Making light work of light rail
There are just seven light-rail systems in the UK, with an eighth underway in Edinburgh. Other networks have been proposed and dropped due to concerns about the costs. But local transport minister Norman Baker has signalled a sea change in attitudes to light rail, as Andrew Mourant explains
M PAGE 28 DECEMBER 2011
ore light rail systems for the UK? It’s hard to conceive of anything more fanciful in an economy under siege. Unless, that is,
an entirely new approach to funding and planning prevails. And it might – the door for debate has been pushed ajar by Norman Baker, the minister responsible for local transport. Few would disagree that Britain lags
behind the Continent, where tram-trains are already established in conurbations with populations under 250,000, such as the ancient French cities of Angers and Reims. Could the Baker review, Green Light
for Light Rail – the work of a man who genuinely cares about local transport – catalyse change in the UK? Might tram- trains come to Oxford and York one day? Who knows what thoughts may be thrown out at the Department for Transport’s (DfT) proposed summit meeting – the date has yet to be fixed – where everyone involved in light rail will be invited to supply bright ideas. Baker hopes to arrive at a single, uniform
design for future light rail projects. He also wants to find out if cheaper systems overseas could be adopted here; and to set up a ‘centre of procurement excellence’ that would help get best value for money. The obstacles to progress are well-documented. The grinding
planning process and costs spiralling out of control – for example the notorious expense of diverting utilities such as water and gas pipes. Finally – better late than never – the DfT is consulting all parties to see how this can be cut and the exercise simplified. France is often cited as a shining
example of how to do things – a country with metro systems in six of its biggest cities and a further 18 tram-train operations. This year alone, light rail systems in Angers (metropolitan area around 280,000) and Reims, (population 200,000) have opened. The Reims tram was the city’s response to congestion and pollution. Public consultations began in 2003; dissenters were few. Central government played a limited role, providing €5m to help kick start ideas. In January 2006, three consortia submitted proposals; and the wireless ground-level power supply APS model was adopted, first developed by Alstom to avoid overhead cables in its tram-train system running through old Bordeaux. Construction of the 10km route started
in March 2008; the final cost was €345m. The system links key points throughout the city: hospitals, the university, the shopping core and its station; and uses Alstom Citadis trams with room for 200 people. Angers followed swiftly, with its new light rail system – a 12km line running north to south with 25 stops – opened in June 2011, also using Alstom Citadis units running on APS power
– and linking strategic points across the city. This level of activity seems unimaginable
in the UK. But the Baker review may yet foster a change of mindset and new thinking about the economics. It’s hard, though, to conceive the model in Lyon, France’s second city – on which Rail Professional reported two years ago – being replicated here. Driven by a mayor with a mandate to expand the metro system, Lyon funded improvements by taxing local businesses. Howard Johnston, spokesman for the
Light Rail Transit Forum (LRTF), hopes that if government and industry show a common purpose, the days of dashed hopes and schemes aborted at the last minute may be over. ‘Three hundred million pounds has been wasted on various light rail transit schemes – public inquiries, tendering etc – before they were scrapped,’ he said. ‘In the UK, one reason schemes ran away price- wise was because they were being done in isolation – no one was talking to each other.’ Attention worldwide has been paid to
another French scheme in the eastern city of Besançon (population 115,000), a bargain basement light rail line costed at €228m. Due to open in 2015, six companies tendered to provide the trains, with the contract awarded to Spanish constructor CAF at a price of €35m for 19 units. The line will not be a thing of beauty. There will be minimal landscaping; and even the train maintenance centre will be without a roof, open to the elements. But while so cheap an option is seductive for a government seeking to do more for less, Johnston has reservations. ‘The trams stops are just plain concrete – it’s no frills but do we really want something that basic?’ he said. Basic or not, statistics imply there could
be a pent-up demand for light rail this side of the English Channel – passenger journeys on England’s eight light rail and tram systems increased 5.5 per cent between 2009-10 and 2010-11, reaching record levels. Johnston
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