Viability of the implementation of a semi-autonomous electric tram without rails or overhead lines in a city
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Abstract
This study reviews the current state of development of new Trackless Tram Systems (TTS) and finds that the technology is ready and reliable enough for implementation. The study focuses on the last version of TTS developed by CCRC Locomotive and nicknamed TRAMeBUS. As there is currently a public transport problem in a central avenue (Av. Diagonal) in the city of Barcelona the project analyses if this could be solved taking advantage of the TRAMeBUS vehicle. Currently the central section of the Avenue acts as a wall and prevents the two Barcelona’s Tramway networks from joining and providing a better service to citizens. A revision of the already studied alternatives for the Diagonal Avenue delivers two scenarios to consider. Unifying the last stations from each tramway network through an on-surface link (4 km) or, unifying them analogously by building a tunnel (2 km) and an on-surface link (2 km) covering the same path. Then, four scenarios are built from these alternatives them being either exploited by TRAMeBUS or conventional Alstom tramway units. A Cost-Benefit Analysis is made to compare the new system to the conventional light rail one. The obtained results state that, due to its smaller Capital Expenditure requirements a TTS benchmarks much better than their conventional counterparts. A merely financial analysis is made to see the economic profitability of the alternatives. All alternatives deliver good results. Both on-surface alternatives might require a similar grant from public authorities. A Multicriteria Evaluation is also made to assess all the non-monetizable characteristics of both systems and compare them. Again, the on-surface TRAMeBUS alternative gets the best results. Despite the chosen alternative being very robust to the sensitivity analysis the over conservative scenario build might indicate that, in a real case implementation it is logical to expect lower costs and, consequently, higher overall profitability.




