Areas of application of novel transport systems between bus and train

Abstract

The dissertation deals with system developments and applications of novel transport systems between regular bus services and streetcars, which are to be used in inner-city traffic areas. Transport systems between bus and tram can be described as low-floor and high-capacity vehicles on the basis of modern bus technology, which are used preferentially on high-quality developed dedicated routes. Investigation results and findings on these transport systems are only available to a very limited extent so far. For this reason, a comprehensive picture of the advantages and disadvantages is being compiled. The research work is also intended as a decision-making aid for new planning.An important component of this work is a higher-level classification of the vehicle concepts between bus and rail, then a comprehensive vehicle- and track-side investigation is carried out, whereby the operational readiness is critically examined on the basis of the technical and economic feasibility of the individual vehicle- and track-side system components - these are vehicle and drive concept, components such as transverse guidance, power supply, electronic tiller and track designs. In addition, the path taken by individual cities is presented and their system implementations are used to illustrate the traffic planning performance spectrum of transport systems between bus and rail. Transportation planning application and design parameters are derived. Since a complex decision such as the selection of a transportation system per se is neither generally valid nor expressible in "measure and number", the performance spectrum of these vehicle types is compared in a planning guideline that includes system-specific, operational, urban planning and economic aspects. The more extensive process of determining suitability presupposes that the objectives of the entire municipality, the compatibility of use and the operating program must be known in advance for each individual case. It can be stated that the transport systems between bus and rail create an extended choice of transport and increase the economic efficiency of the construction and operating costs. The planning approach of a new tramway system would therefore be to be avoided from an economic point of view as long as it allows the handling of the passenger volume. However, this requires the determined use of modern planning, design and operational knowledge in the use of a bus-oriented transport system, particularly in the area of urban integration of a dedicated route and in the provision of a high-quality service.

This Abstract was translated from German with deepL and could be faulty.