Penang Transport: new monorail?

[GWR]

See also today's 2 previous posts on this issue.

Why spend only RM4 million on trams when you can spend billions on mega projects




The old tram tracks of George Town, freshly uncovered and preserved on Penang Road. Getting a basic tram service up and running will cost only RM4 million, says a consultant.

George Town once had a remarkable public transport system. It had these fascinating trams, which were affordable and people friendly.

Cities across the world, especially heritage cities, have found trams to be a cost-effective and reliable mode of transport. Some of the trams look really futuristic like those in Nottingham. Others blend in easily with the historical backdrop like some of those in Milan. Then there are variations such as the O-bahn in Adelaide.

Who says trams are old fashioned. This is a modern tram in Istanbul:



Now, imagine if we had this on the streets of Penang. The major advantage of trams is that they stop at street level, making it more accessible for passengers to hop on and off. Trams are suitable even in cities with narrow streets.

The Penang state government should speak to tram expert Ric Francis, who has been passionately advocating trams in Penang instead of a monorail. I attended a talk by Ric once and he was telling us how easy and inexpensive it was to get a tram system going in George Town. When the Jelutong Expressway was being constructed, he said it would be so easy to incorporate tram tracks along the highway.

It’s a real pity that no one who mattered was interested in listening to Ric. I wonder why - but then again, why build an inexpensive RM4 million tram system when you can spend billions building a monorail or a subway system. You know-lah why they like all those mega projects…

The Star
Thursday, 9 November 2006
by Emmeline Tan

Bring back trams

Keep the monorail out of George Town and bring back the trams for the sake of the environment and heritage.

Engineer Ric Francis, who has been in the tram industry for 38 years, said there were many pitfalls to the proposed RM1.2bil monorail system that would connect the entire Penang island.

“Once the huge monorail structures are built in George Town, the heritage buildings will be totally eclipsed.

“Trams on the other hand, provide a nice, quiet, scenic journey,” said Francis, co-author of Penang Trams, Trolleybuses and Railways – Municipal Transport History 1880s-1963.


[COLONIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM:Francis showing his book on Penang trams.]

Giving a lecture at the Penang Heritage Trust at Church Street recently, Francis said George Town Municipal electrical trams used from 1905 to 1936 reaped high profits until World War I when the supply of replacement parts was hampered.

He estimated that less than RM3.8mil (US$1mil) was needed to get an electrical tram system up and running in George Town.

“Old tramlines such as from Prangin Mall to Weld Quay still exists underneath the bitumen road and can be restored for use,” he said.

A 50m tramline was unearthed at the Chulia Street-Penang Road junction in 2004 during road works and was preserved by the Penang Municipal Council.

“There are many second- hand trams in other countries that are for purchase.”

Existing street poles could be used to support the one-cable electrical wiring for trams, he added.

“Trams are pollution-free and are being used in cities with narrow roads such as Amsterdam and Lisbon.

“There would not be the high cost of diesel to pay, and very little maintenance of parts compared to buses.”



To me, a tram system is much more cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing than a monorail network, especially for a heritage city like George Town and surrounding areas and even in Butterworth and Prai. The tram system could link up to a cross-channel light rail service alongside the Penang Bridge. Together with an expanded ferry service, an improved bus system, safe cycling paths and more pedestrian walkways, trams could transform Penang into a model city for sustainable public transport, besides enhancing George Town’s heritage setting and its quality of life.

Let me sign off with a lovely song (’Peace Train’) by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), who was inspired to write this while on a train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjSHazjrWg&hl=en&rel=0

See highly-favorable blog comments:
http://anilnetto.com/2008/04/17/bring-back-the-trams/

Old tram railtrack unearthed along Penang Road

The other day I was passing by Penang Road and I noticed some major road excavation work in progress. I looked more closely - and there it was: preserved like an elongated time capsule under the surface of the road were two parallel metal strips right smack in the middle of the road. The old tram track!

This section is probably a continuation of the 50 metres of tram track that was unearthed - and now kept visible - following road and pavement upgrading works in 2004 at the Chulia Street/Penang Road junction.

Let’s hope these discoveries will inspire our urban transport planners to look more closely at the system of trams, which first began running in Penang in the 1880s. These trams later became part of an integrated people-friendly public transport system in the decades that followed.

Reviving the trams will be timely - and it won’t cost much. In fact, Australian tram engineer Ric Francis, author of Penang Trams, Trolleybuses and Railways, estimates that half of the old tram track could be dug out and re-used. One tram could keep 55 cars off the road, he says. Plus it will conserve our fuel, reduce pollution and complement the new public bus service, RapidPenang.

Moreover, trams that blend with the old-world architecture of George Town will surely enhance the heritage value of the inner city, which has the largest collection of pre-war shophouses in South-East Asia.

This is definitely the way to go!

Listen to Francis speaking about Re-introducing the Tramways in Penang – A Proposal for Action on Saturday at 10 am at the Penang Heritage Trust (26, Church Street). For details, phone 04-2642631.

Be there for a fascinating glimpse of what could be possible.

http://anilnetto.com/development-iss...g-penang-road/

See also:
http://anilnetto.com/public-transpor...ack-in-penang/
http://anilnetto.com/development-issues/its-magic/
http://anilnetto.com/development-iss...-monorailporr/
http://anilnetto.com/development-iss...-in-your-city/

Thread on the currently postponed Penang Monorail Project:
http://207.5.19.33/forum/showthread....1806#post21806

[ncr]

I just rediscovered something that got mislaid in this forum. A map of the proposed Georgetown (Penang) tram system, as found on our own website:
http://2bangkok.com/07/Georgetown02.jpg

...and I think that map should be shown here:

[ncr]

Cities across the world, especially heritage cities, have found trams to be a cost-effective and reliable mode of transport. [...] Now, imagine if we had this on the streets of Penang. The major advantage of trams is that they stop at street level, making it more accessible for passengers to hop on and off. Trams are suitable even in cities with narrow streets. [...] The Penang state government should speak to tram expert Ric Francis, who has been passionately advocating trams in Penang instead of a monorail.

Oh yes!

Who says trams are old fashioned. This is a modern tram in Istanbul:

As it happens, I just returned from a 3-day stopover in Istanbul on the way back to Thailand from Central Europe. Of course I checked out the mentioned tramway and other local mass transit systems on this occasion. (Well, the tram passed right in front of the hotel.) Yes, they are very modern, negotiate sharp curves and steep gradients in the old town extremely well, share the limited road space amicably with the cars, and don't conflict with the historical cityscape at all (the central line runs very close to the Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar, for example). As far as I know, the tram lines are completely new, and have not been modernized or resurrected. The rolling stock is low-floor articulated units running in a two-car configuration. Stations are mostly located in the road center, with turnstiles giving access to a platform area. Only thing not that modern is the ticketing system - you have to go to a staffed kiosk next to a station and buy a small coin-like chip that you then insert into a slot to pass the metal barrier at the station (flat rate of 1.40 Lira = 30 Baht for any destination). Though it seems the locals also use prepaid and/or rechargeable travel cards, but I am not sure whether they are easily obtainable for tourists. They are certainly not sold at those counters.

Then there are also two nostalgic trams on a 1.5 km stretch from Taksim Square (Taksim, not T(h)aksin!) along İstiklal Avenue, and on a circle route in Kadıköy, on the Asian side.

Not to forget the famous Tünel underground funicular railway dating back to the year 1875! In 2006 another modern underground funicular from Kabataş to Taksim Square was opened, making Istanbul the only place on earth with two such systems. Apart from that, they have one modern metro (subway) line since 2000, but I didn't have time to try it out.

Let me hijack this thread to post a few impressions (map link below):


Between Gülhane and Sirkeci


Gülhane Station


Between Sultanahmet and Gülhane


Sirkeci Station


Modern Underground Funicular at Kabataş Station


Historic Tram at Taksim Square


Historic Tram at Taksim Square

Istanbul Rail Network@Urbanrail:
http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/ist/istanbul.htm
Public Transport in Istanbul@Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_...rt_in_Istanbul
and map

Just to second the notion that tramways can be an excellent transport solution for narrow historic town centers. Another example would be Lisbon (I haven't been there); there are possibly a few more.

[ncr]

Also from Anil Netto:

Malaysian Bloggers launch "Penangites for Trams" campaign

[GWR]

Join the campaign here:
http://anilnetto.com/civil-society/b...#comment-16136

Thoroughly appreciate your report on Istanbul, NCR!

Lausanne in Switzerland had an a very old underground funicular that ran uphill from Lake Geneva to the city center. I haven't been on it. It closed in 2006, but the original route has been incorporated into a driverless M2 metro that opened late 2008. I believe some parts of the old funicular route now run in a trough rather than a tunnel. The old rolling-stock of the funicular has been sold to a small French city that wants to create its own funicular. Both the old funicular and the new line were/are integrated with the main Swiss Railways Station and an existing Metro system that I think runs out to the airport. All these also integrate with the city's network of electric trolleybuses, that run up and down the hairpin bend-ridden streets. The trolleybuses often have trailer units, and there are now up-to-date units. Doubtless, the metros and the trolleybuses also integrate with the Lake Geneva steamers. Swiss Clockwork!

Read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausann...nne-Ouchy_line

[tram1]

...and I think that map should be shown here:

Sorry to inform you. but the current map is much different from shown only single track and a proposed shuttle service from end of express way to Komtar.
Trams have been sourced from Austria and are metre gauge artic. no further info till the State Government approve the system.
Ric travelling in Kalgoorlie Western Australia

[tram1]

See also today's previous ( historic postcard) post.

I just rediscovered something that got mislaid in this forum. A map of the proposed Georgetown (Penang) tram system, as found on our own website:
http://2bangkok.com/07/Georgetown02.jpg

As found on this page:
http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok/srt/srt.shtml

Also this link on the Penang Steam Tramway (scroll down halfway):
http://members.lycos.co.uk/railsing/Trams/trams.htm



The following site says that a Thomas Green steam tramway loco (similar to the illustration below) was despatched to Penang, but does not say precisely where it was used or what it was used for:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Green_&_Son


[Illustration: Wikipedia]

This train was used on the jetty for unloading and transporting to Steam tram on Weld Key
Ric in far out Goldfields in Western Australia.

[GWR]

January 20, 2009 17:39 PM
Free Bus Ride At Penang Heritage Site

PENANG, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Visitors to the World Heritage site in Georgetown can enjoy a free bus ride in the area ride starting Friday.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the service known as the Central Area Transit (CAT) would be operated by Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd (RapidPenang).

"Visitors can get to see the heritage site, shopping complexes, tourism spots and the Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal.

"We expect the service will attract more tourists to Georgetown as it will facilitate their movement in the city centre," he told reporters after receiving RapidPenang Chief Executive Officer Azhar Ahmad at his office here Tuesday.

Lim said there would be 19 CAT bus stops along the route and the bus would leave every 15 minutes.

Azhar said RapidPenang would introduce 15 new routes, of which 14 on the mainland and another on the island, next month.

"The new route on the island will be from the city centre to the Bayan Lepas International airport to cater to the growing demand from the public," he said.

Meanwhile, Lim said the state government welcomed the launch of the AirAsia Penang-Macau route starting March 1 as it would promote tourism in the state.

On the pre-war shophouses fire in the Campbell Street yesterday, he asked Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to inspect the wiring of shophouses in the area to prevent short-circuit.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the fire scene, he said the state government would give RM500 each to the eight affected families while awaiting aid from the Yang Terutama Disaster Fund.

An elderly man was killed in the 6.30pm fire which destroyed five pre-war shophouses in Campbell Street - one of the oldest trading hubs in Penang.

-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/state...=384943&cat=nt

[GWR]

Thread headline issue in previous post.

An interesting move, but perhaps a bit controversial since PenangRapid has already experienced one strike:

Sunday January 25, 2009
Rapid execs hit the road

PENANG: Rapid Penang expects its executives to be in the drivers’ seats – literally. They will soon learn to drive buses as a contingency measure in the event of a drivers’ strike.

Leading by example, chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad was among 10 senior executives who recently passed the Class E driving test which enables them to drive a 10-tonne lorry.

They would then proceed to the advanced stage to acquire the public service vehicle (PSV) licence to enable them to drive a bus.

Speaking to reporters after receiving Road Transport Department director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan here yesterday, Azhar said: “The driving courses are compulsory for all executives as part of the Rapid Penang disaster recovery programme.


[Photo: The Star - Proud day: Yap, who is happy with her accomplishment, displaying her driving licence.]

“We can take over the wheel should the drivers go on strike or when there are not enough drivers.” He added that the fees for the driving lessons would be borne by the company.

Azhar commended creative communications manager Yap Lee Ying for being the only woman in the first batch of learners.

She said that besides acquiring the Class E and PSV licences, executives should also understand the duty of bus captains.

He said the next batch of 35 executives would begin training soon and would acquire the PSV licences in March.

Meanwhile, Yap said she was happy with her accomplishment.

“I was teased by the others for using both hands to release the lorry handbrake,” she said.

“The biggest hurdles were driving uphill and parking. Now, I can drive a lorry.” — Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...243&sec=nation

[GWR]

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/state...=384943&cat=nt

Monday January 26, 2009
Free bus service resumes
By PRISCILLA DIELENBERG

PENANG has reinstated the free shuttle bus service within George Town’s inner city, which operates from 6am to midnight daily.

The last time a similar service, operated by a private bus company, plied the city was 18 months ago.

The free service which started on Friday, uses three Rapid Penang buses to ply the route from the Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal in Weld Quay to Komtar, with 19 stops on the 8km-long round trip.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government would bear the cost of running the service at RM50,000 a month or RM600,000 a year through the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP).

“We hope the service will help reduce the use of private vehicles in the city centre and ultimately encourage more people to use public transport,” said Lim on Friday.

He was speaking at the prize pre-sentation ceremony of three Rapid Penang contests for its commuters — Discover Penang & Win, the Student Pass Campaign and the Gong Xi Fa Cai Campaign.

He said the service was reintroduced as part of the state’s key objectives to address the problems of the 3Cs — crime, cleanliness and traffic congestion.

The city ‘hop on’ service has been given the name Central Area Transit (CAT).

A bus leaves the Weld Quay station every 15 minutes, subject to the traffic situation.

The MPPP had previously funded a free shuttle bus service in Penang from 2001 to July 2007.

Lim also said Rapid Penang would start a bus service to the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas with its new fleet of buses in May.

He said the 200 additional disabled-friendly buses would complement the existing fleet of 150 and also service 14 new routes in Seberang Prai.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.as...6228&sec=North

[GER]

The same photograph in the advert appears in better quality in Lowe's "British Steam Locomotive Builders" on page 293. Pages 292 & 293 are devoted to Thomas Green. The particular locomotive in the photograph is actually to Order 161 of 1891. It is described as a standard gauge 0-4-0ST with
10" x 18" outside cylinders and the customer was a Mr Mathewson. The plate on the saddle tank reads "EL CHIQUITO No. 24". The oval plate clearly shows "No. 161" in the centre. The name suggests it possibly went to some part of the Spanish speaking world and the number 24 suggests a large scale operator. It could well be that a similar locomotive went to Penang wharves.
There is a works list of some of Thomas Green's locomotives but it is far from complete. It does say that 157 tram locomotives were built between 1885 and 1898 mostly for Britain and Ireland. Additionally 38 locomotives were built, most of which are listed. At the end of the article he states that over 200 tram locomotives were built but this total includes 39 built for Wilkinson to their patent presumably before they (Green) became a limited company in the 1880s. I have checked the Wilkinson records on page 684 of Lowe, the 39 tram locomotives all went to tramways in the north and midlands of England except for one which went to Australia, and all were built between 1882 & 1884. Lowe states the order went to Green because they were already building locomotives. Green also built some to a Kitson design, possibly in the 1882-1884 period, we are left to wonder if in fact some of these early tram locomotives went to Penang, perhaps before the Kerr Stuart trams. I will continue researching but as I now live in Spain I am not able to visit the SLS library, at least not on a regular basis.

PS My old website at

http://members.lycos.co.uk/railsing/

will be taken off-line by lycos on 15th Feb 2009 as they no longer support free hosting. Most of the contents have already been moved to

http://searail.mymalaya.com/

which is already much more up-to-date. The above thread already contains several references to my railsing website, if you remove the HTTP code in the first box and replace it with that in the second box you should be able to access everything as all sub-folders and filenames are the same.

[tram1]

Keep up the good work , the early motors caused me a lot of research but found very little. I have been trying to locate the newspaper of the day which advertised the sale of the steam tram motors. I believe one went to Spainish Island
Ric

[GER]

Keep up the good work , the early motors caused me a lot of research but found very little. I have been trying to locate the newspaper of the day which advertised the sale of the steam tram motors. I believe one went to Spainish Island
Ric

The Singapore Library has copies of most of the old newspapers on microfilm on one of the upper floors and the public have free access. I used their facilities to search for information on the Singapore Railways but did not have time to look for the tram information. I did find a full set of timetables for 1903-1912 which gave opening dates and some closing dates for all the stations. If you visit wear warm clothing - the archive centre air conditioning is super efficient!
I will continue searching the documents I have for further clues but a lot of the Hughes and Falcon records have been lost and the Merryweather records were destroyed by WWII bombing. HAF records have 2 metre gauge 0-4-2Ts with no known info but they were built in 1887.

[tram1]

Last month Malaysian Government noified that a tender for repairing of Hills Railway. Penang Hill residence where very un happy with the tender as it ment complete rebuild of the railway. No consideration for people living in the middle station area, they would have no transport for about ten to 12 months. A delegation of Penang groups ask for assistance of Australian Engineer in partnership with a local Engineer to present a agreeable solution so that they could access the city. Presentation was given at a meeting and consideration is now been taken to improve the rebuilding the Railway.
More info as it comes to hand
Tram 1

[tram1]

Last month Malaysian Government noified that a tender for repairing of Hills Railway. Penang Hill residence where very un happy with the tender as it ment complete rebuild of the railway. No consideration for people living in the middle station area, they would have no transport for about ten to 12 months. A delegation of Penang groups ask for assistance of Australian Engineer in partnership with a local Engineer to present a agreeable solution so that they could access the city. Presentation was given at a meeting and consideration is now been taken to improve the rebuilding the Railway.
More info as it comes to hand
Tram 1

Yesterday the Federal Minister told a engineer for the Penang Hill residence. that the Hills Railway will be pulled up to be replaced with a one line from top to bottom line cable car to operating at 10 times the speed of old one ,this will course alot of sickness rocketing up to the top of hill at the proposed speed. So much for the hard work put in by the people to renew the railway as is and not to destroy the Historical Railway. So much for what the people want and what a Minister had made up his mind long ago. To save face he had all these meetings with the people ,so a company with little knowledge of what is involved with the Penang Hills unstable condition can do the job, and why long ago Enginneers choose to built it in two stages.So now the people on the hill will have no business to run and no way for the people in the Middle station have no transport for twelve months or longer.
Ric Francis