Abstract
The global resurgence in popularity of tramway technology will probably come to be considered one of the defining features of the broad period from c. 1980–2020 in transport history, at least until Coronavirus seemed to spoil the party by making proximity unfashionable. This tramway, or light rail, comeback has not been without its difficulties or controversies, and arguably may not quite have fulfilled the potential once claimed of it by boosters. Petkov’s contemporary history of this phenomenon, based on his PhD thesis at Technische Universität Darmstadt provides a theoretically grounded perspective drawing on rich case analysis to tell the story. Starting with the decline of traditional tramways and the slow rebirth of the concept after the oil crisis of the 1970s, a rich narrative is built, interweaving a broad discussion of the emergence of the technology with some well selected case studies which demonstrate that context is all important in the application of big ideas.
In terms of theoretical perspective the book views tramways through the lens of the theories of the historian of technology Thomas P. Hughes, who theorized that messy and complex socio-technical systems are typically pioneered by influential actors who combine the non-technical, or socially constructed, with the technical. Network systems can then be established which have the potential to be made generic and disembedded, creating a system capable of being adapted and installed anywhere in the world.
Petkov applies this lens to six case studies from three countries – Karlsruhe and Hannover in Germany, which pioneered the new form of the tramway as they sought to rebuild and revitalize their traditional systems, as well as totally new system builds at Strasbourg and Rouen in France, and Manchester and Sheffield in England. Petkov uses these studies to richly demonstrate how the different institutional settings of the three countries essentially prevented the adoption of a generic form of tramways internationally. Usefully in doing this he traces the origin of the new genre in Germany, where, unlike the UK and France, a new generation of tramway vehicles had been purchased in the late 1950s, staving off abandonment of traditional systems. While local, state and federal government policy still tended to favour motorization there remained a concern with making public transport competitive, and the emphasis was put on moving tramways underground to avoid conflicts with road traffic, even in some cases converting to a ‘full metro’ system. This process was partly facilitated by the Tax Amendment Act of 1966, which established a federal fuel duty, which was split between road and public transport schemes, being redistributed to the Länder and cities. Thus a funding mechanism was established, while cities started to realize that surface level segregation of tram transport was also a possibility, allowing for the cheaper adoption of schemes coupled with the avoidance of underground stations, which were often perceived as unattractive and dangerous by passengers.
The book lucidly tells the story of this re-adoption in Germany, which inspired interest among public transport planners in France and the English speaking world. Here the real strength of Petkov’s multinational case study approach becomes clear. The French national government responded to the 1970s oil crisis by encouraging the idea of tramway reintroduction, and a 1982 Act gave municipalities new powers in terms of the organization and financing of local transport, while subsidies were made available for systems with their own right of way. This encouraged as many as 30 cities to build tramway systems over a 30 year period, but the systems in France often had an aesthetic purpose attached to them, being interlinked with urban re-generation schemes (and the trams themselves often having striking designs). French local authorities, often led by powerful mayors with strong personalities, were able to drive through these regeneration projects attached to the diffusion of the technology, even if modal shift was not always as effective as first claimed. Petkov’s analysis is perhaps most revealing of policy shortcoming and ideological failure when it comes to the relative failure of trams in English cities. In England adoption may have been driven by claims of the environmental benefits and of modal shift, but the relatively weak powers of local government and the diffusion of transport powers through PTAs and PTEs together with the de-regulation of bus services after 1985 restricted what could be achieved. Relatively few systems were built and the institutional setting prevented integration with other local transport forms, restricting ridership. Professional transport planners often championed the systems over local politicians and strict market logics were applied to their operation once built. English systems were therefore not very innovative in implementation and had fewer positive impacts than the efficient German or aesthetically pleasing French systems.
This powerful synthesis brings Petkov towards the conclusion that the institutional context does matter for the transfer of network technologies, which are perhaps not as generically adaptable as they first appear. The interaction between the stakeholders involved in setting up a network – planners, policy makers, politicians, researchers and users alike therefore become critical in setting up that context. This is a diverse and enjoyable book that critically maps the challenges and pitfalls of the tramway renaissance without boosterism and should be essential reading for anyone who would like to see trams adopted in their own city.
