Transfer to Flexible and smart public transport

Transcription

1 Transfer to 2040 Flexible and smart public transport

2 By 2040, people in the Netherlands will travel fast, comfortably, reliably and affordably. They will use private, shared or public means of transport to go to work, school, concerts or family. There will be good connections throughout the country and with the neighbouring countries. Large cities will have strong collective transport systems and short travel times between them. Good accessibility for individual travellers will make the Netherlands one of the most competitive, liveable and sustainable countries in the world. Today, despite ongoing and planned investments, accessibility is under pressure. Where mobility is high and growing rapidly, such as in urban regions and busy corridors, both road traffic and public transport connections are reaching their capacity limits. Where demand is limited, such as in less densely populated areas, at the periphery of cities and during certain parts of the day, there is an opposite development in public transport. Line-bound traffic has fallen into a negative spiral of less supply and less usage, causing a decrease in quality and affordability. For groups that depend on this type of transport, it has not become any easier to reach their destinations. In addition to these public transport tasks, the entire mobility sector will have to take major steps to become cleaner and more sustainable in the coming years. Collective public transport has already led to considerable improvement in this respect and continues to play a crucial role in achieving the national climate and air quality targets. In the coming decades, technological and social developments will offer great opportunities to address mobility and sustainability issues. Vehicles will become more autonomous and less dependent on human control (self-driving vans, trains and cars) and will use cleaner and safer technology. Digital applications (e.g. apps and big data) offer travellers more and more opportunities to plan and book their journeys from door to door. It will become increasingly easy to share individual vehicles (car- and taxi-sharing). In the coming years, the distinction between public transport (train, tram, metro and bus) and individual transport (car, bicycle and taxi) will gradually be replaced by a combination of large-scale collective transport and small-scale demand-driven transport. In close cooperation, central and regional governments, metropolitan regions, public transport providers and the rail infrastructure provider (ProRail) have developed a vision on the role of the public transport in the mobility system in the Netherlands in This vision does not focus on modality but on the speed, comfort, reliability and affordability of the systems that enable people to travel from a to B. As the trends towards 2040 have many uncertainties, flexibility and adaptability of the integrated mobility system are of great importance. Innovation in public transport is in any case essential. This not only requires the necessary space and initiative to put in place new ideas and concepts in technology, financing, public transport network optimization and governance, but also and especially an open, unbiased view on developments both in and outside the public transport sector. Our vision of the future of public transport towards 2040 is based on eight points of departure, the guiding principle being that, now and in future, collective forms of public transport are ideally suited for two things: the transport of large groups of people in densely populated areas and the provision of fast heart-to-heart connections between urban areas that are further apart. 2 Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

3 As not everything can be achieved in just a few years, these points of departure provide the core direction for our policies and their practical implementation on our way to We will further develop these points of departure in phases, in a development agenda indicating when and how the partners can take steps to turn this vision into reality. In this respect, we will also look at how we can continue to align the ambitions in passenger transport with those in rail freight transport and how we can continue to provide sufficient room for both types of transport. Points of departure 1 From public transport to mobility Integrating public transport with travellers mobility chains. 2 Offering new mobility where demand is limited Making flexible, demand-driven transport available where the demand for and supply of classic public transport is insufficient. 3 Faster connections between economic core areas Providing faster connections between major economic core areas in and outside the Netherlands to strengthen our economy s competitive power. 4 Strengthening and integrating public transport in urban regions Strengthening large-scale collective transport in order to guarantee accessibility and liveability in and around crowded cities and urban regions. 5 Continue connecting regional centres and medium-sized towns Ensuring there will still be a mobility network connecting all regions in Promoting further sustainability Promoting the sustainability of mobility as, from the coming decade onwards, a stronger collective transport will be required to achieve the climate and air quality targets. 7 Accelerating innovation Stimulating innovations aimed at accessibility in large cities, flexible and demand-driven mobility and cost reduction in infrastructure, equipment and operation. 8 Smarter collaboration and financing Strengthening collaboration across the boundaries of modalities and policy fields to enable proper and affordable door-to-door transport. Integrating public transport with travellers mobility chains By 2040, we will no longer speak of public transport and public-transport chains, but of mobility chains. Travellers travel from door to door. Private rented and shared bicycles (ordinary or electric), taxies, water transport and other systems are used in addition to train, bus, tram or metro. By 2040, these chains will have been optimized so that these door-to-door journeys will be fast, comfortable, reliable and affordable. Travellers will also have access to more types of vehicles, from bicycles and compact (autonomous) means of transport to trains, or even self-driving cars and high-speed transport systems (e.g. superbus, maglev train or hyperloop). Mobility companies will offer travellers not only travel information but will also organize their door-to-door journeys, including payment. This will be an affordable product involving multimodal chains. Demand-driven services, such as those that currently complement classic public transport, may replace public transport in certain areas in the coming years. We intend to facilitate the extension of the range of mobility services so that services are attuned to travellers demands and the characteristics of an area. Collective transport suits better for densely populated areas where there is much demand, and more individual demand-driven transport suits better where demand is limited. Transfer to

4 To achieve this ambition, we will remove obstacles created by legislation, improve the availability of data, and provide better multimodal nodes, so people can transfer quickly and easily. This will require, inter alia, improvements in bicycle infrastructure and facilities, P&R facilities and seamless connectivity between different demand-driven modalities. Railway stations play an important role in this, but other mobility nodes will also be necessary. The point of departure that people must be able to travel fast, comfortably, reliably and affordably is paramount. We should therefore continue to guarantee people s physical and social safety. Future investments and decisions affecting public transport will be considered in a broader context, together with other mobility solutions and spatial developments. Wider accessibility options will also be studied: Can we encourage behavioural change to achieve a more even spread of journeys across the day, and can we better connect different traffic flows (goods distribution and passenger transport)? Making flexible, demand-driven transport available where the demand for and supply of classic public transport are insufficient. Today, in most areas, public transport is used as an additional means of transport, supplementing the use of privately owned bicycles and cars. For people who do not have access to other types of transport, public transport is sometimes the only way to travel. In areas and during parts of the day where demand is limited, a dense public transport network of regular lines and hours of operation is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Certain parts of the public transport system become too expensive to operate properly and are caught in a negative spiral of less usage, cutbacks, less supply and even less usage. This greatly reduces the quality of available mobility facilities in some areas. These developments are not only visible in rural areas but also at certain lines in more urbanized regions and in certain city districts. As stated under the first Point of Departure above, in 2040, new mobility providers will be able to offer travellers a much better product than a slow hourly bus service. New services arise through commercial or social initiatives, but usually not in areas where the demand is limited. We will facilitate a major transition towards a flexible, demand-driven mobility system, also in places where such a transition is not likely to occur naturally. We will use part of the budgets for this, providing more space for this type of services in public transport or mobility concessions, intelligently combining mobility demands and integrating them, where possible, with special needs and employee transport. Furthermore, we will integrate cycling and the cycling infrastructure into an inseparable part of the mobility chains. As government agencies we embrace and encourage innovations, and set up experiments in collaboration with market players. In this respect, targeted subsidies or support from the central or provincial authorities will be essential. Sometimes it may be necessary to provide a good digital infrastructure for digital services and self-steering technology in peripheral areas. Mobility supply will show greater differences in the different regions of our country. Realizing faster connections between major economic core areas in and outside the Netherlands to strengthen our economy s competitive power. The centre of economic gravity in the Netherlands lies in a number of spatial-economic core areas with a high potential for collective transport. Fast and direct connections between these core areas strengthen the opportunities for people to meet each other (see bold lines on the map below). In the next few years, the High-Frequency Rail Transport Programme (PHS in Dutch) will increase the frequencies at some of the corridors between these core areas. In addition, we aim for shorter travel times at the corridors between these areas. The ambition for 2040 is that it will take less than one hour for people to travel from door to door between any of the four major cities in the Randstad conurbation Mainports Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the port of Rotterdam will become even better accessible. Accessibility to core areas outside the Randstad region, such as brainport Eindhoven, will also be improved. This will improve our economy: people can choose between it will generate more jobs and clients, employers will be able to make use of a larger labour supply and, to foreign companies, the Netherlands will become even more attractive as a business location. 4 Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

5 We aim to shorten travel times by train. When it comes to long-distance travel, rail can very well compete with car, and trains have the advantage of travelling straight to the centre of a city. At these corridors, fast services will therefore not stop at the smaller stations. We will improve connections between the main corridors and the economic core areas and fast networks in surrounding countries (Düsseldorf, Flemish Diamond). We want to improve the speed and reliability of the connections with Brussels, London and Paris. In addition, we want to make sure that, for train passengers, travelling abroad will go as smoothly as travelling within the Netherlands (information provision, ticketing). New technologies will help us achieve these goals. On some domestic and cross-border routes, high-quality bus services may provide a good long-distance product. Reduction of travel times by train requires very large investments. Moreover, the realization of projects will take much time. In the short term, shorter journey times can be achieved by improvements in the first and final stages of transport (see fourth Point of departure), for example, to campuses. By 2030, higher frequencies, timetable adaptations and fewer intermediate stops will come into focus, including the investments involved. As goods are transported using parts of these same corridors, they should also be facilitated. New technologies such as magnetic trains and hyperloops may increase speeds even more and can potentially bring all core areas in and around the Netherlands within the one-hour distance. It is still unclear whether these technologies can lead to sound business cases in the Netherlands. If so, we will respond to the challenge. Transfer to

6 Strengthening large-scale collective transport to guarantee accessibility and liveability in and around crowded cities and urban regions. More and more people live, work and travel in the major cities and urban areas, where also most of the facilities are concentrated (see spots on the map below). Public transport is well suited to transport many passengers quickly and comfortably to destinations where space is scarce. As there is less and less space for the possession and use of private cars in large cities, we choose for a strong collective transport system as a basis for future transport in densely populated urban areas. This will make cities and their environs more accessible, more sustainable and more attractive to live and work in. Road transport and public transport (stations) are already becoming overloaded in some urban areas. Therefore, a qualitative leap is necessary to realize a coherent network which enables people in the region to travel directly to the major residential and work locations and facilities in the city by direct, frequent and well-integrated services. Direct connections better meet the needs of commuters, who prefer higher frequencies even at the expense of shorter distances to a boarding stop. The four major cities have opportunities to run light-rail and fast bus links together with Sprinter, metro and RandstadRail services in a coherent network that will better serve travellers. For example, by examining whether metro and light rail carriages can run on heavy-rail tracks. Again, we must make sure that rail freight transport remains accessible. In other urban areas, the focus is on seamless connectivity between fast regional bus services and regional train services. New mobility services will also be geared to these connections, but in some areas, particularly in the Randstand region, there is insufficient room for large streams of individual vehicles. Spatial intensification (densification, revitalization, new development and redevelopment) in the vicinity of public transport nodes enables us to make efficient use of scarce space. Large-scale investments in new, heavy connections to open up residential areas further away will therefore not be required. Urban vitality is thus strengthened, and the existing green and open spaces around the cities will be preserved. As a result of spatial intensification, more people will use the existing public transport system, which makes the qualitative leap of the entire public transport system more feasible because of increasing cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, smart physical planning around public transport with attractive and safe cycling and walking routes will also support the qualitative leap in regional public transport. New rail lines will only be considered if combined with sufficient new housing and facilities. The Dutch government and regional bodies made a number of agreements about spatial intensification in the letter of intent concerning the Spatial Economic Development Strategy (REOS). In addition, we want to encourage cooperation and, through smart incentives (financial and otherwise), create a more direct link between urbanization and accessibility. Coordination at regional, corridor and local levels is key. Supportive policies in urban areas (car parking policy, revitalization of station areas) will have positive impact on an efficient public transport system and thus on the liveability and accessibility of cities. Ensuring there will still be a mobility network connecting all regions in A quarter of the Dutch population lives and works in or near medium-sized cities, spread across the country. These cities are seen to have an increasing concentration of housing, work and facilities. Traditionally, cars play an important role in mobility in these areas. The national and regional railway network, and, increasingly so, fast, high-frequency bus services, ensure good interconnectivity between these cities. Commuters and students make intensive use of these means of public transport. Continuation of these connections between such cities and areas will also be a socially relevant topic by the year In the future, electric bikes, demand-driven mobility services and self-driving cars will serve part of this market. These mobility services will complement the existing network and will increase accessibility. Possibly, they will replace certain parts of the public transport network. Paramount is that travellers have access to good, sustainable and affordable connections. Form and modality are important but secondary. Authorities and transport providers will ensure that an integrated network continues to exist so that national, international and regional networks continue to function as a whole. 6 Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

7 In the further elaboration, a balance must be found between, on the one hand, the desired development of faster rail links on the longer distances (see the third point of departure) and, on the other hand, preserving the quality of the connections between medium-sized cities. This elaboration may vary from city to city. The result of the choice we make here is that travel time may become shorter on some train journeys and longer on others. a good bicycle infrastructure (bicycle highways and suitable transfer nodes), new mobility facilities and, in the long term, self-driving cars, will enable travellers from the region to easily and quickly find their way to the stations that are part of the fast corridors. For those stations, we are working on providing good access and changing facilities for existing and new forms of mobility, so that travellers can make efficient door-to-door journeys. In the border regions, where geographically close cities potentially have many exchanges, the current public transport system is still faced with many impediments. Realizing relatively small links in the international network, combined with the removal of barriers in travel information, pricing and ticketing, improves both travel offers and the quality of service. Promoting the sustainability of mobility as, from the coming decade onwards, a stronger collective transport will be required to achieve the climate and air quality targets. International and national agreements on climate and air-quality targets mean that traffic emissions must be drastically reduced in the coming decades. In the long term, cars will become cleaner, but in the next years, public transport as a much cleaner modality is needed to meet the agreements. The public transport sector must therefore offer an attractive form of travel and has taken major steps towards sustainability. Dutch Railways (NS) and ProRail (the rail infrastruture provider) will switch to 100% green power next year. Public transport parties stated in the Administrative Agreement on Zero-Emission Public Transport that, from 2025 onwards, new buses in the Netherlands will be completely emission-free and that the entire bus fleet will be emission-free in In a future vision entitled Together We Can Achieve a Carbon Neutral Rail Service, the rail sector stated its ambition to have a carbon neutral footprint by We want to promote further sustainability, both in the use of fuels and in the use of sustainable infrastructure and material. As public transport commissioners, the central and local governments will work on achieving sustainable contracting and will focus laws and regulations on sustainability of mobility. This means, in addition to setting the right conditions, creating a climate in which parties can learn from each other, purchase jointly, increase utilization and integrate their transport systems to avoid unnecessary transport movements. Public transport equipment can contribute to the energy transition by making trams, metros and P&R sites with electric cars part of smart energy grids in the cities. The roof area of public transport can be used for the generation of solar energy. Replacing diesel trains by trains operating on other fuels where electrification is too expensive may better succeed if passenger transport operators and freight transport operators collaborate. Stimulating innovations aimed at accessibility in large cities, flexible demand-driven mobility, and cost reduction in infrastructure, equipment and operation. In some respects, the Netherlands is an international leader in major innovations in public transport, such as the national public transport chipcard and the public transport bike. These innovations have been valuable steps to greatly improve travel comfort. Also in the future innovations that contribute to care-free travel will be necessary: even better and up-to-date travel information, seamless transfer and payment systems, and higher reliability. The current structure of the public transport system impedes the introduction and rollout of innovations at a number of levels. In the rail system, this has to do with the often long-term agreements (concessions) associated with investments in infrastructure and equipment with a long service life. Transfer to

8 However, the world outside of public transport changes rapidly and drastically, particularly in mobility and ICT applications for mobility. Innovations in public transport are therefore urgently necessary to respond more flexibly to changes and thus continue to play a role in the mobility mix. This requires courage and commitment from all parties. We mainly encourage innovations that improve accessibility where the demand for public transport is either limited or very large, and innovations aimed at better utilization and cost reduction in infrastructure, equipment and operation of public transport. Increasing costs of managing, maintaining and replacing the existing rail infrastructure also make innovation very desirable in this area. In the coming years, we will create a climate in which innovations will be given all the space they require. This means adapting the scope of laws and regulations and working towards sharing data, experiences and best practices. As public transport commissioners, central and local governments can act as launching customers for new concepts and services that currently have too little market potential. The Netherlands wants to develop internationally as a hotspot in the field of innovative mobility solutions. Given the urgency of the subject, we will provide an innovation stimulus by starting experiments or by raising them to a higher level, aimed at meeting the aforementioned crucial challenges. We will align the commitment in various regions so that we can all learn which innovations best meet the changing demands of travellers. Bradly is a 20-year-old Scotchman who came to Rotterdam as an international student in epidemiology. He made some smart apps that bring in a nice revenue. He can now afford a flat in one of the new residential towers in South Rotterdam. Bradly enormously enjoys the nightlife in Rotterdam, but he is also socially engaged. He has kept in touch with his former neighbour Conny (77) from Delfshaven, where he lived the first two years after his arrival in the Netherlands. Bradly takes many distance education courses and works at home. But this afternoon he is on his way with Conny, who has to undergo surgery at a hospital in Cologne, Germany. Bradly takes his e-bike and cycles to the station to the east of the A16. There is a test track of the Hyperloop between Rotterdam and Bonn- Cologne airport. Conny has just arrived with the self-driving shared taxi. Half an hour later, they are at the airport where a shared car from the hospital is picking them up. Strengthening collaboration across the boundaries of modalities and policy fields to enable proper and affordable door-to-door transport The boundaries between public transport and other forms of mobility are blurring. People travelling from a to B want to use a single mobility system that is easy to use, also for making payments. This requires that all authorities and mobility providers manage and facilitate this integrated system efficiently and effectively together, and develop and monitor network coherence. New services and ideas from market players and others can then be more easily integrated into the mobility system. More transparency and understanding of mobility data is important in this regard. Current laws and regulations on tendering, the classification and scope of concessions, funding, payments and roles will be tested on passenger interest, flexibility, efficiency, integrity and ability to respond quickly to innovations. The necessary cooperation between classic public transport and other modalities such as bicycle, bus and self-driving transport must be given shape in a manageable and efficient management model. This also applies to the cooperation with other policy fields such as spatial planning and economics. Only then passengers can effortlessly combine old and new forms of mobility on their journey from door to door. The affordability of public transport is under pressure. This applies to the management, maintenance and replacement costs of the national and regional heavy and light railways, but also to the operational costs of regional public transport. We want to create more financial space by providing other forms of mobility, looking for technological innovations, and making more focused choices in investment programmes. We want to make more efficient use of available resources by integrated use of separate cash flows. 8 Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

9 Today, divisions still exist: between public and special needs transport, between government and regional funds, between investment and operations funds, and between road and public transport funds. These barriers hinder the leap in scale we want to make towards collective transport of higher quality on the one hand, and demand-driven, flexible transport on the other. We are going to experiment with smart bundling and, where necessary, eliminating the barriers between cash flows, so funding is not steering but facilitating the provision of mobility services to the maximum. What mobility and public transport will look like by 2040 is still largely uncertain. Therefore, we will become more adaptive in our policies and monitor which trends continue and which do not. We must be prepared to discuss established habits and to use flexible systems that can move with technological and social trends. At the same time, we must be reluctant to make investments in systems whose future is uncertain, without postponing where the need for them is high. Whilst drawing up this vision of the role of public transport in the mobility system in the Netherlands in 2040, the government, provinces, metropolitan regions, transport operators, and ProRail managed to transcend the boundaries of individual interests. We wish to continue this collaboration to set up the development agenda. Transfer to

10 This is a publication of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management P.O. Box EX The Hague January 2018