In countries where tramways had survived the massive closures of the 50’s and 60’s, for example in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, many remaining systems have been modernized and upgraded and may now be called “light rail systems”.
In many other countries, where tramways had disappeared from the streets, completely new systems have been developed since the mid 70’s. This was the case in North America, in the Asia-Pacific area and in a few European countries such as the United Kingdom and France.
As a result, light rail systems can now be found on all continents. There are now over 400 light rail transit and tramway systems, in 50 countries. In addition, over 100 light rail systems are being planned worldwide.
Nevertheless, investment costs are high, and thus the challenge is to develop the right mode in response to the right transport need. Light rail is the ideal mode for carrying between 3,000 and 11,000 passengers per hour per direction, based on the data provided by the International Public Transport Association (UITP). Only metros and heavy rail have a higher transport capacity.
Thanks to their high performance, light rail vehicles accelerate quickly and can attain good service speeds. Together with good design features such as a segregated right-of-way and priority at crossings and traffic lights, which make light rail congestion-free, these will result in a good ave-rage commercial speed (between 20 and 30 km/h) and thus short journey times.
Measures to reduce dwell times at stops (for example stepless and gapless boarding, wide doors, tickets sold off the vehicle) increase speed and regularity and also improve the accessibility of the system.
A study conducted by ERRAC in 2009, in fact, the latest such study, identified the exact situation of light rail transport systems per groups of countries, therefore, the study includes the EU 15 Group, the new EU member states which accessed the Union after 2004 and 2007 (including only those countries which have a light rail transport systems), made of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia and Latvia. The study also includes the countries outside the EU 27, such as Norway, Switzerland and candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey.
The study offers additional information on passenger traffic as well as the characteristics of infrastructure for this type of transport including the separation level from the general road traffic.
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