Utrecht sneltram

The Utrecht sneltram (literally Utrecht fast tram) is a light rail system in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The system consists of 3 lines. Lines 60 and 61, connect Utrecht Centraal railway station with the residential areas of Lombok and Kanaleneiland and the suburbs Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. Line 22 connects Utrecht Centraal to the Uithof district.

Utrecht sneltram
CAF trams at P+R Science Park
Overview
LocaleUtrecht, Netherlands
Number of lines3
Operation
Began operation17 December 1983
Operator(s)Westnederland (1983-1994)
Midnet (1994-1999)
Connexxion (1999-2013)
Qbuzz (2013-present)
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

On 3 July 2020, the high-floor SIG trams had their last runs after 37 years of service. As of 4 July 2020, the sneltram line from Utrecht Centraal to Nieuwegein and IJsselstein was fully closed in order to lower and lengthen tram platforms to accommodate the new low-floor CAF trams. Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is expected to deliver 10 new trams by the end of August 2020; a minimum of 14 new trams is required for the planned service.[1] Some testing of the renovated IJsselstein branch with CAF trams is scheduled to start on 22 August, with system testing beginning 7 September. Passenger service between Utrecht and Nieuwegein is expected to begin on 21 September, and to IJsselstein on 26 October.[2]

Organization

There are four entities associated with the sneltram. There is also the brand name U-OV where "OV" is the Dutch abbreviation for openbaar vervoer (public transport).

Bestuur Regio Utrecht is the regional public transport authority in the Utrecht region. BRU does long- and short-term planning for public transport in the region working closely with municipalities and travellers' organisations.[3]

Qbuzz operates bus and tram vehicles in the Utrecht region under the brand name U-OV on behalf of Bestuur Regio Utrecht, a client of Qbuzz since 8 December 2013.[3]

The province of Utrecht is the owner of the sneltram, and manages its assets through a provincial entity called Regiotram Utrecht.[3]

Regiotram Utrecht is responsible for the management, maintenance and expansion of the entire tram system in and around the city of Utrecht. Regiotram Utrecht has approximately three dozen employees located at the Nieuwegein depot. The entity manages and maintains tram infrastructure such as trams, track, signaling, level crossings, stops and digital information panels for riders. It also deals with safety on the tram system.[4]

Lines
Network map as of 2020

Lines 60 and 61 are collectively dubbed the SUNIJ-lijn (sneltram Utrecht-Nieuwegein/IJsselstein) after the communities served. Both lines serve the stops between Jaarbeursplein at Utrecht Centraal station and Stadscentrum in Nieuwegein before each line branches to separate termini, line 60 to IJsselstein-Zuid and line 61 to Nieuwegein-Zuid.[5][6]

Line 22, dubbed the Uithoflijn, runs from the Centrumzijde (literally "downtown side") stop at Utrecht Centraal station to P+R Science Park in the Uithof district.[6] A trip the full length of the line, from Centrumzijde to P+R Science Park, takes 19 minutes. Service uses CAF trams coupled in pairs.[7]

There are tram tracks between Jaarbeursplein on the west side of Utrecht Centraal station and Centrumzijde on the east side of the station, but there will be no tram service between the two stops until late 2020. The vehicles and platforms on the SUNIJ-lijn and Uithoflijn are incompatible with the former using high-floor trams and high-level platforms, and the latter using low-floor trams and low-level platforms. During the summer of 2020, the SUNIJ-lijn will be closed to lower the platforms; at that time the high-floor trams will be retired. At the end of 2020, trams will provide through-service between P+R Science Park (Uithof district) and to both Nieuwegein-Zuid and IJsselstein-Zuid without a transfer at Utrecht Centraal railway station.[5][6]

Line606122
Length of line 13.3 km 17.7 km 7.5 km
Number of stops[6] 15 19 9

History

The sneltram light rail system was constructed during the late 1970s and early 1980s. There were two branches both opened on 17 December 1983. One branch ran between Moreelsepark (Utrecht city centre) to Nieuwegein-Zuid in the suburb of Nieuwegein as line 100. A second branch ran from Moreelsepark to Doorslag in Nieuwegein as line 101. The operator was Westnederland.[8]

On 14 December 1985, line 101 was extended to the Achterveld stop in IJsselstein.[9][8]

In 1994, Midnet took over operation of the sneltram from Westnederland, and lines 100 and 101 were renumbered as 60 and 61 respectively.[8][10]

In 1999, Connexxion took over operation of the sneltram from Midnet.[8]

On 2 July 2000, line 61 was extended from Achterveld via Binnenstad (both in IJsselstein) to IJsselstein-Zuid.[8]

Citadis tram from Mulhouse on a demo run on the SUNIJ-lijn on September 9, 2007

In September 2007, Alstom Transport arranged the loan to Utrecht of a low-floor Citadis tram from Mulhouse. The tram made demo runs between September 7 and 13. On September 9, a car-free Sunday in Utrecht, the Mulhouse tram was put on public display. At the time, Utrecht was considering a replacement of its then 30-year old tram fleet and the replacement of bus lanes with trams.[11]

In 2009, the Moreelsepark stop was closed to accommodate the construction of a new public transit terminal. Until this time, Moreelsepark was the downtown terminal for the sneltram. With its closure, the stop Centraal Station became the new terminal.[12]

On 13 December 2009, the spitstram (rush-hour tram) went into service as line 260 using trams purchased second hand from Vienna. It ran between Utrecht und Nieuwegein Zuid during the morning and afternoon peak periods.[8]

In December 2011, Qbuzz took over operation of the sneltram from Connexxion.[13]

In 2013, the stops Centraal Station and Westplein closed due to construction at Utrecht Centraal station. The stop Jaarbeursplein became the new temporary terminal.[14][9][5]

On 11 July 2014, the Vienna trams were retired from service and sold to Kraków in Poland, thus ending line 260 spitstram service.[8]

In 2015, the Province of Utrecht became the owner of the Utrecht sneltram.[1]

In December 2016, the first low-floor CAF-tram arrived in Utrecht at the tram depot.[15]

On 18 March 2019, there was a shooting attack on a tram near the junction of 24 Oktoberplein.[16]

On 28 November 2019, a new workshop building was officially opened at the depot (Tramremise Nieuwegein). It handles maintenance for low-floor trams as well as for the older high-floor trams.[17].

On 14 December 2019, line 22 (dubbed Uithoflijn) opened from Utrecht Centraal to the Uithof district.[7] It replaced bus line 12, in service since 1969, which used articulated buses that were 18 and 25 metres long, the latter length having two articulations.[18] Upon opening of the line, the frequency was 10 trams per hour per direction. Service was weekdays only with no service after 22:00; this was the same hours of service as for bus line 12. Bus 28 serves the route when line 22 is not running.[5]

Effective 2 March 2020, the frequency of line 22 was increased from 10 to 12 trams per hour per direction. By the beginning of February, the top day for ridership was 18,000. Regiotrams hoped to increase the frequency to 16 trams per hour per direction in December 2020.[19]

Effective 20 March 2020, all tram service on line 22 was temporarily replaced by bus line 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the closure of the University of Utrecht and other institutions in Utrecht Science Park, line 22 ridership had fallen by over 90 percent. Also fewer tram drivers were available because many drivers were calling in sick. Trams on lines 60 and 61 continued to run but less frequently.[20] On 1 April 2020, tram service was reintroduced on line 22 but only during rush hours. Also, double-articulated buses were put into service on bus line 28. These measures were to allow greater physical distancing among passengers which include health workers employed at Utrecht Science Park.[21]

On 30 May 2020, the SUNIJ line south of P+R Westhaven was shut down in order to lower and lengthen the tram stop platforms to accommodate the new low-floor trams.[22] High-floor trams continued to operate between P+R Westhaven and Jaarbeursplein until 4 July when that portion of the line also shut down. The last day of service for SIG trams was on 3 July.[1]

Vehicles

High-floor trams
SIG high-floor tram

From 1983 to 2020, the SUNIJ-lijn used 27 single-articulated, high-floor trams built by Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG). These trams weighed 37.5 ton, were 30 meter long and are capable of a maximum speed of 80 km/h. In 2012, the SIG-trams were renovated including bogies, air-conditioning, seats and repainting.[23] The last run of the SIG trams was on 3 July 2020. On 4 July, the SUNIJ-lijn was fully shut down to renovate the line, and lower and lengthen its platforms to accommodate low-floor trams. The SIG-trams will be replaced by CAF low-floor trams.[1]

Vienna trams purchased second-hand

In 2008, Utrecht purchased trams built in the 1980s from Vienna at a cost of 837,000 euros. The Vienna trams (de Weense trams) were delivered to Utrecht in 2009.[23][24] The trams required some adjustments before going into service. They received a new onboard computer and a mobile telephone to communicate with central dispatchers. Adjustments were required to tram doorways and the platform height. These trams were used only during rush hours at the busiest stops between Utrecht Centraal and Nieuwegein Stadscentrum. Special sign boards indicated to passengers where the Vienna trams stopped. When received, the trams had no noteworthy defects, and they had run well in Vienna.[25] However, in Utrecht the Vienna trams had technical problems costing the operator 3.2 million euros in maintenance; they also caused extra wear to the rails. The rise in ridership expected in 2008 when the trams were purchased did not materialize. The trams were sold to Krakow, Poland[24] and were disposed of by the summer of 2014.[23]

Low-floor trams

The new generation of trams are articulated, low-floor Urbos 100 trams built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). Two versions were ordered: a shorter version with 5 articulated sections and a longer version with 7:[15]

CAF trams at Utrecht CS Centrumzijde, terminal of the Uithoflijn
Characteristic5-section7-section
Articulated sections 5 7
Number ordered 27 22
Length 33M 41M
Width 2.65M 2.65M
Passenger capacity 216 277
In service December 2019 December 2020

On the SUNIJ-lijn, one tram of each length will be coupled together which will yield a train length of 75 metres and a capacity of about 490 passengers.[26]

Storage and Maintenance

The depot (Tramremise Nieuwegein) on the SUNIJ-lijn is the main storage and maintenance facility of the sneltram system, handling both low- and high-floor trams. The depot building houses:[17]

  • offices
  • traffic control for trams and busses
  • check-in area for tram operators
  • workshops for the maintenance of trams
  • service department to handle emergencies and breakdowns

There are 8 tracks through the workshop including one for the tram wash. Outside in the yard, there is space to store the fleet of trams.[17] The roof of the workshop building has 810 solar panels able to produce 292 kilowatts of electricity.[27]

Just beyond the P+R Science Park stop on the Uithoflijn, there are additional storage tracks.[5]

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gollark: I am only a yem½el now.
gollark: Who hath pingéd me?
gollark: Hi.
gollark: It should have been pretty obvious that if I was saying "No I can't see you" I could clearly see it.

See also

References
  1. "Adieu SIG, welkom aan de nieuwe CAF sneltram" (in Dutch). RioTram Utrecht. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. "Test vernieuwde tramlijn is begonnen" (in Dutch). RegioTram Utrecht. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  3. "Openbaar Vervoer" (in Dutch). Bestuur Regio Utrecht. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  4. "Openbaar Vervoer / Sneltram / Regiotram Utrecht" (in Dutch). Province of Utrecht. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. "Veelgestelde vragen". Uithoflijn (in Dutch). City of Utrecht. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  6. "Utrecht (system map)". Urban Rail. 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  7. "Tram 22 Start op 16 December". Regiotram Utrecht (in Dutch). 13 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. "U-OV (Qbuzz) Sneltram Utrecht". Bilder und Informationen für den Straßenbahn- und Eisenbahnfreund (in German). Hans und Brigitte Männel. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. "Utrecht Trams Holland". The Aylesbury News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  10. "Autobussen Website". autobussenwebsite.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. "The Mulhouse Citadis tram visits Utrecht" (in Dutch). Alstom Transport. 24 September 2007. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  12. "Persbericht: "Planontwikkeling westzijde Stationsgebied kan verder"". utrecht.nl (in Dutch). City of Utrecht. 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  13. "Qbuzz wins Utrecht sneltram concession". Railway Gazette International. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  14. "Hele maandag geen trams door vertraging werk Westplein". rtvutrecht.nl (in Dutch). RTV Utrecht. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  15. Zasiadko, Mykola (8 May 2019). "BAM to prepare Utrecht tracks for Urbos trams". RailTech. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  16. "Utrecht shooting: 'One dead' as man opens fire in tram". BBC News. 18 March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  17. "Nieuwe Tramremise Nieuwegein officieel in gebruik genomen". Province of Utrecht (in Dutch). 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.}
  18. "De laatste kilometers van buslijn 12". DUIC.nl (in Dutch). 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  19. "Tram 22 rijdt vaker" (in Dutch). Regiotram Utrecht. 28 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  20. "Tram 22 rijdt voorlopig niet meer" (in Dutch). Regiotram Utrecht. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  21. "Tram 22 Rijdt Opnieuw In De Spits" (in Dutch). Regiotram Utrecht. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  22. "Vernieuwing trambaan in IJsselstein en Nieuwegein" (in Dutch). RegioTram Utrecht. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. "Het Materieel/De Tram". Regiotram Utrecht (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  24. "Opnieuw uitstel maar geen afstel voor Weense trams". AD (in Dutch). 12 December 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  25. "Opnieuw uitstel maar geen afstel voor Weense trams". Treinreisigers.nl (in Dutch). 13 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014.
  26. "Sein op Groen voor Vernieuwing Tramsysteem". Regiotram Utrecht (in Dutch). 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.}
  27. "Tramremise Produceert Duurzame Stroom" (in Dutch). Regiotram Utrecht. 23 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.

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