Considering the importance of the tram line route and, especially of its related infrastructure, in the traffic system of cities and metropolitan areas as a whole, it is necessary to observe European regulation principles when building new lines and upgrading old ones by implementing appropriate constructive solutions with increased reliability and environment protections standards, economic solutions with minimal implications over street equipments on the crossed routes. Due to excessive urban development in the past years, the cities are facing an increase in the density of populations and of freight volumes that need transportation. But the development of necessary infrastructure so as to cover these growths is limited in many cities due to lack of space. That is why, those responsible of counteracting this threat underline that the applications of the Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS) are insufficiently used to be able to create an efficient management of urban mobility or are developed without considering interoperability.
The European Commission underlines that it is necessary for the authorities to ensure public investments in infrastructure, in the existing rolling stock fleet and in its maintenance, even in the replacement of the obsolete fleet of vehicles in order to ensure a safer urban transport. This also requires cooperation at local, regional, national and European level, but also among citizens who should properly pay for the services they use and they are willing to pay for quality public transport services.
Correlation at regional and national level
The public transport sector has the necessary competence to improve the urban area, for both citizens and development of activities, as we can see in many urban centres.
The proper and efficient management of the transport infrastructure can have a positive impact on safety and the environment. Accessibility to a public transport system is defined through the quality given to population regarding urban mobility which includes infrastructure and transport services. The efficient connections from insides the cities, or those with the surroundings of cities between urban and interurban transport networks, are considered essential.
According to the opinions of the decision makers in the public transport system, intermodal exchange is not paid enough attention and there is also a lack of collectively integrated transport solutions, such as suburban rail transport systems, tram-train correlated systems, etc.
It is recommended to implement measures to develop a public transport system that would be integrated, eco-friendly, attractive, fast (with vehicles with traction features that would permit high-speed traffic), and mostly sustainable (with technical solutions that would permit a reliability of 20 to 30 years, without maintenance and with minimum exploitation costs).
In specific cases, many cities in South-East Europe, that had a vast yet quite obsolete tram transport infrastructure, have implemented radical measures such as redesigning and adopting new constructive solutions to normalize the situation and to efficiently and optimally exploit tram infrastructure. Among them, there is the urban integration of tram lines, increasing attractiveness by increasing comfort, reducing discomfort caused by noise and vibrations and, another solution, increasing the passengers’ safety by implementing light rail solutions with dedicated lines that no longer depend on road congestion.
The profile industry has developed more and more products and mechanisms necessary to the rolling track of trams so that the routes of trams lines in direct line and at junctions would be optimised, and the aspect of lines would not contrast with the architecture of the streets they crossed.
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