Support grows for trackless trams

A PROPOSED TRIAL OF AN ADVANCED RAIL-LESS TRAM CARRYING 288 PASSENGERS ALONG A ROUTE WITH 10 STOPS GAINS TRACTION

IT’S VERY STABLE … YOU CAN RIDE IT HANDS-FREE, LIKE AN INNER URBAN TRAM

THE Committee for Geelong is pushing for a $7.5m trial of the advanced railless tram to connect key urban fringe collection points with CBD destinations such as the Westfield shopping centre and hospitals.

The potential route mostly uses Moorabool St, between GMHBA Stadium and Malop St, and Ryrie St, between Bellerine St and the Try Boys Basketball Stadium, with connections to the Geelong and South Geelong train stations.

Committee for Geelong’s chief executive officer, Jennifer Cromarty, says support for electric, zero emission, “trackless trams” as a next generation public transport solution was growing nationally and internationally and Geelong deserved to be one of the first in the queue for an Australian trial.

The Committee for Geelong’s interest in trackless trams started in 2019 when it led a delegation, involving Urbis and Deakin University, to China to meet a manufacturer and investigate the technology.

The proposed trial, submitted by the Committee for Geelong to the state government, involves leasing a 31.6m Advanced Rail-less Tram with a capacity for 288 passengers, and installing supporting infrastructure at 10 stops along the designated route.

Urbis director, Breton Fleming, says the vehicle possessed a tram bogie, rather than a bus suspension, which delivered a low-profile and smooth ride, and would allow passengers to safely stand as they travelled short distances between stops.

“These trams look and feel like you are riding on a metropolitan tram in Melbourne,” Fleming says.

“They have smooth acceleration and deceleration. There’s no roll as they corner and it’s very stable to the point you can ride it hands-free, much like an inner urban tram.”

Fleming says that while any public transport performed better in its own lane, advanced rail-less trams can operate in a shared lane with the impact on the road surface less than that of articulated buses on busy routes.

The Advanced Rail-less Tram, and its stations, are fully compliant for disability access.

Clockwise from main picture: The proposed tram; the initial planned route with 10 stops in central Geelong; and a trackless tram that operates in China.