Vinci and CAF launch low cost light rail system
Date
May 29, 2013
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According to sources, Vinci and CAF have launched, Nextram, a light rail package which could be 30-40% cheaper than traditional LRT systems for cities with a population of between 150,000 and 200,000.
Nextram has been developed during the last two years and it comprises two main innovations.
- One is a double-layer concrete trackbed which is only 50 cm deep combined with low-height rails. This enables the track to be installed in sections to minimise disruption during construction.
- The other is to use metre-gauge uni-directional Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs). They will be cheaper to build and maintain than dual-direction vehicles. The LRVs would be 23-35m long.
Vinci has made tests in a 14km line with one depot and a fleet of 20 LRVs to work out a pricing model for Nextram. It estimates such a line would cost €11-13m/km to construct, and it would take 10 months to design and around 24 months to build.
