Freight trams envisaged for Glasgow

[locojoe]

Freight trams envisaged for Glasgow
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/metro...r-glasgow.html

[steam for ever]

I have found a few pics of freight trams for you locojoe:

http://www.motat.org.nz/collections/...s/image006.jpg

http://images.derstandard.at/20050517/4w.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hdch2vG_qks/Sq...ght%20Tram.png

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/pri...zabeth1962.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...5/56/GTram.JPG

You get the idea.

[locojoe]

Thanks for the photos SFE, Lets hope the Glascow tram frieght idea is a success.

[klordger1900]

Embracing green technology is one thing but making something as inflexible as this work in practice will take an Act of Parliament!!
There is now a growing feeling amongst Joe Public that this Carbon Reduction idea is just a revenue raising scheme for hard press Treasury's to profit from. I like to think that a common sense approach of using what have more sensibly and cutting out wasted energy will reduce our local tax charges in the long run. Things like having a tram system which can collect cart loads of waste or recycling in sidings for a big pickup and despatch to a huge central plant instead of small lorries running all over with multiple handling & long distance tipping journeys reduced. Where there are no trams then a system of multi-user wagons can be adopted on either Network Rail systems or private lines, even London Docklands could feature in the waste/recycling program.
Light railway lines need to be creeping out into more urban areas if we are to make the most of integrating this kind of operation for the sake of our childrens future! The bloody climate will just do as it pleases anyway, with or without our help.

[steam for ever]

I have always wanted to see freight trams on the metrolink.
In fact, a few months back I penned a letter suggesting this, but I got no reply. Some of the original trams still working are disgustingly vandalised. Often there is spit on the windows, torn seats and grafiti in a few. Why not convert these and order more series three trams here?

Back on the gneral topic, I think they have a frieght tram at Blackpool but not in service. Its a shame that they are going to modernise the line, poor taste if you ask me.

[klordger1900]

People should write to they're local MP's more when they make suggestions about improvements. They will reply and can often pass items on directly to people in high places.

[Dave Rowland]

Originally Posted by klordger1900

People should write to they're local MP's more when they make suggestions about improvements. They will reply and can often pass items on directly to people in high places.

Hmffff. No comment, other than to say that after MUCH consulting of local MPs, our town is now stuffed full of new housing estates & blocks of flats, local manufacturing has virtually been wiped out, unemployment is high, the scheme to build a light railway/tramway on the disused railway is to become a busway, our large screen cinema was demolished, an airfield is to be used for several thousand houses, our courtrooms have been closed, and our excellent hospital is to be closed shortly, being turned into yet more flats. And all this on a peninsula with a population of 77,000+. All these matters have been objected to, en masse, by the locals, all to absolutely no avail whatsoever. It should be pointed out that our MP is the 'King of the Duck Island', Peter Viggers. Even then, he HAS tried, bless his little webbed feet. So don't hold yer breath mate.....

[Deathbyteacup]

Originally Posted by steam for ever

I have always wanted to see freight trams on the metrolink.
In fact, a few months back I penned a letter suggesting this, but I got no reply. Some of the original trams still working are disgustingly vandalised. Often there is spit on the windows, torn seats and grafiti in a few. Why not convert these and order more series three trams here?

Back on the gneral topic, I think they have a frieght tram at Blackpool but not in service. Its a shame that they are going to modernise the line, poor taste if you ask me.

For a freight tram to work, you first need freight to carry.

Metrolink serves little use in this function since there isn't really anything that needs to get from A to B on the network except people.

[j0hn0]

Originally Posted by Deathbyteacup

For a freight tram to work, you first need freight to carry.

Metrolink serves little use in this function since there isn't really anything that needs to get from A to B on the network except people.

but if there was a depot in say Prestwich or by the airport, the council could make all shops on the tram routes sign up to an aggreement that has all their stock delivered to the depot on the outskirts.

Considering delivery slots for every store vary greatly, this may help consolidate them into one manageable weekly or monthly payment

Gets all the HGVs off the road for those particular shops and out of the city centre. Deliveries can be made either early morning or in the evening, effectively making the city centre a controlled shopping area

[Dave Rowland]

Originally Posted by j0hn0

but if there was a depot in say Prestwich or by the airport, the council could make all shops on the tram routes sign up to an aggreement that has all their stock delivered to the depot on the outskirts.
Considering delivery slots for every store vary greatly, this may help consolidate them into one manageable weekly or monthly payment
Gets all the HGVs off the road for those particular shops and out of the city centre. Deliveries can be made either early morning or in the evening, effectively making the city centre a controlled shopping area

I can't quite see HOW this would work. If companies' stock is delivered to a depot on the outskirts, as suggested, then I'm guessing that you mean that goods can then be transported via freight tram(s) to any number of shops etc throughout the city. I don't wish to put a damper on this, but there are only THE tram lines - what I mean is that a freight tram would have to be using the same track as the regular trams; if these have a regularity of, say every 10 minutes, that only gives a very short window for loading/unloading purposes, as the freight tram would be blocking the line used (most importantly) by the passenger trams. It would be a bit of a racetrack at best; after just ONE quick delivery, the passenger tram would be right behind the freight tram, which would have to get out of the way. How? This would require a huge number of passing loops, which would then themselves need to be made no parking areas, not to mention expensive to install. Even without loops, let's not forget that tramlines occupy one side of the road - if a tram was unloading, it would occupy that side of the road for a far greater period of time tha a tram stopping to pick up/set down passengers. Traffic would be held up throughout the route. It's simply not feasible. Sorry.