Dystopia of the trackless tram: fine dust pollution in the guise of revolutionary local transport
It sounds like the forward-looking answer to urban transport problems: The first trackless tram in Australia. However, if you take a closer look at the facts, it quickly becomes clear that this is not the hoped-for revolution in local transport, but rather harbours a potential environmental problem.
A railway gliding over the road that is not tied to rails and does not ruin the streetscape with overhead lines. It transports many people at the same time and can share the road with other road users. Positive all round, isn't it?
The main problem is that the trams are heavy. Very heavy. With a length of 30 metres and a capacity of up to 150 passengers, the tram exerts an enormous amount of weight on the asphalt. This leads to increased wear on the road surface and thus to the release of fine dust particles. These invisible particles, which are smaller than 2.5 micrometres, enter the respiratory tract and can have serious health consequences, including cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
But this is just the beginning. The trams require specially trained drivers and maintenance technicians. This leads to further costs and additional training. So far, there is no information on how many additional jobs would have to be created by the project and whether these jobs are secure in the long term.
In addition, the infrastructure for trackless trams is not yet sufficiently developed. The lane keeping is realised by sensors on the road, which requires additional measures to install and maintain these sensors. This means that additional resources are needed to keep the tram running. And is this lane keeping even safe? Is the technology fully developed, or is it a danger to other road users?
The lack of an overhead line is another problem. The trains are electrically powered and can also use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity. But where does the electricity come from? How is hydrogen production realised? What impact will this have on the environment, the electricity market and prices?
At first glance, trackless trams may appear to be an attractive solution to traffic problems in large cities. However, a closer look reveals that this mode of transport harbours a number of challenges. The fine dust pollution caused by the weight of the trains and the lack of infrastructure are just two of the many problems that need to be solved before trackless trams can be considered a sustainable and future-proof transport solution.
It remains to be seen how the test phase in Perth goes and whether the authorities are prepared to take the necessary measures to minimise the environmental impact. Until then, we should be careful before we celebrate trackless trams as the salvation of urban transport. Because the reality could look far less rosy.