Non-Subscriber Extract
Executive Overview: Urban Transport Systems
By Mary Webb
22 February 2008
Jane's Urban Transport Systems (JUTS) covers many modes of transportation worldwide and also aims to provide coverage of developments in new, emerging and innovative transport solutions. Accordingly, I have drawn together a number of examples of recent developments and items of interest over as many of the subjects as possible in the following overview.
The issue of global warming is high on the political agenda and with this comes greater accountability by the rail and urban mass transit sector, with industry guidelines and regulations targeting energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is currently supporting a study that will estimate the overall benefit from public transportation in reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Based on early drafts of this research, the expectation is that CO2 emissions in the US can be reduced by between 30 and 40 million tons annually by 2050.
In the UK, Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan - A Five Year Vision for Britain's Railway - includes specific initiatives such as: a move to use renewable energy sources to power electric trains; introducing lightweight trains that are track- and environmentally-friendly; recovering, recycling or reusing at least 80 per cent of waste generated at offices, stations and depots; and a target to reduce the company's carbon footprint by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2014.
Another initiative is the training of train drivers to use economic and energy-saving driving techniques.
A further example of transit planning in this respect was the announcement in January 2008 of the British Columbia Provincial Transit Plan, which aims, among other goals, to reduce provincial transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 4.7 million tonnes cumulatively by 2020. Included in the CAD14 billion plan is a CAD1.6 billion investment in 1,500 new, clean-energy buses. In January 2008, Translink BC placed an order for 141 hybrid diesel/electric buses, with an option for an additional 110 buses, with Nova Bus, a subsidiary of Volvo Bus Corporation.
So, with thoughts on the future of the planet, companies are honing their green policy and signing up for a greater commitment to health, safety and the environment. Bombardier Transportation was the first vehicle manufacturer to subscribe to the Union Internationale des Transports Publics' (International Association of Public Transport's, UITP's) Sustainability Charter, created in 2004. According to the UITP, signatories are committed to implementing sustainability principles in their organisations, fostering leadership through stakeholder dialogue, influencing government policy to develop a balance between social, environmental and business considerations, facilitating training and mentoring, and adhering to regular sustainability reporting.
Bombardier's lifecycle perspective has a main objective which is to offer vehicles and services that are sustainable with reduced environmental impact.
ALSTOM's concept for reducing environmental impact across the whole lifetime spans many aspects, from manufacturing to recycling, with its new environmentally friendly Coradia Lirex commuter train, which it claims is 98 per cent recyclable. The train is equipped with an energy-optimised traction system and is reported to use 10 times less energy than a car and five-times less than a bus. Also improved are both internal and external noise emissions, which have been reduced by 10 decibel (dB). This has been managed by the integration of rubber components and air suspension in the bogies and noise-absorbing materials being used on board.