Note: whilst the second item below is from 2002, the point it makes is valid ie trams in dense routes are much cheaper in £s per passenger km than buses. The comparison is valid because Buchanan used contemporaneous bus and tram costs, and these have both inflated at more or less the same rates. However you cannot of course use the quoted installation costs as these are clearly out of date. To view uptodate visit: https://bathtrams.uk/0-likely-tram-track-installations-costs-for-bath-french-tram-engineering-experts-egis/ Buchanan was a highly respected consultant and they don’t just make these figures up as they would lose all professional credibility.
Comparative benefits of trams vs buses, Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, Malcolm Buchanan, Senior Director, Colin Buchanan and Partners. 12 February 2002
1) Andrew Braddock – Lifetime working at senior levels in Bus and Tram systems immediate past Chairman and a Vice-President of the Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA), and Chairman of the Promotions Group of industry body UKTram, as well as being Vice-Chairman of the UK Bus Driver of the Year Competition and a member of the Bus & Coach Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT)
“”The most important thing is to understand whole-life costing. A tramway needs to be assessed over 40 to 50 years and in that period the biggest single expense will be staff costs, hence the need to achieve high ratios of passengers to drivers. Up to 300 people on a tram with a driver is better than 90 on a bus. Next highest cost will be vehicles and their maintenance. A tram will cost between £1M and £2.5M (over the 20- to 44-metre range of lengths in most manufacturers’ catalogues) but will last 35-40 years. A bus will cost £0.5M but last only 12-15 years. Maintaining buses is around twice as expensive as for trams, even allowing for OHLE costs. Take carrying capacity into account and anyone can do the maths. Crudely, a line requiring 10 x 30-metre trams at £1.5M a pop would need 30 buses replaced twice over the whole-life costing period. That’s why there are so many tram systems “over there” – Andrew Braddock”
Extract from summary of presentation at: https://www.brlsi.org/events-proceedings/proceedings/17999
2) Trams vs. Buses: Making The Right Decision – Lecture given by Malcolm Buchanan, Senior Director, Colin Buchanan and Partners, on 12 February 2002.
Conclusion – Trams are cheaper than buses
3) Experience in Nantes
“”The most important thing is to understand whole-life costing. A tramway needs to be assessed over 40 to 50 years and in that period the biggest single expense will be staff costs, hence the need to achieve high ratios of passengers to drivers. Up to 300 people on a tram with a driver is better than 90 on a bus. Next highest cost will be vehicles and their maintenance. A tram will cost between £1M and £2.5M (over the 20- to 44-metre range of lengths in most manufacturers’ catalogues) but will last 35-40 years. A bus will cost £0.5M but last only 12-15 years. Maintaining buses is around twice as expensive as for trams, even allowing for OHLE costs. Take carrying capacity into account and anyone can do the maths. Crudely, a line requiring 10 x 30-metre trams at £1.5M a pop would need 30 buses replaced twice over the whole-life costing period. That’s why there are so many tram systems “over there” – Andrew Braddock”