THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE HEADLINES l Royal opening for Casablanca tramway l DART becomes USA’s biggest LRT system l Edinburgh Trams - full speed tests begin TOURS DE FORCE: NEW LRT SYSTEMS FOR 2013 Hong Kong’s changing transit landscape Salt Lake City Liberec Utah’s key player The dual-gauge in the modern network with renaissance high ambitions of US light rail for the future FEBRUARY 2013 No. 902 WWW . LRTA . ORG l WWW . TRAMNEWS . NET £3.80 TAUT_1302_Cover.indd 1 03/01/2013 13:54 AD TRAM URBAN.pdf 2 27/06/12 11:18 C M Y CM With the merger of three of their companies, CAF Group MY has multiplied resources in a single company: CY CAF Power & Automation. CMY CAF Group promoted the merger of three of its companies (Traintic, Trainelec and DTQ4) K to form a single company: CAF Power & Automation. A new company dedicated to the design and production of onboard power units as well as control and communication systems for any type of rolling stock. CAF Power & Automation is an evolution in the solution suppliers market for the international rail sector, providing its own technology and human team, which is both adaptable and highly qualified. 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition # 21 Congress sessions and 10 Regional workshops # 15 Expo forums to share product development information # Platform for innovations, networking, business opportunities # Multi-modal Exhibition, 30,000m² # Over 150 speakers from 30+ countries # A special Swiss Day! www.uitpgeneva2013.org Organiser Local host Supporters Under the patronage of 42_TAUT1302_layoutpage.indd 1 19/12/2012 10:45 Contents The official journal of the Light Rail Transit Association 44 News 44 FEBRUARY 2013 Vol. 76 No. 902 Royal opening for Casablanca’s tramway; Paris opens T3a and www.tramnews.net T3b; Sydney approves second city line; Moscow tramway plans; EDITORIAL Dallas extends LRT to 137km; Edinburgh ‘full speed’ testing. Editor: Simon Johnston Tel: +44 (0)1832 281131 E-mail: [email protected] 48 Dispelling the myth of UK tramway costs Eaglethorpe Barns, Warmington, Peterborough PE8 6TJ, UK. Figures presented to the UKTram Light Rail Summit suggest Associate Editor: Tony Streeter that UK tramways are NOT the most expensive in the world. E-mail: [email protected] 50 Salt Lake City is on the right TRAX Worldwide Editor: Michael Taplin 54 Flat 1, 10 Hope Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight PO37 6EA, UK. Utah’s state capital has opened a new TRAX light rail line, E-mail: [email protected] extended its second and has a streetcar line under construction. News Editor: John Symons 54 Hong Kong: It pays to look forward 17 Whitmore Avenue, Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST9 0LW, UK. E-mail: [email protected] Changes over the last 30 years have made LRT the framework of urban transport in this bustling city. Neil Pulling reports. Senior Contributor: Neil Pulling Worldwide Contributors: Aare Olander, Nikolai 59 Systems Factfile: Liberec Semyonov, Sergei Tarkhov (CIS), Mike Russell, Norman Bartlett, This northern Bohemian town with a rich history is also a Thomas Wagner, Pedro Costa, Richard Felski, Jordi Ibanez (Europe), Yoshiri fascinating study in dual-gauge tramway operation. 65 Nogi (Japan), Anthony Bailey, Ian Hammond, Paul Nicholson (Australia), Vic Simons, Charles Lietwiler, Steve Morgan, Tom Swinney (US). 65 New tramways for 2013 Production Executive: Carla Corrado A strong focus on delayed projects in Spain is a feature of Tel: +44 (0)1832 281134 E-mail: [email protected] this year’s review of likely tramway openings. Design: Debbie Nolan 70 Worldwide Review Commercial Manager: Vicky Binley Hangzhou metro operation has begun; Paris Metro line 12 Tel: +44 (0)1832 281132 E-mail: [email protected] extended; Mumbai monorail tested; first rail laid for Portland Advertising Manager: Andy Adams T3 70 Tel: +44 (0)1832 281135 E-mail: [email protected] – Milwaukie LRT; Praha marks 50 years of the Tatra . Eaglethorpe Barns, Warmington, Peterborough PE8 6TJ, UK. 74 Letters Publisher: Howard Johnston Why grass track is good for the environment and PR; and Tramways & Urban Transit is jointly published by the LRTA and LRTA more on the repeal of the UK’s 1870 Tramways Act. Publishing on the third Friday of each month preceding the cover date. 76 Classic Trams: Budapest 125th anniversary LRTA Website and Diary: Brian Lomas E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Budapest is a significant Continental tramway pioneer – and celebrated its ‘125th’ in style. LRTA MEMBERSHIP (with TAUT subscription) Tramways & Urban Transit is sent free to all paid-up members of the Light Rail Transit Association. You are welcome to join the LRTA. SUBSCRIPTIONS: LRTA Membership Secretary (Dept T06), Why comparing costs is a futile exercise 38 Wolseley Road, Sale M33 7AU, UK. SIMON JOHNSTON, EDITOR BACK ISSUES: Tel: +44 (0)1406 373070 PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION: Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391000. Welcome to 2013 and a Happy New by Paul Grifftiths of the UK’s West LRTA REGISTERED OFFICE: c/o 138 Radnor Avenue, Welling, Year from all the team at TAUT – and Midlands Passenger Transport Executive Kent DA16 2BY. Private company limited by guarantee, No. 5072319 what a year it promises to be. (Centro) tell a different story. in England and Wales. In our annual round-up of the new A quick look at the tables of data on LRTA Chairman: Andrew Braddock. LRTA Deputy Chairman: Vic Simons systems opening over the next 12 months page 48 show that it is very difficult to LRTA PUBLISHING REGISTERED OFFICE: c/o 8 Berwick Place, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4TU. Private Limited Company, No. we see the focus has shifted from France draw broad comparisons between system 06169422 in England and Wales. to Spain, although many of these systems costs in France and the US and the UK as © LRTA Publishing 2013. are delayed due to the ongoing serious there are so many variables involved in Articles are submitted on the understanding they may also later be used ripples being felt from the financial crisis the construction of each system. on our websites or other media. A contribution is accepted on the basis that of 2008 that are still severely affecting The adoption and repurposing of its author is responsible for the opinions expressed in it, and such opinions public finance five years on. existing railway alignments and rights are not those of LRTA Publishing or the LRTA. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form The global climate is still challenging to of way, the need for utility relocation, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording say the least and TAUT Publisher Howard tunnelling or viaduct construction and or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior Johnston reports again in this issue from complex street layouts formed over permission in writing from the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the magazine without prior written approval is not permitted. the UKTram Summit, this time on the hundreds (or even thousands) of years subject of LRT project funding for the UK. all affect the turnout costs and many With the new tramways examined UK systems actually appear to offer THE INTERNATIONAL LIGHT RAIL MAGAZINE HEADLINES l Royal opening for in this issue falling roughly between remarkably good value for money. Casablanca tramway l DART becomes USA’s biggest LRT system l Edinburgh Trams - GBP15-35m/km (commercial Even the ‘expensive’ additions such as full speed tests begin confidentiality makes it difficult to obtain the in-tunnel Bank extension to London’s exact costings for such complex and Docklands Light Railway – covered in Tours’ stylish reflective time-consuming projects), it is now more detail in last month’s 25th anniversary Citadis trams on test in relevant than ever that we look at costs. special issue – can be seen as good late 2012. Read more There is often a claim levelled against value at almost GBP180m/km when you TOURS DE FORCE: NEW LRT SYSTEMS FOR 2013 about this new French UK schemes that they are more expensive understand the additional connectivity Hong Kong’s changing transit landscape Salt Lake City Liberec system and the others than similar projects developed in other that it has brought to this most crucial of Utah’s key player The dual-gauge in the modern network with renaissance high ambitions of US light rail for the future FEBRUARY planned to open in 2013 2013 No. 902 nations, but the actual figures revealed London’s transport systems. WWW . LRTA . ORG l WWW . TRAMNEWS . NET £3.80 TAUT_1302_Cover.indd 1 03/01/2013 13:54 from page 65. Alstom www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org FEBRUARY 2013 43 43_TAUT1302_Contents v2.indd 1 04/01/2013 15:07 News CASABLANCA’S ROYAL OPENING FOLLOWING three years of construction, Casablanca’s 31km Morocco’s largest city, with a population approaching three million, (19.3-mile) tramway was opened in a ceremony by King Mohammed the city on the Atlantic Coast planned its tramway in 2006, with royal VI on 12 December. approval given in October 2008 and an estimated cost of MAD6.4bn (approx. EUR570m). A consortium of Systra and CID Engineering was appointed as project managers in June 2009 with Yapi Merkezi award- ed the main tracklaying, platform and depot contract in 2010. Construction of the Y-shaped system with 48 stops began in 2009. It runs from the Olympic stadium in the north-eastern suburb of Sidi Moumen through the city centre, serving hospitals, the railway station, the airport and the Sidi Maarouf industrial district before reaching its western terminus at Ain Diab and a southern terminus at the university in the south-west.