News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 15 September 2009
Passengers in
South Yorkshire could be the first in the UK to take a
continental-style tram-train under plans announced today by the
Department for Transport, Northern Rail, Network Rail and South
Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
Tram-trains are greener than conventional trains as they use less
fuel, have faster acceleration and deceleration rates; which offer
passengers better journey times. They are also are lighter which
may reduce wear and tear on tracks cutting the need for disruptive
maintenance works.
Passengers could see tram-trains running between Sheffield and
Rotherham on the current freight route from Rotherham and then
joining the Sheffield Supertram network at the Meadowhall Interchange.
The trial will assess the environmental benefits, operating costs
and technical suitability of the tram-trains as well as testing
how popular the vehicles are with passengers. These are the first
steps in a process which could lead to more tram-trains operating
throughout the UK.
Rail Minister Chris Mole MP announced the plans on a visit to
Meadowhall – where tram-trains will connect to the Supertram
network. He said:
"Tram-train is a new concept for Britain, but it has
already proved a valuable addition to rail fleets on the
continent. It provides seamless travel from rural and suburban
areas direct into city centres, potentially cutting congestion and
offering an alternative to short and medium distance car commuting.
"Adapting tram-train to the UK requires some testing,
but while that is underway, people in South Yorkshire will have
the chance to experience this new type of vehicle for themselves –
and I hope they will tell us what they think of it.”
Northern Rail Managing Director Heidi Mottram said:
“We have learned a lot from the work we have done so far on the
tram-trains project and it is now the right course of action to
move to the Rotherham – Sheffield option. We believe that
tram-trains have the potential to play a significant role in
providing passengers with new journey opportunities directly into
city centre streets.”
Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail, added:
"We still firmly believe that the introduction of
tram-train technology could bring real benefits to passengers. It
is clear that an area where these benefits could be greatest is in
easing congestion around our cities and we look forward to
exploring the options to bring the best possible benefit to
passengers in the South Yorkshire area."
South Yorkshire PTE Director General David Brown said:
“If we can overcome the technical challenges then tram-trains
would bring huge benefits to the travelling public in South
Yorkshire. They would widen the options available to those people
travelling between
Rotherham and Sheffield and the technology could eventually be
used elsewhere in the UK too.”
Northern Rail will procure the new vehicles for the
Rotherham-Sheffield operation, while Network Rail is investigating
what works would be necessary to safely accommodate the vehicles
on the UK heavy rail network.
The project partners are still planning to test tram-trains on
the Penistone Line between Sheffield and Huddersfield via Barnsley
at a later date after work concluded that, electrically-powered
tram-trains are more economically viable for use in the UK than
the diesel equivalent which was being proposed for trial on the
Penistone line.
Notes to Editors
1. A tram-train is designed to run on both urban light rail
networks such as the Sheffield Supertram and conventional ‘heavy’
rail tracks. The partners are confident that tram-trains can
operate safely on mainline rail and offer the significant
advantage of being able to continue onto a tram network, providing
passengers with a single mode of transport into city centres.
2. Tram-trains already run successfully around the world, and
particularly in continental Europe. The concept was first
introduced in recent times by the city of Karlsruhe in Germany,
which was the first to link its street tramway and the main-line
railway by running urban trams on both networks, creating the
Stadtbahn Karlsruhe.
3. The tram-train trial in Sheffield will operate from the city
centre to Meadowhall South on the Supertram network and then on to
Rotherham on Network Rail infrastructure. The trial will consider
technical aspects of the interface with existing rail and
Supertram services.
4. The trial will be conducted by the Department for Transport in
conjunction with Northern Rail, Network Rail and South Yorkshire
Passenger Transport Executive and Stagecoach plc – operators of
the current Supertram network.
5. Re-phasing this project allows testing of the core tram-train
concept – travel from heavy to light rail networks. It makes use
of knowledge gained so far in the examination of the potential for
diesel tram-trains on the Penistone Line. It allows time for
developments in diesel engine technology to align with EU emission
regulations and the wider market for diesel-electric tram-trains.
And it avoids the presently unaffordable cost (in the view of the
Department) of existing diesel-electric tram-trains.
6. Learning from work completed so far includes:
· track, signalling and station alteration costs to facilitate
tram-train are slightly lower than anticipated;
· identification of the standards that will need to be changed to
enable operation of tram-train vehicles on the heavy rail network; and
· progress on resolving issues around the wheel rail interface.
7. Chris Mole was at Meadowhall on the first day of his three day
rail tour of the North of England. He will be focussing
particularly on congestion and will travel on peak hour services,
as well as meeting key local and regional stakeholders. Over the
three days of his tour, Chris Mole will visit Leeds, Liverpool,
Manchester, Sheffield and York.
Press Enquires: 020 7944 3118 Out of Hours: 020 7944 4292
Public Enquiries: 0300 300300 Department for Transport Website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/
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