Bordeaux Tramways - Renewal of Operating Contract

Bordeaux Tram Website

Trams were re-introduced to Bordeaux in 2003 and today it has one of the largest growing tram networks in France.  The network currently consists of three lines of around 43 kilometres that extend to various parts the city and suburbs.  

A recent contract for operating the tram network has been renewed with the existing operator, who is Keolis.  As part of the 7.1 billion Euro deal, the operator is committed to extending the network by 7% and growing passenger numbers by 34%.  Tram trips in 2012 were already 117 million or over 320,000 trips per day.

Link: Keolis Contract

The Bordeaux tram network was quite innovative as new "APS" technology was used in 2003 to remove the need for overhead cables in the central areas of Bordeaux, which are World Heritage listed by UNESCO.  This allows the trams to move through the city with minimal visual impact on sensitive historic sites.  As trams pass along the track, radio signals are used to activate electrical power from ground power supplies - however, the system was 3 times more expensive to install and up to 50 times more expensive to maintain during the early years of the system, as reliability was an issue.

Alstom has supplied the Citadis tram sets for Bordeaux throughout the life of the new network.  26 new tram sets were delivered in 2013 in order to increase tram frequencies, in addition to preparing for extensions to the network that will take place from 2015.

Flickr pics of APS Power Supplies & Link to Alstom's APS Fact Sheet:

Alstom ATS Technology

Flickr pics of Bordeaux Trams:

Edinburgh Tram: City to Airport

Link: Edinburgh Trams Website

Edinburgh Trams is a story of budget blowouts and a half delivered project, but it did result in a tram line from Edinburgh airport to the city.  Transport Edinburgh Limited now operates the line after having to deal with disputes with the main contractor, Bilfinger Berger.  The project was inherently risky, as new archeological discoveries were found quite often and timelines dragged on during the GFC, causing funding problems.  A new inquiry has been announced in November 2014 to compel people to provide evidence on what caused a budget blowout from GBP375 million to GBP776 million, before interest is taken to account.

The line opened in June 2014 from Edinburgh Airport to York Place in the City.  In September 2014, it was estimated that annual trips on the new tram would be around 4.7 million. The original plan included trams to Leith, Newhaven and Granton, which are waterfront areas to the north of Edinburgh, that are in need of rejuvenation.  The line to these areas was cancelled early in the project in 2009.  It will be interesting to see if the original plan is eventually fulfilled. 

Bilfinger Berger is a German based company that is also involved in the construction of a light rail project in Cologne, which is expected to be completed in 2017.  This project has also had its own problems, with the collapse of an old archive building that caused deaths when tunnelling was being done along the light rail route. 

Bilfinger Berger denies wrongdoing

Edinburgh tram vehicles were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, which is the same company that produced the light rail vehicles for Inner West Sydney.

Flickr Photos of Edinburgh Trams:

  

Newspaper Articles:

Sydney Morning Herald: Sydney can learn a lot from Edinburgh's disastrous tram system

 

BBC: Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Given Extra Powers

BBC Article: Edinburgh Tram Inquiry

Nottingham Tramlink Expansion Behind Schedule

Nottingham Tramlink

Nottingham is investing in a GBP570 million expansion to it's tram network, which has been quite successful since it's commencement in 2004.  However, the construction of new lines by Taylor Woodrow Alstom is causing headaches for residents in the areas adjacent to the new tram lines, as work has been conducted at all hours of the evening.  Shopkeepers and businesses have been badly impacted by delays in the project, which is running though heavily populated areas of the southern suburbs of Greater Nottingham.  Many streets have been closed off for months.

The existing network which is operated by Nottingham Express Transit (NET) has well integrated fare structures that offer good value with other modes of transport in the region and many park-and-ride facilities to reduce the use of cars in the central areas of the city.  Prior to the expansion it is one of the smallest tram systems in England, but passengers journeys in 2013/14 were growing by 6.4% per annum to 7.9 million journeys (or around 21,000 journeys per day).

The expansion has meant that new trams will be introduced to the existing system.  Rather than expanding the existing Bombadier fleet, 22 new Citadis trams are being introduced to the network.  Other variants of these trams are used are already used in many cities throughout the world.

Links to Flickr Photos of New Nottingham Trams:




Links to Flickr Photos of Construction Work - Chilwell Road, Nottingham:

  

Media articles on Delays to NET Expansion Nottingham:

BBC

Nottingham Post

Details of the construction project:

Taylor Woodrow Alstom

Opening of Tucson SunLink in Arizona USA

SunLink Streetcar Website - Tucson, Arizona

SunLink is a fairly modest new streetcar system in the US Arizona city of Tucson, with a total project value of US$196 million.  It is a new streetcar project for the city.  It began operations in July 2014 and by September, had a daily ridership of over 5,000 people, which is well above the expectations of 3,700 people per day.  The 7 kilometre line provides a new public transport link between Downtown, a major railway station and the University of Arizona in Tucson.

It will be interesting to see whether the system has any impact on the culture of this city, which is very car dominated - and whether it will bring more people into the Downtown and university areas. The fares are very reasonable, as they start at $1.50 or $4 for the day.

The streetcars were manufactured in the US by United Streetcar in Portland, Oregon under a design that is very similar to the streetcars that are used in Portland.  The Tucson design has enhanced air conditioning capability to cater for the extremes in temperature in Arizona.

Newspaper Article - 24 Sep 2014: 

24 Sept 2014 AZPM: Update on SunLink Ridership

Links to Flickr photos:

Canberra Light Rail: Business Case released

Canberra Times, 31 October 2014: The ACT government released details of its business case for a proposed light rail development from Gungahlin in the north to the city, with a potential extension to Russell.

Sydney: Light rail proposal in Western Sydney

Daily Telegraph 27 October 2014: Four options under consideration from Parramatta CBD to Castle Hill, Bankstown, Carlingford & Macquarie Park, and Sydney Olympic Park & Strathfield.

Parramatta City Council has previously supported a feasibility study into various light rail options for the Western Sydney region.

Western Sydney Light Rail Network

Ecotransit is a public transport advocacy group that supports aspects of the Western Sydney Light Rail proposals that have been put forward.

Ecotransit - Western Sydney Light Rail

Suzhou: Opening of the city's first tram line

Railway Gazette, 26 October 2014:  The first tram line in Suzhou, China was opened in the western parts of this large Chinese city.  The 18 kilometre line is the first of six lines that are planned for the city.  Residents in the area were provided with 50,000 free tickets to enable them to gain familiarity with the system during the testing phase.

Suzhou is a rich city with approximately 5.4 million people - it is only 100 kilometres from Shanghai.  The tram system will compliment other major metropolitan transport projects including 53 kilometres of metro lines that were already in operation in 2014.  

The rolling stock has been manufactured by Bombardier in a factory in Nanjing, China.  

Bombardier manufactured trams for Suzhou

Links to Flickr photos:

Sydney: Construction begins on South East Light Rail to Randwick

Sydney Morning Herald, 23 October 2014:  Construction work begins on George Street in Sydney CBD for a light rail that is planned to extend to Randwick.  Russell Kenley from Swinbourne University of Technology, highlights the challenges posed by the large number of below ground cables and other utilities that may impact on the construction of the new line, particularly in the CBD.  Laing O'Rourke have been awarded this contract. 

Link: Laing O'Rourke Preliminary Works Contract

Flickr Photo of an old Randwick tram from 1954:

Manchester: Airport Tram nearing completion

Link: Newspaper Article from City Metric: 

Manchester's new airport tram line will be ready ahead of schedule

A new tram line on the Manchester Tram Network is due to open in November, providing a new transport link to Manchester Airport.  This will bring the total network length to 92.5 kilometres, being the largest in the UK.

MetroLink runs the new line.

Link to MetroLink Manchester - Operator of the new Airport Line

Sunshine Coast, Light Rail Proposal

Sunshine Coast Daily, 8 October 2014:  Considerations are taking place on the merits associated with a light rail network on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.  As at 2012, the region had a population of 324,000 and the total number of registered motor vehicles was 252,000.  It is a fast growing area with a high proportion of older people who are retiring.

Gold Coast Light Rail - One Millionth Customer

ABC News, 18 September 2014:  G-Link light rail system on the Gold Coast of Queensland clocked up it's one million paying customer, after less than two months of operation.  Ridership for the line has exceeded expectations.

Opened in July 2014, this 17km line services the Gold Coast, which is one of the fastest growing areas of Australia and the host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.  Rolling stock, engineering and traffic signalling was completed by Bombardier who are maintaining the "Flexicity 2" vehicles under a 15 year contract.

Engineering and Construction by Bombardier

Operated by G-Link

Links to Flickr Photos of G-Link:

Dubai: Tram system nearly ready to open

The National Dubai, 12 August 2014:  The Ruler of Dubai took a test run on Dubai's newly constructed tramway system which is due to be opened in late 2014.  The initial 10.6 kilometre system will be run by Serco.

Newcastle Light Rail Proposal Proceeding

Link to Commbank: Newcastle Light Rail Proposal Proceeding

This story tells of the early stages of developing a transport hub in the Newcastle suburb of Wickham, which may eventually support a light rail network for Newcastle and parts of the Hunter Region.

This is a very modest project that is only proposed to run for a couple of kilometres from one end of Newcastle CBD to the local beach.  It is part of the "Revitalising Newcastle" urban renewal project that is supported by NSW governments when an election is coming up.

Revitalising Newcastle Website