GLUAS Website Feedback and FAQ’s
11th June 2008
Dear Dr. Mc Gettrick,
Your comments on the Website have been past to me. On behalf of the GLUAS Group thank you for your congratulations. Most of the effort to get the Website up and running must be credited to Dr. Henrike Rau from NUIG, who has just begun a 6 month sabbatical in Vienna. Much of the analysis which underpins the present GLUAS proposals was commissioned from TRAM Power Ltd, which has evaluation procedures that have been used on other similar projects outside Galway. This modeling takes population data and identifies actual travel patterns, from which the proportion of trips that can be attracted to GLUAS was calculated on the basis of the quality of service and fare levels, compared to alternatives.
From this travel data, seven possible GLUAS lines were identified, and for each the number of tram trips, the fare revenue and cost of operating the service determined. If an operating surplus resulted, this was compared to the capital cost of building and equipping the line, to produce the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). This allowed the seven route options to be ranked in terms of economic viability.
Four different networks were then modeled using different combinations of the best performing route options. Each network was then evaluated in terms of patronage, revenue, operating costs and capital investment needed, to determine a network IRR. From this the best performing network was taken forward to the next stage of public consultation, and Website launch.
The process of producing :
(a) Feasibility Study
(b) Economic evaluation and
(c) A Business Plan,
has taken over 6 months, and involved detailed discussions with a wide range of people from Galway. From NUIG, as well as Dr. Rau, we have involved Profs. O’Donoghue and Strohmayer.
I am including further detailed comments below, where they have not been covered above.
Heartiest congratulations on the lovely web site and all the work done so far.
I am writing as an outright supporter of the system. However I would like to make
some points/suggestions. I have worked a number of years ago (at Ecole des Mines de
Paris) on the mathematics
of scheduling rail systems on large rail networks (French TGV), so I know a little
about the area.
As you mention on the web page Galway is unique amongst Irish cities because of its
east-west orientation. You could very approximately describe the city as a rectangle
of (width x height) (14km x 5km). My main point is, in the first instance, it should
be proposed to build _just-one-line_, east to west of course. Reasons are:
1) The "population served per cost of construction" should be better: in other words,
such a single line should serve 50-60% of the city population (maybe 40,000 people),
but be only half the cost to build of your proposed 2/3 lines.
One line would cost more than 50% of two lines, because of depot, management and other central costs. There is a network synergy from two or more lines, where journey opportunities increase geometrically, and so revenue rises faster than operating costs. We have tried to maximize the number of residents within 500m of the network, since this is the maximum distance people are usually prepared to walk. For those coming into Galway there are 5 park and ride stations.
2) This was what happened way back in the dark eighties when the DART was opened in
Dublin: it by no means served all of Dublins population (maybe only 10-20% of
Dublin population), but it was a start.
3) I would disagree with the layout you have on your map: The red line (to the west)
makes sense, but this should simply be continued out to the east. If one had to
change trains going east-west it would be a _major_ disadvantage and slowdown. It
would mean, if you wanted to go east-west or west-east, trips would probably take
more than 30 minutes total, because of having to change trains, and this would
not attract commuters. If it is one single line, one could guarantee trips of
less than 30 minutes.
The two lines have three proposed services, all operating on a six minute frequency so that interchange times are on average 3 minutes, with experience and reliable running, there should be timed interchanges. The longest journey from Dangan to the BriarHill centre is less than 30 minutes, so by definition most journeys, even with interchange, will be less. The other two services are
(b) Barna to Eyres Sq,
(c) An Logan to Merlin Park
These give a combine 3 minute frequency from UGH and NUIG to Eyres Square. All stops will have platforms about 250mm high, giving level boarding and alighting from the trams. These will be 29m long, articulated and have about 100 seats, a wheelchair space and 100 standing.
4) Also remember a major part of galway traffic is east-west, also a major part is
in and out of the city center. The design ye currently propose only really
adresses the latter.
The through line from An Logan goes over Quincentenary Bridge and gives a fast by pass for the city centre. Passengers coming from Dangan can change at Quincentenary Bridge for a direct service to Merlin Park. In the west bound direction there will also be an interchange stop at Cemetery Cross.
5) In my view the one red line should continue eastwards along what you have currently
drawn in green, out to ballybrit, parkmore (big working area) and the airport should
be the terminus. To me this would be an enormous advantage to get the light rail in and
out of the airport, I am surprised no one has proposed it. It would do wonders for
flights to galway. Also, I agree for the last 1 or 2 km to the airport it is not
"built up", but it probably will be soon, and Parkmore (business district) is probably
only 2km from the airport.
The base GLUAS network has been drawn up so that it can be extended later, when demand justifies this, including the airport. One of the low performing route options was from Ceannt Station to Oranmore. TRAM Power has separately proposed to IR, that this line be electrified with private funds, and GLUAS trams run via Athenry to Limerick. The proposed timetable would be a journey of about 55minutes, with an hourly service from Galway to Limerick, a 30 min frequency Galway to Athenry and every 15 mins Galway to Oranmore. Until IR agree, this only is an option, and others might be easier to achieve and have better economic performances.
6) The most difficult part is probably deciding on the "downtown" stops: It would seem
natural to me to have
a)University/Hospital as one stop.
b)Somewhere near Terryland shopping centre/omniplex/black box as second stop.
Neither of these are truly downtown (its not quay street!), but they are 500 metres from
either Eyre Square or Spanish Arch, which is a 5-minute walk, that should be reasonable
for most people?
Identifying the stops was not difficult, and we have earmarked some 54 stops on the two lines. This was a balance between maximizing the number of people/jobs within easy walking distance and maintaining an attractive service speed, which with frequency gives the shortest door to door journey time. It is likely that about 20 stops will be compulsory and the rest request.
7) Another reason I propose 1 line: I am presuming that (eventually) with enough common
sense the current rail line from Eyre Square to Oranmore can in principal be used for
light rail as in DART in Dublin) to serve the east of the city "along the sea", e.g.
Renmore, etc. with a few stops en-route to Oranmore. So the new light rail line should
not need to "double up" on this route (in your diagram proposed, the orange line in my
view runs close (enough) to the old railway line, and is unnecessary if we can use the
current rail line (politics involved there no doubt!!!)
See also my comments above on the option of using the IR alignment. Once a two line GLUAS is up and running, further lines can be added on a marginal cost basis, lowering the threshold of economic viability, since the central costs do not increase proportionately with the network size, or number of trams needed.
I hope this is a full enough response, and perhaps when I am across again on 4th July, we might meet. My mobile is 00 44 7976 040 618.
Prof. Lewis Lesley
Technical Director
TRAM Power Ltd.
Thanks!
Just had to get my ideas out. Would love if you could circulate them to anyone that might
be interested, especially the designers/planners amongst the group.
Beir Bua!
Dr. Michael Mc Gettrick
Department of Information Technology,
NUI, Galway