Why spend only RM4 million on trams when you can spend billions on mega projects
The old tram tracks of George Town, freshly uncovered and preserved on Penang Road. Getting a basic tram service up and running will cost only RM4 million, says a consultant.
George Town once had a remarkable public transport system. It had these fascinating trams, which were affordable and people friendly.
Cities across the world, especially heritage cities, have found trams to be a cost-effective and reliable mode of transport. Some of the trams look really futuristic like those in Nottingham (please click this link to see what a modern tram looks like). Others blend in easily with the historical backdrop like some of those in Milan. Then there are variations such as the O-bahn in Adelaide.
Who says trams are old fashioned. This is a modern tram in Istanbul:
Now, imagine if we had this on the streets of Penang. The major advantage of trams is that they stop at street level, making it more accessible for passengers to hop on and off. Trams are suitable even in cities with narrow streets.
The Penang state government should speak to tram expert Ric Francis, who has been passionately advocating trams in Penang instead of a monorail. I attended a talk by Ric once and he was telling us how easy and inexpensive it was to get a tram system going in George Town. When the Jelutong Expressway was being constructed, he said it would be so easy to incorporate tram tracks along the highway.
It’s a real pity that no one who mattered was interested in listening to Ric. I wonder why - but then again, why build an inexpensive RM4 million tram system when you can spend billions building a monorail or a subway system. You know-lah why they like all those mega projects…
The Star
Thursday, 9 November 2006
by Emmeline Tan
Bring back trams
Keep the monorail out of George Town and bring back the trams for the sake of the environment and heritage.
Engineer Ric Francis, who has been in the tram industry for 38 years, said there were many pitfalls to the proposed RM1.2bil monorail system that would connect the entire Penang island.
“Once the huge monorail structures are built in George Town, the heritage buildings will be totally eclipsed.
“Trams on the other hand, provide a nice, quiet, scenic journey,” said Francis, co-author of Penang Trams, Trolleybuses and Railways – Municipal Transport History 1880s-1963.
COLONIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM:Francis showing his book on Penang trams.
Giving a lecture at the Penang Heritage Trust at Church Street recently, Francis said George Town Municipal electrical trams used from 1905 to 1936 reaped high profits until World War I when the supply of replacement parts was hampered.
He estimated that less than RM3.8mil (US$1mil) was needed to get an electrical tram system up and running in George Town.
“Old tramlines such as from Prangin Mall to Weld Quay still exists underneath the bitumen road and can be restored for use,” he said.
A 50m tramline was unearthed at the Chulia Street-Penang Road junction in 2004 during road works and was preserved by the Penang Municipal Council.
“There are many second- hand trams in other countries that are for purchase.”
Existing street poles could be used to support the one-cable electrical wiring for trams, he added.
“Trams are pollution-free and are being used in cities with narrow roads such as Amsterdam and Lisbon.
“There would not be the high cost of diesel to pay, and very little maintenance of parts compared to buses.”
To me, a tram system is much more cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing than a monorail network, especially for a heritage city like George Town and surrounding areas and even in Butterworth and Prai. The tram system could link up to a cross-channel light rail service alongside the Penang Bridge. Together with an expanded ferry service, an improved bus system, safe cycling paths and more pedestrian walkways, trams could transform Penang into a model city for sustainable public transport, besides enhancing George Town’s heritage setting and its quality of life.
Let me sign off with a lovely song (’Peace Train’) by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), who was inspired to write this while on a train.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjSHazjrWg&hl=en&rel=0]
- Old tram railtrack unearthed along Penang Road
- Trams to make a comeback in Penang?
- Time to bring back the trams
- Milan and Penang: Trams vs Monorail/PORR/PGCC
- Would you like to see this in your city?
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We’ll said bro,
I appoint you as my rep in Penang on this environment & transport issue. Hope more will do the same. Maybe we can set up an online petition thing with email for verfication. For this time, I know we have Guan Eng, whom is a People’s Champion. That’s on the people’s side.
For Science, get Experts called in asap to conduct proper research & cone up with what’s best, supported by evidence.
Cheers
I dont know why BN since 50 year ago doesnt like train alike transportation. except in Klang Valley.
most of all railways in Malaysia was build by british.
Dear Freedom Fighters, both Online & Offline…
I have been supporting the boycott the newspapers initiative for sometime & I have done my push & pull marketing rather we’ll around my circle of family, friends & contacts. A few have stopped buying, some don’t already. A lot whom still want to purchase the papers, I passed on the info - which was the worst in all mediums & urged them to switch to the least worst. For English papers, the worst was the The Star (Spinning & BN coverage). Data can be found on the People’s Parliament.
Now, the story. I have noticed that some, are still purchasing the newspapers, especially “The Star” every now & then, especially on Saturday’s for… “The Recruitment Section!”
So, I urge all those whom support this cause to pass the word. Only get your recruitment information online. Do not purchase the msm & even browse through it.
PR & others (mid-long term effort), get more beginner computer classes up. Teaching people to use the comp, get the news, browse & apply for jobs, using the email, etc. Keep the fees very low, give it free to the very poor, catch the young, educate! PR, set up a IT centre in the poor areas, with news printed out & pasted there regularly. Put up a few PCs with internet connections for the poor to share & use for free during office hours.
Check out MT article “My Version of the Truth” by RPK, for some related info.
Thanks, please pass the word!
It seems to me a bit fishy that price tag. Just $4 million?
I don’t believe that second-hand trams are that cheap! Anyways, in order to have an efficient tram system, is it enough using the same old tracks or do we have to invest in new ones…
Anyways, it’s quite cheap nevertheless, according to this link
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-110728270.html
Bombardier supplies 12 of the trams that are used in Adelaide (and very modern) for US47.6 million. Note however, this is simply the cost of purchasing the trams, but what about the installation of the system? The electrification of the tram system? The cost of building the tram stations? And of course the cost of marketing the product!
All these things need to be considered in the cost so US$1 million is definitely fishy to me.. better check out the facts before saying anything!
Hey! My gramps was a Tram Driver in the old days in Penang! I still have his pic with the really smart uniform on. Anil, it would be great to have it back on Penang streets.
I would definitely move my business back to Penang in that case.
I am enthusiastic by this idea.
to,
anil,
As you said,correct.MORE MEGA THE PROJECT THE MOVE COMMISSION BARISAN (ALLEGEDLY) MAKE.why waste their time when small money involve.
YOU STILL DESERVED THE 10% COMMISSSION WHENEVER YOU SAVE THE TAX PAYER MONEY.I AM HOPING FOR YOU ANIL ALTHOU YOU DOING THIS IN GOOD FAITH TO MALAYSIAN.
I remember there was a Tram line also in Kuala Lumpur along the Mounbatten Road with a Robinson’s shop !
And a good local train from Ampang ending at Petaling Street.
In many modern developed cuntries Trams and Trolley buses still ply the urban areas and they make more sense to reduce PERSONAL car with just single occupancy rides!
yeah i agree penang should bring back the tram.
i know ric personally and had attended one of his talk too. he was in penang a couple of times already talking about trams. he was invited by the council (all expenses paid!), it seemed to give the last talk i attended at the penang heritage trust office.
say this just came into my mind. the penang government had said they will pick reps from NGOs in the council - how about we propose your name, anil?
Dear Anil,
It was an eye opener for the history to come alive in Penang.Most of tourist would prefer to see the trams in Penang and the economy will boom by this simple transport system and the cost is only $4M.
Wonder how many tourist did we get by sending malaysian to space??????.Hope CM Lim Guan Heng can digest the above and do the needful for the Penagites.
Anil
Another great point. I have always believed that anything the LRT or monorail can do, the tram can also do…and it would be faster, better, and cheaper.
With the use of tram technology we can turn Malaysia’s cities into places where public transport actually works for the interests of the people.
All that is needed is the political will.
Anytime you need info, please let me know. Also, please invite your readers to send their views, opinions and ideas about public transportation to transportkini@gmail.com
Cheers, mya
The biggest problem with trams is that it uses road real estate for it operation and at the same time cannot travel at nearly the same speeds as road vehicles.
The probable result? Driver frustration with slow-moving trams.
cheers
Of course, I hasten to add, better public transportation would reduce car numbers, but would the trams have the capacity to achieve enough reduction?
Great idea but needs more thoughts into it. Narrow Penang roads requiring expansion in many areas for it to be implemented, snail speed holding up traffic. In many cities overseas, the trams are used in downtown districts and short distnces. Now, how is this going to help traffic dispersion in the fringes of Georgetown eg Green Lane/Scotland Road, Coastal Highways, Gurney Drive, Air Itam.
Anil
Yes, it would merit a study on the tram system as an inner urban transportation systtem for Penang (both the island and Seberang Perai), even in cities like Ipoh, Melaka, etc.
It is not without its cost but as long as it can bring down traffic jam while promoting mobility, it is worth considering.
(Certain parties) will not implement any project that (they) can’t make money themselves. If the project is RM 4 millions, the maximum the … can make is 4 mil. With proposing the RM 1.2 billions project, the … can at least make RM 500 mils. If (we) regards them as stupid…, they aren’t stupid when come to how much money they can “rape” from the Rakyat.
As for Moaz Yusuf Ahmad,
That’s the point, in the urban area, how fast is a car can speed?
No additional real estate required, just use the existing road infra.
The public transportation have priority over others road users, except the pedestrians.
The point is….to force more people to use public transportation.
Apparently, cost-effective studies were not part of the previous Penang government procedures in approving projects. Penangites make the correct choice this time.
Penang should shift its development to the mainland Penang. Penang Island is too congested now.
sorry correction,
how fast car a car speed?
Anil,
I’ve been reading your pieces for some time now, and it has certainly evolved quite a bit from the “tame” days.
Anyway, if the tram were to make a comeback to Penang, it would be nothing short of a phenomenal development.
It would lend Penang the color & character that it has been stripped of in the past 25yrs.
But to say that it would cost RM4 million …. I don’t think so, mate - but definitely will be much more cost effective and functional than the over-rated “high-tech” proposals we have had thus far from many brainiacs.
Push for it Anil ….
The Penang Govt should into this possibility. I was in Istanbul, where people use trams rather than taxis and cars.
on the contrary, istanbul trams are speedy unlike old fashion ones. i’ve been there but didn’t have the chance to ride it. and ppl wit neckties and suits rode them.
I love Hong Kong with its trams, buses & taxis, especially the “old” trams which are full of character. They’re also touristy ! What’s the current Chief Minister waiting for if it’s only around RM 4 million just to set up the tram lines cum system ? Of course there’ll be more millions required to acquire the physical trams BUT the expenditure would be far less than that of a monorail’s !
My suggestion is to follow what San Fransisco is having… trams that is not modern can also be a tourist attraction.
Problem… role as a public transport vs tourist attraction…
Maybe we can have a mix between monorail and tram running in the same time and complete one another….
To Billy Yap
I have always supported the tram option because it:
*has the same or similar capacity to LRT (for the longer trains)
*can be used at street level, elevated, underground
*can operate in mixed traffic or exclusive lanes
*has more frequent stops than LRT which encourages users
*costs less per km than LRT/monorail because there is little need for elevated stations, lifts, staircases, etc.
*has a lower cost which means we can spend the same money and build more lines
*gives us far more options (more than 20 companies producing trams) than monorail (3 companies)…which means lower overall costs.
cheers, mya
I have been to Amsterdam, Helsinki, Brussels, Rome, Manchester and some cities in Germany, where trams are used very efficiently. They are cheap, accommodate more passengers than buses, and eco friendly. People prefer to use these than cars, because their network is extensive, going to almost every part of the cities.
I was impressed, and wondered why Malaysia had not come up with such a solution.
Enjoyed the piece abt the trams. I remember travelling on the trolley buses in the early 60s. They were pollution free and they were on time. I sokong the move to bring back the trams. Try to convince the state govt to move in this direction and abandon the dependence on the federal govt to solve the bus problem.
Oh yes I enjoyed the song. I have always been a fan of the Cat. Glad he has come back. I have his latest “Another Cup” by Yusuf. Beautiful songs.
The photo only shows 1 track and if there are 2 tracks, it will take up a major portion of Penang Road.
Penang is ideal for trams because the land is quite flat and it cuts down the petrol pollution. Why not have the park and ride? The price of the car park just outside the fringes to include return public tranport ride and impose higher parking charges in the CBD Area and up to 7pm to cut down the number of cars in the CBD Area
hey guys….
WHETHER its trams, taxis, buses, monorails, monoaeroplanes… etc… . it will always be expensive…..
WHY?
becos direct NEGO mah…
1. Tram cost: 4 million ex factory
2. Tram transportation to penang: 500,000
3. Installation, workers etc: 300,000
4. Overheads and profits: 1 million
5. Kick back…: 5 million (he he more than tram cost)
5. Lobbyiest fee: 1 million…
get the picture?
figures are eggxample only.. the (actual) figures would be 10 times higher, he he he he
Bringing tram back to Penang is amateurish not substantiated with facts.
Please talk professional, not pure emotions.
Please consider:
- Trams takes up road space. There will be less space for other vehicles, hence worsening congestions.
- Please compare the capacity of trams vs LRT(15/dir/hr), Monorails (20,000/dir/hr), heavy rails (45,000/dir/hr). Due to the slow speed and conflicts in traffic, capacity of trams cannot even match buses.
- The RM4mil price tag is not only fishy. It is totally out of the world.
- Francis talks about Penang of the past. We need to build Penang for the future, our children and theirs too.
Get a good unbias consultant to do a study. Engage LTA of Singapore.
Check out some reliable source. eg, http://www.monorails.org. Plenty of information, technical and cost comparisons.
Transit Expert.
Trams takes up road space. There will be less space for other vehicles, hence worsening congestions.
As if monorail flies in the air!!!!!
Ivan Ho
We do not need sarcasm to build the new Malaysia.
We’d do better with knowledge, facts, and rationale debates.
Hi Anil,
I am not an expert in transit issues but my two cents worth on this tram matter. The City of Toronto (Canada) has four major thoroughfares with trams or street cars as they call it here.
They are majestic, beautiful and neat to see in operation. But, to maintain these trams and its tracts is something else.
You will need to do serious study trips to some of the cities that still operates trams before decisions are made. The 4 million Ringgit may buy 2 used trams built by Bombardier.
They are one costly beasts but majestic they are!
Transit Expert
Why not? You are a transit expert while I am not an engineer at all. But the fact is, you need to build the infrastructure for the monorail from the ground up. So you will still take up space on the road. Either way also takes up space on the road but the tram tracks are there already - use able or not I cannot say. If my knowledge is shallow I apologize.
oops…. i forgot to mention something else in my earlier comment. The number of bicyles and motorbikes on the streets of Penang simply doesn’t add up here. I mean road accidents that is going to shoot up thru the charts for these two wheelers, will be innumerable! Particularly, during rainy season they will fall like ten pins if they are on the wrong angle passing the tract.
If one reads the aforementioned book on Penang trams and trolleybuses, it’s stated Penang trams could not be sustained during the early 20th century due to poor track maintenance, clogging in track wells, and frequent derailments, which led to a switchover to trolleybuses during the 1920s, followed by diesel buses beginning the 1950s. If one compares the situation then with now, it’s really no different with the mentality in parts of the population. Not to say trams are a bad idea, but it’s something worth considering.
The Penang government should just do a feasibility study. Which they should publish publicly. Then everything will be clearer on which public transport is the best choice.
However, instead of talking about less space on the roads for cars, we should also think about trams as a solution to REDUCE cars on the roads. After all, what is the point of building millions of ringgit worth of public transport system if the whole point is not to give a different transport option to the public! With the cost of petrol going up, and the headaches of traffic jam, an EFFECTIVELY implemented tram network will be the preferred choice eventually.
Ijjaz on bicycles.
Do you know that Holland has more bicycles than people? And they also use trams extensively in Amsterdam. We should learn from the Dutch how to implement a safe cycle route for cyclists, whether with or without tram tracks.
Hmmm the thing they are doing digging up the tram rails have no significant meaning at all. Other then causing massive congestion during rush hours while they are “digging”.
It would make more sense if a tram is used other then using it as a “tourist attraction”. Its better we could ride on that old tram. Scrap the SUBWAY nonsense!! SCRAP THE MONORAIL!
Build the tram! bring it back.. should we start a petition on building a tram?
hi tzarina
I do agree Holland may have more bicycles than any other major cities in Europe.But, I don’t think they have more motorbikes per capita. The speed matters very much beside a trams track. As you have mentioned the Europeans have dedicated bicycle lanes for bicycles. This dedicated lanes were one reason bicycles became popular.
Yeah Yeoh, all things considered about the tram, I say let’s start a petition for it. What you say?
By the way Transit Expert, who are your clients?
Hi Anil,
here is something I wrote on the subject of Penang public transport. Keep in touch.
Cheers!
Wei Lian
http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_2bd8a63c-cb73c03a-a010ba00-4efb2817
read with huge relief recently that the new Penang state government had indicated that it would prefer a subway over a monorail to ease Georgetown’s traffic woes. When I was in Boston last year for a conference, I had expressed my concerns about building a monorial to former chief minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon but he was non-committal. While I had no chance to speak with new chief minister Lim Guan Eng, fortunately, the new Penang government seems to have realised what I told Koh - that above-ground rail transport will further disrupt the already distressed heritage environment of Georgetown.
Another concern is that a monorail is not suited to rapidly moving large numbers of people in a city environment. Compare for example, the capacity and speed of the monorail in KL, which is a light rail system to, say, the sleek subway system in Singapore or Hong Kong, which are considered heavy rail systems.
The KL Monorail is capable of handling 5,000 passengers per hour per direction with between 158 and 258 passengers per two-car train. The maximum speed is 80kph but the average speed is just 30kph. Hong Kong’s MTR, in contrast, can carry 2,500 passengers per train and 70,000 passengers per hour per direction on the Tsuen Wan Line. Singapore’s North East line is designed to carry 42,000 passengers per hour per direction.
In Bilbao, Spain, which closely resembles Georgetown in size and character, the metro train system is completely underground in the city’s heritage portion. As it does not face any building obstacles in its alignment, it can move in a more linear fashion unlike a monorail or above-ground rail transport, which has to trace a path along road meridiens, riverbanks, sidewalks or whatever limited open spaces are available. The underground stations, which were designed by celebrity architect Norman Foster, are also spacious unlike monorail stations that have to compete with pedestrian walkways for space above ground.
For people who have only moved to KL during the last decade, they may not realise the environmental cost of building the monorail. Many tall and leafy trees were chopped down along Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail to make way for the monorail, thus depriving this already hot city of much needed shade and greenery.
Subways are also better than monorails or LRTs in cities as huge concrete elevated guideways and pillars are not a pretty sight while partially blocking out the sky and potentially trapping noxious exhaust fumes and dust. Can you imagine civic-conscious cities like Paris or Barcelona slapping an above-ground railway across Champs Elysées or La Rambla? Well, that’s what happened in KL, where the LRT, with its imposing watermark streaked concrete pillars, slashes across heritage areas like Dataran Merdeka and Chinatown district.
Penang also has a valuable opportunity to plan public transport based on what’s best for the public and free it from political and business interference. Witness the commuting tragedy in KL where the monorail line terminates 100 metres from the KL Sentral station. Whenever I pass the area, I cringe at the sight of the commuters from KL Sentral, who usually include tourists and the visually impaired, having to cross a busy road to board the monorail.
Another example of poor planning is the Masjid Jamek interchange where to change from the Kelana Jaya LRT to the Ampang LRT line, one has to exit the underground station and then cross the road to access the Ampang LRT line, depending on where they are heading. It is even worse for commuters wanting to use public transport to go from KLCC to Bukit Bintang. They would have to take the Kelana Jaya LRT line in KLCC in a direction away from Bukit Bintang and then walk about five minutes to the nearest monorail station, which only then takes them to Bukit Bintang.
A more logical alignment would have been for the line to go from Central Market to Chinatown to Bukit Bintang and then KLCC. It could then continue its journey from there to Kampung Baru and onwards to Ampang. An interchange with the Ampang LRT would still be possible at the Hang Tuah or Plaza Rakyat station. Another glaring example of short-sighted planning is the existence of the usually deserted Abdullah Hukum station, which is near to, but inaccessible from, the high traffic Mid Valley commercial centre. Public transport should be centrally planned in a cohesive manner and not parceled out to well-connected companies. Hopefully, this will not be repeated in Penang.
Lastly, I hope Penang, KL and all cities in Malaysia will take the time to study the world’s best public transport systems before making their next move. I’ve tried the four oldest subway systems in the world (London, New York, Paris and Boston), newer ones like Bilbao, Vancouver and Washington DC as well as exemplary ones like Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
I’ve also taken the monorail in Sydney, Seattle and in theme parks like Sentosa Island, Singapore and Disney World. I still feel Barcelona is the one that has got it closest to perfect. You can go almost anywhere of importance in the city using the subway system without much hassle. The city has a mostly underground heavy rail train system with six lines and 123 stations. An impressive 29 interchanges make it a breeze to switch from one line to another. Each train can carry about 1,000 passengers and the lines can transport up to 60,000 passengers per hour per direction.
They are now building the longest, most advanced metro line in Europe, with 46 stations and a target capacity of 90 million passengers per year. As the system is mostly underground, expansion is not an issue. It was recognised by CityMayors.com, a site that promotes strong cities and good government, as one of the best metro systems in the world. Will we see Malaysia’s metro systems one day being ranked among the best in the world?
Hopefully, Penang will show the way.
Comments: feedback@bizedge.com
Transit Expert,
could you please e-mail me at:
weilian.lee@bizedge.com? I am a journalist with special interest in urban planning and transport.
Would love to exchange views with you.
This goes to all of you here who have expertise in public transport and urban planning.
Please e-mail me!
Thank you
Lee Wei Lian
Writer
The Edge
To Transit Expert:
I’d very much love to see a monorail that carries 20,000 passengers per direction per hour. Currently the best that we have in Malaysia is about 5,000 p/dir/hr in the KL Monorail. Sure, it ought to be able to carry about 20,000 p/dir/hr…so why isnt it doing?
Oh, and did you forget that the KL Monorail was built at a cost of about 2/3 that of the LRT. For that much money we should be getting much better transit, shouldnt we?
You point out that trams can carry 15/dir/hr which I take means 15,000. Well, 15,000 p/dir/hr at about 1/4 of the cost? That means that we can save money or build 4 lines instead of 1.
That sounds like a good thing, doesnt it?
People fear the loss of road space so much but they fail to understand that trams have the flexibility that monorail and LRT does not.
With trams we can move people around a city, quickly and comfortably. Instead of wasting precious urban space for parking, we can move people around using trams.
The other advantage of trams is that we can move people in and out of the city, just like LRT and Monorail. There are many tram designs that have capacity that is similar to the existing LRT, and well above the monorail trains.
Cheers, mya
Dear Anil,
was wondering if you could contact me? I would like to write a story based on this blog entry of yours. I did interview you last year for World Info Society Day - not sure if you remember me. However, I can’t locate your contact anymore.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Wei Lian
Looking so impressive I do not see why trams can’t be used on Penang streets. In fact trams would be better choice as it would not cause a lot of environmental destruction unlike its’ competitor.
I’m sure Penangites will say yes!
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