Light rail in urban regions: what Dutch policymakers could learn from experiences in France, Germany and Japan

Abstract

In the Netherlands several light rail projects are planned to be developed to give public transport in urban regions a new stimulus. Based on the experiences with urban public transport in France, Germany and Japan, this paper shows which conditions and strategies are needed to introduce light rail successfully in the Netherlands. In addition to stimulating ridership the paper focusses on the opportunities to create synergy between public transport and urban revitalization. A plea is made for a systematic structure of the public transport network in which light rail could play a prominent role as the interconnecting transport system. In this way light rail could bring about a physical integration between urban and urban district public transport. In addition, it could create a synergy between high-quality transport, real estate development and urban vitality.