Sr. David van der Spek, Consultor de Transport Públic. Autoritat Regional d'Amsterdam. Resum ponència: Al 2002 la Regió d’Amsterdam inaugurà un BRT de 42km. El ponent ens presentarà les principals característiques del projecte, considerada com una experiència reeixida; ens explicarà els seus avantatges així com els problemes sorgits en el seu desenvolupament, i les lliçons a extreure’n.

1. THE ZUIDTANGENT -
EXPERIENCES WITH BRT IN THE
AMSTERDAM REGION
5a Jornada AMTU
Vic, 4th March 2009
David van der Spek
Public Transport Policy Advisor
Stadsregio Amsterdam

2. Inhoud
Agenda
• Background
• History
• System characteristics
• Bus lane and bus way
• Vehicles and stops
• Identity
• Patronage
• Problems
• 2nd route
• Future developments
• Conclusions

3. Inhoud
Background
• Shift in town planning: new housing and
office sites in suburban areas
• Increasing congestion on roads
• Major international airport (5th busiest in Europe)
• Priority to accessibility of this area for economical
reasons
• Existing rail orientated towards Amsterdam
• Insufficient quality of existing orbital PT
• Major flower exhibition in summer 2002
• Urgent need for high quality orbital link
• Estimated demand insufficient for light rail

4. 1st Zuidtangent route
inh.
147.000 inh.
inh.
743.000 inh.
Zuid-Oost)
(incl. Zuid-Oost)
Schiphol Airport
inh.
78.000 inh.
inh.
70.000 inh. inh.
79.000 inh.
inh.
30.000 inh.

5. Inhoud
History
• 1987 first study
• 1994-2001 construction
• Ownership and responsibilities shared by 3 regional
and local authorities
• Total investment 270 million Euro (95-100% funded by
national government)
• January 2002: start of 1st route
• Contract awarded to incumbent operator Connexxion
• 2007: Connexxion (Transdev) wins tender
• December 2007: start of 2nd stage: 2nd route, new
buses, new 8 year contract

6. Inhoud
System characteristics (1)
• Ambition: high quality public transport
• Fill the gap between regular buses and light rail
• 1st route: total length 41 km, core section 24 km
• In core section bus lanes and independent bus ways
• Elsewhere bus lanes
where possible
• High flexibility: adapts to
space constraints in historic
town centre of Haarlem
• Several connections
to heavy rail network

7. Inhoud
System characteristics (2)
• High service frequency (8-10 buses/h on weekdays)
• From December 2007 operational 24/7
• High commercial speed (>35 km/h)
• Long average distance between stops (1.9 km)
• Consistent identity (vehicles, stops, publicity)
• ITS:
– priority at traffic signals
– dynamic passenger information system
• Short dwell times:
– minimal horizontal and vertical gap
– no ticket inspection when boarding

8. Bus lane and bus way
• No technical guidance system
• Fully accessible to conventional buses,
mixed operation possible
• Designed and built to enable
future conversion to light rail
• Concrete surface
• Several elevated sections
• 1,8km tunnel section

9. Vehicles and stops
• Stop and bus floor at the same level (30 cm)
• Dedicated fleet of 100% articulated low floor buses
• 2nd generation: 45 Mercedes Citaro buses, Euro 5-
emission level, capacity 46+55
• From regular production:
no second hand market
risk, no expensive
peculiarities
• Horizontal gap at stops
minimized using profiled
kerbstones

10. Identity
• Buses in striking red livery
• Designer stops along
core section
• Uncompromised identity:
none of the design
elements repeated
elsewhere

11. Patronage (1st route)
• 40.000 passengers per day (March 2008)
• Every year 10-15% more passengers
• Heaviest loadings in Hoofddorp: almost 13.000
passengers per day (both directions)
• Patronage up to 99%
higher than estimated
• Eastern section below
estimates
• Use of PT increased since
Zuidtangent operating
(up to 47% in 3 years)

12. Knelpunten
Problems
• Subsidence of bus way: physical guidance at some
stops blocked
• Concrete surface less comfortable than asphalt
• Weather protection at stops not satisfactory
• Roofs at stops removed after problems during storm
• Slippery surface at stops
• Fare evasion
• Implementation of ITS
took a long time
• Congestion on
motorway section

13. Knelpunten
2nd route
• Concept of 1st route not fully applied
• Northern section:
– no new infrastructure built
– service unreliable due to congestion on motorway
– limited demand because of parallel railway
• Southern section:
– no new design for stops available
– stops without BRT identity
– bus way opened after delay
• Patronage so far disappointing
• Service on northern
section to be cut

14. Knelpunten
Future developments
• Stops to be improved
• Upgrading of eastern section: more bus lanes
• New branches and extension planned
(but longer route is risk to reliability!)
• Possibly tunnel in
Haarlem city centre
• Conversion to light rail
depending on patronage
• Tangential high quality
bus routes to be introduced
in other areas

16. Knelpunten
Conclusions
• Successful concept: high commercial speed, high
service frequency, high flexibility, high reliability
• Result: patronage higher than estimated
• Lessons:
– BRT only works if uncompromised
– Stops: functionality more important than design
– More attention to quality of infrastructure needed
– Maintaining high quality means continuous effort from all
parties
• BRT is able to increase the share of public transport
• The choice for BRT with proven technology has been
the right one!

17. Thank you very much for your
attention