Possible Future Routes for Battery Powered Trams in Nottingham
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The over-engineered, slow, with poor route choice 'NET' operated by Tramlink Nottingham, has reported a pre-tax loss of £18.7m for the year to 31 March 2018 after making a loss of £48.5m in the prior 12 months.
The company, which is operating the Nottingham Express Transit until at least 20 March 2034, grew its turnover from £60.6m to £61.5m over the same period!
We would propose all future routes to be 'wire-free' and served by battery-powered trams.
The Cost and Possible New Routes
The cost of these route extensions are based upon the route mile cost of lines 2 and 3, although we would expect the cost to be lower due to the amount of separation between road and rail and also the possibility that trams could be battery powered (like the new trams in Seville, Spain) and that the requirements for overhead wires to be eliminated. Economies of scale would also be a factor. We have no data on the cost to install overlive wires on lines 2 and 3.
We call for immediate studies into new routes and the banning of construction on possible future routes of NET. This does not and should not cost tens of thousands or millions or take months or years. We have found many possible routes, without cost, most of which are greenfield or former track bed and seem to have more merit than the existing lines!
A detailed look at the area to the immediate north of Nottingham Station needs to be undertaken and an explanation of how a route would find its way to the East. When we look at Nottingham Station we see a bottleneck, that is going to get worse when construction starts adjacent to the existing tram line just north of Nottingham Station.
As for demolition of domestic properties, quite simply pay 150% the value, no negotiation, no appeals, just move out. All legal fees to be paid by the homeowner from the purchase price of their property. So when you tell people your home was demolished for the new tram lines, their reply might well be, 'you were lucky, I wish it was my house' and one line side who was unhappy could apply for the house to be bought at market value (pre-tram) simply for an appointed agent to resell at its maximum potential.
Note. Everyone leaves their home one day, either in a removal van or a hearse.
Net 5 'Mill Lakes'
via St Anns & Daybrook
Using some of the former Nottingham Suburban railway this line travels up through Nottingham with 22 stations connecting at Daybrook and at Mill Lakes
Net 6 'Arnold'
via Gedling & Mapperley
Travelling East out the City via the Racecourse, Colwick, Netherfield onto Gedling over Mapperley, cutting down alongside Vale Road to Daybrook and terminating at Arnold.
Net 7 'East Midlands'
via Clifton
A Seven mile extention to East Midlands Airport from the existing NET line to Clifton. This line requires no demolition and is 97% through green fields and connects Gotham and Kegworth.
Net 8 'Cotgrave'
via Gamston
Spuring off the Keyworth Line at Radcliffe Road this line travels along the former line of the Grantham canal into Gamston, over the A52 to Tollerton Airport and Cotgrave.
Net 9 'Keyworth'
via West Bridgford
Spuring away from the Clifton line south of Nottingham Station this line connects our two football clubs and Trent Bridge before heading through West Bridgford, Edwalton, Wheatcroft, Tollerton to Keyworth.
Net 10 'Basford'
via Hucknall Road
Emerging near the Forest Recreation Ground via the former Great Central tunnels this line travels up Hucknall Road connecting the City Hospital and onto Barlock road before connecting with the Hucknall line.
Extending the Toton lane terminus down to the proposed HS2 station at Toton. This line would also connect to the Derby line and the link to EMA from Toton
Net 12 'EMA'
via HS2
This is the link from HS2 to EMA primarly for the benefit of Derby line users and also an added benefit or route for the Nottingham network.
Net 13 'Giltbrook'
via Kimberley
Extending the line from Cinderhill to Giltbrook via Kimberley using the former Great Northern Railway track bed. Ilkeston now has it's own Heavy Rail station so no link is planned to Ilkeston
Construction
The vast majority of the routes are either built through fields or on the former track bed of various railways lines such as the Nottingham Suburban Railway and the Great Northern Railway. With the exception of the City line which travels along Hucknall Road and the Keyworth line which travel through West Bridgford. The West Bridgford route calls for the demolition of 4 properties. If the former rail route were adopted some 40 or more properties would be demolished, the disruption caused by laying tracks down roads would be minimised to the tram crossing over some roads such as Melton Road.
We want disruption during construction to be minimal, there would be no repeat of Beeston High Street. Construction along roads would require a mass deployment of workers and limited time frame, with the contractual requirement for the contractors to complete work with a few weeks and hopefully without the need for overhead wires!
The route would be built for higher overall line speeds with no sharp turns or corners that reduce the speed to a walking pace. (With the exception of the connection to the existing lines at Nottingham Midland). The average line speed of NET One is 14.3 mph! The vast majority of our plans is on a segregated network with some services running for long distances at speeds of 50-60 mph, a true express transit system! With lines that have been designed with a cant (also referred to as superelevation), it is the difference in elevation (height) between the two edges. This is normally done where the railway is curved; raising the outer rail or the outer edge of the rail providing a banked turn, thus allowing vehicles to manoeuvre through the curve at higher speeds than would otherwise be possible if the surface was flat or level.
An extensive network of shortcuts and pathways to the stations would also be created together with a mass campaign to encourage walking. It takes 5/6 minutes to walk 500 metres. Thousands of small signs would point towards stations with the distance in metres and the average walking time. An educational program for all schools could be made compulsory for all children and integrated into lessons such as maths, english and sciences.
Nottingham Parks and Recreation facilities would all become accessible as an ancillary benefit. Nottinghamshire Schools would gain a benefit, some of our larger schools are on route. NET trams can accommodate the average year group, with the two types of the tram being able to carry 181 and 202 passengers. Off-peak, the network could provide services to our schools with 'hired' tram are providing dedicated services.
Consideration would be needed with regards to tram stops near our schools providing passing loops or point arrangement’s that allow for regular services to run around with bi-directional travel. Additional services for major events would be provided, a consideration to free travel for all on Bank holidays. as a gift to the people of Nottinghamshire.
Theme days and events, in the same way, Blackpool run their vintage trams, Nottingham would do similar with replica trams (They might have to be Battery powered). Can you image Nottingham at night with these trams running, at the time of Goose Fair/Christmas/New Years in the Summer months?
Connected Parks & Sports Grounds
Colwick Country Park
Gedling Country Park
Woodthorpe Park
Arnot Hill Park
Burton Road Park
Bulwell Golf Course
Mill Lakes
Colwick Racecousre
City Ground
Meadow Lane
Trent Bridge
Attenborough Nature Reserve
The Routes - Interactive Map
Click here to expand out ↓
5
Sports Grounds
Stations
6
Country Park
Stations
70+
New Stations
51.2
New Route Miles
Contact Us
If you wish to offer your support to these plans, please use the form below. And before you start moaning, think about the next 100 years and how much larger Nottingham will become, it will not matter if all cars are electric, you'll just be stuck in a clean traffic jam. We want the lines to be built off road and with minimal disruption - do you have a better idea?