Connecting the Eindhoven Leuven Aachen Triangle (Connecting ELAT)
To remain competitive in an unifying Europe the regions of Eindhoven, Leuven and Aachen are forced to change their orientation towards each other. This new orientation leads to the conclusion that the backyard is neglected in the past decades. Question is when and how to make use of the spatial and economic opportunities this offers.
One way to explore such opportunities is improving public transport in the
border area between Eindhoven (Netherlands) and Hasselt (Belgium). Such a search
matches the ideas developed by the regional Flemish public transport authority:
De Lijn Limburg. Their Spartacus plan accommodates a connection Hasselt - Eindhoven.
Arriving from two different angles two worlds seem to meet.
Connecting Spartacus and Phileas
For the time being Spartacus will reach into Noord Limburg, covering more than half the distance between Hasselt and Eindhoven. The question is whether Eindhoven can bridge the remaining half. The Connected Cities network organised several expert meetings and workshops on this task, which generated a step-by-step approach that offers a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to make an adequate response that bridges the gap. The SRE would have to determine with De Lijn Limburg how the link between Eindhoven and Hasselt affects the position of the Noord Limburg public transport hub. The advanced public transport system developed for the Eindhoven region over the last ten years is not a regiotram, as in Belgian Limburg, but the Phileas Bus Rapid Transit system, which uses dedicated traffic lanes and futuristic vehicles. Somehow these systems, regiotram and Phileas, have to be knitted together.
All in all these are not easy questions to answer. The steps to be taken in this process are nevertheless straightforward:
- SRE needs a vision that provides a context for the sustainable link between Eindhoven and Hasselt. The Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen Triangle (Liège included) can provide just that. The Eindhoven-Hasselt link should be instrumental in strengthening the real world ties between Limburg (the neglected backyard) and the ELAT cities.
- The scales of operation have to be determined. Initial studies show that the travel time between Eindhoven and Hasselt can be kept close to 60 minutes. In that case the link can serve all necessary scales: inter-regional, regional and intra-regional. Although this seems contrary to generally accepted wisdom, in this case public transport services on all scales are lacking in this border area and introducing one system will provide a significant improvement on all scales. A link that bridges the distance between Eindhoven and Hasselt in 60 minutes will provide reduced travel times on long and short journeys. It will improve the connection Eindhoven-Brussels, Hasselt-Amsterdam, Eindhoven-Leuven, Eindhoven-Hasselt, Eindhoven-Noord Limburg, and even Eindhoven-Valkenswaard.
- The desirable and possible connections should be determined. Working with a trunk line with branches offers a flexible solution that fits the Limburg context. This trunk line runs straight from Eindhoven to Hasselt, with as few detours as possible to keep travel time close to 60 minutes. The trunk can branch off in Noord Limburg towards Lommel, a city that is expanding to 40 – 50,000 inhabitants.
- Locating the Noord Limburg transport hub and related urban development requires careful consideration in weighing up the different alternatives. This will take some time. From the perspective of ELAT the capacity of the hub to provide space for the next university, technology institute, research campus or technology cluster should be examined.
- The overall routing of the line is in part pre-determined by the existing and past rail infrastructure.
- The final choice of system (regiotram or Phileas) is a tricky one. Further work could focus on the possibility of these systems sharing one and the same track between Eindhoven and Noord Limburg (Lommel). Both regiotram and Phileas use guided vehicles. If regiotram and Phileas can be combined, it would make ELAT the first testing ground in the world for comparing Bus Rapid Transit with Light Rail on a one to one basis. The results may surprise us.
