In preparation for its Fifth Light Rail Conference and Second Asia Pacific Congress in
Melbourne, Australia, the International Union of Public Transport is examining the
renaissance in land use, including public transportation, underway throughout Australia.
As part of UITP's ongoing interest in light rail, it holds its Light Rail Conferences
every two years. The two-day conference in Melbourne, titled "Light Rail for Livable
Cities," is being held in conjunction with the Second Asia Pacific Congress and City
Transport and Mobility 2000 Exhibition, a major transport event for Australia. The program
has been organized with the support of the UITP Light Rail Committee, chaired by Raymond
Hue, president and director general of Transports en Commun de L'Agglomeration Rouennaise
in Rouen, France.
Top-level speakers from all over the world will cover subjects of importance to light
rail operators, system designers, town and urban planners, consultants, and suppliers. The
conference also will cover the marketing and passenger information aspects of light rail.
For more information on the conference, which will run from Oct. 8 to 11, visit UITP's
website at www.uitp.com.
Melbourne has been voted one of the world's most livable cities for its attractive
suburbs, clean air, vast expanses of parkland, and diversity of lifestyle choices.
However, it is only the city's efficient and extensive public transport network that
brings the city together and makes Melbourne unique.
A Renaissance for Light Rail
As in many other parts of the world, Australia is experiencing a renaissance in the
role of transport for its major cities, encouraging urban renewal and giving support to
the ongoing trend toward inner city living.
Transport planners in Australia recognize that light rail has the potential to
stimulate redevelopment of commercial, retail, and entertainment centers and conveys major
benefits to the tourism and business sectors.
Major Australian cities such as Melbourne and Sydney have considered developing a
variety of transport options. They have found that light rail systems represent a modern,
advanced form of transport, which creates benefits through reduced air and noise
emissions, condensed traffic volumes, and decreased congestion.
Australia's light rail systems are being developed as part of the ongoing integration
with other public transport modes, designed to bring seamless travel to the cities.
Governments around Australia recognize that public transport is vital to a prosperous
economy, a cleaner environment, and quality lifestyle in modern, fast-growing communities.
Encouraging more people to use public transport through the introduction of choice of
modes is also critical in reducing congestion on the urban roadways of Australia.
According to Professor Jeff Kenworthy of Murdoch University, who has been working on
the UITP Millennium Cities Database and is a speaker at the conference, the examination of
a wide range of comparable cities around the world would suggest considerable advantages
to cities that develop a light rail transit backbone over those that base their transit
systems on buses alone.
Governments throughout Australia are investigating the introduction of a number of new
light rail projects in all states and territories, planning extensions and revitalizing
cities that can no longer cope with a seemingly exponential growth in unrestricted urban
car travel. The light rail industry had an exceptional year in 1999-2000, and it looks
forward to building on the recognition that light rail offers a new choice for travel in
the cities of the region.
In Melbourne
Melbourne has an excellent integrated network of train, tram, and bus routes that
provides safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly public transport. Public transport
is used by nearly 60 percent of people working in the central business district, and the
system reports more than 320 million passenger boardings per year.
Melbourne's famous trams are intrinsic to the cultural identity of the city: the
network is the fourth largest tram network in the world and the largest outside Europe. A
total of 476 vehicles runs on 28 main routes covering 240 kilometers of double track. Two
companies operate the Melbourne light rail network: Yarra Trams and Swanston Trams.
Yarra Trams was established as a corporation in 1998 following the privatization of the
public transport network in Victoria. It supplies "world-class" public transport
in the Melbourne central business district and metropolitan areas.
A total of 201 trams operate from four depots, located at Southbank, Camberwell, East
Preston, and Kew. The service carries more than 51 million passengers over 9.5 million
kilometers per annum, including 2 million passengers to "special events" at
various city and suburban venues. The 10 tram routes represent a network of 129 km with
203 trams in service.
The group is focused on patronage and revenue growth through increased marketing to
specific groups, in addition to improving service quality and customer communication. It
has set itself ambitious targets for the next few years, including a ridership increase of
up to 60 percent, additional lines, and new rolling stock.
The Metrolink consortium, of which UITP member Transdev is a partner, was awarded the
12-year concession for operating the Yarra tram network.
Swanston Trams, following privatization, is now part of the National Express Group, one
of the world's leading passenger transport groups. The group operates train, bus and
coach, tram companies, and airports in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and
Australia.
Swanston Trams operates 17 routes across Melbourne's northwestern and southeastern
suburbs and central business district. It carries an average of 172,000 passengers a day
on a fleet of 275 trams. The group is refurbishing its fleet through the purchase of 59
new state-of-the-art, easy access trams valued at $175 million (Aust.), and a $7 million
(Aust.) refurbishment of the current fleet.
In Sydney
The central business districts and western suburbs of Sydney are served by Sydney Light
Rail, and the Sydney Monorail runs a 3.6-km automated loop line with seven stations
connecting the city center with Darling Harbour. The monorail system operates at a
four-minute frequency, providing a well-used service for professional people working
downtown.
The light rail network is currently being extended into Sydney's suburbs; the $3.7
million (Aust.) Liliyfield extension-along a disused freight corridor-is almost complete,
a year ahead of schedule and in time for the Olympics.
A further extension of the light rail network from Central Station, Sydney's major
railway station, to Circular Quay will be considered after the $400 million (Aust.)
cross-Sydney City tunnel is completed in 2004.
Established in Australia in early 1997, CGEA Transport Asia Pacific Holdings Pty Ltd, a
subsidiary of the French company Vivendi, is the regional headquarters for CGEA Transport
in Australia. The company operates both light rail and the monorail in Sydney.
TransAdelaide
TransAdelaide's tram service is a historic adventure that attracts many travelers
between the city of Adelaide and the seaside suburb of Glenelg. The 70-year-old trams that
operate on this route are the oldest public transport vehicles in Australia, and the track
is the remnant of the once extensive Adelaide electric tramway, which operated from 1908
until 1958.
The South Australian Transport Minister may consider proposals for extensions to the
tram track, for new modern rolling stock to share the track with the heritage tramcars,
and for possible extension of the tram network within the city of Adelaide.
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