INTRO: Government grants for public transport modernisation will fund new low-floor cars, route extensions and upgrading work in a programme that will eventually see total restructuring of Rotterdam’s tram network. Chris Jackson finds that the first phase of TramPlus has already brought a welcome upturn in ridership
APRIL 17 saw the closure of Vierambachtsstraat in central Rotterdam for complete reconstruction of the tram tracks over the next six months. With new paving, trees and traffic calming measures, the work is intended to spur economic revitalisation of the area.
The busy street, which carries tram routes 1 and 7, will get a degree of segregation for the tracks, new catenary overhead with centre poles, and raised platforms at the stops to give level boarding into the low-floor Citadis LRVs which arrive next year.
Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram has identified its lengthy east-west Route 1 as an early candidate for upgrading as part of its TramPlus modernisation strategy. This was launched in 1991, but is only now getting under way. The dramatic traffic growth recorded on prototype Route 20 has encouraged the Dutch government to allocate 400m guilders from its Multi-year Investment in Transport package (MIT) to kick-start the programme.
According to RET Project Manager Frans Voets, the TramPlus concept is intended to change the image of Rotterdam’s tramways to a modern, clean and efficient means of transport, especially for commuters. By adopting the segregated tracks, smarter street furnishings and low-floor cars used on modern light rail networks, TramPlus will offer a much-enhanced passenger ambience and service quality able to attract car users out of their vehicles. Faster running times will also permit a more frequent service with fewer vehicles.
RET’s original intention was to upgrade its existing network in a rolling programme, but the rapid development of new suburbs has changed the priority. Under the TramPlus Master Plan adopted by the RET board on February 6 1995, development will initially focus on the construction of three new lines.
The TramPlus master plan envisages a 50% increase in public transport use by 2010, with tram’s share growing from 4% to 10% and RET’s overall share increasing from 20% to 30%. This reflects the national government’s drive to keep the increase in car use in the Rotterdam area below 15%, despite a forecast national growth in demand of 35%.
Route 20 testbed
RET’s first opportunity to put its ideas into practice came with the opening of a new road bridge across the Nieuwe Maas in 1996. The Erasmusbrug connects the city centre with the docklands redevelopment zone known as Kop van Zuid, parallelling part of the existing north-south metro line.
Route 20 starts from Centraal Station, and runs on existing tracks through the city centre to the new bridge. On the south side there is a new interchange with the metro at Wilhelminaplein, where a light and airy station was inserted into the existing metro tunnels.
The tram route then runs through the Kop van Zuid area to a junction with the formerly-isolated south side Route 2 at Randweg. Throughout this section TramPlus principles were adopted, with segregated tracks, embedded rails in the Beijerlandselaan for noise reduction, attractive stops with 280mm high platforms, and environmental enhancements.
Route 20 initially shared the Route 2 tracks as far as the NS station at Lombardijen, but in 1999 the two exchanged eastern termini, with Route 20 being extended to Beverwaard. Parts of Route 2 were also rebuilt, with the dark and unpopular tram subway station at Randweg replaced by a surface interchange. In the future, RET also hopes to resite the Lombardijen stop away from the subway under the NS station, where vandalism and security concerns are reducing patronage.
Route 20 was an immediate success, providing a direct link from the southeastern suburbs into the city centre. Ridership growth over the first four years averaged 5% to 6%, reversing the steady decline in tram usage elsewhere. As traffic grew, RET restructured some of its north-side routes to free up vehicles for a more intensive service.
The 22 dedicated cars have been modernised internally, with new seats and audible and visual information systems. Route 20 will also be the first line to get RET’s ’dynamic passenger information’ giving real-time tram running information at the stops.
RET’s next opportunity for expansion came with the Euro 2000 football championships. A 1·8 km branch was built from Kop van Zuid to serve the Feijenoord stadium. This too is fully-segregated, flying over the Netherlands Railways main line in the central reservation of an existing major road bridge.
Opened in time for the championships in June 2000, the branch was initially used only to serve events at the stadium, with RET operating ’charter services’ funded by the organisers. From August 2001, Route 23 will become a regular service, with trams every half-hour during the evening peak and weekends.
IJsselmonde and Carnisselande
The stadium branch forms the first section of the new IJsselmonde line, which is to be completed over the next three years. The next phase from Stadionweg along Marathonweg and Prinsenplein to connect with a now-disused spur off Route 2 is due to open in 2003. This will allow the start of a regular service between Centraal Station, IJsselmonde and Beverwaard.
A new loop through the centre of IJsselmonde will be added during 2004, with the IJsselmonde Centrum stop incorporated into a major shopping centre development. The final phase will see the upgrading of the existing IJsselmonde - Beverwaard line to full TramPlus standards by the end of 2005. A new south side depot will be built near Beverwaard to replace the existing facility in the middle of route 2.
When finished, the IJsselmonde line will be 12 km long, serving 21 stops; end-to-end journey time will be around 30min. The total cost is put at 124m guilders, of which MIT is contributing 92m. Another 5m will come from the Stadsregio - a state-owned financing body - through RET, with the rest to be raised locally.
In conjunction with the local authorities in IJsselmonde, Feijenoord and Charlois, RET is also planning to invest 22m guilders in upgrading the remainder of Route 2 to TramPlus standards by the end of 2003.
A second TramPlus route is planned to serve a new southern suburban development at Carnisselande, taking shape south of the NS Port Railway route to Europoort. The project was formally approved by the Ministry of Transport in 1998, and the city council adopted a preferred route on April 6 2000.
The line will diverge from Route 20 at the existing Randweg interchange, and then follow Groene Hilledijk, to Zuidwijk. The line will fly over the A15 motorway and Betuwe Route on a new viaduct to reach the new suburb. The 12 km route will have 19 stops, and again the journey time is estimated at 30min.
Public consultation along the route began in October 2000, and a project management group was formed in the first quarter of 2001. Construction is due to get under way in early 2002, with completion expected in 2004. The Carnisselande line is costed at 162m guilders, of which 136m is coming from MIT.
Schiedam/Vlaardingen
One of RET’s priorities has been to improve services to the neighbouring towns of Schiedam and Vlaardingen, to the west of the city. Route 1 has gradually been extended through Schiedam and north to Kethel, but several more routes are planned.
The central and southwestern parts of Schiedam will be served by the Benelux metro line, which is due to open next year. This has reduced the pressure for a new tram route parallelling the NS Hoek van Holland line through central Vlaardingen, although this is still under study.
On December 18 2000 the Ministry of Transport approved a TramPlus project, which covers the upgrading of Route 1 and the construction of two short extensions. One will run west to serve the Holy suburb in northern Vlaardingen, and the other will extend the present line east from Kethel.
The TramPlus route will start from Rotterdam Oostplein, with the lengthy eastern section of the present Route 1 replaced by another route. The main east-west corridor through central Rotterdam, including Vierambachtsstraat, will gradually be brought up to TramPlus standards in conjunction with urban redevelopment and road renewal schemes.
From Rotterdam to Schiedam, much of the route is already segregated, and investment will only be needed to modernise the stops and passenger information systems. Urban redevelopment is planned in central Schiedam, with traffic reduction measures and tram route relocation to be incorporated.
The new 2 km branch to Vlaardingen Holy will serve the shopping centre at De Loper and terminate at Holysingel. The Kethel extension will run for 1.5 km, making the total route from Oostplein 19 km long. There will be no less than 42 stops, with 18 in Rotterdam, 20 in Schiedam, and 4 in Vlaardingen.
Total cost of this route is 228m guilders, of which 165m has been allocated in MIT, and 26m is coming from another government investment scheme. RET is contributing 12·7m guilders and the Rotterdam city government 11·6m. The project began with the work in Vierambachtsstraat, and reconstruction in Schiedam is being undertaken in conjunction with the Benelux metro project. Work at Schiedam-Broersvest starts later this year. Completion of the whole project is envisaged by 2005.
Enter the Citadis
To operate the TramPlus network, RET ordered a fleet of 60 Citadis cars from Alstom in July 2000. The 100% low-floor vehicles, able to accommodate 190 passengers each, are due for delivery between October 2002 and the middle of 2004, at a cost of €82m.
The Citadis cars are expected to enter service first on Routes 20 and 23, with the later units destined for the upgraded Route 1. They will release some of the 100-strong fleet of 1980s-built Duewag/Holec ZGT cars to replace the last 22 Duewag/ Werkspoor cars dating from 1969. The order includes an option for 30 more cars, to allow for growth, and replacement of some of the older ZGT vehicles.
In the longer term, RET hopes to continue the TramPlus upgrading to the rest of its existing network, with some new construction to allow a simplification of the route structure in the ’Old North’ area northeast of Centraal Station. A north-south tram subway beneath the station is also under consideration.
The TramPlus master plan includes an orbital link across the northwest between Schiedam, Spaanse Polder, Schiebroek and the NS station at Alexander. An eastern orbital route from De Esch to Alexander via Prinsenland is also proposed.
However, many of these future tram projects will be influenced by the development of RET’s metro and the planned Randstadrail dual-system light rail network. An extension of the east-west Capelle line from De Tochten to the new northeastern suburb of Nesselande is due to be built between 2005 and 2010.
A branch from the north-south Erasmus line has been proposed to serve Ridderkerk, and this would parallel Route 2 through Lombardijen and Beverwaard. In the north, the Erasmus line may be extended through Schiebroek to meet the NS Hofplein line, which is to become part of Randstad Rail.
CAPTION: Grassed tracks and a surface station with cafe and information office have replaced the dark and vandalised Route 2 tram subway at the new Randweg junction with TramPlus Route 20
CAPTION: A dedicated fleet of 22 articulated LRVs has been upgraded to operate Route 20 until the Citadis low-floor cars arrive next year
CAPTION: Changing the image of light rail: Frans Voets is Project Manager for RET’s IJsselmonde and Carnisselande TramPlus projects
CAPTION: The 1·8 km Feijenoord stadium spur branching from Route 20 will form the first section of the IJsselmonde line
TramPlus will change the face of Rotterdam
Grants from the Dutch government for public transport modernisation will fund upgrading work in a programme that will eventually see the total restructuring of Rotterdam’s tram network. Chris Jackson finds that an initial TramPlus line serving the southeast has seen steady traffic growth since opening in 1992. Work is getting under way on three new routes to IJsselmonde, Carnisselande, and Vlaardingen Holy, and the first of 60 low-floor cars arrives next year.
TramPlus va changer le visage de Rotterdam
Des subventions du gouvernement néerlandais en faveur de la modernisation des transports publics financeront des travaux d’amélioration de l’infrastructure dans le cadre d’un programme qui, à terme, conduira à la restructuration complète du réseau de tramways de Rotterdam. Chris Jackson explique que la première ligne TramPlus desservant le sud-est a enregistré un trafic en croissance constante depuis son ouverture en 1996. Par ailleurs, les travaux sont en cours sur trois nouvelles lignes, vers IJsselmonde, Carnisselande et Vlaardingen Holy; les premières unités d’une série de 60 véhicules à plancher bas arriveront l’année prochaine
TramPlus verändert das Gesicht von Rotterdam
Gelder von der niederländischen Regierung für die Modernisierung des
