Memorandum by Bristol Electric Railbus
Limited (RT 06)
ULTRA LIGHT RAIL
1. SUMMARY
1.1 The "Electric Railbus" is
an innovative, flywheel-driven, zero-emission Ultra Light Rail
vehicle. The system uses fixed, non-electric track and needs no
overhead wires. The flywheel is charged at key stopping points
via a low voltage electrical connection. It is designed to provide
a low cost, passenger and pedestrian-friendly alternative to the
polluting town bus, as part of an integrated transport network.
1.2 Private funding, amounting to over £600,000,
has already been put into the research and development of Bristol
Ultra Light Rail. Bristol City Council and South Gloucester Council,
as part of a European Union project (CENTAUR), commissioned a
£30,000 feasibility study. This showed that Ultra Light Rail
could provide significant modal shift from the private car to
public transport. A pilot trial in Bristol, currently taking place
using a prototype vehicle, has demonstrated the popularity of
the scheme with over 40,000 people having ridden on it. The vehicle's
safety record during this trial has been exemplary and patronage
is increasing steadily.
1.3 There is a need to now develop an improved
vehicle and incorporate new, more energy-efficient technologies
that are well proven, but have not so far been used in public
transport. There is also a need to further develop the infrastructure
in order to extend the route currently operated.
1.4 Widespread interest has already been
shown both in UK and overseas, indicating that there is a substantial
market for Ultra Light Rail (ULR)—see the attached list
of enquiries. It is essential now that the Company moves beyond
mere demonstration and operates a fully viable public transport
service that can prove the commercial feasibility of the concept.
This can be done in Bristol, using mainly existing track with
some new extensions at each end. To do this will require an investment
of £3.4 million over a period of three years, mainly for
infrastructure development but also for the development and manufacture
of new vehicles.
1.5 Financial forecasts show the Company
becoming profitable, with a net profit in excess of £600,000
from sales of £976,000, in the financial year following completion
of the planned infrastructure.
1.6 The Bristol project is seen as the precursor
of systems throughout the UK and worldwide. Bristol will provide
not only a showcase for Ultra Light Rail, but also a test track
for ULR vehicles and infrastructure. The improved rail tracks
will demonstrate the smoothness and quietness of ride, as well
as showing the advantages of mixed running in pedestrianised areas,
segregated right of way and integration with other road traffic.
2. COMPANY HISTORY
Bristol Electric Railbus Ltd (BER) was formed
to exploit the opportunities perceived in Ultra Light Rail and
has been trading for some 18 months.
ULR has been in the formative stage for around
8 years but had achieved no commercial applications from the age-old
problem of who would be first to take the risk in investing in
new technology albeit "low tec". The owner of BER, James
Skinner (JS), purchased two ULR vehicles from Parry People Movers
Ltd (PPM) in 1995-96 and was frustrated by PPM's inability to
test them in public service. JS realised the only way to break
into the market was to fund an independent operation himself in
Bristol. This followed considerable interest in the idea in Bristol
arising from a study that formed part of the European Union CENTAUR
project in 1997.
Using a single prototype ULR vehicle (the PPM
No 10, now known as Bristol No 238), BER has operated a public
service in Bristol, since May 1998, along the Harbourside from
Prince Street Bridge to the SS Great Britain, a distance of some
700 metres using tracks owned by Bristol City Council. This vehicle,
No 238, has now run for 10,000 kilometres, carrying some 40,000
passengers to date.
This preliminary testing operation has been
subsidised by the owner of BER and has so far involved an investment
of over £100,000, excluding the capital cost of the vehicle.
Welcome sponsorship from South Western Electricity plc (SWEB)
has contributed a further £38,000 towards an overall cost.
Previous investment by JS in developing and manufacturing vehicles
and promoting ULR is in excess of £500,000.
Bristol City Council has been very supportive
of the operation and is keen to see the system expand. As part
of this commitment, in addition to considerable officer time facilitating
the project, the City Council has spent over £30,000 on feasibility
studies as well as providing track and waiving access charges.
Additionally, the Council has used its influence as a Planning
Authority to secure funds totalling £50,000 for the project
from two developers and is in negotiation with Rail Properties
plc with a view to securing an extension to the existing route
of the Railbus. The Council has invited BER to apply for a Revenue
Support Grant and the application made by BER in May 1999 has
resulted in a grant of £25,000 from the City to maintain
the present operation until 31 March 2000. The Council has included
ULR in its draft Local Transport Plan.
3. ULTRA LIGHT
RAIL
The basic idea behind the ULR initiative is
the adaptation of bus technology to create a low-cost, light-weight,
energy-efficient, zero-emission, popular rail vehicle, using energy
storage technology in its power drive system. Segregation from
other vehicles, such as cars, is not necessary, but is desirable
where congestion can cause delays. The Railbus is designed specifically
to be suitable for operation in pedestrianised zones and shopping
malls where it can mix with pedestrian traffic without causing
alarm. ULR conforms with Government's policy to encourage and
give preference to buses. The Railbus is itself simply a new kind
of improved and up-dated bus, with zero pollution and enhanced
potential for achieving modal transfer. The Railbus is designed
to be especially accessible to disabled passengers, since the
entrance is level with the ramped station platforms and there
is plenty of flat space for buggies and wheelchairs. The ride
itself, because it runs on rails, is much smoother than that possible
on a conventional bus. Acceleration and braking of the Railbus
is smooth and quiet, again ensuring a safe and comfortable ride.
ULR has been approved by Her Majesty's Railway
Inspectorate as being capable of operating safely in conjunction
with pedestrians and other transport modes. The vehicle, because
of its small size, and relatively low speeds, is particularly
suited for operating in pedestrian environments. The trial currently
operating along the Harbourside is in an area of mixed transport
modes with a preponderance of pedestrians but also some cars.
The trial has operated very successfully in this respect.
ULR is environmentally friendly in terms of
noise, emissions and visual impact. Propulsion is by energy stored
within the vehicle, either in batteries or in an onboard flywheel,
topped up by electricity at Railbus stops. Electricity for the
current demonstration is supplied by SWEB under their Green Electron
scheme for renewable energy. This scheme, in return for paying
higher standing charges, guarantees to purchase at least an equivalent
amount of energy from fully renewable generators (eg Hydro, landfill
methane). The existing ULR demonstration thus has zero emissions
not only at the point of delivery, but also throughout the electricity
generation process.
Steel wheels on steel rails have been chosen
to minimise energy use and energy is recovered during the braking
process. No intrusive overhead lines are necessary and there is
no need to encase and insulate the track to prevent stray electric
currents. The flywheel or battery energy storage system is charged
via a short length of low voltage (70V) touch safe electric rail
at key stops, which is switched off when the vehicle is not at
the station.
In 1997, Bristol City Council and South Gloucester
Council commissioned Turner and Townsend to carry out a feasibility
study looking at the economic viability of a ULR scheme in Bristol
as part of the European Union funded CENTAUR initiative. The Project
Working Group included representatives from the two City Councils,
First Group, Waterhouse and Sons, with advice from Triodos Bank
and transport consultants, Transport and Travel Research Ltd.
The study showed that, if the vehicle were to
be operated along a route between Harbourside and Bristol City
Centre, charging fares comparable to those charged by existing
bus services in the city, it would offer a commercial proposition
generating an operating surplus.
Further work, including a business case, has
since been undertaken by BER and AEA Technology Rail that substantially
confirms these findings.
At present Railbuses are being designed to carry
30-40 passengers since this is the most popular size of town centre
bus. It is intended that the design will be modular so that vehicles
may be strung together to create larger capacity vehicles, where
these are required. The emphasis will be on frequent service by
small vehicles rather than larger vehicles running at longer intervals,
since the public does not respond well to long waits at bus stops.
ULR is thus ideally suited to act as a feeder system to the national
rail network and "conventional" light rail.
The Railbus has already been approved by Her
Majesty's Railway Inspectorate. The need for planning permission
and approval under the Transport and Works Act have been thoroughly
explored both as part of the feasibility study and in BER's operation
in Bristol. The DETR have indicated that they will cooperate in
finding a low-cost, fast track solution for ULR, since they appreciate
that the T and WA was designed to regulate conventional light
rail, before ULR appeared on the scene. ULR track does not interfere
with services under the road, which simplifies its installation
and greatly reduces infrastructure costs.
Fifteen months of operation in Bristol have
proved the concept of ULR. It is now essential to develop a more
technically sophisticated and professionally built new vehicles
to replace the prototype vehicle used in the trial. This has led
BER, in conjunction with Multimodal Finance Ltd (MMF), to commission
further work on the design and manufacture of improved Railbuses.
The guiding principle is that the new vehicles will use well-proven
technology, adapted for use in the particular circumstances required.
The energy efficiency of future Railbuses will be enhanced to
allow greater distances between stops, faster charging times and
reduced electricity consumption.
4. WHY BRISTOL?
The initial selection of Bristol for the first
public trial of ULR was on the basis that track was in place which
replicated street running, as well as open "reserved"
track, a selection of points and crossings and a supportive local
authority that owned some of these assets.
Since the commencement of the daily service
in Bristol, interest in ULR has moved forward both in the UK and
overseas. Bristol is fortunate that a major portion of new route
opportunities exist in the form of a disused rail right of way,
with track in position. Extensions are possible at either end
of the existing right of way to take Railbuses into the centre
of the city, at one end, and to a major Park-and-Ride facility
at the other.
Our proposal deals with the phased re-opening
of this route allowing Bristol to gradually reap the benefits
of a steadily improving, viable transport mode which can offer
an attractive alternative to the motorist, whilst at the same
time contributing to the reduction of emissions in the city centre
area.
The proposed funding will allow both the development
of new vehicles and for physical progress in providing the City
with a valuable infrastructure. With a large proportion of the
infrastructure in place it will be relatively easy for the project
to deliver its proposed outcomes. At the same time the route will
be available for testing out new vehicles suitable for ULR operation.
The complete route will provide a working demonstration of a new
form of zero emission public transport, available at an affordable
cost. This will lead to replication of the system elsewhere in
the UK as well as stimulating important levels of exports overseas.
BER has attracted considerable interest both
with private enterprise partners and Local Government; some £600,000
from the private sector, including £38,000 from SWEB. £31,500
has come from public bodies, including Bristol City Council, South
Gloucester Council and the European Union. Further contributions
through the planning process, as part of permissions for development,
amount to £50,000.
5. THE PROJECT
Presently the Railbus route is from Prince Street
Bridge to the SS Great Britain using a single track along the
Harbourside with platforms at either end and at the Industrial
Museum. The Railbus is presently temporarily housed in the Museum's
workshop.
This project aims to extend the route of the
demonstration towards a viable public transport proposition and
to provide the required infrastructure. This includes additional
track and signalling, a new vehicle depot, charging points, platforms
and improved vehicles.
(a) Route and Infrastructure
The extension to the route can be presented
in sections (see route plan below).
The Buttery to CREATE Centre—1,300 Metres
The Buttery lies midway between the Industrial
Museum and the SS Great Britain. A parallel rail track diverges
at this point and provides a route to the CREATE Centre, a former
tobacco warehouse owned by the Council, which is being progressively
renovated to provide office accommodation. The City is relocating
Council employees to this site but there is a shortage of space
for parking facilities. The extension of the Railbus service to
the CREATE Centre will mitigate demand for parking and thus contribute
to a reduction in car traffic. The track exists but requires upgrading
for regular use.
An intermediate platform at Vauxhall Bridge
is needed to serve growing Harbourside housing development, again
taking pressure away from the need to create more car-parking
spaces.
Connection to link the CREATE line with the SS
Great Britain line at The Buttery
This connection would enable the Railbus to
continue to the more useful destination of Prince Street Bridge
and operate to the CREATE Centre during the morning, lunch and
evening peaks on this route and to the SS Great Britain at other
times of the day. The Railbus could also continue to operate to
the CREATE Centre when the quayside route is required for steam
train operations.
During this stage we see the preparatory work
for a separate Railbus depot enabing the fleet to grow, with purpose
built maintenance facilities. This stage would deal with the track
installation, pit facilities and security fencing.
CREATE Centre to Ashton Gate—700 Metres
Again existing track is in place but requiring
upgrading. This expansion of the service moves us beyond the CREATE
Centre to a Bowling Alley, a further potential Park-and-Ride site,
an industrial estate and Bristol City football ground. The proposal
includes rehabilitation of a derelict area along the rail tracks.
This brings the service up to a Railtrack line,
presently unused, between Bristol and Portishead. North Somerset
District Council have commissioned a study to evaluate this route
in conjunction with reopening the line for freight to Royal Portbury
Docks and a Railbus extension in this direction is one of the
options being evaluated. During this stage futher work would be
undertaken on the Railbus depot.
Signalling will be introduced at this stage
to control the single line sections between The Buttery and CREATE
Centre and the bridge across the New Cut (Ashton Avenue Swing
Bridge) between the CREATE Centre and Ashton Gate.
The Buttery to Prince Street Bridge—500
Metres
The current Railbus demonstration is displaced
periodically during the Industrial Museum's operation of its steam
train along the Harbourside track—(roughly every other weekend
between March and October). This stage deals with the separation
of the Railbus service from the steam train operations of the
Industrial Museum and of double track construction to maximise
service frequency. During this stage the depot accommodation would
be completed. This separation is required to enable BER to provide
a 7-day a week public service without interruption from the leisure-orientated
steam services.
Prince Street Bridge to the Tramways Centre—700
Metres
This particularly essential stage brings the
Railbus service to the City Centre. Until this is completed services
will require an operational subsidy (see attached patronage predictions).
This is scheduled for the final year of the scheme, to take account
of the Transport and Works Act requirements and likely timescale.
This would be the first true application of
ULR in a street running situatin and will provide further valuable
experience in this area.
Signalling will be provided to control the single
line section between the Arnolfini contemporary arts centre and
Tramways Centre.
Ashton Gate to Long Ashton Park and Ride—1,000
Metres
This stage extends the Railbus route to join
the Railtrack line to cross a level crossing and immediately diverge
on a new double track formation to a significant Park and Ride
facility. This is presently not used to its capacity as the associated
bus services to the City are enmeshed with general traffic congestion.
This extension would make a very significant contribution to encouraging
people to leave their cars out of town, thereby improving air
quality in Bristol. Signalling will be provided to deal with the
interface with Railtrack and control a single line section.
(b) Vehicles
As outlined previously there is a pressing need
for a new vehicle to replace the prototype. The next stage vehicle
needs to address the prototype's shortcomings, build on new technologies
and have very strict quality control. Further tests are now being
carried out on an improved flywheel system incorporating a permanent
magnet brushless DC motor-generator developed in conjuction with
Airscrew Howden and the University of East London. Work is also
under way to produce a vehicle using alternative technology making
use of the latest developments in rapid recharge batteries. In
both cases the technology is well established and in general use
so that standard parts can be used and maximum reliability achieved
in adapting it for a new category of public transport.
As the Bristol routes expand there will be a
steady need for further vehicles to meet demand. In order for
the project to come to fruition, it is necessary to commission
and build four new vehicles. It is expected that the prototype
vehicle now in use will be taken out of service when the new Railbuses
come on stream to be upgraded and converted to the same standard.
ULTRA LIGHT RAIL
Places which have made enquiries for potential
systems
|
| United Kingdom | |
|
| Aberystwyth | Ashford (Kent)
| Barking |
| Birmingham Airport | Blackpool
| Bournemouth |
| Brighton | Bristol | Cheltenham
|
| Coventry | Derby | Doncaster
|
| Eastbourne | Edinburgh |
Epping-Ongar |
| Falmouth | Glasgow | Greenwich
|
| Halifax | Haringey | Harrogate
|
| Hartlepool | Hastings | Hemel Hempstead
|
| High Wycombe | Ilkeston |
Isle of Wight |
| Ipswich | Leicester | Llandudno*
|
| London Oxford Street | London Regent Street*
| London Royal Docks* |
| Luton-Dunstable | Milton Keynes*
| Norwich |
| Penzance | Plymouth | Salisbury
|
| Sandwell | Scarborough |
Southend* |
| Stirling | Stockport | Stourbridge*
|
| Swanage | Swansea* | Swindon
|
| Thanet* | Tunbridge Wells |
West Midlands |
| Weymouth* | Wolverhampton |
Yeovil |
| | |
|
| United States | |
|
| Grand Canyon | Las Vegas |
Portland |
| | |
|
| New Zealand | |
|
| Auckland | Rotorua |
|
| | |
|
| Greece | |
|
| Kalamata* | |
|
| | |
|
| Mauritius | |
|
| | |
|
| Port Louis* | |
|
|
*Places where feasibility studies have been completed.
THE BARRIERS
1. TRANSPORT
AND WORKS
ACT
This bill was enacted before ULR was conceived and is far
too cumbersome and expensive to permit the wide scale use of ULR.
For example, it is calculated that the legal fees to enable our
proposed 600-metre extension to the City Centre in Bristol will
exceed the capital costs!
This area of legislation needs to be revisited to make the
installation of ULR comparable with street furniture and merely
be part of the planning process.
2. Health and Safety Executive—The Railway Inspectorate
(HMRI)
In our experience the HMRI have been unfailingly helpful
and provided much advice and guidance to the embryonic ULR. Proposals
to impose charges for their services will greatly affect low cost
ULR schemes. The other significant effect on ULR will be to lessen
the consultation with HMRI leading to costly last minute revisions
to meet their requirements.
3. The Shadow Strategic Rail Authority
The SRA, as inheritors of BRB property, are in the process
of debating the sale of the track bed in Bristol that forms the
backbone of our proposed ULR system. The SRA has a licence with
Bristol Industrial Museum to permit occasional steam trains to
operate on this track bed. Despite many requests Bristol Electric
Railbus is frustrated from using this line pending the outcome
of sale negotiations.
There are other disused track beds in many locations still
in the ownership of the SRA. These should be more readily made
available to transport operators.
The SRA also look after the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme
that seems tailor made for the Bristol project. They are only
allowed to disburse money through Train Operating Companies and
we would need to find a TOC to act as a conduit for the transmission
of funds!
4. The DETR
We had been lead to believe DETR would assist the testing
and implementation of ULR schemes by pump priming the initial
Bristol scheme. Despite long discussions and document preparation
Bristol Electric Railbus was refused funding by the DETR. The
irony is that the bulk of the funding applied for would have been
used to upgrade infrastructure that became the property of Bristol
City Council.
The Government has, to date, been long on words of encouragement
but short on positive action.
5. The DTI
Again the Government have made encouraging noises by recognising
ULR has export potential but have failed to do anything to help.
6. The Department of Health
25,000 deaths a year from the effect of toxic road traffic
fumes fail to interest anyone in zero emission transport. Again
the problems are recognised but no one seems interested in practical
solutions.
CONCLUSION
We have, through Bristol Electric Railbus Limited, attempted
to demonstrate that Ultra Light Rail has a viable and successful
future. The total costs of the one single scheme in Bristol are
of the order of £3.5 million and achievable in a short time
scale.
The barriers to achievement are all public sector organisations;
DETR, DTI, DoH, SRA and HSE, all of whom profess to wish to see
cleaner, healthier, attractive and popular forms of public transport.
Martin S Miller,
Chief Executive
1 October 1999
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