Overview
Develop sustainable, cost-effective solutions to improve accessibility to/from/within low-density semi-rural peripheral regions (defined as ‘holes within the EU Pentagon’ and areas outside the ‘Pentagon’, peripheral to national territories, and/or disadvantaged by poor access through rail and air hubs to central EU regions) by regional tram systems linking to high-quality multimodal interchanges at national/international rail or air hubs. These will be tested by knowledge transfer across 5 demonstration regions: Nordhessen (Kassel)(DE), Fylde Coast (Blackpool)(UK), West-Vlaanderen (Diksmuide/ Koksijde/ Veurne)(BE), Valenciennes (FR) and Nijmegen-Kleve (NL).
Two alternative solutions will be examined:
- TramTrain systems integrating urban tramway and national rail systems
- Low-cost tram extensions using exclusive right-of-way through urban areas.
This will be achieved by:
- Learning from the experience of successful schemes already implemented, notably in Nordhessen(DE).
- Jointly reviewing opportunities and obstacles (technical. legal. administrative) in applying this experience in other regions.
- Developing appraisal techniques (technical, financial and territorial) to generate investment proposals, ready for implementation, in selected cities and regions.
- Testing new technological and multimodal approaches to adapt the infrastructure (tracks, interchanges) in selected demonstration projects.
5 key Work Packages:
- WP1- Transnational knowledge transfer on technical & legal challenges in the development of regional tram systems.
- WP2- Appraisal of the economic feasibility & developmental/territorial impacts of regional tram systems.
- WP3- Knowledge transfer in improving the inter-operability & accessibility of transport hubs linking the regional tram systems to regional/national gateways.
- WP4- Joint development of innovative marketing strategies addressing potential users and the private sector.
- WP5- Implementation of the communication strategy.
Funding
Results
The partners in the SINTROPHER project produced transferable knowledge on the economic impacts generated from revitalizing interchange areas. For example, the project partners presented their results in March 2013 to the UK Parliamentary All-Party Light Rail Group. This exchange raised the profile of the tram-train concept among national policymakers, and provided evidence of how investment can help urban regeneration and translate into jobs. The project has also participated in the consultation on Network Rail’s (national Rail authority) Route Utilisation Strategy, designed to influence future innovation in technological planning. Also in the project SINTROPHER, the West Flanders partners in Belgium have invested in their public transport interchanges. Analysis of the economic impact shows that these investments are also attracting other investments in these neighbourhoods, thus improving the attractiveness of areas formally at risk of becoming derelict. One specific example is the investments plan of the Belgian company De Lijn in a new public transport link between the coast and the city of Veurne (BE), which, located in the hinterland, will become a regional hub for public transport.