Lund tramway

The Lund tramway (Swedish: Lunds spårväg) consists of a single double-track 5.5 km (3.4 mi) 9-stop tram line in Lund, Sweden.[1] It connects Lund Central Station with the hospital, Lund University (LTH), Ideon Science Park, the new upcoming district of Brunnshög,[1] the MAX IV synchrotron light source, and the European Spallation Source[2] with a 15-minute tram ride. It is the fourth modern city tramway in Sweden and is operated by Skånetrafiken,[2] which also operates the city and regional busses and trains.

Lund tramway
A tram on Lund tramway
Operation
LocaleLund, Sweden
Open13 December 2020
StatusIn use
Routes1
Owner(s)Lund Municipality
Operator(s)Vy Buss tendered by Skånetrafiken
Infrastructure
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Propulsion system(s)Electric
Electrification750 V DC catenary
Statistics
Route length5.5 km (3.4 mi)

The first of the CAF-manufactured[1] trams was delivered on 29 July 2020,[3] and is named Åsa-Hanna[4] after the 1918 novel of the same name by Lund-born Elin Wägner.[5] Construction is complete and the tram line opened to the public on Lucia day, 13 December 2020.[6] The project has been jointly funded in different parts by Lund municipality, Region Skåne, Skånetrafiken and the Swedish state,[1] costing 1.5 billion SEK (approximately 148 million euro).[2]

History

There were plans in the late 19th and early 20th century to build a tramway in Lund as many other Swedish cities did around the same time, but these never materialized.[7]

Plans for the modern incarnation of the tramway began in 2003, with the bus route Lundalänken being designed with the possibility of future conversion into a tramway in mind. Formal planning for construction of the tramway began in 2010.[8]

The issue of the tramway was a dominant issue in Lund's municipal politics during the 2010s, with political parties changing stances on the tramway throughout the period.[9] The tram issue also led to the formation of a new local political party, with veteran Folkpartiet politician Sverker Oredsson among others forming Förnyalund (Renew Lund/For The New Lund) ahead of the 2014 elections.[10]

Construction on the nearly 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) tram route to achieve faster and higher-capacity public transport between Lund Central Station and many of the largest work-places in the city were formally approved in 2015.[11][12] In 2018 the right-wing coalition in control of the municipal government announced no expansion of trams would be planned for the rest of the 2018-2022 term.[13]

Teething issues

After the introduction of the tram, issues soon emerged with the formation of flat spots on the wheels of the trams due to repeated rapid braking. This culminated in all trams being out of service on 1 February 2021, less than two months after tram service started.[14] Due to the unexpected speed at which these issues emerged no lathe for the wheels was available at the time, resulting in issues with keeping the service operating as intended. A lathe designed for the trams was brought into service in May 2021.[15]

Disagreements with the manufacturer CAF over the issue with flat spots, along with other complaints, meant that Skånetrafiken did not take formal possession of all trams until July 2022. Tram services are set to run at 10 minute intervals during rush hour starting in August 2022[16], with a date for when the trams will operate at the originally intended 7.5 minute rate left undetermined.[17]

Future expansion

There are plans to extend the system with a new line to neighboring Staffanstorp as well as Dalby or to new developments to the North and East of the current endpoint at the European Spallation Source.

The main boulevard of the planned area Västerbro is also being developed to have the ability to support light rail tracks in the future.

References
  1. "Summary in English". sparvaglund.se. Lunds kommun. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  2. Zasiadko, Mykola (8 October 2020). "Fourth Swedish city gears up to launch tram network". RailTech.com. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  3. "First tram arrives in Lund". Railway Gazette International. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  4. Nyheter, S. V. T.; Ekström, Linda (29 July 2020). "Nu är första spårvagnen på plats i Lund". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  5. "Lunds första spårvagn är här" (in Swedish). Skånetrafiken. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  6. Nyheter, S. V. T.; Larsson, Hans (13 December 2020). "Lunds första dag som spårvagnsmetropol". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  7. "Spårvägsplaner i Lund".
  8. Kuprijanko, Alexander (2014-06-30). "Majoriteten: Välj andra spår än spårväg". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  9. Kuprijanko, Alexander (2019-12-27). "Spårvägen röda tråden i Lunds politik under 2010-talet". Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  10. Kuprijanko, Alexander (2014-01-24). "Spårvägsmotståndare bildar nytt FNL". Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  11. "Historiskt beslut – spårvägen är klubbad" (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  12. "Spårväg Lund" (in Swedish). sparvaglund.se. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  13. Johansson, Lars (3 March 2018). "Enig allians säger nej till mer spårväg". Skånska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  14. Fagerström, Eskil (2021-02-07). ""Vi har ingenstans att svarva hjulen" – därför står Lunds spårvagnar still". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  15. Ahlberg, Alfred (2021-05-12). "Efter månader av väntan: Nu kan Lunds spårvagnar svarvas i Skåne". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  16. "Tidtabell Lund Linje 1" (PDF). Skånetrafiken (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  17. Kuprijanko, Alexander (2022-07-01). "Konflikten löst: Nu ska alla spårvagnar rulla i Lund". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
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