Isn’t it much cheaper to just have buses? Then you can break out the tram tracks (so that they no longer have to be maintained), break off the electricity cables (if still present) and break off some turning loops and tram stops. The money and the space that is released can go to extra buses and possibly bus stops. Or do trams have an advantage over buses that I am not aware of?
Answer
The existence of trams actually dates from the time when the train already existed (tram is a railway vehicle just like the train), but the car did not yet (around the turn of the century). From the 1960s, the tram has systematically declined in the cities in favor of buses, because of the advantages you list. But now the tram is gaining ground again, because of some specific advantages that are now becoming important again:
– no air pollution IN the city (think of the smelly diesels from the buses)
– comfortable ride with the modern carriages
– easier to control
– image of the city in relation to residents
Answered by
Prof.dr.ir. Hendrik Van Landeghem
Industrial Management Operational Research
http://www.ugent.be
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