Utrecht fast tram

Since 1983 there has been a fast tram linking Utrecht, Nieuwegein and IJsselstein (the SUNI line); the last stretch in IJsselstein was constructed in 2000.

The tram line is due for renewal because of wear and tear. Moreover, the Utrecht local authority wants to make the Central Station-Uithof University Campus link a fast tram ring on the southern side of the city. Also, the redesign of the station area provides the opportunity to locate a stop on the west side of the station. In view of these developments, it is only natural to regard the two tram stops (the existing one and the new one) as a single assignment. The Utrecht local authority and the regional authority have therefore invited HTM passenger transport and Strootman to draw up a vision for the positioning and visual quality of the tram stops.

The ambition of the client and designers is for the network to be experienced as a unity and to reduce the enormous barrier effect of the present Nieuwegein line, which is situated in the city like a railway line. The route passes through a variety of environments, ranging from very urban to suburban. Our vision consists of the application of a number of fixed components, such as the rails, a shelter, the platform and the overhead contact wire, and on the other hand variable components such as asphalting, vegetation, furniture and lighting. The fixed components provide continuity and unity, while the atmosphere of the line is also determined to a large extent by the local situation. The result is a fast tram line that behaves much more like a guest in the city than the present one.