THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE www.lrta.org www.tautonline.com DECEMBER 2019 NO. 984 OTTAWA’S ANSWER TO BUS CAPACITY... Rewarding excellence at the??? 2019 Global Light Rail Awards ‘Work to do’ on sustainable transport Bremerhaven to reinstate tram service? Foshan fuel cell tram commissioning Algeria Munich £4.60 North Africa’s tram Growing light rail revolution rolls on in Bavaria’s capital European Light Rail Congress TWO days of interactive debates... EIGHT hours of dedicated networking... ONE place to be Ibercaja Patio de la Infanta Zaragoza, Spain 10-11 June The European Light Rail Congress brings together leading opinion-formers and decision-makers from across Europe for two days of debate around the role of technology in the development of sustainable urban travel. With presentations and exhibitions from some of the industry’s most innovative suppliers and service providers, this congress also includes technical visits and over eight hours of networking sessions. 2020 For 2020, we are delighted to be holding the event in the beautiful city of Zaragoza in partnership with Tranvía Zaragoza, Mobility City and the Fundación Ibercaja. Our local partners at Tranvía Zaragoza have arranged a depot tour as part of day one’s activities at the European Light Rail Congress. At the event, attendees will discover the role and future of light rail within a truly intermodal framework. To submit an abstract or to participate, please contact Matt Johnston on +44 (0)1733 367607 or [email protected] +44 (0)1733 367600 @ [email protected] www.mainspring.co.uk MEDIA PARTNERS EU Light Rail Driving innovation CONTENTS The official journal of the Light Rail 450 Transit Association DecemBER 2019 Vol. 82 No. 984 www.tautonline.com EDITORIAL EDITOR – Simon Johnston [email protected] 455 ASSOCIATE EDITOr – Tony Streeter [email protected] WORLDWIDE EDITOR – Michael Taplin 461 [email protected] NewS EDITOr – John Symons [email protected] SenIOR CONTRIBUTOR – Neil Pulling WORLDWIDE CONTRIBUTORS Richard Felski, Ed Havens, Andrew Moglestue, Paul Nicholson, Herbert Pence, Mike Russell, Nikolai Semyonov, Alain Senut, Vic Simons, Witold Urbanowicz, Bill Vigrass, Francis Wagner, Thomas Wagner, Philip Webb, Rick Wilson PRODUCTION – Lanna Blyth Tel: +44 (0)1733 367604 [email protected] NEWS 444 SYstems factfile: munich 480 DESIGN – Debbie Nolan New report shows slow progress in meeting Neil Pulling explores a German city with a ADVertiSING sustainable transport goals; Foshan fuel cell comprehensive transport system that is set COMMERCIAL ManageR – Geoff Butler tramway undergoes final tests; Bremerhaven for further expansion. Tel: +44 (0)1733 367610 [email protected] considers tram reinstatement; Siemens expands automation research; APTA leads WORLDWIDE REVIEW 486 PUBLISheR – Matt Johnston coalition against drastic public transport Tenders invited for Bogota tram-train Tramways & Urban Transit cuts; Rio completes VLT network; Chinese-led project; Sankt Peterburg signs second PPP 13 Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Road, JV supports Lahore tram plan; private sector tram concession; CAF workers dispute Peterborough PE2 6XU, UK partners sought for Coventry VLR project. Jerusalem tram contract; TfL launches Tramways & Urban Transit is published by Mainspring Bakerloo line consultation; St Louis Delmar on behalf of the LRTA on the third Friday of each ottaWA'S Bus Replacement 450 Loop faces insolvency. month preceding the cover date. Vic Simons reports on the long-awaited opening of Ottawa’s Confederation Line light MAILBOX 491 rail service – and the plans for the future. Will light rail lose its green advantage? PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION Warners (Midlands), Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH, UK algeRia’S TRamWAY Revolution 455 CLASSIC TRams: BRno 493 LRTA MEMBERSHIP (with TAUT subscription) The second of our two-part special focus on Mike Russell reports from a Czech city that Tramways & Urban Transit is sent free to all paid-up development in North Africa’s oil capital. went all-out to mark 150 years of its tramway. members of the Light Rail Transit Association. LRTA WEBSITE AND DIARY GLOBAL LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2019 – SPECIAL REVIEW 461 Brian Lomas [email protected] [email protected] SuBSCriPtioNS, MEMBERSHIP AND BACK ISSueS Bickering time is over; it’s time to act on key issues LRTA Membership Secretary (Dept T06), 38 Wolseley Road, Sale M33 7AU, UK. Tel: +44 (0)117 951 7785 As the UK prepares itself for another General Election – the third in five [email protected] Website: www.lrta.info years – we must hope that politicians across the spectrum are taking notice of FOR CORPORATE SuBSCriPtioNS VISIT the continuing urgency for action on urban issues. While Brexit has absorbed www.mainspring.co.uk most of the oxygen in Parliament for the past 18 months, critical issues that affect all of our futures appear to have been put on the back-burner. LRTA REGISTERED OFFICE 138 Radnor Avenue, Welling DA16 2BY, UK. The environmental and mobility challenges faced by cities and city regions haven’t Private company limited by guarantee, No. 5072319 gone away, in fact they’ve intensified. And while lip service has been paid to them when in England and Wales. MPs haven’t been bickering over Brexit, we can only hope that a new administration LRTA ChaIRMAN – Paul Rowen will get back to tackling such vital problems. [email protected] October’s report from the SuM4All initiative offers sobering reading (page 444). It © LRTA 2019 includes a startling quote from an unnamed automotive CEO: “We have sold cars for a Articles are submitted on the understanding they may also hundred years. That model is no longer profitable. We now need to sell mobility. We are not later be used on our websites or other media. A contribution yet equipped to do so. Succeeding in that space would require interactions with a range of is accepted on the basis that its author is responsible for the actors we have never interacted with, such as local administrations and energy companies.” opinions expressed in it, and such opinions are not those of So if we know the issues and know the actions we have to take, if we are to stand any the LRTA or Mainspring. All rights reserved. chance of meeting global sustainability targets then why aren’t we behaving more No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including decisively? The transport solutions exist and we’ve been talking about them for decades photocopying, recording or by any information storage and (light rail being one), yet with not enough progress from the powers that be. Everyone retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from recognises the problems. Technology and engineering aren’t key constraints, politics are. the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the The words of respected American sociologist and philosopher Lewis Mumford have magazine without prior written approval is not permitted. never rung more true. In 1963 – yes, 56 years ago – in the documentary The City: Cars or People, he asked “the choice is clear and urgent. Does the city exist for people, or for COVER: An eastbound Confederation Line train, led motor cars?” These sentiments are now repeated by business and political leaders around by Alstom Citadis Spirit 1130, departing Lees station the world – but will we be waiting another 56 years for action? Simon Johnston, Editor in Ottawa on 13 September. Andrew Grahl www.tautonline.com . www.lrta.org DECEMBER 2019 / 443 News ‘Work to do for all on sustainable transport’ SuM4All initiative reports that expensive, inefficient transport is holding nations back o country is on track access to adequate transport to achieve transport services – a crucial barrier to sustainability and the advancement of education, meet the Sustainable health and employment NDevelopment Goals (SDGs) An additional 1.6bn people mandated by the United Nations would breathe cleaner air if by 2030, according to a report transport pollution was halved from the Sustainable Mobility 380m people would have for All (SuM4All) initiative. access to sustainable transport An event in Washington DC if rapid transit systems were (USA) on 23 October brought introduced in cities with a together transport leaders for the population of a million or more launch of the Global Roadmap that currently don’t have them of Action toward Sustainable An additional 20m women Mobility (GRA), a tool to would work in transport if the guide city and country leaders sector achieved gender parity on measures to improve the Improvements in border sustainability of local transport administration, transport and 32 kilometres per million planet and leaves many people around four key aims: universal communication infrastructure residents. In developing behind. In most cases, it is also access, efficiency, green mobility could increase the global GDP countries, the same indicator expensive, inefficient, and and safety. by up to USD2.6trn averages only four unsafe,” said Nancy Vandycke, The report analysed the Developed countries Taking all four measures Programme Manager of SuM4All mobility performance of 183 outperform developing together, Germany is ranked as and World Bank Lead Economist. countries against these four countries on all mobility the most advanced nation in The GRA report is the result indicators and identifies 182 policy goals, except per capita terms of sustainable mobility, of more than 18 months of work policy measures for improvement greenhouse gas emissions. followed by the Netherlands, by 55 organisations, 180 experts and a methodology to identify The gap is even greater on Sweden, the UK and France. and consultations with 50 public gaps, crucial steps and appropriate safety and air pollution The only non-European decision-makers and 25 private implementation policies that are In developed countries, country in the top ten is Japan, corporations. relevant for each country. universal urban access, in seventh place.