Trackless trams flagged as an alternative to North East Link’s Doncaster bus service
Is the thought of zipping down the Eastern Freeway on a tram travelling at 80km/h more appealing than a bus? There is a push for trackless trams, used in cities around the world, to be introduced on the freeway instead of a planned busway.
Inner East
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There is a push for trackless trams, already popular in China, to improve public transport options for gridlocked eastern suburbs motorists.
Eastern Metropolitan MP Rod Barton, leader of the Transport Matters Party, said the trams, which look like Melbourne’s existing trams but run using rechargeable electric batteries instead of tracks, would be better option than the State Government’s proposed busway on the Eastern Freeway.
Work to widen the freeway under the $16 billion road project will require building into the median strip, resulting in the loss of land long reserved for the Doncaster Rail, a dream that has been around for more than 100 years and one that many never be realised.
The Government has insisted a train line is still possible, but it has flagged plans for a new dedicated busway to replace the rail line.
Infrastructure Victoria has also recommended upgrading Doncaster bus services instead of building a railway.
Mr Barton said the trams could carry more passengers than a bus and would use the same dedicated bus route along the expanded freeway, but instead of merging into Hoddle St it would continue along Alexander Pde and merge into existing tram lines at Nicholson St to avoid becoming stuck in traffic.
He said the trams, which were already used in China and parts of Europe, were also an environmentally friendly option that could be recharged using sustainable energy sources such as solar power.
They could also be delivered at a “fraction of the cost” of a conventional train or tram line, Mr Barton said.
“We think this is a real logical, sensible thing to be looking at,” he said.
But Sustainable Cities spokesperson Claudia Gallois, whose group has lobbied for a rail over bus service as well as against the North East Link, said Doncaster Rail was the only option to ensure fast and reliable public transport between Clifton Hill and the city.
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They said they were “sceptical” trackless trams would not face the same traffic woes as a bus service if it got stuck in peak-hour gridlock.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said Melbourne’s tram network was already the biggest in the world and maintained a bus service was the best option for the route.
“We will be continuing to work through the service pattern, but we know people want faster more frequent bus services and that is what the Doncaster busway provides. It provides dedicated lanes (and) dedicated park and ride facilities along that corridor,” she said.
Trackless trams at a glance:
– 80km/h travel speed
– Carries between 300 to 500 passengers
– Sustainably powered with solar energy or wheel generators
– Already used in other cities around the world
– Runs on the roadway without tracks
– 15-20 minute recharging time
– Cheaper than normal trains and trams because doesn’t require tracks
– Capacity for full automation in the future
– Can be built quickly and easily
– Would use the same dedicated bus route as the proposed Doncaster bus line before merging onto existing tramway tracks at Nicholson St