Sanjoy Sen: Getting public transport back on track

Sanjoy Sen is a chemical engineer. He contested Alyn and Deeside in the 2019 general election.

If you like your transport on rails, Derbyshire’s your place. Derby will (eventually) be home to the bright, state-owned future that is Great British Railways. Or you can wallow in nostalgia at the National Tramway Museum. Meanwhile, the Alstom factory churns out global orders including a recent major contract for the Cairo monorail.

But when the Conservative council leader proposed a network for Derby, the response was far from enthusiastic. It was a bold move, for sure: whilst monorail mania sweeps Asia, they’re more of a theme park novelty in the west. But there is a much wider trust issue here. It seems the British public have lost faith that governments can deliver decent public transport for their cities.

Once upon a time, the Conservatives were actually pretty serious about all this. The Manchester Metrolink and the Sheffield Supertram opened in the early nineties with further tram schemes (Birmingham, Croydon, Nottingham) well under way by the time John Major left office. By contrast, the Blair adminstration’s main (non-)achievement was to bin the Leeds scheme, leaving it Europe’s largest city without mass-transit. We ought to be relieved therefore that Rachel Reeves is following through on Sunak’s commitments, pledging £15 billion from Bristol to Newcastle.

As we’re about to see, trams can be an attractive option. But there are often better value alternatives out there. With public transport development stalled for a generation, let’s explore how we might get back on track (sorry).

Folks like me in rural areas and small towns are mostly car-dependent and staying that way. (Until self-driving robo-taxis and buses become a thing, presumably.) But our cities, specifically our cities not called London, often trail their continental equivalents in public transport provision. And that needs to change.

Back in the nineties, new trams weren’t about chasing votes in the inner cities. And right now, backing public transport isn’t all eco-posturing – although improving air quality is a major benefit in itself. Nor is it socialism on wheels. Cutting congestion is good for workers and good for business. And better connectivity drives investment. Most importantly, improved transport brings new opportunities to deprived areas. You can’t have social mobility without mobility.

Urban public transport can be hugely positive. But you gotta get it right.

Ealing comedies aren’t generally the most academically-rigorous references. But the 1953 Titfield Thunderbolt captured the thinking at the time: buses would be cheaper and more flexible than loss-making branch rail lines. Since then, however, car ownership has sky-rocketed. And buses have become a poor relation mostly used by those with no alternative. Post COVID, major players have cut routes and smaller operators have gone under.

The Johnson administration sought to address these challenges via the 2021 ‘Bus Back Better’ national strategy. Via Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), quality services are now tempting commuters away from trains and even out of their cars: Harrogate, Brighton, Stevenage. And new electric buses have been funded via the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme (ZEBRA).

Sadly, the traditional bus just doesn’t always cut it. Whilst many drivers won’t ditch their cars for a bus, they’re happier to embrace rail-based transport. Part of the attraction of trams is pretty objective: speed, accessibility, capacity. But there are other, less tangible factors at play also. The public seems to view infrastructure investment (rails, wires) as a long-term commitment to a frequent, reliable service – unlike an easily-withdrawn bus route.

Trams also offer the opportunity to bring nearby cities together as on the continent: the Dutch Randstad and the German Rhine-Ruhr effectively operate as single units thanks to integrated networks. With the East Midlands Combined Authority in place, Reeves’ announcement included a Derby-Nottingham tram link. With the two cities already well connected, this feels somewhat low priority (especially with local bypasses still needing investment) but it might nevertheless prove a blueprint for regional integration.

Given the popularity of current tram systems, there’s certainly a case to be made for more. But note the pitfalls. The UK’s systems were years in planning with construction disruptive and budgets blown. And whilst trams have proliferated across Europe and North America some have dubious economic benefit and poor implementation. Also beware the ‘gadgetbahn’: unworkable high-tech ‘solutions’ such as France’s short-lived Translohr.

There can be a way of getting the best of both worlds.

‘London style’ solutions for smaller populations can be unworkable. But there are alternatives out there, dispensing with rails altogether or deploying them cheaper.

Belfast’s Glider Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system delivers a high-frequency, high-capacity service via articulated (bendy) buses on dedicated lanes. Where rail isn’t economic, an alternative could be BRT, possibly as a trolleybus. Whilst long gone from British streets, a trolleybuses remain popular worldwide with charging technology improving and lifetime costs potentially lower than battery electric buses.

When rail economics proved unattractive, Cambridgeshire built the world’s longest guided busway. Although delays and contractual wrangling led to the ‘mis-guided bus’ jibe, ridership continues to rise. And there could soon be a cheaper British alternative: Coventry is currently trialing Very Light Rail (VLR). If successful, this could deliver a tram-like solution at much reduced capital cost per mile by reducing excavation depth and eliminating buried utility diversions.

Enough of the tech. It’s often the ‘real world’ experience that drives the success (or otherwise) of transport networks.

The Netherlands and Switzerland, noted for their excellent public transport, actually have slightly higher per capita rates of car ownership than the UK. But folks there have options: decent public transport for certain journeys, driving for others. To achieve the same in the UK, we need to start joining up our networks (bus, tram, train) via clear signage and through ticketing. Plus extensive park-and-ride facilities as an alternative to city centre congestion and pricey parking.

Taking the high ground in your SUV, you’re the master of your own destiny, setting the temperature and music just as you like it. Sadly, public transport is increasingly plagued by inconsiderate behaviour: even the easy-going Lib Dems now demand hefty punishments for “headphone dodgers”. And even the slickest new system is unattractive if you don’t feel safe on board or at the stop. Worldwide evidence shows the main barriers to public transport are often crime and anti-social behaviour. That’s something else we used to be better at tackling.

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