Purpose and vision
The main purpose of the light rail transit is to strengthen the public transport system. From the municipalities in the light rail transit cooperation there is a strong wish for the public transport system to play a larger role in the in the home-workplace transportation. To realize this wish it is essential to have a public transport system able to serve the largest destinations in Aarhus efficiently from the surrounding towns. But the quality of the local public transport system in Aarhus is also of major importance in this connection.
Thus our vision is to establish an efficient public transport system ensuring good and direct connections to the major destinations for both internal transport within the Municipality of Aarhus and the external commuter transport to and from the surrounding municipalities. This will take place by extensions of the light rail transit service in- and outside the Municipality of Aarhus and by building a system of bus routes supporting and supplementing the light rail system.
The Light Rail Transit can improve the public transport system
In larger cities the efficiency of the public transport can be enhanced by building metro systems and city trains. This is not economically feasible in city areas the size of Aarhus. Here the solution would rather be the establishment of a simple high-frequency major route system where the public transport has priority. This can consist of both bus lines, such as the A-busses in Copenhagen, but on the busiest lines a light rail transport solution will be both more comfortable and economically more attractive. A dual LRT train can replace 4 articulated buses and can therefore be economically attractive, despite the large investments in rails and trains.
Therefore an undisputable basis for a sound economy in an LRT solution is that the LRT serves a very busy corridor enabling it to replace a large number of busses.
Based on above the Municipality of Aarhus has chosen to follow a strategy where the first steps towards an LRT system is to prioritize buses by the establishment of bus lanes on the main radial roads. In some stretches this can at a later stage be integrated into the LRT system. Bus lanes have already been established on part of Grenaavej and Viborgvej and Aarhus City Counsel has decided to establish bus lanes on Randersvej during 2008/2009.
The planning has begun
The Light Rail Transit Secretariat is presently working with the planning of the first stage of the LRT consisting of a connection of the existing railroads, Grenaabanen and Odderbanen by building a new rail track from the harbour in central Aarhus, north along Randersvej via Aarhus University Hospital in Skejby and in its own track to the urban development area in Lisbjerg. Furthermore the LRT Secretariat is working on the next steps of the vision - planning the extensions to the surrounding towns.
A further report on the visionary work can be found in the Vision report from the LRT Secretariat. This is a working document and it is continuously updated. In this report the present work on the extension stages is presented.
As a preparation for a prioritization of the extension stages a more detailed survey of the passenger basis, service rate, line routing, construction economics and operating economics was carried out in 2008 in cooperation with the surrounding towns.
In its latest report the Infrastructure Commission has pointed out the need for an overall planning of urban development and investments in communications in eastern Jutland (Randers - Kolding). Improvements of the infrastructure in eastern Jutland will most likely be appointed as a priority area in the governments future transport planning. In its proposal for transport planning strategies to the commission the Public Transport Authority and the Danish Road Directorate include new rail lines to Randers as part of a high speed connection to Aalborg, a new rail road to Silkeborg and a high speed rail or an increase of the capacity on the line Aarhus-Skanderborg. These possible additions are of relevance for the planning of a rail and light rail train service in the Aarhus area. Therefore the future visionary work must be carried out in compliance with these strategies.
Thus our vision is to establish an efficient public transport system ensuring good and direct connections to the major destinations for both internal transport within the Municipality of Aarhus and the external commuter transport to and from the surrounding municipalities. This will take place by extensions of the light rail transit service in- and outside the Municipality of Aarhus and by building a system of bus routes supporting and supplementing the light rail system.
The Light Rail Transit can improve the public transport system
In larger cities the efficiency of the public transport can be enhanced by building metro systems and city trains. This is not economically feasible in city areas the size of Aarhus. Here the solution would rather be the establishment of a simple high-frequency major route system where the public transport has priority. This can consist of both bus lines, such as the A-busses in Copenhagen, but on the busiest lines a light rail transport solution will be both more comfortable and economically more attractive. A dual LRT train can replace 4 articulated buses and can therefore be economically attractive, despite the large investments in rails and trains.
Therefore an undisputable basis for a sound economy in an LRT solution is that the LRT serves a very busy corridor enabling it to replace a large number of busses.
Based on above the Municipality of Aarhus has chosen to follow a strategy where the first steps towards an LRT system is to prioritize buses by the establishment of bus lanes on the main radial roads. In some stretches this can at a later stage be integrated into the LRT system. Bus lanes have already been established on part of Grenaavej and Viborgvej and Aarhus City Counsel has decided to establish bus lanes on Randersvej during 2008/2009.
The planning has begun
The Light Rail Transit Secretariat is presently working with the planning of the first stage of the LRT consisting of a connection of the existing railroads, Grenaabanen and Odderbanen by building a new rail track from the harbour in central Aarhus, north along Randersvej via Aarhus University Hospital in Skejby and in its own track to the urban development area in Lisbjerg. Furthermore the LRT Secretariat is working on the next steps of the vision - planning the extensions to the surrounding towns.
A further report on the visionary work can be found in the Vision report from the LRT Secretariat. This is a working document and it is continuously updated. In this report the present work on the extension stages is presented.
As a preparation for a prioritization of the extension stages a more detailed survey of the passenger basis, service rate, line routing, construction economics and operating economics was carried out in 2008 in cooperation with the surrounding towns.
In its latest report the Infrastructure Commission has pointed out the need for an overall planning of urban development and investments in communications in eastern Jutland (Randers - Kolding). Improvements of the infrastructure in eastern Jutland will most likely be appointed as a priority area in the governments future transport planning. In its proposal for transport planning strategies to the commission the Public Transport Authority and the Danish Road Directorate include new rail lines to Randers as part of a high speed connection to Aalborg, a new rail road to Silkeborg and a high speed rail or an increase of the capacity on the line Aarhus-Skanderborg. These possible additions are of relevance for the planning of a rail and light rail train service in the Aarhus area. Therefore the future visionary work must be carried out in compliance with these strategies.
