Urbanization, driven by processes of globalization, population growth and rural-to-urban migrations, challenges modern means of public transport in the constantly growing cities and metropolises. With more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas, this trend goes far beyond Europe, encompassing North America, Middle East and Asia. The two latter regions are often perceived as the epicenters of public transport development. Here, urban mobility strives to find sustainable, innovative and cost-effective approaches, combining rising public transport demand with new technologies, reduced carbon footprint and quality-driven capacity optimization.
Currently, following the development of modern urban travel habits, urban rail systems – a key element in a multimodal transport framework – experience its renaissance. Tram and rail systems meet gradually strengthened environmental, safety and quality-oriented regulations, offering a reliable, green and comfortable mode of mass transportation. Likewise, after numerous network closures in the 1960s and 1970s, modern light rail systems meet rising mobility requirements at the urban level: safety, speed and regularity, affordability, energy efficiency, high interconnectivity and spatial adaptability.
Globally, light rail systems are steadily but firmly becoming an alternative to other modes of urban mobility. According to the latest UITP statistics, there are currently around 400 active light rail systems worldwide, with 160 more under construction or in planning. With re-opened, newly constructed or modernized networks, light rail is successfully competing not only with the car, but also with other means of public transport which offer a similar level of comfort, capacity and energy consumption.
With this in mind, the key to understand the importance of tram and light rail systems lies in the network location. Light rail provides sub-urban populations access to all urban facilities, including home, work, universities, leisure centers and the like. It also makes the nearby land and residential property value substantially rising (see examples of Portland or Dallas). Furthermore, light rail – from trams to rapid transit systems – is a driving force of urban and economic development across the network corridor, improving the overall competitiveness of a neighborhood built around a tram or light rail station and therefore avoiding unnecessary urban sprawl. Last but not least, successful light rail lines reduce car usage and motor vehicle emissions, serving new neighborhoods optimal – also regarding reduced environmental impact – transport solutions on the downtown-center axis.
Given the above mentioned aspects, light rail is of key significance for the UITP’s PTx2 strategy of doubling the global market share of public transport by 2025. In this regard, particularly the tram sector should be given a special attention. With a total investment value of €3.8 billion and the expected annual growth rate of 3.7% in the period of 2010-2020, trams are perceived as one of the most attractive sectors in the whole rail industry and the catalyst of urban development.
Particularly in Eastern Europe, with around 40 currently operating tram and light rail systems, but also in the former USSR, with more than 100 systems, a struggle between car ownership and light rail ridership has gained in magnitude since the beginning of 1990s. Although enjoying high modal split, tram networks are facing a number of obstacles on political, financial, regulatory, infrastructural grounds. This often leads to a number of line closures annually (see example of Vladivostok).
Surprisingly, however, it is Eastern Europe where light rail and trams often prove to be a flagship of sustainable mobility and urban development (see examples of Warsaw, Oradea, Prague, Arad or Szczecin), offering relatively high capacity, quality-oriented services and the reactivation of local subcontractors. This positive trend, partially based on EU funding, has been gradually involving better urban development strategies, new managerial culture, customer-driven approach, integrated revenue policy and long-term political commitment. All of these aspects ensure that urban rail systems remain at the core of modern public transport, contributing to a positive image for a city and improving its social dimension (see the latest social media campaigns in Vienna).
When thinking about trams, it’s always good to keep in mind one simple calculation: while one 6-axle tram can host 170 passengers, car can only have them five or less. That is the first and the best example why light rail systems are so important for the sustainable urban mobility, both in Eastern European and elsewhere. Nonetheless, although successfully showing its contribution to reducing the car ownership in cities, tram and light rail schemes can only prevail when integrated both with other modes of public transport and well-designed urban development. All in all, light rail is not only a transport project, but an urban project, making the whole city move.
[ by Artur Perchel, Manager Eastern European Countries, International Association of Public Transport (UITP) ]Share on:
