It's electric and smart - Australia's first trackless tram arrives

The City of Stirling in Perth has taken delivery of what it says is Australia’s first electric “trackless tram” which will undergo a trial to determine its viability for operations in the city.

The 30-metre trackless tram will be trialled along a 7-kilometre stretch of Scarborough Beach Road between Glendalough Train Station and Scarborough Beach.

Plans for the trial were first announced in early 2022, and will be supported by $2 million in funding from the federal government through the Urban Congestion Fund. It will feature a trackless tram developed by Chinese manufacturer CRRC.

The City of Stirling believes that trackless trams are less disruptive and more cost effective to build because they don't require the same infrastructure, while retaining the benefits of light rail.

"Trackless Trams could be a game changer for Perth and encourage people to make the switch out of their cars and on to public transport," a statement published by the City said. "It’s part of our plan to reduce congestion, improve access to employment and contribute to urban regeneration."

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One of the researchers on the trial, Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, Peter Newman, told the SwitchedOn podcast the trackless tram is a mid-tier transit system that’s neither a train nor a bus. It uses technologies developed from high-speed rail such as steering, autonomous driving, and the capacity for a very steady ride, and transfers them into a bus design that doesn’t need tracks.

"The high-speed rail innovations have transformed a bus into something with all the best features of light rail and none of its worst features" says Newman. “This bus is only a bus because it has rubber wheels. Everything else in it is electric and smart, and rail like.”

Newman says electrification can help us do public transport better, and that process needs to be occurring at the same time as the electrification of private transport.

"Trackless trams can also avoid the worst features of light rail – disruption and cost. It can take years to lay rail tracks, causing major disruption to local economies, as [happened] in Sydney."

It’s not just the trackless tram as a mode of transport though that interests Newman though. It’s the potential to establish a net-zero corridor along the route of the tram which could bring about a whole lot of beneficial outcomes in terms of medium density development. This could include micro grids around each station, charging facilities for cars and micro mobility, as well as aged housing needs, open space, community facilities, etc.

“You bring in a trackless tram down a corridor and in the process of getting that trackless train, you work with the community, with the local government and with developers to show where you can develop around stations along that corridor.”

Newman calls the process ‘Greening the Greyfields’ and he’s convinced it will make our cities better and more liveable.

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The initial trial will get underway in the next few weeks and run through to November. It will include assessments of charging capacity and battery performance, manoeuvrability and turning circles, and user experience.

Locals and relevant stakeholders will have the chance to ride the tram and provide user experience testing. A Net Zero Transit Symposium will also be held to coincide with the trial, joining national and international experts to discuss the latest in net zero transit options and provide the opportunity for attendees to see the Trackless Tram in action.

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An earlier version of this article was published on The Driven. You can read it here.

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You can hear the full interview with Peter Newman on the SwitchedOn podcast here and read an article by Peter Newman for The Conversation about trackless trams here.