Trackless trams an innovative alternative to costly light rail
WITH the constant bickering between federal, state and local governments over expansion of the Gold Coast light rail, an innovative, emerging technology needs to be considered as an effective lower-cost solution for expanding the G:link steel tracks network past Burleigh Heads.
“Trackless trams” look and operate like light rail trams except they run on tyres; they are precisely electronically guided along a dedicated part of an existing roadway, using innovative technologies that have been developed for other motor vehicle guidance systems. They use ultraquick-charge lithium battery power and require no overhead power lines. And they are very quiet. Also, given rapidly expanding research and development into near-future hydrogen-powered vehicles there will soon be an exciting option for powering future trackless trams in a more environmentally friendly manner.
The key advantages are significantly lower build (and time) costs and less disruption to local businesses during construction. The Sydney light rail extension, for example, is costing in excess of $120 million per kilometre, and causing massive disruptions, while trackless tram costs are estimated at about $6-15 million per kilometre.
They are already operating in Europe and China and authorities in other parts of Australia are lining up to install them, for example, Parramatta Rd in Sydney. Another significant advantage is that being on rubber tyres they can climb a road gradient of up to 9 per cent, while light rail steel traction can manage only about 4-6 per cent. This would mean for example that trackless trams would require much less road disruption and cost than light rail to get over the Burleigh hill to the Tallebudgera Creek section of the Gold Coast Highway, and would be much more acceptable, you would think, to Palm Beach residents opposed to the rails, poles and wires of light rail extension.
The Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council need to be agile in their thinking to establish a cross-city network of mass transit in the short to medium term. As predicted in the 2019 Infrastructure Audit, Australian cities are failing to keep pace with the congestion crush because of rapid population growth and the high cost of building expanded transport infrastructure networks.
Our current clogged road networks simply can’t support much more traffic at peak times, so a new lower-cost mass-transit system such as trackless trams would be a game-changer. The only question is whether or not Gold Coast City and the Queensland Government are innovative and adaptable enough to give the concept detailed consideration.
PETER SCOTT, TALLEBUDGERA