Summary: The fast tram is characterized by a significantly higher commercial speed (not lower than 24 km/h) compared to a conventional tram, which shortens passenger travel time. In December 2008, the first line of the Krakow Fast Tram (KST) was launched, which was intended to improve travel in the north-south direction.This was to be achieved through the use of modern low-floor rolling stock capable of reaching speeds of 70 km/h and through the introduction of a traffic control system implemented by the SIEMENS company, ensuring priority service for the fast tram at traffic lights. The paper presents the current state of the KST line, the traffic control system, and the results of travel time studies on the section between the Dauna and PK stops, conducted for both the conventional tram and the fast tram. A comparison of travel times for both directions provides an answer to the question of whether the fast tram has shortened travel time on the analyzed section. Investment plans related to the KST, which should improve travel by this means of public transport, are also presented.
1. INTRODUCTION
The increasing rate of motorization, combined with the lack of expansion of the street network and the growing mobility of residents, makes urban travel conditions increasingly unacceptable to drivers. One of the possible solutions to relieve the street network is the development of public transport and bicycle routes, as well as changing the travel habits of residents who prefer passenger car travel over public transport, bicycles, or walking.
In large cities, where source-to-destination travel distances reach values of even several dozen kilometers, the main emphasis should be placed on the expansion of the public transport network, especially rail-based. This can be implemented by three means of transport:
• rapid urban or suburban rail, • metro, • tram, in particular the fast tram.
Rail-based means should form the backbone of urban transport, supplemented by bus transport. An example is the transport network of Berlin [1], where in the western part, tram lines liquidated in the 1960s are being restored (they were initially replaced by bus lines and then by new metro lines) and tram lines serving new residential districts are being built. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine