Yet more delays for tram 19

Tram number 19 will not run before the fourth quarter of 2022. This is yet another (article in Dutch) delay in the project that was started in 2004 with a planned delivery date of 2007. It was known from the start that the vibrations of a passing tram could disturb the scientific research in the Faculty of Applied Sciences (AS) on the Mekelweg, but a solution has yet to be found.

From a comparable situation in Utrecht, it now transpires that not only must the overhead cables be designed differently, but also the tracks need to be insulated better. This is what the Delft city councillor Stephan Brandligt told the Municipal Council.

Shorter route
His letter (in Dutch) raised another blow. The tram was first planned to run right to the south campus to the Reactor Institute, the Faculties of AS and Aerospace Engineering and the Technopolis industrial area. Now it will stop at the X sports and cultural centre. This is because of the Technopolis. ‘This allows enough space for companies carrying out high value research to locate on the south campus’ writes the councillor.

“TU Delft can easily get by with this temporary solution,” said a TU Delft spokesperson. The bus to the south campus will continue plying its route is the rationale and “an alternative may be found in the long-term”. Councillor Bradligt writes more, saying that the Municipality and TU Delft will jointly explore ‘innovative public transport opportunities in the light of the role of the TU Delft campus as a living lab for mobility’.