Why trams? page 3 NET: model tramway page 4 consultation update pages 6/7 Hop on and write in page 8 xpress | NET Phase Two news | issue one | summer 2004
Welcome to the first edition of
xpress,
the new magazine that brings you up-to-date with all the information about the tram network for Greater Nottingham. After years of planning and construction, Line One which runs from Nottingham Station to Phoenix Park and Hucknall is up and running, proving popular with commuters, shoppers and tourists alike. NET Line One has carried over 500,000 passengers each month since it opened. It was always envisaged to have a tram network for Nottingham and planning is well underway to provide extensions to Line One, spreading the benefits of NET more widely across Greater Nottingham. If the proposals for NET Phase Two; Clifton via Wilford and Chillwell via Beeston & QMC, are given the go-ahead by the City and County Councils and Government, it will double the length of the network, the number of stops and the size of the fleet. NET Phase Two includes proposals for two new Park & Ride sites which, along with those on Line One, will fully serve the M1 junctions into Greater Nottingham. NET Phase Two will also link directly with Line One at Nottingham Railway Station offering through journeys into the city and beyond. By providing a network of tram lines, Nottingham will become more accessible for all, offering a reliable, fast form of transport that is integrated with bus, train, car, cycling and walking. We hope you find xpress an interesting and informative read.
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The journey so far... Trams emerged as a key component to Nottingham's congestion problems when the issue was looked at by Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and local business representatives Nottingham Development Enterprise (NDE) in 1988. Capable of moving thousands of people every day and getting into the heart of the urban area without adding to pollution levels, it became clear that trams are a high quality mode of transport that could form a key part of an integrated transport network. Plans began to take shape. Feasibility work concentrated on a route serving the City Centre, Hyson Green, Basford, Bulwell and Hucknall, with a spur to Phoenix Park. These proposals were presented to Parliament and in 1994 the Greater Nottingham Light Rapid Transit Act was passed. Arrow Light The Secretary of State for Rail Ltd was selected Transport Alistair Darling by the two Councils known collectively as NET Promoters - to design, finance, build and operate NET over a 30 year concession period. Arrow Light Rail Ltd comprises civil engineering firm Carillion, rail vehicle builder Bombardier, integrated transport operator Transdev and Nottingham's largest bus operator Nottingham City Transport. In 1998, the Government agreed to support a ÂŁ200m Private Finance Initiative deal. Intense financial and contractual negotiations were entered into and in May 2000, contracts were finally signed - allowing work to get underway in June 2000 and tram services to start in March 2004.
trams Latest NET Line One facts... carries well over 20,000 passengers a day
on target to reach 8 million passengers in the first year
more frequent from September 2004
almost 5,000 Park & Ride trips each week day
over 8,000 people get on and off at the Old Market Square every day excellent reliability: 99% of trams run, and 98% are on time
why trams? Trams have a proven track record throughout Europe and the rest of the world for being uniquely effective in moving large numbers of people around within urban areas. They can penetrate into central areas, even through historical street patterns, without adding to cities' pollution and can carry many more passengers per vehicle than cars and buses. Segregation from and priority over other traffic means their superior journey times can be sustained well into the future. They provide smooth and quiet journeys, air conditioning, unprecedented access for all, they have swift, frequent and reliable services and real-time passenger information - all of which goes towards providing the sort of public transport that modern day passengers expect. In recent years there has been huge investment in all aspects of travelling in and around Nottingham. Nottingham’s pioneering approach to tackling transport issues has seen traffic growth contained and public transport use increase against national trends. NET will ensure these trends continue. NET is seen as one key component of an integrated transport system (known as The Big Wheel), modelled on European cities such as Strasbourg, Grenoble, Lyon, Karlsruhe and Freiburg.
For more information on Nottingham’s integrated transport strategy visit www.thebigwheel.org.uk
the big wheel
TThe Government has recognised the joint innovative work of the City and County Councils by ranking them top in the country last year for achieving Government targets such as reducing congestion, the City Council being named Transport Authority of the Year by the Centre for Transport Policy in 2002 and the County Council runner-up in 2004.
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NET: 'model' tramway? NET joins six other ‘second generation’ UK tramways and has learnt lessons from those already up and running. A recent National Audit Office Report into the six other systems highlighted some weaknesses in those systems and made recommendations for improvement. Many of those recommendations are already features of NET Line One and proposals for Phase Two, including: Integration: Nottingham is the only UK system to have the main local bus operator as part of the tram operating company, allowing feeder buses to link into the tram system instead of competing. Nottingham has developed one of the only joint tickets in the country allowing travel on trains, trams and buses. In the first month of operation, nearly 40% of passengers were using inter-modal tickets. Line One has interchanges at three train stations Hucknall, Bulwell and Nottingham. Park and Ride: NET Line One has five Park and Ride sites with 3,000 spaces between them. Two more are planned for Phase Two. Seperation from/priority over traffic: Ten of the 14km of track is away from roads, with some of the on-street running also seperated from traffic.
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A NET Line One tram alongside a link bus
Trams get priority over other road traffic at almost all the junctions on the route. This will continue through to Phase Two with approximately 60% of track running offstreet/sperated from other traffic. Pat Armstrong, Head of Major Transport Projects at the City Council said: “We feel we can draw some comfort from the NAO report which shows we have learnt from earlier experiences and are doing the right things to make tram systems viable. We believe this will stand us in good stead for developing Phase Two of our tram network, as we will continue with this good practice and are confident we have robust proposals to put to Government.” Another unique feature of NET is the way in which the contract is put together - with payment linked to operating performance which ensures the operating company is working hard to make the system reliable and punctual.
yourenvironment
Major Projects such as NET involve a lot of knowledge in specialist areas such as planning, environmental impacts, engineering and construction. As the case is prepared for NET Phase Two, Express takes a closer look at the considerations Janet Burns is a Senior Consultant at Environmental Resource Management (ERM) NET Phase Two’s independent environmental consultant. They have worked on similar schemes in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Southampton. She says: "There are so many things to consider when undertaking a project such as NET Phase Two. "An Environmental Impact Assessment is required before applying for a Transport and Works Order, and becomes available with the rest of the application documents on the date of submission. It is an independent assessment of the scheme’s significant impacts and provides mitigation measures to reduce them. "The assessment informs the Environmental Statement (ES) which is the main focus of the application itself." A team of up to 20 specialists has been working with NET throughout the Phase Two appraisal process, assessing a range of environmental factors including: People - residents and potential passengers Buildings - such as listed buildings Natural resources - eg SSSI (Sites of Significant Scientific Interest), & SINCs (Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation) "We survey everything from baseline noise levels, tree locations and natural habitat to
bats and water voles," says Janet. "It is a comprehensive analysis of everything Phase Two impacts on. “We have to report completely independently and each time the alignment changes or new options are considered, each key environmental factor for that area has to be re-assessed and reported on again." NET’s application to Government comprises ten documents including: Environmental Statement Plans and drawings Summaries of the scheme’s aims Urban Design Statement Statement on Consultation A team of 14 people made up of City and County Council Officers, independent legal representation, specialist consultants and print managers will have worked for more than six months to produce the final application documents. From the application date you will be able to view all the documents at points along the route which will be advertised nearer the time and will also appear in the back of the Non Technical Summary. The NET Phase Two website www.netphasetwo.com will contain information regarding the TWAO and CD ROMS containing all the documents will be available from the NET Project Office, Lawrence House, Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5NT.
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update on phase two consultation The City and County Councils have been consulting with the public since 2001 on a tram network for Nottingham. Initially over 70,000 residents and businesses were asked where they would like to see future extensions to Line One, which was being constructed at that time. NET has continued to consult with the public, slowly narrowing down possible route options. This is an important part of the process firstly in developing the right scheme for Greater Nottingham, and secondly, so that the public are aware of plans that affect their community. It was through feedback from the 2001/2002 ‘Have Your Say’ booklets that two feasible route options were considered for further development work; Chilwell via Beeston and QMC, and Clifton via Wilford.
NET Development Team A team of consultants, project managers, planners, engineers and Communication Officers, form the NET Development Team. The consultants have major input into the process by providing statistics, surveys, drawings and images, and details such as tram stop locations, new road layouts and paving options.
The value of communication… Communication is key to the project and the Team are committed to answering the hundreds of letters and emails plus consultation responses that have flooded in over the years; everything from general queries to detailed and technical questions generated from as far as the USA. During this time, the Team have conducted public events to experience people’s views firsthand, as well as visiting community groups, individuals and organisations to answer their questions and feed their opinions back into the proposals, making sure what is delivered is what the majority of people in Greater Nottingham want.
Improvements... By involving the public through these consultations some improvements have been made to the proposals. One example of this is explained in the case study on page 7.
Artist’s impression of a tram on Queen’s Walk
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Accessibility -
“” Level platforms and entirely flat floors inside trams will
make access easy and safe for all.
A tram pulls in to the terminus Phoenix Park
Major milestone…
Since both the City and County Councils approved in principle the routes for NET Phase Two plans, work continues towards the next milestone. A Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) must be granted by Government to provide the powers to build NET Phase Two. Below is our anticipated timetable. City & County Councils pre approved proposals for both routes
May & June 2004
Department for Transport approval to progress
Autumn 2004
City & County Councils will consider approval of an application for TWAO
Autumn 2004
Submission of application for TWAO
Late 2004
Public Inquiry
Summer 2005
Decision from Secretary of State for Transport
Autumn 2005
If TWAO granted, construction could start
Early 2007
Trams running approximately
Late 2009
As we approach the TWAO submission date, notices will be served to all stakeholders including the public and statutory bodies, notifying of the intention to submit the application plus dates and locations where the plans can be viewed.
case study: Cator Lane Tram Stop situation: On the Chilwell route initial proposals did not provide for a stop at Cator Lane, firstly because early studies showed the benefits would be marginal and secondly it was felt that a stop 400 metres along the line at Bramcote Lane could serve the surrounding area.
resolution: Public feedback indicated this was a big issue for people living in the area, especially residents of Greenwood Court. Following the strength of comment in favour of a stop at this location, the Team revisited the proposals. Further development work included weighing up the economic and environmental factors involved which can affect journey times and subsequently the usage of NET by other passengers. After extensive work, the Team were able to justify a stop and resolved the issue. If the plans are approved, the residents of Greenwood Court will benefit from 100 per cent low-floor transport and convenient access to the NET tram system. All the answers to the general questions raised in consultation can be found at www.netphasetwo.com
The Team are positive about plans for Phase Two and are looking forward to providing the same high quality, fast and reliable form of public transport as NET Line One to the wider community.
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Learning lessons NET Line One began running services on March 9 2004 and has proved extremely popular with the Nottingham public, with over 20,000 passengers using it every day.
soapbox ‘Hop’ on and write in… As part of promoting our integrated transport vision, we want those of you who have not yet had a go, to hop on the tram and tell us what you think. We want to hear from more of you and as such are giving away Kangaroo tickets to those of you who write in telling us about it. We could even publish your story…
Already, plans are underway to build on this promising start. There is potential for more Park & Ride passengers and it is planned to increase tram frequency at peak times and at weekends. Other planned improvements include more conductors on tram stops and on board the busiest trips and more grab poles on board near the double doors. Before going into service, lessons had been learnt from other systems in designing NET. For instance, the position of the tracks in the road is generally away from where drivers naturally place their vehicles, and an alternative cycle route parallel to but away from the tracks has been developed. The City Council has also taken the opportunity to improve the urban environment, with high-quality paving and planting alongside the route through the city centre and a new public space created outside the Theatre Royal. Attention has been paid to the look of the trams, tramstops and other infrastructure to ensure they have a strong identity but blend into Nottingham's surroundings.
CONTACTING US: WRITE TO:
NET Phase Two Development Team, Lawrence House, Talbot Street, Nottingham NG1 5NT. EMAIL:
tram@nottinghamcity.gov.uk FOR GENERAL PHASE TWO INFORMATION LOG ONTO:
For Phase Two, Nottingham will take heed of its own experiences and echo the successes of Line One while looking for ways to improve things further. For example, the Promoters are seeking to involve contractors earlier in the process so that potential difficulties and delays are ironed out early in the process. This magazine will keep you up-to-date with all the news relating to Phase Two.
www.netphasetwo.com
Issue two of xpress is due out at Christmas.