Trams-forming our cities

The normal pattern is for modern technology to supplant older versions, which once withdrawn then fade into memory. Telephone boxes can no longer be seen on our streets and no one is putting up any new information board pillars. There is, however, one area in which the evolution of our cities has taken a rather retro turn. For a number of years, tram systems have been undergoing something of a renaissance. Let’s take a look at some of the largest of these projects and the features that explain the new-found popularity of trams.

Life after life

Dominik Wójcik, the editor of the Transport Publiczny portal, entitled one of his articles ‘The tram: the last survivor – or the shape of things to come?’ It’s difficult to think of a better way to describe this recent phenomenon. Trams might be the veterans of our public transport systems, but they are now going through something of a rebirth, having been reinvigorated by the drive towards electro-mobility. And so new life has also been breathed into the construction of tramlines in Poland. And this is not only a local development, as the tram renaissance can be seen across Europe. Adrian Furgalski, the chairman of the management board of the Tor Consultants Group, insists that not only are new lines being built, but lines that had been abandoned are being reopened. “Many cities in Europe, particularly in the 60s and 70s, got rid of their tram networks. Now we are seeing a revival in the tram as a means of transport – not only in the cities where they used to run, but also in new locations. The best example is France, where in 1945 there were 50 operating tram systems and in 1966 this was reduced to just three, but now there are 28 tram systems in operation. Most cities with over 100,000 people now have this form of transport. Long ago, most of the tram lines disappeared in Denmark, the UK, Sweden, Spain and France. But cities that have once again introduced tram lines include Copenhagen, Paris, London and Luxembourg, while in Poland we have Olsztyn,” he points out.

Investment across Poland

Poland’s largest cities are now investing billions of złoty in the expansion of their tram systems. In Warsaw, a line to Wilanów has been under construction for almost a year, along with the route connecting the West Railway Station to the central Śródmieście district as well as with Mokotów and the rapidly expanding south of the city. Interestingly, the tram line to Wilanów was removed in the 1970s when ul. Powsińska was widened. The new connection is a massive investment that is expected to be ready by mid-2024, at which point it will take half an hour to cover the route from the centre to Wilanów. The city is also considering the construction of a tram line to Gocław (although the plans have been temporarily suspended due to the planned metro line), and, in his election promises, Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has announced a tram to Piaseczno along the route of trolleybus line 51, which was decommissioned in 1995. Kraków is also planning to expand its transport network on a grand scale. The city has decided to build what it calls a pre-metro, which is a tram line with tunnels to transport large groups of passengers quickly and with relatively few stops. The project is still in its early stages and there is still debate as to whether the new system should be a rapid tram line or more of a metro. The city is now leaning towards building a wide tunnel under the city centre, which would allow for both options. The length of the first stage of the pre-metro is about 10.5 km, which is to run between Dom Handlowy Wanda and the Wisła stadium. The route is to have a total of 14 stops and will include an above-ground section along an overpass and an underground section of about 5.5 km. In Poznań, meanwhile, the renovation of the Poznań Fast Tram, otherwise known as Pestka, was completed in May of this year. The finishing work is still underway on the reconstruction of the tracks along ul. Św. Marcin – the city’s main street. It has undergone substantial renovation and will soon become a showcase for the city. In May, two new tram lines were also opened in Wrocław, linking the Popowice district with Hala Stulecia and the main railway station. Work is also coming to an end on the final section of the TAT - the bus and tram route that will connect the city centre with Nowy Dwór district. This has been under construction since 2019 and is scheduled for completion in September this year. Work is also underway in Olsztyn, the only Polish city that is building a tram network from scratch after it was completely decommissioned – the line currently under construction linking the Old Town with Pieczew district is due to be ready in the autumn.

Low-emission and placemaking

The list of the benefits and advantages of tram lines is long, beginning with the low emissions generated by this means of transport – trams simply do not add to the air pollution in cities that are already often affected by smog. Although low-emission transport in Poland is powered by high-emission power plants, as Professor Leszek Jesień, the director of the international cooperation department of the Polish transmission system operator PSE, argues, trams are nonetheless low-emission due to the renewable energy component in the electricity they use – and the proportion of this has been rapidly increasing. “In 2022, the average proportion of renewable energy sources [RESs] used in electricity generation in Poland came to around 21 pct. Today, however, the RES contribution to power generation can differ. During the day, when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, RESs can provide for up to 70 pct of the demand, as was recorded, for example, in May this year – so at that time trams were also 70 pct powered by ‘green energy’. With changes in the way electricity is generated and stored, the RES share is set to increase. Yes, when the sun is not out and it’s not windy, trams run on electricity from conventional power plants, but such a situation could change when we build nuclear power plants,” explains Leszek Jesień. He also adds that trams, as a form of collective transport, have the lowest emissions per passenger and per kilometre travelled. Tram systems also make far more efficient use of space, which is particularly important in city centres. Krzysztof Gubański of the Zielone Mazowsze association highlights the placemaking role of the tram: “The tram definitely represents much more efficient use of space. In city centres, this is of particular importance, as the amount of space never increases in them.” He also emphasises the city-forming role of the tram. “Unlike railways, trams can be easily integrated into urban areas, they can share roads with buses and cars (although this is recommended only in certain sections), and they can even run safely through pedestrian areas, squares and calm streets – for pedestrians, the location of the track is predictable and nowhere in the world does it cause accidents. All this is confirmed by the high-density tram network in the centre of Amsterdam, where the tracks run along narrow streets and across the bridges between canals,” points out Krzysztof Gubański. Adrian Furgalski also stresses the fact that the introduction of the tram can also contribute to the redevelopment of city centres, as it helps to restore their former characters.

…and they are convenient and effective

Modern trams offer a smooth ride and don’t rattle. Electric motors are much quieter than internal combustion engines, and the ‘green tracks’ that are most commonly used nowadays also reduce the noise by several decibels. Grass planted around the tracks is also of great environmental importance – it increases the biologically active space in urban areas, filters exhaust fumes from traffic, and retains moisture, thus contributing to regulating the temperature of the city. Krzysztof Gubański is one person who appreciates the comfort of travelling by tram. “There are now virtually no vibrations and the noise has been reduced dramatically. Even just outside my window, a tram line that was closed down in the 1970s is being rebuilt and I wonder whether removing one lane for motorists and installing a speed camera will make it quieter than previously, since cars generate more noise than trams running on a green track,” he points out, adding that; “These days, trams can also be a way of connecting sprawling suburbs that are not dense enough to justify the construction of a railway, which is an altogether different scale of project. In some Anglo-Saxon countries, trams are simply called ‘light rail’. They are fast, especially if given the right of way at junctions, and can carry a huge number of passengers – far more than buses. The tram wins out over the bus in terms of speed, passenger capacity and passenger comfort.”

But now for the downsides…

The main disadvantage of the tram is, of course, the cost of building these systems, which has recently risen even higher due to increases in construction costs and salaries. This is why many projects are now only possible with the support of EU funds. The estimated cost of the Warsaw tramline to Wilanów amounts to PLN 1.19 mln, with the cost of the construction work alone coming to PLN 685.5 mln. The European Union will cover nearly half of the cost – PLN 555 mln. In Wrocław, the dual line connecting the city centre with Popowice is to cost PLN 227 mln (with an PLN 82 mln contribution from the EU), while PLN 390 mln has already been spent on the construction of the TAT (PLN 120 mln from the EU). Meanwhile, the cost of developing the first stage of the Kraków pre-metro could be as high as PLN 2.5 bln. Most of this sum is to be spent on the underground tunnel and the flyovers, which means that the investment costs are closer to the construction of a metro than for a traditional tram line. The purchase of rolling stock is also a huge outlay, although it should be borne in mind that trams have a very long service life – the normal service life of rolling stock is about 30 years, but in practice it can be much longer than that of buses. “Infrastructure generally costs money. If we decide not to connect large residential districts with high-speed tram lines that are given priority in traffic, what can we do instead? Build a metro line? These are, after all, many times more expensive. The first 8 km section of the metro line connecting Gocław district planned by the City of Warsaw will cost around PLN 3.5 bln – ten times more than the proposed tramline alternative, which the council has now postponed. A bus has to be scrapped after ten years, while trams are also larger, so they can carry the same number of people in fewer trips. They also require fewer drivers – and there is currently a shortage of these. “More private cars, meanwhile, would be a disaster for our towns and cities, many of which already have a higher rate of car usage for every 1,000 people than the EU average. On average, a car carries one person, and the annual cost of traffic jams in Poland comes to almost 2 pct of the GDP, which is more than PLN 60 bln,” points out Adrian Furgalski. Krzysztof Gubański is of a similar opinion. “The metro in Poland can only be economically justified in Warsaw, although other cities have been tempted to build such a system, as having a metro gives the impression of being a big city. Kraków, fortunately, has opted for a fast tram link, although the discussion about constructing a metro in the city is not yet over. But the project that is currently planned will be built in a way that will allow the tram system to be converted into a metro,” he explains.

It is especially important for the real estate sector to take on board the idea that it’s not a city that builds roads but roads that build a city – or, in other words, access to municipal transport has a direct bearing on development opportunities as does the quality of such projects. This is particularly crucial at a time when ESG ideals are taking off, and low-emission transport will form an integral part of this trend.

It’s difficult to argue against building or extending tram networks. Trams are quick, comfortable, reliable, economical and environmentally-friendly. They don’t get stuck in traffic jams, they rarely break down, they don’t have an adverse impact on urban areas, and sometimes they are even considered to be charming. Trams trundling through narrow streets are an essential feature of the image of cities such as Lisbon, San Francisco and Amsterdam. For the last 150 years trams have shaped our cities and it doesn’t look like they are going to stop doing so any time soon.