Transport equity considerations of a ‘Trackless Tram-Entrepreneur Rail Model’

ABSTRACT New ‘trackless tram’ technology offers potential for cheaper deployment of high-quality public transport. This paper discusses planning and equity challenges inherent in Newman et al. (2018)’s Trackless Tram Entrepreneur Rail Model (TT-ERM) where public transport is delivered by the private sector, paid for by the profits of closely aligned real estate development. Although the concept offers potentially positive urban outcomes, an uneasy co-existence between private, integrated transport and land use development adjacent to legacy urban form likely limits viability of the model. Referencing past urban experiences, solutions are offered which maximise the positive opportunity of trackless trams for Australian cities.