Lrt's Role in Reshaping a Nation
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THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE www.lrta.org www.tramnews.net APRIL 2014 NO. 916 ALGERIA: LRT’S ROLE IN RESHAPING A NATION On the up: Worldwide tram market review US unveils USD302bn transport bill Search is on for London’s new Tube Moscow’s first PESA Foxtrot arrives ISSN 1460-8324 £4.10 Le Havre Brussels 04 Reconnecting a Metro development diverse community plans examined 9 771460 832036 2014 11-12 June 2014 – Nottingham, UK Nottingham Conference Centre The UK’s premier two-day networking and knowledge exchange event and exhibition, including over 65 speakers and panellists, an exclusive technical tour of the Nottingham Express Transit expansion projects and a networking dinner hosted by international transport operator Keolis. Further information, booking and exhibition details: +44 (0)1733 367603 – [email protected] www.mainspring.co.uk SUPPORTED BY TAUT1404_UKLRC14 advert CMYK print.indd 1 10/03/2014 14:14 144 CONTENTS The official journal of the Light Rail Transit Association APRIL 2014 Vol. 77 No. 916 www.tramnews.net EDITORIAL 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 168 Michael Taplin Flat 1, 10 Hope Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight PO37 6EA, UK. E-mail: [email protected] NEWS EDITOR John Symons 17 Whitmore Avenue, Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST9 0LW, UK. E-mail: [email protected] SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Neil Pulling WORLDWIDE CONTRIBUTORS 152 Tony Bailey, James Chuang, Paul Nicholson (Australia), Richard Felski (Spain), Ed Havens, Bill Vigrass (USA), Andrew Moglestue (Switzerland), NEWS 144 BRUSSELS: DEVELOPING THE METRO 165 Mike Russell, Nikolai Semyonov (Russia), Vic Simons, Obama unveils USD302bn transit plan; In part two of their review of the Belgian Alain Senut (France), Thomas Wagner (Germany). Nantes tram-train launched; Final go-ahead capital, Geoffrey Skelsey and Yves-Laurent PRODUCTION for Liège first phase; Search on for London’s Hansart turn their attention to the metro. Lanna Blyth new Tube; First PESA Foxtrot unveiled. Tel: +44 (0)1733 367604 E-mail: [email protected] SYSTEMS FACTFILE: LE HAVRE 168 DESIGN LRT GROWTH IN THE MENA REGION 150 Neil Pulling explores the French port city, Debbie Nolan Alstom’s Gian-Luca Erbacci discusses the where a new tramway opened in late 2012. ADVERTISING COMMERCIAL MANAGER opportunities for growth in the Middle Geoff Butler East and Africa. WORLDWIDE REVIEW 173 Tel: +44 (0)1733 367610 E-mail: [email protected] Jena approves tramway expansion; ADVERTISING MANAGER THE ALGERIAN LRT EXPLOSION 152 Test running starts on Algiers extension; Andy Adams TAUT considers the remarkable growth of Paris approves budget to extend metro line Tel: +44 (0)1733 367605 E-mail: [email protected] Algerian light rail, and looks to the current 14; Nagpur to build 38km two-line metro. PUBLISHER plans to develop a further 14 new systems Howard Johnston over the next decade. MAILBOX 178 Tramways & Urban Transit is jointly published by the An open letter to city planners in Dundee, UK. LRTA and LRTA Publishing on the third Friday of each month preceding the cover date. TRAM MARKET REVIEW 2014 158 LRTA WEBSITE AND DIARY With the number of trams on order up CLASSIC TRAMS: BERGISCHE LAND 180 Brian Lomas from 2013, Michael Taplin gives his annual Mike Russell tours a rare example of a E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] round-up of the global tram and LRV market. working narrow-gauge tramway in Germany. LRTA MEMBERSHIP (with TAUT subscription) Tramways & Urban Transit is sent free to all paid-up members of the Light Rail Transit Association. SUBSCRIPTIONS Why we need to start preparing for 2040 LRTA Membership Secretary (Dept T06), 38 Wolseley Road, Sale M33 7AU, UK. Looking for inspiration this month, my attention has been drawn to the BACK ISSUES glittering Geneva Motor Show. As the first major auto show of the year, Tel: +44 (0)1406 373070 it offers interesting insights into the way the world’s manufacturers are PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION shaping their plans for the coming years. Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, A lot of new electrical vehicles (EVs) and hybrids – both concept and Lincs PE10 9PH, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391000. production-ready – were revealed, as well as some very efficient fossil LRTA REGISTERED OFFICE fuel-burners that claim 80-90mpg (around 3-2.5 litres/100km) figures. Cheap ‘city cars’ c/o 138 Radnor Avenue, Welling, Kent DA16 2BY, UK. and superminis also appeared to be this year’s dominant class of vehicle. So as the cost Private company limited by guarantee, No. 5072319 in England and Wales. of ‘traditional’ internal combustion-engined vehicles becomes more affordable as we LRTA CHAIRMAN wait for cheaper EVs, driven by tougher regulations and manufacturers competing in Andrew Braddock ever harder marketplaces, surely the case for electrified urban transport decreases? LRTA DEPUTY CHAIRMAN No. Because despite the fact that carmakers are still obviously pushing their latest and Vic Simons greatest machinery (and sales have grown after a blip in western markets), and billions LRTA PUBLISHING REGISTERED OFFICE: are still committed to highways, the issues of congestion and emissions remain. c/o 8 Berwick Place, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4TU, As we move towards more urbanised societies and the economies of agglomeration UK. Private Limited Company, No. 06169422 become ever more apparent, unless societies take a more public transport-oriented in England and Wales. © LRTA Publishing 2014. approach our cities are going to grind to a halt. This will happen sooner than we think. Articles are submitted on the understanding they may also later be used on our websites or other media. A contribution According to ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest oil producers, the number of is accepted on the basis that its author is responsible for the cars and light trucks on the world’s roads is expected to double by 2040 to 1.7bn. With opinions expressed in it, and such opinions are not those of LRTA Publishing or the LRTA. All rights reserved. a population that many suggest could increase by two billion by then, that is going to No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in make existing cities – as well as a whole host of new ones – very crowded indeed; 2040 any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including might seem a long way away, but in terms of urban development it’s the blink of an eye. photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from Of course the huge budgets of car manufacturers will continue to develop cleaner cars the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the and battery and hydrogen technology will also improve at an exponential rate, but this is magazine without prior written approval is not permitted. where light rail, and indeed all forms of electrified mass transit, come in and where we can make a difference by thinking beyond private city transport. Simon Johnston, Editor COVER: Algiers’ tramway opened in 2011, the first of many for the African nation of Algeria. Alstom www.tramnews.net . www.lrta.org APRIL 2014 / 143 News Obama unveils four-year USD302bn transportation bill Presidential visit to Minneapolis sees ambitious public transport funding proposals revealed nited States President four-year USD10bn programme Barack Obama has intended to eliminate outlined a proposal for bottlenecks for freight. a four-year USD302bn Mr Obama made the speech Utransportation initiative, funded on the plan during a 26 February in part by dedicating revenue from visit to the twin Minnesota pro-growth business tax reform. cities of Minneapolis and St Details of the plans are Paul, during which he toured included in the President’s the Metro transit Green line proposed budget for the 2015 operations and maintenance financial year, which says the facility. The Green line linking money would be spent on repairs the downtown areas is to open to existing infrastructure, as in June. He added that he will well as new investments that launch a USD600m competition would include both transit and for transport infrastructure passenger inter-city rail. projects of significant national or The proposed budget provides regional impact. USD72.3bn for public transport In early March US Department over that period and USD17.6bn of Transportation (DOT) While in Minneapolis, President Obama and DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx in 2015, compared with the Secretary Anthony Foxx inspected the Green Line that will connect Minneapolis and St Paul in June. It will USD10.8bn enacted in the 2014 described the USD90.9bn budget link to the existing ‘Hiawatha’ Blue line at Downtown East Station. METRO Transit financial year. This figure includes for the DOT in 2015 as “the kind almost USD14bn for transit of aggressive transportation A ‘transportation cliff’ could – but the 2012 transportation formula grants and USD2.5bn for budget our country needs – one come in August or September, bill mandated USD54m in capital investment grants. that replenishes the Highway it is feared. Fuel tax brings in spending. Some USD1.25bn a year is to Trust Fund (HTF) today around USD35bn each year to The President is urging be allocated to the programme while also helping ensure the the Highway Trust Fund, a figure congress to pass a transportation of TIGER (Transport Investment country has a safe, efficient that has been dropping in recent funding bill by the end of the Generating Economic Recovery) transportation system for years as Americans drive less and summer. The current bill expires grants, and also included is a tomorrow.” adopt more fuel-efficient vehicles on 30 September.