Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Post

LUAS is 20... Well, that makes me feel my age! Being part of such a transformative project is a rare opportunity. After walking the streets, assessing route options with Gordon Rendall in the early days of this project, it has been a joy to see generations of my family benefiting. LUAS has made Dublin a better, more sustainable place supporting continuous growth. Long-term investment and commitment yield substantial results. Let's strive for more projects like this! #AECOM #Transportplanning #Longterminvestment#lightrail Check out the full benefits report here: [Link to the LUAS 20 Benefits Report]

Transport for (South East) Wales? When plans were first announced for the South Wales Metro I got very excited. Mainly because this is the map which popped into my head. I immediately began to imagine that we might start to see significant sections of this extensive rail network re-merging across the South Wales valleys. O.K. admittedly I didn't expect to be able to travel from my home in Pontypridd to Brecon again any time soon, but I did start to think that I might be able to jump on a train across the heads of the valleys for a day out to Abergavenny, without needing to change trains in Cardiff, in my lifetime. Much like the rapid proliferation of hydro schemes to support the running of industrial machinery, the once extensive rail transport network of South Wales wasn't built to carry passengers, but to support the rapid industrial growth of the region for shareholding investors. It was built under highly competitive circumstances, with little thought to overall efficiency, on the vast profits generated by iron, coal and other resource intensive industries. And whilst the opportunity to maximise income by carrying passengers was soon realised, this wasn't why the network was built. This network was sustained for as long as we needed what those vital industries delivered the UK economy. But when those extractive industries left, they took with them the income required to sustain such a network. And the public purse eventually had to pick up the bill. Following the Beeching review the then Transport Minister Earnst Marples took the decision to dismantle this 'inefficient' transport infrastructure, at huge public expense, and replace it with roads. Cars and buses would move people from A-B far more efficiently, and provide investors with a great return. Instead of leaving us with a legacy infrastructure for efficient rapid mass transit we were instead left with a legacy infrastructure that has left most people almost completely dependent on cars or inefficient, expensive buses. This presents the South Wales Valleys with a huge sustainable transport challenge. Reinstating enough of this network to meet such a challenge is likely to be hugely disruptive and costly. Yet if we want people to give up their cars for sustainable travel options, then we need a system of efficient affordable mass transit running up, down, and across the region and beyond. And that will require public decision making for public infrastructure projects to be made on a very different understanding of 'best value' than the one that led to the green lighting of HS2. Thankfully in Wales we're starting to see just this kind of thinking beginning to determine transport policy. And who knows, maybe one day my children will be able to enjoy a day trip by rail to Aberhonddu, Abergavenny or Pontneddfechan once again. And in the meantime at least we'll be able to enjoy quicker and more frequent journeys up and down what remains of the South Wales Valleys lines.

Europe is trying to build a resilient low emission transport network. Roads and airports are part of this, but rail and shipping links feature as a core part of the program. In most European cities cycling networks are being improved. Contrast this with New Zealand. It is now primarily about roads and airports – including new roads that take one to the planes. Gone are any ideas of building light rail. A project to bring in modern, low emission, ferries with excellent onshore supporting infrastructure, is paused. Commentators talk of rail, in whatever form, heavy or light, for passengers or freight, as being a ‘romantic’ idea. Those who promote rail are not looking back to some past romantic era of steam. They look at places such as China, Spain, Switzerland, even the United States that have been investing in rail. We look to countries with similar GDP and population sizes, such as Finland. Rail that, in these countries, uses efficient fast, extremely low emission, modern electric trains. Trains that can take freight off roads, making them safer and reducing potholes, and provide mobility to those who are unable to drive or choose not to. Trains that can form the backbone of sustainable tourism. We look to the future, not the past.

HITRANS, the Regional Transport Partnership for the Highlands and Islands, are seeking the views of the public on their new draft Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) which sets out a 20-year vision for transport improvements in the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and the Argyll and Bute local authority areas. The statutory eight-week consultation period begins Friday 19 April 2024 and runs until Friday 14 June 2024 during which time the public is invited to comment on the Strategy and associated policies by completing a survey on the material provided HITRANS Regional Transport Strategy - https://lnkd.in/evNEkYgJ The Draft RTS has identified 11 themes with each containing a set of policies to address the transport challenges and problems in the Highlands and Islands. The final Strategy will provide the strategic framework for the development of transport in the region. It is necessarily a comprehensive document which must be relevant to both immediate issues but also those medium to longer term challenges that will take many years to address. Following the review of the public consultation, HITRANS will seek Ministerial approval of the finalised Regional Transport Strategy, at which point they will also publish a Delivery Plan that will set out their priorities for implementing the Strategy. The six objectives of the strategy are to:- • Make a just transition to a post-carbon and more environmentally sustainable transport network; • Transform and provide safe and accessible connections between and within our city, towns and villages to enable walking, wheeling and cycling for all; • Widen access to public and shared transport and improve connectivity within and from/to the region; • Improve the quality and integration of public and shared transport within and from/to the region; • Ensure reliable, resilient, affordable and sustainable connectivity for all from/to our island, peninsular and remote communities; • Improve the efficiency, safety and resilience of our transport networks for people and freight and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Ranald Robertson, Director of HITRANS, said: “Consulting with the public is the vitally important final stage of updating the Regional Transport Strategy, which guides our priorities for action and spending and lies at the heart of what we aim to achieve and deliver for the communities we serve. “The strategy reflects national policy and legislation but at the same time reflects the very distinctive character of our region. We encourage as many people as possible to have their say.” An online StoryMap sets out an overview of the RTS development process; a summary of the RTS vision and strategy objectives, themes and policies; the draft RTS and supporting documents and a survey on the material presented. Hard copies of the documentation can be inspected or are available from HITRANS Office, Inverness Town House, 1 High Street, Inverness IV11JJ.

Have your say on HITRANS draft Regional Transport Strategy. Transport can be enabler, and a multi dimensional approach is required, providing services and opportunities closer to people so they don’t always need to travel or travel so far; providing transport that is accessible and enables folk to participate well in economic activity, for health and for leisure and sport purposes etc. The RTS is particularly important for isles and remote and rural places, which face unique challenges in terms of accessibility and connectivity. Ensuring that the strategy adequately addresses needs and opportunities for isles and remote and rural areas is essential for promoting economic development, social inclusion, and overall quality of life.

The quest for a sustainable and integrated public transport sector in South Africa continues to face significant challenges. Misalignment of transport and mobility policies, disparate funding models, ageing infrastructure and resources are primarily self-created barriers to developing effective transportation networks. Read our latest blog article here: https://lnkd.in/dvZMMEUn #Unitrans #PublicTransport #SustainableSolutions

Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland´s new public transport plan is out for public consultation. Over 1,300 Aucklanders have already given feedback on the new Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). With transport making up around 39% of Aotearoa’s CO2 emissions, public transport is an integral part of an effective response to the climate crisis. All successful cities around the world have at least one thing in common: a high-quality, efficient, and reliable public transport system. Our city needs significant and continued investment in public transport infrastructure and services if it is to succeed. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with AT to help deliver this important project. Strategic, long-term planning is not easy, particularly when we need to deal with immediate issues and emergencies. But it´s crucial that we plan for the future now, and that we get it right. Our future depends on it! This plan sets out significant improvements to Auckland´s public transport system over the next 8 years which will help the city to move towards a low-carbon future. Some of the key outcomes expected by 2031 from this plan include: ·        Transition to a low-carbon PT system with over 1,000 buses (75% of the fleet) producing no tail pipe emissions by 2031, electric ferries in operation on several routes by 2025 and electric trains extended to Pukekohe by 2026. ·        An increase from 70 million to 150 million annual passenger boardings. ·        Circa 60% of the Auckland population living within walking distance of a frequent transit service (right now it’s circa 40%). ·        More evening trips on key routes. ·        Lifting the amount of people with access to frequent services in socially deprived areas from 45% to 57%.  This draft RPTP is deliberately crafted as a fundable and funded plan, rather than an aspirational wish list. But as noted by AT in the plan, a lot more is needed, and public transport can´t do it alone. We need to pull every lever possible if we are to achieve good transport outcomes and meet our climate targets. You still have until 17 August to have your say. Help us shape the future! https://at.govt.nz/RPTP

Enroute's latest blog - Bristol Mass Transport: An alternative vision - from our transport analyst Jacob Cook has made the press! In light of the coverage Jacob stated: "Since I first heard about Bristol potentially getting a mass transit system, it’s always been a subject that’s interested me. I’ve been to lots of cities around Europe and had a look at even more cities around the world. "How can we have a mass transit system that takes inspiration from a few different cities around the world? The hope its that this blog will also suggest potential alternatives that will benefit the average Bristolian on social exclusion, for example, bringing a lot more areas closer to the city centre". See the full news story by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4af3A0x To read the full blog and for more on Enroute, and its work, go to: https://enroutecic.com/ #sustainabletransport #Bristoltransport #transportnetworks

How much do we know about the UK transport infrastructure of the future? What will the most important differences be from the transport networks we see today? Could transport hubs by the keys that unlock regeneration and growth? Find out more in our article: https://zurl.co/zN7a #ConstructionIndustry #Infrastructure #TransportInfrastructure #TransportationIndustry

🚀 Exciting News in European Transport Infrastructure! This week the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have successfully reached a groundbreaking agreement on the regulation underpinning the trans-European transport network (TEN-T): 🌿 Incentives for #sustainable transport modes 🚍🚲🚶♂️and enhanced #multimodality 🛫🤝🚅 Major #airports to connect via long-distance #rail by 2040 🎯 430 major #cities to develop #SUMP More information here: https://lnkd.in/d5qf2X8F 🏙️ Many of our 𝖫𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖢𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌 at EIT Urban Mobility serve as nodes on the TEN-T network, and we are committed to assisting them in overcoming challenges and maximizing the benefits of this revised transport network. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a more #interconnected and #efficient European #transport system!