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Post by Vinny on Mar 22, 2023 10:04:13 GMT
Worth bringing back in some cities?
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Post by Toreador on Mar 22, 2023 16:19:10 GMT
Worth bringing back in some cities I travelled on both as well as London Transport Green Line that took you from the suburbs out into the sticks. Trolley busses were fast and quiet. I think there are trams programmes but in Paris it was a massive venture 12 or so years ago. |
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Post by Vinny on Mar 22, 2023 16:25:48 GMT
Another case of disappearing question marks.
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Post by walterpaisley on Mar 22, 2023 19:32:02 GMT
I'm a fan of trams - a few years ago I even used to volunteer at a tram museum!
(I even spent some years fruitlessly trying to interest backers in a film about Prague 180 - the "Freedom Tram"..)
They aren't coming back, though. Too much infrastructure, both physical and electrical, and consequently ruinous setup costs.
Sad,but true.
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Post by Toreador on Mar 22, 2023 21:19:17 GMT
I'm a fan of trams - a few years ago I even used to volunteer at a tram museum! (I even spent some years fruitlessly trying to interest backers in a film about Prague 180 - the "Freedom Tram"..) They aren't coming back, though. Too much infrastructure, both physical and electrical, and consequently ruinous setup costs. Sad,but true. have you not seen the trams in Paris? |
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Post by walterpaisley on Mar 22, 2023 22:57:52 GMT
Sure - and very good they are, too.
Living on L'ile St Denis (which is a banana shaped island in the Seine just northwest of the city centre), though, they weren't of much help to me - I had to cross over onto the mainland and walk into St Denis itself to catch the T1 into town..
The bus - which I could catch a few metres from my door - was a lot quicker.
I assume RATP will be extending to line onto the Island, because the Olympic Village (the reason I sold up) is currently being built there.
But that's a city that's got an Olympic Games coming - a fancy new tram system is exactly the kind of thing they'll throw money at. The system in Nottingham, meanwhile, has been a bit of a disaster for the city - expansion continues (and it's great for house prices in the areas it goes to), but the costs have steadily risen over the years from "stupid" to "immoral" in a city that is, to all intents and purposes, skint.
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Post by Pacifico on Mar 23, 2023 8:08:23 GMT
Trams are ridiculously expensive by trolleybuses are fairly cheap - they also have the benefit of being much more flexible.
The ideal solution for cities.
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Post by walterpaisley on Mar 23, 2023 8:49:21 GMT
True enough - the most expensive bit of infrastructure (the rails) - aren't needed, but the overheads (and the network of transformers, etc, that go with them) still aren't cheap, and the dedicated lanes needed (drivers obviously can't just go around an obstruction) are a big ask, when most cities have reached their practical limit on how many dedicated traffic ("bus") lanes they can have, as it is.
Personally, I'd love to see modern trolleybuses given a go - traffic planners should take the idea seriously.
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Post by Red Rackham on Mar 23, 2023 14:32:55 GMT
Worth bringing back in some cities? I don't think trolleys are the future, they may have been clean & quiet but the mass of overhead cables were an eyesore especially at junctions. Trams on the other hand, they are making a comeback aren't they? |
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Post by Vinny on Mar 23, 2023 14:44:36 GMT
In some places trams are, yes.
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Post by Red Rackham on Mar 23, 2023 15:02:44 GMT
In some places trams are, yes. Interesting YouTube clip btw Vin, I quite like that sort of thing. |
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Post by Toreador on Mar 23, 2023 15:09:49 GMT
Worth bringing back in some cities? I don't think trolleys are the future, they may have been clean & quiet but the mass of overhead cables were an eyesore especially at junctions. Trams on the other hand, they are making a comeback aren't they? Trams used ovewrhead cables. |
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Post by patman post on Mar 23, 2023 15:12:47 GMT
France has plenty of space. Even in Paris, the street layout aids installation. Around Yvelines, a new tram system is proving successful
But trams and trolley buses require a lot of installation along their fixed routes — not easy for most UK cities. Battery-powered electric buses could be the better answer. They require little extra in terms of land and infrastructure.
The current hybrid stopgap seems to be successful, and once easy-recharge systems and increased capacity batteries become available, BBs will probably take over...
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Post by Red Rackham on Mar 23, 2023 15:24:43 GMT
I don't think trolleys are the future, they may have been clean & quiet but the mass of overhead cables were an eyesore especially at junctions. Trams on the other hand, they are making a comeback aren't they? Trams used ovewrhead cables. Not all of em...  |
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Post by Vinny on Mar 25, 2023 8:32:22 GMT
What is possible these days, although installing the infrastructure would be a mammoth job, is inductive charging coils under the roads surface. So an electric bus with a battery, can drive along an inductive road and not lose charge.
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