The managing director of Railways of the Generalitat Valenciana (FGV), Marisa Gracia, has participated in the X Light Rail Conference of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) to be held these days in Madrid with a presentation entitled “Experience FGV Trolley and Light Rail. 5 years of TRAM of Alicante “, which outlines the work that has developed this form of transport in changing mobility habits of the areas through which it runs. 

Grace has been analyzed for their parliament’s experience FGV tram and light rail, a company that was the first in Spain to reintroduce modern tram in Valencia in 1994. To this end, the managing director has used the example of TRAM, “means of transport that combines the use of tram and light rail to connect the city of Alicante with the coastal areas of the province through a hybrid system capable of running in an urban environment without create barrier effect of traditional rail while retaining their benefits”. 

In addition, TRAM has been highlighted as an example in growth, and that “since 2006, the number of trips has increased from 2,448,990 to more than five million estimated for the end of this year, which means you have doubled the figure in just five years. “ 

At the beginning of his presentation, Marisa Gracia made a brief historical revisiting the most important dates in the implementation of the TRAM. Thus, recalled that in 2005 FGV launched the first tram in Alicante, a service that covered the route between the city of Alicante and El Campello, and in 2007 and 2008 and the introduction of the Train-Tram to arrive to Benidorm. 

In addition, the managing director of FGV noted the situation he was in Alicante in 2005. “It’s a city with a geographical distribution and very specific population, the Spanish provincial capital eleventh by population but a quarter of total population in the province and also had deteriorated infrastructure, inadequate workshops and warehouses, old stations and material Mobile obsolete”, he noted. 

Modern rail transport 

With these premises, Gracia commented that FGV “decided to go for a modern rail transport to improve mobility in the province with particular emphasis, not only in Alicante city, if not the most populated coastal areas, but while the changes were implemented, had to keep alive the line”. 

Thus began services that they provided additional customer contribution to the line as the night service to meet demand Tramnochador a nightlife area, the Lemon Express tourist service in vintage cars, the cultural train, linking travel line with activities of a cultural or archaeological train, looking for stations that serve as home to visit places with historical or archaeological interest. 

In accordance with this decision, the managing director has said that the performance of FGV in Alicante was the total transformation of the infrastructure to respond to needs and inter-urban mobility. ” Changes began with the introduction of different types of rolling stock, electrified system, integration into the urban fabric Alicante consolidated through a tunnel, urban regeneration and the online environment, while eliminating the barrier effect of the line traditional and local integration in an open environment of the coast. 

To conclude his presentation, Grace has offered to attendees of the various statistical data which is extracted the TRAM has been very well accepted both by society and by the customers with a level of user satisfaction remained more than 8 of 10. 

Technical visit of the UITP 

Participants in the X Light Rail Conference of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) visited Valencia last weekend and got to know first-hand the progress and characteristics of light rail Metrovalencia, being the first Spanish city to reintroduce this modern means of transport in Spain in 1994 and set an example for intermodal, which is combined in different stations, tram and metro services, such as splice cases, and Marítim Benimaclet Serrería, the latter the only country in underground. 

In addition, a technical visit to the Command Post and Metrovalencia workshops, after which they were able to navigate the path of the FGV line 5, which links the port city with its airport, and scroll to the Malvarrosa beach combining the metro and tram. 

Participants of the Tenth Conference traveled to Valencia were people from Malaysia, China, Paris, Belgium, Canada, France, Norway, Turkey and Australia. 

Course Valencia 

Moreover, FGV host from 25 to 27 of this month the ninth edition of Business Managers Course summoning UITP Transport. Participation in this event allows the city of Valencia shared with Geneva and Tokyo headquarters, which will host in 2011. This course aims to train future managers of the world’s leading companies engaged in the operation of transmission lines. 

The training sessions will take place in Valencia are part of the first module of this seminar which will address issues related to the Policy and Organisation of Public Transport. 

UITP, 3,200 members in 90 countries 

UITP has representatives from public transport authorities, organizations, operators, transport operators, scientific institutes and suppliers of products and services of the transport industry, covering all modes of transport: metro, bus, light rail (tram) regional railways and suburban, as well as river transport. 

It has over 3,200 members from 90 countries and serves as a platform for international cooperation, business development, knowledge exchange and advocacy of public transport, as key to sustainable mobility. 

UITP network has its headquarters and European office in Brussels and has ten regional offices and links throughout the world (Abidjan, Bangalore, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Moscow, Rome, Sao Paulo, and Tehran). UITP this year celebrates its 125 birthday.