Memorandum by Fred A Andrews, Esq (RT
08)
A RAIL LINK TO LEEDS AND BRADFORD INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
INTRODUCTION
A local newspaper in West Yorkshire (1) has
printed brief details about a study to be carried out by Transport
Consultants to identify the various options for a new rail link
to the Leeds and Bradford International Airport. This move is
very much in line with thinking in Germany where a modern light
rail link recently opened from the City of Bremen (population
550,000) to service its airport. A personal visit to Bremen (May
1999) has confirmed the many passenger friendly features built
into the transport system in general and this Airport line in
particular, features that more than justified the special celebrations
when it opened during 1998 (2). The Author would like to point
out that his general approach to this subject is purely from the
perspective of a "consumer".
FUNDING CRITERIA
One prime reason for suggesting light rail in
this particular case is its comparatively low cost for so many
passenger advantages (ie value for money). A report printed by
Light Rail Transit Consultants GmbH of Dusseldorf (Germany) gave
a graph (1992 base date) which showed that a light rail line similar
to that in Bremen would be about 2½ times lower in capital
cost when compared to a regional railway line or similar.
Because funding in our current financial climate
is such a critical factor, light rail must be taken seriously.
Infrastructure economies with light rail come from its ability
to climb grades up to 10 per cent (1 in 10). Similar grades are
negotiated on a daily basis by Supertrams in Sheffield saving
this city much infrastucture funding when under construction.
Fairly steep grades are also a prominent feature in the topography
surrounding this Yorkshire airport. LRV's can also negotiate fairly
sharp bends which can have a two-fold effect on captial cost.
Excessive land-take is avoided as well as reducing funding demands
when an obstacle is circumnavigated.
OPERATIONAL SAFETY
Signalling is a costly but necessary feature
with metro or heavy rail operation but because of technical advances
with light rail rolling stock, it is not always necessary when
operating LRV's
LIGHT RAIL
VEHICLES
Most rolling stock in Bremen is now four-unit
(three articulated joints), modern in appearance, very smooth
riding, roomy and with five double entrances, low floor with easy
boading and good acceleration when moving away from a stop (3).
In other words, ideal for passengers carrying luggage and especially
convenient for mothers with babies in prams, they can remain in
the pram when boarding and for the duration of the journey.
METHOD OF
OPERATION
Anyone visiting Heathrow by a rail service will
appreciate that an intensive metro type service is very necessary
to deal with so many people. Such a service for a comparatively
small airport could be considered as not cost effective, and when
compounded with the fairly long walks along passageways etc is
not in the best interests of the passenger. The intimacy of light
rail permits the airport stopping point to be where the passenger
actually needs it. Bremen has taken advantage of this surface
simplicity and provided a generous application of environmental
measures, measures that include a fountain.
Another operational advantage is that a reliable
and frequent transport service attracts patronage and thus ensures
that it becomes well used, not just by airline passengers, but
by aircraft crews and airport workers alike. An added convenience
is the availability of a number of request stops on the journey
to and from the city centre. The integrated nature of the network
in the city centre ensures an easy interchange. For added convenience
the airport service then continues to the University which is
on the far side of the city.
Obviously, a light rail service with stops is
slower than an express service but for a passenger it is simply
a case of "swings and roundabouts" because a time gain
on the express can easily be lost when changing to other services
in a city without coordination. This becomes very important when
luggage has to be carried.
LIGHT RAIL
TECHNOLOGY
An application of light rail technology to an
initial rail line would be somewhat helpful when funds become
available for expansion (4). Although there are many route possibilities
the most likely candidate could be a branch off the Leeds to Harrogate
line. What would need to be known at a very early stage is the
likelihood of railway electrification on this line. If none is
planned then some form of 750V DC electrification over a section
of the line would be needed. The LRV's currently in use in Bremen
are actually designed for low voltage DC operation but consideration
is currently being given to a technical upgrade for joint operation
over electrified DB tracks (5).
EXPANSION POSSIBILITIES
Looking into the future it is not unreasonable
to suggest an extension from the airport into Bradford. The electrified
line from Ilkley to Bradford passes close by and it should not
be too difficult to bridge the gap. Such an extension would "lend
itself" to a Harrogate to Bradford service, passenger predictions
permitting. Another expansion possibility would be a light rail
branch into Otley and eventually creating an interchange facility
in its own right at or near the airport.
Using Karlsruhe as an example, the airport light
rail line should be able to link up with the planned Supertram
network in Leeds and work a through service to the east side of
the city passing the CBD, the bus station and St James Hospital
on its way.
To work through to Bradford Interchange and
beyond (possibly the Spen Valley) is slightly more complicated
but there is no obvious technical barrier if the political will
exists. Although it could be many years before such ambitious
suggestions would have a chance of being implemented, it is important
that the correct ground-work is undertaken now.
CONCLUSION
The Author would like to make the point that
just reading about overseas transit developments is not sufficient
on its own to convince those making the decisions that light rail
operation will actually accomplish many of the claims made for
it. Places where good examples of light rail operation can be
seen and studied are: Bremen, Freiburg and Karlsruhe in Germany
and Grenoble, Nantes and Strasbourg in France.
REFERENCES
1. David March in Yorkshire Evening Post—24
September 1999.
2. Tramways and Urban Transit—June
1998.
3. Dip-Ing Georg Drechsler, Director of
Bremer Strassenbahn AG in Metro Report 1999—this paper gave
a good technical description illustrated with a map of the tram
and rail system.
4. About 100 years ago a lack of foresight
in choosing a tramway gauge in four of our West Yorkshire conurbations
caused much anguish when they eventually met at urban boundaries.
5. Interchange Made Easy in Bremen by C
J Wansbeek in Tramways and Urban Transit—September 1999.
6. Passenger Transport, 26 July 1999 (Washington
DC) gives news and limited information about a light rail extension
in Portland (Oregon). The method of funding is unlikely to apply
to the Leeds and Bradford International Airport.
September 1999
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