged by buses featuring a variety of alternative were losing the competition not only with again in 2007, even forming part of the motive power sources. The line links the

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LEFT: Unfinished platforms at Hauptbahnhof Nord.

BELOW LEFT: The inauguration of ‘innovation line’ 109 in November 2014. Buses from the left: Solaris Urbino 18.75 electric with hydrogen cell; Mercedes Citao FuellCELL-Hybrid; Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid.

BELOW: Berliner Tor in central Hamburg with a U3 train; this hub station offers cross-platform interchanges between lines U2, U3, U4.

main station (Hbf/ZOB) with the Alsterdorf under real-world urban traffic conditions. from 2020 within reach. We are extremely U-Bahn station, passing through the city Mayor Olaf Schulz said: “The innovation happy about the co-operation of Hochbahn centre, with 23 stops on a 9.3km (5.8-mile) line gives us important knowledge about with the industry. Hamburg is becoming a route. Every day 15 000 passengers use the development of ecological buses, major laboratory for developing alternative this connection. and this test will help us to accelerate the power solutions.” The aim of the innovation line is to introduction of such buses on our roads. The federal authorities also took part in identify which low-emission technologies The start of the innovation line makes the the inauguration of the innovation line, with are the best and most cost-efficient solutions target of purchasing only alternative buses Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport (partial financiers of the line 109 project), adding: “A well-functioning transport system is the guarantor of INTERVIEW WITH GÜNTER ELSTE, sustainable and modern urban development. CHAIRMAN OF HAMBURGER HOCHBAHN By implementing quiet, innovative and low- carbon technologies, we can further increase the attractiveness of public transport Q The city speaks frequently about the need to drive low emissions and at companies. This is why the Federal Ministry the same time handle large passenger flows – so, why not trams? This is a very difficult question, but the reasons are quite rational, not of Transport supports the purchase of buses A emotional. For us, the alternatives are either buses or a metro system, which are powered by innovative motors, because a tram would need far more space on streets than is currently available. and the integration of new technologies The city is growing, there are more and more new buildings, everything is into the existing fleet. developing, so – when it comes to rail vehicles – we have decided to develop the “Model projects throughout Germany metro system. It is more expensive, but it is also more efficient. In the next few showed that electromobility also works well years we want to build 30km (19 miles) of new lines. in the field of buses and receives a positive To compare – with 36m trams with a capacity of 240 passengers, running every response from the passengers.” five minutes, we could carry approximately 2800 passengers per hour on a route. Across the nation, approximately 20 On the metro we can transport 9000 passengers – this means it is three times more effective, hence such a decision is made. different projects involving electric and Apart from this, with trams a three-minute headway would be difficult to introduce due to space hybrid buses are in operation. limitations on the streets; with the metro we plan to reach a 90-second headway within the next decade. On line 109 a variety of different vehicles are being tested: Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid, Q What is the current focus of U-Bahn development? Mercedes Citaro FuellCELL-Hybrid and Solaris Urbino 18,75 with hydrogen fuel cell range A We want to focus on the areas that currently don't have access to the underground – the north-east extender. The last bus is a particular novelty and north-west sections of the city. They will be connected with other lines in the centre in a as the main motive source is the 120kWh V-formation. This plan covers 30km (19 miles) of new lines, 28 new stations, and in the first phase over 120 000 inhabitants are to be served by the underground. battery pack, which is boosted by 101kW fuel Apart from this there are plans to construct additional stations on existing lines in places that are cells during operation. A hydrogen fuelling now densely populated; this will reduce the distance between stops and thus increase the availability station at the depot fuels the buses overnight. of the metro. As part of the comparative tests for reference, a normal diesel bus also serves the Q When can those plans be fulfilled? line. The first results are to be presented later this year, when Hochbahn has undertaken Obviously this is a long-term project. We need four more years of planning and preparation, and extensive trials of the different propulsion A afterwards a further five to six years to construct the first section of a new line U5. We will start at systems of the various vehicles. Three major the distant districts, because we can't transport excavated soil through the city centre. At the same time we will try to build two more routes. The project is expected to be finished in the factors will be taken into consideration: mid-2030s. energy consumption, availability of buses, and their share in reducing emissions.

200 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Constantine

A new tramway in 2013 opened up the Constantine SYSTEMS traffic-clogged ‘City of Bridges’ in Algeria – Mike Russell pays a visit to ALGERIA FACTFILE Ksantina (Constantine), witnessing a burst No. Constantine, of new life since the 92 Algeria tramway’s introduction.

rance is regularly held up ABOVE: Reserved- AD311 the old city of Cirta was razed this city. The third new tramway to be as the shining example track alignment to the ground. After being rebuilt two opened in Algeria is, like the others, of a nation that in recent parallel with the years later by imperial decree, it was laid to standard gauge (1435mm). years has rediscovered dual carriageway named in the Emperor Constantine’s The official opening took place on the tram. More recently, road below Cité honour. Subsequently, the city came 4 July 2013 and public service began Kheznadar, with itsF former colony of Algeria has also under Ottoman domination before the next day – an auspicious date in a panorama of begun a process of establishing, or Constantine city falling to the French in 1837. the Algerian calendar, marking as it re-establishing, tramways in the more to the left; 109 is With an estimated city population does the anniversary of independence populated parts of this enormous ascending from of around 500 000, or 900 000 in the from France in 1962. Including the country – by area, the eleventh largest the city. greater agglomeration, Constantine is two current termini, the existing on the planet. With French know-how the third city of the country and often line features ten stops and links and equipment, trams have returned considered to be the ‘capital’ of east the edge of the city centre (the old to the capital, Alger (Algiers) and Oran Algeria. It lies around 80km (50 miles) town) with the developing university and, in a third opening, the inland inland from the Mediterranean and district to the south. The present line city of Ksantina (Constantine) gained is built on on chalk cliffs, surrounded is approximately 8km (5 miles) in its first-ever tramway installation. on three sides by the deep Rhumel length, but plans exist to more than Algeria as a whole and Constantine gorge. Although much of the present double this with an extension to the in particular are of great antiquity cityscape is unremarkable, the bridges airport. A contract for this extension and interest. Over many centuries that span the gorge are some of its was recently awarded to a consortium it has been occupied successively by most impressive sights. of Alstom, Isolux Corsan and Cosider, several different groups and armies, Constantine previously featured and opening is expected in 2017. the French – the colonial power with a one-route trolleybus installation, A maximum of 11 Alstom Citadis which the country is most recently which commenced in 1921 using the low-floor trams operating singly are associated – only arriving in the first Cedes-Stoll current collection system required for the existing line, but the half of the 19th Century. The Romans and was converted to under-running anticipated final fleet total has been settled here for over five centuries – trolley-poles in 1926; it lasted until delivered in readiness for the airport resulting in some of the finest remains around 1963-64. Tramways of the extension without the need to provide in the whole of north Africa – but in previous generation were never laid in more rolling stock.

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ABOVE: 102 in the covered workshop area.

ABOVE: 113 and others in the semi- covered stabling area at the depot.

LEFT: In the central area, trams such as 103 run on a raised platform in the street environment, with general traffic reduced to one lane.

ABOVE: Staff in the central control room supervising operations. 110 proceeds “To allow for future expansion, across the tramway bridge the depot has been designed to on an outbound journey. accommodate up to 47 trams.”

ABOVE: 111 departs the city centre terminal and uses a crossover to gain right-hand track.

ABOVE: In the city's central core, trams have been placed on a raised platform in the street, with general traffic reduced to one lane (on the left of this image); car 115 proceeds inwards to city terminal.

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NETWORK FACTS Opened: 4 July 2013 Lines: 1 Stops: 10 (three being multi-modal: tram/bus/taxi) Depots: 1 Approx. weekday hours: 05.00-23.00 Line frequency: 3 minutes (09.00-21.10), 7 minutes (05.30-09.00 and 21.10-23.10) Gauge: 1435mm Power: 750V dc Fleet: 27 City network/operator: SETRAM (Société d’Exploitation des Tramways)

INFORMATION City network: www.setram.dz Tourist information: www.algeria.com/north-east

The cars are housed in a depot at available for use by general traffic being ABOVE: The city's but the safety and security staff, who Ali Mendjeli on premises adjacent to in one case considerably reduced. The developing southern guard and protect the assets of the the present temporary terminus at publicity material provides separate suburbs spread out tramway and SETRAM personnel. Zouaghi Silman; in addition to open- warnings and advice for pedestrians in the background They work in close co-operation with air stabling roads there is a partially- and motorists, and it should be said as 104 descends the police force and gendarmerie of the from the outer covered section and fully-equipped that experience indicated that these terminus at Zouaghi Constantine Préfecture. There is also covered maintenance facilities. To were being well observed. Silman towards a marketing and publicity department allow for future expansion, the depot The new tramway, as with all others Cité Kheznadar. charged with raising awareness of the has been designed to accommodate in Algeria, is operated, managed and tramway and its promotion. up to 47 trams. The site also contains maintained by a consortium named The tram is marketed as Tramway de the tramway’s administrative and SETRAM (Société d’Exploitation Constantine and its byline is ‘a bridge operational headquarters building. des Tramways) for an initial ten- towards modernity’, a reflection of Services operate daily between year contract period. This has been the fact that the bridges spanning approximately 05.00-23.00 and a formed between the Algiers urban and the Rhumel gorge are a distinctive maximum frequency of five minutes suburban transport operator (ETUSA), feature of the city. The main aims of is provided. Despite the fact that the Algiers metro company (EMA) and the tramway are envisaged as bringing construction development has yet RATP Dev, the Paris transport operator Algeria into the world of accessible to proceed significantly on the outer which has a 49% stake in the operation urban passenger transport, offering a part of the present route, passenger and whose expertise now extends well high quality and safe service featuring loadings appeared to be good beyond the French capital. comfort, cleanliness and regularity, throughout the day during a visit RATP’s expertise was deemed and reducing atmospheric pollution in March 2014. The present level of essential in promoting the mode and through the introduction of an service is provided by a complement invaluable in the professional training environmentally-friendly transport of 68 tram drivers. Services are of SETRAM staff. The total staff count system. It is also seen as a catalyst regulated from a control centre within at March 2014 was 502 employees, for economic development in the the administration building; CCTV which will probably be seen by some area, not just with business but with permits close control not only of the as exceptionally generous for a one- institutions such as the universities. tramcars but of traffic conditions at route tramway with 11 operational The city terminus is laid out as a the various intersections of the line. cars out of a fleet of 27. This figure, three-track stub terminal station at A maintenance section of 29 however, includes not just supervisory, Ben Abdelmalek Ramdane. Only two employees has been set up to operating and maintenance personnel of these tracks are normally used undertake the routine work and repairs in service operation, with facing required by the contract. This includes crossovers on the approach and exit regular inspections of the rolling stock to facilitate operations. The terminus and rectification of matters arising, THE FLEET is on the edge of the city centre proper the electrical installations and all A fleet of 27 AlstomCitadis 402 tramcars but extension beyond is impracticable operational matters. (101-127) operate the system. Each on account of the topography and As the tram is a new concept to double-ended seven-section low-floor narrowness of many central streets. many, extensive publicity has been articulated car is 43.5m in length and From this point to the first produced to educate travellers, drivers 2.65m wide. They have a commercial intermediate stop at Belle Vue, the and local residents about the need to speed of 20km/h (12.2mph), and can tram operates in a street environment carry a maximum of 414 passengers. observe the various tramway-priority Constantine tramcars are all painted though is not technically on street- traffic management measures that have in a standard livery of white with running track; general traffic has been introduced. These have involved medium green relief; distinguishing them been confined to a single lane on the restriction of traffic movement in from the cars in Alger and Oran, which the east side of the street whilst the those parts of the central area served carry blue and red relief respectively. double-track tramway is laid on a by the tram, the width of carriageway raised platform paved in concrete,

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ESSENTIAL FACTS Local travel: Each stop has a guichet for tickets; there is no onboard facility. Fares are DZD40 (EUR0.38) for a single journey; a carnet of ten tickets is offered for DZD320 (EUR3.04). A Tawassol monthly card allows unlimited travel across the entire tramway for 30 days, a Classic card costs DZD1500 (EUR14.5). The city is easily traversed by foot, although local buses leave from near the railway station to the east of the gorge, for both SNTV stations. There is also a yellow taxi rank outside Hotel Cirta.

What is there to see? Constantine is one of the ‘grand spectacles of the north’, a natural fortress celebrated for its beautiful perch above the Rhumel gorge. One of the most dramatic viewpoints is from the Mellah Slimane Bridge, a 120m architectural wonder that spans the River Rhumel some 100m above it. Just 2.5m wide, it joins the railway station with the old town and was opened in 1925 – today it is used so heavily it swings and wobbles at its mid-point. The Palace of Ahmed Bay and the Grand Mosque are two of the most beautiful – and accessible – buildings within the city, although the Palace is currently undergoing extensive restoration. The Roman site at Tiddis is also worth a visit. Although for such an illustrious city little survives in the way of artefacts, the Cirta Museum does have a respectable collection from excavations in the city and surrounding areas.

allowing restricted vehicular access to ABOVE: 117 climbs recent and, as previously explained, and is already fulfilling an important frontagers’ premises. Beyond here, the the ascent from the area between the last two stops transportation need for Constantinois. tramway is laid as central reservation Fadhila Saadane is currently largely undeveloped – a Before the line’s opening, the operator in a much wider street environment, towards Emir situation that will no doubt change was predicting passenger numbers of passing the impressive Emir Abdelkader. in the way that customarily follows around 70 000 per day on this initial Abdelkader mosque, until reaching the opening of new tram lines. route. It will be interesting to see TOP RIGHT: the fourth stop at Fadhila Saadane. Cars 106 and 110 A feature of the southern section of whether the total fleet of cars proves At this point the tramway diverts on at the city centre the line beyond the new bridge is that adequate to handle the increase in a new alignment away from the street terminal station of it is generally located well away from passenger traffic once the extension and crosses a new bridge especially Ben Abdelmalek main arterial highways, so that there to the airport is open. constructed for its use across the Ramdane. Note the is minimal inter-modal competition Algeria may not be top of Rhumel gorge. There is side footway profusion of security between the tramway and motor bus everyone’s list of countries to visit, provision for pedestrians, but no personnel clad in services, which feed into the city but this is regrettable as the local high-visibility vests. access for road-based vehicular traffic. centre from outlying areas by population is very friendly and After crossing the bridge and turning ABOVE RIGHT: differing routes. The extent of the delighted to welcome visitors to its south, the tramway calls at the stop 117 and 125 pass serious traffic congestion on these ancient and culturally fasinating for Université Mentouri, an important below Residence highways can well be seen towards cities. With further new French- traffic generator on the outskirts of the Universitaire the Zouaghi Silman outer terminus, built tramways due to open in the older developed area of the city. Mentouri in a where a short stretch of tramway and country in the next two to three From here the line begins a steady developing area public highway run in parallel. years, the opportunity to undertake a climb – that becomes steeper and undergoing some Experience of the new tramway in comprehensive tour to see at first-hand steeper – towards its present terminus. landscaping work. its first months of operation shows the operation of several completely In this area all development is more that it has good potential for growth new tramways is on the horizon.

204 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Worldwide Review

ARGENTINA remains unconfirmed. Tenders BUENOS AIRES. A decree have been issued for new U-Bahn published on 2 March sets to replace the remaining renationalised the suburban original cars of type U. EB commuter rail network under the ownership of federal railway BELGIUM operator SOFSE. This reversed ANTWERPEN. Vicinal standard the privatisation dating from tram 9994 has returned to the city February 2014. and was due to take part in the The first new EMU for the Roca opening celebrations for line 8 on line from CSR Qingdao Sifang 18 April. D. Eveleens Maarse was unveiled three days later. The government ordered 300 cars in BRAZIL association with electrification PORTO ALEGRE. Alstom has planned for completion by the been awarded a EUR2m five-year end of 2015. IRJ maintenance contract for 15 Metropolis metro trains, in service AUSTRALIA on line 1 since 2014. Delivery of the first CAF Urbos 3 tram to the depot of the Freiburg-im-Breisgau undertaking. VAG BROADBEACH – SOUTHPORT. RIO DE JANEIRO. Tracklaying With Labour winning the for the VLT Carioca project Porto 8.6km (5.3 miles) into Vaughan is and 4 are suspended until the end 31 January election, the new Maravhila tram system started on 70% complete, but will cost at least of August due to reconstruction Queensland Government has 26 March in General Luiz Mendes USD150m more than expected and work. Route 3, requiring nine agreed to back the AUD600m de Morais, using the Alstom APS won’t be ready to carry passengers cars, was the first to see the new (EUR424m) extension of surface current collection system. until the end of 2017. D. Drum CAF trams in passenger service. BS the Gold Coast tramway to With only 20% of the new Helensvale station. Brisbane Times track for the Santa Teresa line CHINA FRANCE MELBOURNE. An open day will laid by February, new cars SHENZHEN. 28 four-car trains BORDEAUX. The EUR108m, be held at Kew depot on 3 May, 16-20 were stored on the Carioca on north – south metro line 4 3.7km (2.3-mile), southern with interesting rolling stock on turning circle. BS have been lengthened to six cars extension of tramline C from display. The delivery of Bombardier SANTOS. Ex-Torino bogie tram with new vehicles from CSR Terres Neuve to Begles (Vaclav E Class 6018 on 29 January was 3265 has entered service as a café Nanjing Puzhen. RGI Havel) was carrying passengers the first to use the new unloading tram on the heritage tramway, and from 16 March after an dock and approach tracks at the can be enjoyed Tuesday-Sunday CZECH REPUBLIC inauguration ten days earlier. RGI rebuilt Preston workshops. 12.00-17.00. BS MOST. The second VarioLFplus LYON. 17 43m trams will be Route changes planned for tram to enter service is 315. BS ordered for delivery by 2020 for June include withdrawal of route BULGARIA PRAHA (Prague). Most of the use on line T4. The 32m Citadis 8 (Toorak) and replacement by the SOFIA. The end of February saw tram route changes planned at present used on T4 will move extension of route 55 from Domain the first test runs on the metro to coincide with the extension to lines T1/2. The 6.7km (4.2- Interchange to Toorak, extension extension to the airport, which of metro line A on 6 April were mile) extension from Debourg of route 6 from University to East was due to open in early April. cancelled due to public protests. to Hôpitaux Est is due to open in Coburg and diversion of route 1 to About a month later the other Line 2 was, however, withdrawn. 2019 as line T6, running over the Moreland instead of East Coburg. end of the line will be extended In the face of limited interest tracks of T1 to Sucher. A. Senut These changes are related to the to Business Park. for the sale of its withdrawn fleet MARSEILLE. The first trials on introduction of further E Class of Skoda 14T trams 9111-70 (in the 3.6km (2.2-mile) extension of Bombardier trams. Yarra Trams is CANADA part because Ukraine was the line T3 along rue de Rome to Place also seeking to reduce the number OTTAWA. The CAD60.3m most likely destination until the Castellane took place on 18 March. of W Class trams it has to operate (EUR44m) O-Train expansion current crisis meant undertakings Passenger service is planned for by running the City Circle in one project was completed on 2 March there could not find funding), the end of May. Various route direction only; passenger numbers when six Alstom Coradia Lint DPP has decided to repair and options have been drawn up for have fallen since the whole of the 41 diesel LRVs entered service; refit the cars for further service; a link between the Marseille and city centre became a fare free zone. the service was relaunched as some are already back in traffic. Aubagne tramways. A. Senut A fire at Newport VR workshops the Trillium Line. A ten-minute Seating will also be replaced. MONTPELLIER. D e s p i t e on 4 March destroyed stored service can now be provided. The work is costing CZK1.8m campaigning for no further W class trams 921 and 1025, as The line will connect with the (EUR70 000) for each tram. tramway expansion, Mayor well as restored Tait suburban western section of the electric The 140th anniversary of Philip Saurel has written to fellow train 107+12+24+137. light rail line when built. I RG tramway operation will be mayors in the urban community The Age, Railway Digest TORONTO. The fourth marked on 19/20 September. The to signal the resurrection of PERTH. The AUD2.5bn (1.8bn) Bombardier low-floor tram, 4405, first day will see open days at the plans for line 5 (20.5km/12.7- 22km (14-mile) light rail line entered service on route 510 on central workshops and Strasnice mile Lavérune – Prades-le-Lez) promised by the government in 2 March; 4406 was delivered depot. The second day will see a when funding can be confirmed. 2013 has been cancelled in favour in March. grand tram parade. The tram fleet The declaration of public utility of bus rapid transit, after a study The 30th anniversary of the comprises 37 T3M (8009-89 with was obtained in 2013 under the showed the latter would be half Scarborough RT line on 22 March gaps), 122 T3SU 7001-7292 (with previous administration. A. Senut the cost. G. Sutherland was marked by the unveiling of gaps), 46 KT8D (9051-55/7-97), PARIS. Poor air quality on 23-24 two overhauled sets. The line 146 T6 8601-750 with gaps) and March led to the banning of cars AUSTRIA is closed over the weekends of 123 Skoda 15T 9201-9323. There on alternate days (by registration GRAZ. Stadler Variobahn low- 25-26 April and 2-3 May for are also 315 T3R.P (8211-45/300- number) and the offer of free floor trams 239-46 are being refurbishment of infrastructure. 79), 35 T3R.PV (8151-85) and 33 public transport and bicycle hire. delivered this year, completing Although the automated mini- T3R.PLF (8251-83). Radio Praha, BS The new RER line E station the order and replacing the last metro has reached the end of its Gare Rosa Parks will open on ex-Duisburg Duewag cars. EB design life, vacillation over its ESTONIA 13 December, providing an WIEN (Vienna). Last month’s replacement continues. TALLINN. Tram 3 was reinstated interchange with tramline T3b. CF news about the purchase of The project to extend the over its full length (Kadriorg – TOULOUSE. Tramline T2 additional Siemens ULF trams Spadina rapid transit line by Tondi) from 16 February. Routes 2 between Ancely and Aéroport

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The first Skoda 29T low-floor tram for the metre-gauge system in the Slovak capital, Artist’s impression of the new Bombardier C30 metro train to be delivered to Bratislava. IMHD Stockholm. Bombardier was partially opened on 30 March, BRAUNSCHWEIG. The new KREFELD. With delivery of new EMUs that will be used from 2018 but trams carry the designation T1 Solaris Tramino low-floor cars Bombardier trams completed, on the RRX Rhein-Ruhr Express Ancely. T2 to the airport was to were to enter service in early April, remaining M8C trams in service commuter rail S-Bahn system, follow on 11 April. A. Senut replacing most of the 8100-series are 835/8/9/42-5/7. BS linking Dortmund and Köln trams. There are still nine LEIPZIG. The contract between (Cologne) every 15 minutes with GERMANY 7700-series trams in the fleet. BS LVB and Solaris for 45m Tramino trains reaching 160km/h (99mph) BERLIN. The new concrete roof of CHEMNITZ. W i t h d r a w n trams (5+36) was signed on 26 between principal stations. A new the future Hbf tram station failed Tatra T3D 497-504/10/1/20 and March. Line 9 is to be cut back from depot and workshop will be built in mid-January and the facility trailers 752/6/7/9-62 have been Markkleeberg West to Connewitz at Dortmund-Erving.The value of will not now open until 30 August scrapped. V. Dornheim as a third of passengers have the contract is EUR1.7bn. J IR (trams run past on single track). DUISBURG. Ten-axle tram 1045 switched to the S-Bahn service. ROSTOCK. With the withdrawal BVG has awarded Liebherr was taken to the Essen workshops The tramway museum will of the last Tatra T6 trams transportation Systems a contract at the end of February for repairs be open this year on 17 May, planned for early March, a 25- to equip its new Bombardier Flexity to corrosion damage. The five 1993 21 June, 19 July, 16 August and year celebration was arranged at Berlin trams with a prototype trams of this type may all have to 20 September. Heritage trams Marienehe depot on 8 February occupancy-dependent fresh air be dealt with; 1014-44 are stored provide an hourly link from Hbf featuring seven cars. Works car system, which should reduce awaiting a decision. BS starting at 09.40. DS 552 (ex-707) and museum car electricity consumption by air FREIBURG-IM-BREISGAU. MÜLHEIM/Ruhr. In order to 595 (ex-704) will remain after the conditioning by 13%. The first of 12 CAFUrbos 3 seven- free up depot space for new trams, remaining trams are scrapped. BS Overhead inspection tram 6120 section, double-ended, 100% Duewag cars 272/3/86/7 have WOLTERSDORF. Museum trams (Tatra KT4D) has been renumbered low-floor, 42m trams – 301 – was been scrapped. BS will be operating in public service 4572. Preserved KT4D 9481 delivered on 17 March. Five MÜNCHEN (Munich). Four on 16 May, 20 June and 8 August. has been given its historic East more should arrive this year, Stadler type S trams returned to German number 219 481-3. the remainder in 2017. The new service in February and all were HUNGARY Further to last month’s news trams can carry 241 passengers expected to be in use by mid-April, BUDAPEST. We d n e s d a y about the 150th anniversary of (66 seated). Badische Zeitung which might mean the withdrawal 11 March saw the delivery of the tramway operation, it will be GERA. Expressions of interest of the last three P sets from line 28. first CAFUrbos 3 34m tram to BKV. marked on 22 June (anniversary have been sought for an Tenders have been invited for two When the 25 cars enter service day) with eight generations of investor willing to take over the battery locomotives to operate towards the end of the year, they tram displayed at Alexanderplatz; undertaking. BS works trains on the U-Bahn. DS will serve lines 3, 19 and 61. 27-28 June is open weekend at GOTHA. The surviving Duewag NAUMBURG. 96 500 passengers The 3.2km (two-mile) cross- Lichtenberg tram depot, with a six-axle tram 442 (ex-Mannheim) were carried in 2014, a 1.1% river extension of tramline 1 cavalcade of trams on the Sunday. will run for the last time on a increase. From 1 April tram from Közvágóhíd to Fehérvári út On 30 August lines M8 and M10 railfan trip scheduled for 23 May. service runs until 20.30. was opened on 20 March. When will be extended from DS 1928 Lindner motor tram 17, the long CAF trams are delivered Nordbahnhof via Hbf to HANNOVER. The first of the which was being restored in Gera, for this service it will be extended Flensburger Strasse. An open day 3000-series LRVs entered passenger has now moved to Jena for the further over existing tracks to at Köpenick depot is planned service on 15 March on line 7 work to be completed. BS Kelenföld. RGI for 12 September. BS, M. J. Russell with coupled set 3009+3019 on NORDHAUSEN. The last GT4 BOCHUM-GELSENKIRCHEN. duty 7/51. The first vehicles to be tram remaining in Nordhausen, INDIA BOGESTRA has invited tenders for delivered by Alstom/HeiterBlick/ ex-Stuttgart 72, has been JAIPUR. Metro operation was refurbishment of its 25 Stadtbahn-B Vossloh-Kiepe had defective scrapped. It was used to test the due to start on 31 March between cars and the supply of six new welds, and production of hybrid drive principle leading up Mansarovar and Chandpole high-floor LRVs. HeiterBlick bodyshells was switched to a new to the introduction of Combino on the Green line. urbanrail.net has delivered rebuilt Stadtbahn-M supplier from car 3020, while Duo trams, but has not run on the 340 as a railgrinder. DS remedial action was taken on the network since 2004. BS INDONESIA BRANDENBURG. The second first deliveries. DS OBERHAUSEN. The referendum JAKARTA. Nippon Sharyo Tatra KTNF6 to be modernised KARLSRUHE. VBK has exercised on the extension of Essen tramline has been awarded a JPY13bn was 185, completed in April. its option for a further 25 NET2012 105 to Oberhausen produced 57% (EUR100m) contract for 96 metro When the Bundesgartenschau cars from Vossloh (351-75). against (on a 23% turnout), and cars for the planned 15.7km (9.8- (garden show) opens on 18 April, A further option for 25 more the project will be dropped. DS mile) north-south line, due for a route 8 will be introduced at remains to be exercised. The first RHEIN-RUHR (VRR). Siemens completion in 2018. They will weekends on a circular itinerary five cars of the batch 326-50 were has been awarded the contract for form six-car trains. around the city centre from Hbf out of service until March due to the supply and maintenance (for Meanwhile work could start every 30 minutes. BS software problems. BS 32 years) of a fleet of 82 four-car by the end of this year on the

206 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org 18km (11-mile) first phase of an Services to Ramsey were to resume OLSZTYN. The first of 15 Solaris awarded a contract to Egis/SYSTRA elevated light rail system to on 28 March. Tramino for the new tramway is due to carry out feasibility study and Cawang, replacing the abandoned for delivery in May and the last preliminary design work for a monorail scheme. Global Rail News JAPAN in September. Passenger service three-line system totalling 95km FUKUI. Low-floor tram 1002 should start in early 2015. RV (59 miles). Passenger service is IRELAND entered passenger service on POZNAN. Ten Tatra RT6MF predicted for 2020. RGI DUBLIN. Proposals to connect 18 February, replacing 1960 car trams (401-10, of which 403/4/5/1 Dublin City with the airport and 201, which has been scrapped. are ex-Praha 9101-4)) have now SLOVAKIA the Swords district are expected Ex-Stuttgart GT4 will operate been modernised by Modertrans. BR ATISLAVA. The first of 30 to go before the Irish Cabinet at weekends and holidays from Four more will follow this year.BS single-ended Skoda 29T trams, before the summer. Transport 7 March to 14 June. BS SZCZECIN. New are Moderus 7401, was delivered in early Minister Paschal Donohoe will HIROSHIMA. The Astram line Beta MF15 three-section low-floor March. A. Prescott ask the Cabinet to agree to raise metro station at Shin-Hakushima articulated trams 601/2. BS capital spending on transport was opened on 14 March. New TORUN. 30m five-section PESA SPAIN projects to pre-recession levels low-floor trams are 1006-8. BS Swing single-ended trams 301- MADRID. Metro line 9 was of EUR1.8bn, from the current KITAKYUSHU. Four low-floor 5 are all in service. Six three- extended 1.5km (0.9 miles) north EUR500m. This would pay for a trams have been ordered, and the section 19.3m cars from the same from Mirasierra to Paco de Lucía new Luas line as part of scaled- first, 5001, is already in service. BS builder will arrive this summer. on 25 March. The project cost down plans for the aborted Metro OSAKA. A new low-floor tram, The trams carry a new blue and was EUR191m and the metro now North scheme. However, there put into service from 1 March, yellow livery. Tenders have been has 301 stations. urbanrail.net would also be associated heavy is 1003. BS invited for 4+2 double-ended VALENCIA. The 9.5km (5.9-mile) rail improvements plus potential TOKYO. The 3.8km (2.4-mile) 32m trams. RV single-track metro branch from Bus Rapid Transit included in the East Japan Railway cross-city WARSZAWA. The 6.1km (3.8- Rosas to Riba-roja de Túria opened package of measures, which are link was opened on 14 March. mile), PLN4.17bn (EUR1bn) metro on 6 March. Line 9 runs from the still to be fully quantified. The JPY40bn (EUR300m) project line 2 from Rondo Daszynskiego new terminus, mostly sharing provides an extra pair of 1067mm- to Dworzec Wilenski opened on tracks with line 3, to Alboraya- IRAN gauge tracks for commuter rail 8 March. DS Peris Aragó. A half-hourly service TEHRAN. The new metro station north-south services linking is provided. urbanrail.net on line 3 at Meydan e Vall-e Asr Ueno and Tokyo stations. ROMANIA opened on 2 March. urbanrail.net BUCURESTI. CAF has been SWEDEN MEXICO selected as preferred bidder to STOCKHOLM. Bombardier has ISLE OF MAN MEXICO CITY. The two repaired supply 43 six-car metro sets for the revealed the design of its new DOUGLAS. It has been confirmed and rebuilt LRVs returned to future 6.1km (3.8-mile) line M5. articulated and air-conditioned that the Douglas Borough service on the Xochimilco line RGI C30 Movia metro set, due to enter Council horse tramway will in autumn 2014. The four new service on the Red line in 2017; be operational throughout the Bombardier LRVs delivered last RUSSIA 96 four-section cars are on order summer season, starting on 11 May year (037-40) entered service on KALININGRAD. There will be for SEK5.1bn (EUR550m), with an and finishing on 13 September. 16 March. S. J. Morgan a depot open day on 30 May to option for a further 80. They are Daily operating times will be mark 120 years of tramway being assembled at Hennigsdorf 09.00 from Strathallan, finishing MOROCCO operation. transphoto.ru in Germany and will be at 18.00, with the last tram from RABAT-SALÉ. The municipal MOSKVA. Production of 71-414 98% recyclable. RGI Sea Terminal departing at 17.40. council has approved plans for trams by PESA in Poland was MANX ELECTRIC RAILWAY. a 2.3km (1.4-mile) extension of suspended after the first 60 cars SWITZERLAND The island’s Council of Ministers tramline T2 south-west from due to sharp changes in exchange BASEL. The first of the second has backed a recommendation by the hospital to Al Kifah Blvd/ rates. batch of Stadler Tango trams for the planning inquiry inspector Assalam Blvd. IRJ The BKM85300 prototype low- BLT service, Be6/10 171, was that plans to create a transport floor tram 0204 was renumbered delivered on 3 March; 18 more interchange complete with bus NETHERLANDS 2500 and entered passenger will follow. Up to 6000 passengers/ garage facility and additional car DEN HAAG. The fleet of Siemens service on route 17 on 11 March. day use the international tramway parking at the Ramsey terminus Avenio trams was 5005-12/4 by transphoto.ru extension to Weil-am-Rhein, be rejected. Stephen Amos late March; 5001/2 have returned TVER. The second type 71-911 25% more than forecast. BS recommended that the plans be to Wien to be brought up to Citystar low-floor bogie tram was BERN – SOLTHURN (RBS). An turned down on the grounds that production standard. The first delivered from Tver Carriage order for 16 new sets to replace the structure’s appearance would Avenio to pass from Siemens to Works to the local tram depot for Be4/12 43/7, 50-61 is planned for be out of keeping with the area and HTM ownership was 5014 on testing on 4 March. transphoto.ru delivery by 2020, and passengers its historic tramway. 20 March. digitaletram.nl SANKT PETERBURG. Eight on line S7 are being asked what While the decision has been ROTTERDAM. Stored trams six-car metro trains have been changes they would like to see welcomed by interest groups, they 702/4-6/50 have been scrapped. BS ordered from Skoda for RUB3.8bn in the design. BS have indicated that the situation (EUR6m). They will be assembled GENEVE. The planned tramway contrasts with the reconstruction POLAND at the Vagonmash factory, with extension from Nations to Ferney works that have taken place at GDANSK. The first ex-Kassel delivery starting this year. in France has been delayed for Laxey station over the winter, Stadtbahn-N tram to be modernised KTM-5 tram 4732 of 1983 has two years to 2023 due to design changing its character through was 402, now Gdansk 1162. been refurbished to join the problems with the alignment at the laying of block paving and The series 401-416 will become museum fleet and given fleet Le Grand-Saconnex. BS other works. 1161-76. DS number 0944. It made its first ST GALLEN – APPENZELL A planning inquiry into LODZ. The first rebuilt ex- trip with passengers on 9 March. (AB). Voters in Teufen have changes to the Isle of Man Railway’s Bielefeld Stadtbahn-M eight-axle RGI, transphoto.ru thrown out plans for a subway Douglas railway booking hall car to enter service was Lodz 2499 VOLGOGRAD. The prototype under the village, and will now was to start at the end of March. (Bielefeld 521). The work was Uraltransmash 71-409 three- get a double-track street-based A scheme proposed for Port Erin carried out in the undertaking’s section four-axle articulated alignment between Bahnhof station is also being progressed. workshop at a cost of PLN1.5m tram 2855 entered service on Teufen and Stofel. EA Tram services on the MER re- (EUR0.37m).MPK bought 14 19 February. transphoto.ru started on 20 March but only 1982 M8C trams from Bielefeld in UNITED ARAB EMIRATES between Derby Castle and Laxey, 2013. The rebuilt tram has new SAUDI ARABIA DUBAI. TIG/m delivered the first as works to complete the Ballure traction equipment and seating, MADINAH (Medina). The heritage outline tram to Dubai Viaduct project were unfinished. with a 20% low-floor section. DS Metro Development Authority has Trolley in February, but due to

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 207 Worldwide Review

Upgrade to the track layout Street; originally the route was in the vicinity of the Wilkinson to access the Digbeth area via Street depot was to see a six-day Fazeley Street, terminating at closure from 3 April to 8 April Adderley Street, Deritend. between Wilkinson Street and The extension would be The Forest, with a temporary 1.5km (0.9 miles) in length and shuttle bus serving the serve employment areas and the intermediate section. National Express coach station as PRESTON. An application related well as running close to a major to the Preston tram proposals redevelopment of the Smithfield of Trampower Ltd was due to be markets area. It is unlikely to open considered by Preston Council before 2023. The first section of the at the end of March. Trampower Eastside Metro route will run from wants to create a demonstration Bull Street in the city centre, via line on the formation of part of a Albert Street, to the proposed HS2 disused railway. station at Curzon Street. SOUTH YORKSHIRE. Track replacement between UKRAINE Hillsborough and Infirmary DONETSK. Tatra T3SU 4182-4 are Road was expected to last for ex-Kharkiv 1115/6, 1325, which six weeks from 28 March, with were originally built for Riga. BS revised timetables for yellow and HORLOVKA. With the ceasefire blue services and dedicated bus established, tramway operation replacement services in place. resumed on 2 March. transphoto.ru Three further phases of work are KHARKIV. The EBRD and EIB are to take place between Park Square funding a EUR500 000 feasibility and Castle Square (11 May-3 June); study for a southern extension of Castle Square and Cathedral Oleksivska metro line 3, estimated (4 June-28 June); and City Road to cost EUR350m. 27 ex-Riga T3SU and Gleadless Townend (29 June- are in service; the remaining three 30 August). During the period of have been passed to Donetsk. RGI disruption Stagecoach Supertram will be reducing certain fares and USA not increasing single fares. BOSTON, MA. 3614+3615, The rail replacement project the first set of 86 LRVs to be started in 2013 and is being refurbished by Alstom, was delivered by South Yorkshire delivered in March for testing. Passenger Transport Executive, E. B. Havens Stagecoach Supertram and CHICAGO – SOUTH BEND, IN. VolkerRail. It is expected to take Monday 16 March saw the Dubai trolley car 1 awaiting the fitment of hydrogen fuel cells. TIG/m around five years to complete. introduction of the Sunrise delays in completing the depot, to take place on part of the line The work also includes preparation Express, a limited-stop service the hydrogen cell propulsion to Fairham Brook extending to for the new tram-train service that from South Bend Airport at package could not be installed Clifton Town Centre during April. will operate between Sheffield and 06.00, scheduled to reach Chicago until April. The Chilwell line is less advanced, Parkgate from 2017. at 06.55, returning at 15.57. but overnight testing has been Stagecoach Supertram is The only intermediate stops will UK continuing to the ng2 Business currently completing a GBP2.5m be at Dune Park, East Chicago, EDINBURGH. S c o t t i s h Park with daytime testing due to (EUR3.4m) project to refurbish 57th St and Van Buren St. Regular Government Transport Minister, start in April. the running gear on all trams. service takes 85 mins. E. B. Havens Derek Mackay, has indicated that The timetable was amended The company has also recently CINCINNATI, OH. The city proposals for new tram projects from 16 March with additional upgraded the CCTV on trams council has endorsed a motion across Scotland would receive services in the morning peak. and is starting a project to replace asking that work starts on his support – but this would Services were improved to a 7-10 articulation bellows. planning possible extension of not extend to further proposals minute headway between 07.00 TYNE & WEAR. Nexus has the starter tramline now under in Edinburgh. and 10.00 on both the Hucknall completed modernisation of construction. E. B. Havens Scottish Government officials and Phoenix Park sections giving escalators at Gateshead and HOUSTON, TX. Saturday 4 April have confirmed there will be no a tram every 3-5 minutes from Heworth Interchanges as part of saw the inauguration of light rail top-up of the GBP500m (EUR678m) Highbury Vale to Station Street. its GBP389m (EUR528m) Metro: all service on the Green and Blue put into the project, which ran On Saturdays service headways change programme. Lifts at both lines linking Theater District GBP375m (EUR509m) over. It has remain at ten minutes on both stations have also been replaced. with Magnolia Park and Palm also indicated that loans to the sections, giving a combined five- Nexus has now installed 21 new Center respectively. St James Quarter developers minute headway from Highbury escalators at main stations in the A congressional amendment will not be used to fund an Vale to the city centre. The past six years. Next in line for secured by anti-rail groups has interchange at the development. introduction of five of the new modernisation will be escalators banned any funding for LRT in The City Council is due fleet of 22 Citadis trams to the at Four Lane Ends interchange the Richmond corridor, putting to consider a report in June existing service has provided the and Manors Metro station, with an end to the planned Yellow and outlining the options for additional resources needed for work due to start this summer. Blue lines west of the city centre, extending the line, although it is these improvements. WEST MIDLANDS. T h e despite USD96m already spent on expected that additional funding Consideration is being given preferred route for the extension planning and design. E. B. Havens of at least GBP80m (EUR109m) to running services an hour of Midland Metro to Digbeth has KANSAS CITY, MO. T he would be needed to extend the earlier than at present; services been chosen following public Downtown Streetcar line is now line to Newhaven. currently start around 06.00. consultation. The route has been 50% complete and should open NOTTINGHAM. The first tram If the idea is adopted it would amended from the proposed HS2 in early 2016. G. Olden to reach the Clifton terminus ran only be introduced when the new station at Curzon Street to run MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL, MN. during an overnight test in March services to Chilwell and Clifton via New Canal Street, Meriden Metro Council and Minneapolis and regular daytime testing was commence. Street and Digbeth to Adderley Parks Board have reached

208 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org agreement over the alignment WASHINGTON, DC. The first Way by the Port Authority. Taylor Street while Pacific Road for the SW light rail line over of 66 Kawasaki 7000-series metro This will also require the tramway is undergoing building work to the Kenilworth channel. The trains was to enter service on the to be moved, but it is not clear accommodate the Wirral Chamber latter is dropping its insistence Blue line on 14 April. E. B. Havens where funding for this will of Commerce. It will return when on a tunnel in favour of a bridge, come from. J. May work is completed. and the former will reimburse it VENEZUELA SEATON (UK). Seaton Tramway USD750 000 in costs. Local CARACAS. The first train has begun its conversion to CONTRIBUTORS residents are still trying to pursue of original rolling stock to be charitable status, due for final UK and Ireland items are welcomed a lawsuit against the project. refurbished by Alstom entered Charity Commission approval by the Home News Editor, E. B. Havens service on line 2 in March. RGI later this year. Shareholders have John Symons, 17 Whitmore NEW YORK, NY. Subway fares voted overwhelmingly in favour of Avenue, Werrington, Stoke- were increased from 22 March. VIETNAM the change. on-Trent, ST9 0LW, UK. A single ride is now USD2.75 and HO CHI MINH CITY (Saigon). The tramway company is also E-mail [email protected] an annual pass USD116.50. A mock-up of the Hitachi metro preparing a planning application Worldwide items should be sent PHILADELPHIA, PA. SEPTA’s train for the new system has been for construction of a new terminus to Worldwide Editor Michael Director of Strategic Planning has delivered as part of the public in Seaton, which will represent the Taplin at Flat 1, 10 Hope Road, confirmed that plans are being consultation process. The 1500V biggest capital investment ever Shanklin, Isle of Wight PO37 6EA, drawn up for new trams to replace dc three-car trains will enter made in the company’s history. UK – Fax: +44 (0)1983 862810 or the Kawasaki cars dating from the service in 2020. IRJ If planning permission were to e-mail: [email protected]. 1980s with new low-floor stock, be granted construction would Acknowledgements are due to with an order expected within MUSEUM NEWS start in September, with full Badische Zeitung, Brisbane Times, two years for over 100 cars, as ARDEN, PA (USA). T he opening scheduled for Easter 2016. BS Blickpunkt Strassenbhan, part of SEPTA’s USD535m capital Pennsylvania Trolley Museum SKJOLDENAESHOLM (DK). Canberra Times, digitaletram.nl, EB programme. USD4.8m is to be has been awarded a USD9847 The Danish Tramway Museum Eisenbahn, Edinburgh Evening News, spent this summer (15 June to grant by the state to carry out will mark its 50 years on 20 EA Eisenbahn Amateur, GRN 6 September) renewing tracks restoration work. E. B. Havens June with a special parade of Global Rail News, Irish Times, IRJ on Sharon Hills route 102 at CARDIFF (UK). The grade II museum stock. BT International Rail Journal, Mike Clifton Heights. E. B. Havens listed former Cardiff tram depot SYDNEY (AU). Melbourne Y1 611 Haddon, Paul Jackson, Manchester PHOENIX, AZ. In a 25 August in Grangetown was opened and scrubber car 11W returned to Evening News, G. Olden, A. Prescott, referendum, the city council to the public recently to allow Loftus museum on 3 February. TW Nottingham Evening Post, OR Op De will seek voter approval for the viewing of proposals and WIRRAL (UK). Liverpool horse Rails, Radio Praha, Railway Digest, a 0.7% sales tax increase to comments on the plan to turn it car 43, currently resident on the RGI Railway Gazette International, raise USD31.7bn to fund a into a community arts centre. Wirral Tramway, has been moved RV, The Age, transphoto.ru, TW transportation plan including The plans, which are being taken from the Pacific Road depot to Trolley Wire, urbanrail.net light rail expansion. E. B. Havens forward by TShed Developments, PITTSBURGH, PA. The North include a multi-purpose venue, art Shore light rail link will remain gallery, dance studios, boutique fare free after parking operators cinema and café bar as well as a HERITAGE RAILWAYS • CLASSIC VEHICLES agreed to raise prices and pay PAT creative business hub consisting of MOTORMAN LESSONS • PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES USD1.2m over five years to secure flexible office and studio spaces and SPECIAL TOURS & WALKS the operation. The new agreement meeting rooms along with 30 work was signed because the Pittsburgh spaces. A planning application Steelers NFL team declined to was submitted to Cardiff City renew their agreement that Council in February with a view expired on 31 March. E. B. Havens to the transformation works being ST LOUIS, MO. The ground- completed by February next year. breaking ceremony for the CHARLOTTE, NC (US). The 29 JULY TO 2 AUGUST 2015 USD43m Delmar Loop heritage North Carolina Transportation tramway, which will connect Museum has acquired the two- Missouri History Museum with axle tram liveried as Charlotte 1 the University City library, was and used during special events held on 12 March. Passenger on the original heritage tramway service is planned for late 2016. (subsumed into the LYNX light rail E. B. Havens line) for a period. The tram is in SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Muni). fact the Athina (Pireefs) 1907 UEC/ Construction of the Dogpatch Siemens tram 60, which ended up turning circle at 18th/19th/Illinois as a maintenance car on the Athina streets has been suspended after a metro before being acquired by court order was obtained by local Charlotte in 1986. J. Marinoff residents opposed to the project. HEATON PARK (UK). The return They argue that the 15-year old to service of Hull 96 has been environmental assessment for the delayed due to the discovery of Diesel Day Classic Vehicles Steam North... Quarry Trip Motormann Lessons scheme is obsolete, and want the more work that is to be addressed. Third Avenue tram service to turn It had been hoped to relaunch the JOIN US FOR FIVE ACTION-PACKED DAYS at the nearby depot. E. B. Havens tram in June but this has now been OF UNIQUE EVENTS CENTERED AROUND SEATTLE. The first Inekon- put back to 11 October. THE HERITAGE RAILWAYS OF THE ISLE OF MAN. built tram arrived at the First Hill Blackpool 280 (former 680) has Streetcar depot on 28 February returned from loan to Beamish • Southern Line becomes Northern Line for a day and was to start trial running at and was to formally enter service • Diesel day & All American day at Laxey the end of March. All six double- at Heaton Park at a Blackpool- ended 20.1m Trio trams should be themed event on 26 April. delivered by mid-June with a daily SAN PEDRO, CA (US). The For details visit: www.iombusandrail.info penalty of USD500 per car if that is heritage tram service along the For bookings call: 01624 697457 not achieved. Inekon has already waterfront will be suspended in been fined USD111 000 for late September for at least 18 months isleofmanrailways @IOMRailways delivery. R. Scheuerman due to re-alignment of Sampson

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 209 Letters

MAILBOX Get your views into print Letters should be clearly typed and preferably not handwritten. [email protected] +44 (0)1733 367615 We reserve the right to shorten contributions for publication.

More technical articles please, and more on the wider aspects

It’s always refreshing to read articles focusing on light rail quality (Is LRT really the noisy neighbour? – TAUT 927). Fine-tuning the tram’s feel-good factor deserves respect, concentrating as it does on the more thoughtfully empathetic aspects of light rail advocacy. It should also encourage Light Rail Transit Association members and campaigners of all kinds to observe a wider range of attributes when visiting systems at home and abroad – taking notice of noise, ride quality, accessibility, affordability, aesthetics and so on. Captured data could be fed into a sort of ‘Tramway TripAdvisor’ to help professionals and politicians, giving rise to a virtuous spiral of enlightenment. To add to Scott McIntosh’s informative article, I’d like to offer a few thoughts: One of the photographs shows a Sheffield Supertram at Park Square. On the approach to the tram’s destination at Meadowhall, there is a set of points where the track changes from double to single, at Alsing Road. Even though plenty of ABOVE: Manual lubrication of renewable check rail near to Bispham Road space is available, that junction features a long tangent linking at Cleveleys on the Blackpool tramway. This picture also shows the two short sharp curves, inflicting a severe speed restriction. superelevation (cant) which helps to reduce the load on the flanges. D Holt An obsession with sharp curves – ‘trams can go round sharp corners so let’s make them do so at every opportunity’ forces completely if the curve radius is right. It would be or ‘trams only go slowly, so it’s alright for the curves to be interesting to know what happens at the transitions. really sharp’ – seems to plague trams elsewhere in the UK. In the past there has been concern about shock loadings A manually-steered bus would follow a far more flowing on gear teeth in monomotor trucks as the leading wheelset wheelpath without reducing speed. Likewise a train. So why commences flange-running through crossings while the handicap trams with these products of the ‘toy train school trailing wheelset is still running on its treads, imposing a of track geometry’? It’s hard to believe that noise could sudden speed differential. be a controlling influence or that large-radius curves are One possible factor contributing to curve squeal could be necessarily noisier than small-radius ones. It’s to be hoped an absence of tie-bars, allowing the high rail to rotate under that tram-train curves and points won’t be so contorted. cornering forces with consequent distortion of the wheel-rail Mr McIntosh also refers to gauge face lubrication, but interface, also allowing the rails to vibrate in the polymer why is there is so little reference to check lubrication? more than they would do if they were tie-barred together. There are many examples on the UK’s national rail network. Tramway audible warnings of approach can be a significant On the Blackpool tramway I’ve seen the check being source of noise, especially in urban surroundings. When I manually lubricated; I understand it’s done every two worked in a city centre office I used to hear the hideously weeks. The high rail gauge face is not lubricated, which loud screech of off-street tram horns being frequently blasted indicates the gauge is widened to keep the flanges off it. at pedestrians because the on-street whistles were being Is that the origin of the occasional use of the term ‘keeper’? ignored. That is why gongs, with their natural effectiveness At Porta Maggiore in Rome I remember seeing flange combined with inoffensiveness, have been generic worldwide in running employed along the entire length of the outer rail unsegregated surroundings since railways and tramways began. of a curve, a technique which I assume can eliminate flange David Holt, Manchester (UK)

A standstill for snow in UK and US only hope that here in Sheffield (UK) we never vehicles actually running on the system. The picture on page 157 of April’s TAUT states experience such severe drifts. Our problem this These aren’t museum pieces gathering dust, a snow clearing crew in Vienna on 9 February winter was again the fact that in snow storms, but real working trams, maintained to a high “attended to drifts” using ULF tram 717. drivers abandoned their cars in both the city standard and demonstrating a continuity of Two men are observed who seem to be and suburbs and obstructed passage of trams. service that spans decades. ensuring the rails are in existence, or David Wrottesley, Sheffield (UK) In the same way the London Underground removing ice. Snow ploughs are not helps define the UK capital, Melbourne’s mentioned. This followed a picture on page Hurrah for Melbourne! tramway is a visitor attraction in its own right 134 of a pair of Green line cars in real trouble Thank you to all concerned for the excellent – it is a shame that more politicians can’t see following a severe snow storm in Boston. supplement on Melbourne (TAUT 927); this beyond trams as a mere mode of transport for Larry Mills explains in his interesting magnificent system is a fine example of what moving passengers from A to B. letter on page 163, demonstrated by his happens when a transit system is allowed to I hope that once established, many of picture, that in Boston snow ploughs (plows) mature with a city. The tramway is now very the fine new tramways we see each month are no longer used, but sleds pushed by Type 7 much part of life for the city, and indeed has in TAUT have a similar effect in creating vehicles are used instead. helped to shape it over the past century. inspirational places. Whether modern It would seem that both in Europe and in I am also impressed with the way that cars are up to the quality of the W-Class in the USA preparation for severe snow is not the city – alongside many cities with it Melbourne or the many still serviceable PCCs what it was, and snow ploughs are no longer that have long-established tramways – in Europe and beyond is another matter! considered essential equipment. We can embraces its transport heritage with classic P Harrisburg, by e-mail

210 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org Bay route causing corrosion of the socket pins the electric frog at the junction of Courtenay and thimble face, leading to arcing (solved Place. Following the number 10, the head by replacing with stainless steel), the new dewired on the boom frog at the corner of heads gave little trouble. They were cheaper Waring Taylor street even though the tram to install and service, and not as hard on the was proceeding at a very slow pace. On contact wire as conventional trolley wheels. reaching the railway station the tram turned Consequently the tramway management back along the same route where it dewired started considering the use of slippers on the at the boom frog at Post Office Square. It then tram fleet and set about conducting trials. proceeded up Cuba Street via the number 6 The trolleybus overhead used hangers route then down Adelaide Road to Courtenay and fittings that accommodated the carbon Place and back to Kilbirnie via Adelaide Road inserts. However, the tramway overhead, built where a speed test proved satisfactory. Total for trolley wheels, used some fittings that distance covered was around 12 miles (19km). could either damage the carbons or else cause Back at the workshops, the carbon was dewirements. The first trial was conducted found to be unevenly worn, with cracks and over 9-10 April 1952 using a standard OB pieces broken away. After comparing both Melbourne: (Ohio Brass) swivel set into a fabricated steel heads, the OB was considered far superior. Modernising the world’s harp with a locally-cast brass slipper using a The BI head was twice the weight, with largest tramway trolleybus carbon fitted to car 221. The weather each carbon costing one shilling more. was fine on both days, and the pole pressure In addition it had bulky flanges, cost more to A special review in association with & set at 23lb (10kg) at a height of 18 feet (5.3m). manufacture, and its overhung weight caused Melbourne supplement 20pp v3.indd 1 On the first day the car ran from the faulty wear of the carbon. So the Workshops 10/02/2015 10:23 Converting to carbon workshops to the Lyall Bay terminus and Superintendent recommended conversion to I note the article on trolley poles in the from there to Seatoun terminus. The next day slippers using the OB head, subject to: April issue (928), yet while it may be true it went to the Railway Station via the number 1. All overhead wire attachments should that the Kolkata system uses swivelling 2 route, returning to the workshops via the be suited to carbon slippers trolley wheels, remember that the Hong number 3. A total of 16 (26km) miles were 2. No trolley wheels be operated over the wire Kong tramways also use swivelling trolley covered and the head operated satisfactorily 3. The overhead wire surface should be heads, admittedly with carbon inserts. over special works and on curves; although prepared by preliminary use of cast iron or They appear to be Ohio Brass-pattern efforts were made to effect a dewirement, carborundum blocks. trolleybus equipment – I believe supplied this was only achieved once, on the Coutts St- Supporting comments included operating via Wellington, although I have no written Onepu Rd turnout by means of excessive speed. figures as follows: cost of trolley wheel, each confirmation of this. On 17 April the head was placed on car 216 35/- to 40/-; life of trolley wheel, average 5200 The Wellington, New Zealand, tram and put into service on the Seatoun – Railway miles; cost of carbon insert, each 1/9d. system which closed in 1964 used swivelling station run. After a total of 50 miles (80km) He went on to say that although the carbon collectors in latter days’ trolleybus and four chains, the carbon was removed blocks require more frequent attention than equipment (trolleybuses still run, and replaced by a new one and this was run trolley wheels, the simplicity of servicing although are scheduled to end in 2017.) over the same route for another 25 miles largely outweighed the greater frequency. If the The NZ enthusiasts’ magazine Tramway (40km). Both carbons had irregular wear and life of the overhead wire is likely to be extended Topics which I have recently (and reluctantly) cracks, assumed to be from use on overhead then the frequent expense can be justified. ceased editing carried an article on the designed for trolley wheels. It was decided to The life of a trolleybus carbon varied from 50 changeover from wheels to carbon in 2011. undertake more testing before making any (80km) to over 600 miles (1000km) according Brent Efford, Wellington (New Zealand) final decisions about their introduction. to the amount of salt (Wellington had only The next test was on 19 September 1952 two trolleybus routes at this time). This The Wellington tramway had traditionally using car 199 under the same conditions recommendation was accepted on 8 January used trolley wheels for overhead current as the April test, but instead using a BI 1953 and an order placed for 230 slipper heads. collection and apart from some changes to (British Insulated) head. The route taken Conversion from the trolley wheel was the trolley head in 1906 to prevent fouling was from Kilbirnie sheds to the city on the carried out progressively as the new heads with the overhead, this style had prevailed number 2 route. The head fouled the signal became available and this style of trolley since the introduction of the system in 1904. wire at the eastern entrance of the Hataitai head remained in operation right up to the The introduction of Crossley trolleybuses tunnel due to its wide flanges and had to end of the system in 1964. in 1949 saw them equipped with trolley be disengaged. Upon reaching Kent Terrace slippers with carbon inserts in the harp on the tram proceeded along the number 10 Henry Brittain’s article is reproduced with the head. Apart from salt on the Oriental route, however the head would not operate kind permission of Tramway Topics.

The full list of the year’s meetings and meeting places MEETINGS & EVENTS can also be found at www.lrta.org

APRIL 2015 Friday 24. Leicester 19.45. Hodges videos: Trams and LRT in Petch: Budapest and its trams. (TLRS) Members' evening 2. (TMS) Spain, Portugal and UK. (LRTA/SEG) Tuesday 19. London 19.00. Paul Thursday 16. Dartford 19.30. David Saturday 25. Beeston 14.00. Saturday 09. Birmingham 14.00. Rowden, Community Relations Officer, Rivers: Eastbourne Tramways. (TLRS) Bob Bracegirdle: Australian TLRS photographic competition. Crossrail: 'Update on Crossrail'. (ERS) Saturday 18. Oxford & Chilterns tramways. (TLRS) (TLRS. ERS and LRTA invited) Wednesday 20. Bristol 19.30. 14.00. Nr Oxford. (TLRS) Saturday 25. Garstang 14.00. Nick Monday 11. Thames Valley 19.30 Ian Beckey: Underground units in Saturday 18. Taunton 14.00. Howell: TLRS Archives; North Lancs Geoff Tribe: Home and away. (TLRS) the 50s. Bob Manders: Italian trams (TLRS) Area AGM; Instant Museum. (TLRS) Wednesday 13. Brighton 19.30. Thursday 21. Dartford 19.30. John Monday 20. Sheffield 19.30. Tony Thursday 30. Manchester 19.00. Laurie Marshall: Narrow gauge in Buckle: Portugese tramways. (TLRS) Williams: Metrolink developments in Dr Peter Banister: European India. (TLRS) Saturday 23. Garstang 14.00. Greater Manchester. wanderings. Monday 18. Liverpool 19.30. Tramway videos. (TLRS) Monday 20. Wickham 19.30. Brian Models night. (TLRS) Thursday 28. Manchester 19.00. Boddy/Tony Sullivan: Dresden. (TLRS) MAY 2015 Monday 18. Sheffield 19.30. Tony Williams: Metrolink. Tuesday 21. London 19.00. Martin Ian Dougill: Tramways of Siberia. Saturday 30. Beeston 14.00. TLRS Eady: California/NZ/HK (2014). Tuesday 5. Southampton 19.30. Bob Monday 18. Wickham 19.30. Martin National AGM at Beeston. (TLRS)

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 211 Classic Trams WHAT ABOUT THE TROLLEY-POLES? In the second part of their trilogy on current collectors, Alan Pearce and Mike Russell consider PART the decline in use of the trolley-pole as plate 2 collectors were found to offer advantages. 1

utside of mainland Europe, local for its new low-floor cars for some while, Initial attempts at improvement used very complications forced the use of but is to change to a proof-of-purchase fares simple bow-supported plates with the wire a second overhead wire for the system. How long Philadelphia can retain suspension above the reach of the plate. return path, as using the track trolley-poles is dependent on the tunnel roof With two bow plates separated by several was not allowed. This could profiles. Kolkata (Calcutta) will retain trolley- metres on a tramcar, current reception was beO due to electrical needs, as in Cincinnati poles with brass wheels, as the wire hanging continuous with a simple round wire held up (USA), where the telephone company got in is not being changed and the system will with generous sag. This worked for low speeds first with earth return and won the resulting need roving conductors for many years. San and single-deck cars, and is still retained on lawsuit, or many early systems in Japan, Francisco will retain trolley-poles as it must the Isle of Man’s Snaefell Mountain Railway. where track electrical connections were interwork with trolleybuses, and even with Contact can be maintained in very high subject to degradation from earthquakes. pantograph-equipped cars on the new E line. winds on the mountain’s steep gradient, With double wires only trolley-poles In Melbourne, conversion has been spread and it is also easy to take the wire down could be used, but these systems were few over many years and has helped to ensure the in winter to prevent storm damage. in number. Where a trolleybus system also network’s continuing success and extension The best means of holding up a collector has to operate alongside a tramway, trolley- into higher speed operation. Many remaining plate was shown to be a bow-shaped pole collection for the tram makes the joint lines that use poles are heritage or central framework pivoted on the tramcar roof, operation much more practicable. Thus San area distributor operations using tramcars so that it was held by springs against the Francisco can interwork vehicle types on the of heritage designs which have modern fare underside of the wire and kept horizontally same overhead with minimal operational collection. Often these include museum at 90˚ to the car body. The frame was pivoted problems. The system in Riga, Latvia, is even operations; indeed of all the tramway horizontally on an insulated base on the car more integrated, with the tram poles being museums in the world, those using trolley- roof, so the plate could move up and down essentially identical to those of trolleybuses, poles probably exceed those that do not. with the wire to maintain contact. The width using swivelling heads and long shafts. The other main problem with continued of the plate enabled economic support of the Historic operations with three-phase trolley-pole operation is that the whole wire, being kept within the track alignment AC and very rare single-phase AC without mechanism is uni-directional, so the but not always exactly over any one point. track return, which needed two wires, operation of double-ended cars requires a Immediately, one of the main constraints always required trolley-pole usage. All such second pole or a fully rotatable pole base of a trolley-pole system was removed, with installations had many other problems and on the car roof. Pole changing had always cost saving and reliability gains. This system did not survive long term. been the duty of a conductor, and proved worked well with unidirectional trams, but For much of Russia, tramway installations problematic for one-person operation. making the mounting base on the trams arrived well after plate collectors had been The disadvantages of trolley-pole operation rotatable enabled bi-directional working. demonstrated as best for installations. In are most easily shown by the complexity Rotatable bows can still sometimes be seen in Africa and Asia, tramway developments were of the overhead wiring, involving fixed use, often on heritage cars and in European few in earlier years, reflecting the technical crossings, fixed diverging and converging museums; the need to pull the bow down climate of colonial occupiers. Perhaps switches and many hangers to ensure the fully to unlock the base pivot to allow the only Japan used trolley-poles in significant wire is positioned correctly. The use of walk-around to happen can still be observed. numbers in the early days; local conditions swivelling heads involves the extra problems The conductor then also has to be sure that with unstable land often forced heavy of moving blades in the diverging switches. re-raising the bow has locked the pivot. rebuilding, militating the use of trolley-poles. All this is also influenced by temperature As with early trolley-poles, the electrical Several tramway developments were change and stretching of support wires. path was the bow framework. The Siemens eventually held back by the use of trolley- Clearly, a current collection system not Company appears to have been the first to poles. The growing power of motors that needing this level of investment and develop this complete system, widely used could be truck-mounted made for higher maintenance is desirable for the operator. within Germanic countries. The contact acceleration and speeds, but the resultant Inevitably, there followed a gradual change plate was soon made into a detachable item higher current draw for the medium-voltage to plate collection from the initial simple for easy replacement following inevitable DC supply still in use caused problems. bow to the modern pantograph. wear. Also the contact metal did not need to Perhaps most significant was the graduated be steel; aluminium or copper could be used fares system that required a cash-carrying Development of other options for reducing the wire wear. Later this plate conductor. Allowing change-giving made it Current collection for the earliest tramway could be fitted with a self-lubricating carbon difficult for one person to leave the money operations was an important and unreliable contact strip, reducing wire wear even more, unattended to correct a dewirement. Hence, facility. Whilst the trolley-pole with wheel and it could also be made to rotate about the lockable money systems and a means of was the first mass-introduced system, it was top bar of the bow, allowing a flat plate top preventing passenger access were essential. not long before other means were being to retain good contact despite variable wire Even today in the trolley-pole mecca of investigated to try to overcome operational heights. The ability to pass higher currents Toronto, the driver has to close the front problems. The principle of a metal plate held thereby allowed the basic principles of the doors from outside the tram before going to horizontally against the overhead wire was system to be retained. The rotatable bow was the errant pole to prevent unpaid boarding. clearly a good one for electrical needs, but had impracticable on double deck top-covered significant issues mechanically. The first wire cars so was not seen in UK operations. Trolley-poles today was round and needed surrounding clamps Toronto is to continue to use trolley-poles that impeded continuous, smooth contact. To be continued in next month’s TAUT…

212 / MAY 2015 www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org 1. The classic bogie cars operated by Belgium’s Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Vicinaux (SNCV) were fitted with twin trolley-poles centrally-mounted, but unusually did not feature roof- mounted retaining hooks and relied upon the trolley-rope to be secured around a cleat on the dash-panel. As a result, the stowed pole tended to wander during travel. Type SE car 9771 is shown at the Bruxelles (Place Rouppe) terminus of line L (Bruxelles – Leerbeek) in 1972.

2. An unusual form of trolley- pole operation is practised in Alexandria, Egypt, where these Hungarian-built Ganz/Düwag single-ended but double-sided bogie cars are coupled back- to-back. Each car is fitted with a single centrally-mounted trolley-pole with that of the leading car raised, and the other being secured under a retaining hook. This view was taken at Ras-el-Tin in 2004. The cars are cable-connected.

2 3. The Hong Kong tramway is the world’s only full-service tramway exclusively operated by double-deck tramcars; not only are all the cars fitted with trolley-poles but Hong Kong Tramways now shares with the two Latvian tramways the distinction of being the last exponent of the swivel-head sliding collector. The trolley- pole of car 109 is distinguished by a shaft of sunlight in King’s Road in 2009.

4. Conversion of tramcars to trolley-pole are quite rare; 3 4 an example can be found in Daugavpils (Latvia), which acquired 12 Tatra T3D bogie motor cars from Schwerin (Germany) in 2002 and formed them into six coupled two-car sets, replacing their pantographs with trolley-poles for compatibility with its existing operations. A trolley- pole is fitted to the leading car only; roof-mounted cable connections in conduit are provided to the second car and the use of a sliding swivel-head collector enables current to be passed. This view is from 2012.

5. The Perley Thomas bogie cars of 1923-24 continue to provide regular service on the St Charles line in New Orleans, but one of this batch, 952, has for years been a member of the San Francisco historic trolley fleet and regularly performs on heritage line F. This view at Pier 1 from 2009 illustrates the fixed-head sliding collector fitted to the trolley-pole of an older bogie car, which would originally have had a trolley-wheel. 5 All photography by Mike Russell.

www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org MAY 2015 / 213 BOOKSHOP Order online from lrta.info/shop – or by post from: LRTA Publications, 31 Ashton Road, Wokingham RG41 1HL Postage & packing – Any UK address: Add 10% (minimum £2.00, maximum £7.50) All addresses outside UK: Add 20% (minimum £4.00, maximum £15.00)

The History of Straßenbahnjournal Sonderheft 2: Worcester’s Tramways Wiener Arbeitswagen A medium-sized city’s tramway Vienna works cars past and story told in considerable detail, present in picture album format. from first proposals in 1878 German text. through to closure in 1929. A4 softback; 24 pages, A4 softback; 108 pages, 115 black 12 full-page and 23 half-page & white pictures plus 6 maps. colour pictures.

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Huddersfield – Le Tramway du Grand Besançon the trolleybus years The story of this small city’s The author reveals his intimate brand-new tramway, constructed knowledge of one of the finest at low cost, against the British trolleybus systems in a well- background of its predecessor illustrated review of times sadly network that closed past. in 1952. French text. A4 hardback; 232 pages, 280 colour B5 softback; 64 pages, 99 colour and 182 b&W pictures plus 33 maps. and 21 b&w pictures plus 3 maps.

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Straßenbahnjournal Jahrbuch 2013: An illustrated guide to the Berichte und Informationen über funicular railways of Great Britain die Wiener Straßenbahn Handy booklet detailing A pictorial review of Vienna trams the 19 installations around during 2013 plus features on the country – includes a Yevpatoria, Kimberley and ex-Vienna foreword by LRTA Patron cars in other cities. German text. Geoffrey Claydon. A4 softback; 76 pages,  A5 softback; 32 pages, 25 mainly 170 colour pictures. colour pictures plus map.  £19.50 plus P&P as shown above. £2.00 plus P&P as shown above.

Straßenbahnjournal Sonderheft 1: Around London by Trolleybus: Der klassische DÜWAG-Großraumzug Part Two Typen C1+c1 Second volume of stunning images Picture album covering the life of the capital’s huge network, of these cars in Vienna, in the covering east, north and central Amsterdam museum fleet and areas of the city and its suburbs. in Sarajevo. German text. A4 hardback; 200 pages, A4 softback; 24 pages, 24 mainly 19 colour and 159 black & white full-page colour pictures. pictures plus map.

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BOSTON: THE STORY EMC STANDARDS HONG KONG BEHIND THE SNOW AND COMPLIANCE For over 110 years the island tramway Herbert Pence examines the recent TAUT considers the problems of has been part of Hong Kong’s remarkable devastating effects of the snow storms in stray current management and of history. Neil Pulling reports on a system Boston (US), and pieces together the story electromagnetic interference from conflicted by road traffic, recently blocked of how decades of under-investment left modern street-running tramways: What by demonstrations and with new the city's urban rail services crippled. are the issues, and what are the solutions? metro competition. PLUS... JUNE + Where have all the trolley-poles gone? Part 3 ISSUE + The latest news, rolling stock orders and movements, system developments, transport policy and leading industry comment on sale from around the world 15 May

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