Expanding public transport in Graz

Graz Linien is the biggest public mobility provider in southern Austria, responsible for two thirds of total public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) services in Styria. With more than 900 employees and a fleet of 86 trams and 148 buses, Graz Linien runs a total of eight tram lines, 28 bus and eight night bus lines on a network of 415km. This amounts to an equivalent of 280,000 passengers a day travelling with Graz Linien. In the 2012 business year, more than 102 million passengers used Graz Linien – around 1% more than in 2011. The main focus is on good service quality guaranteed by regular staff training and strict recruiting standards, but also thanks to perfect teamwork with workshop staff.

The main railway station – a central hub of local public transport

The new local public transport hub at Graz main railway station provides a powerful interface between local public transport and national and international connections. Since the new tram section with the underground tram stop at ‘Hauptbahnhof’ opened on 26 November 2012, lines 1, 3, 6 and 7 now stop at Graz main railway station. The tracks at the new stop are open to the sky but the waiting areas are covered. Stairs and escalators conveniently take passengers to the platforms, with lifts guaranteeing barrier-free access to the stops. Constant contact with passengers is ensured by means of 14 information points, information displays, and safety facilities such as video cameras and emergency phone points. The ‘Golden Eye’ covering the station forecourt provides protection from the weather when accessing the concourse and bus stops. ‘Golden Eye’ aptly describes the shape and colour of the structure and was the winning entry in a naming competition in which everyone in Graz could take part.

Ticket machine pilot project

Six new ticket machines located at the stops of the local public transport hub at the main rail – way station now allow passengers to buy tickets around the clock – with two machines adapted for people with reduced mobility. In the same way as the trams service, passengers can pay with coins or by using the cashless ‘hybrid system’. Six more ticket machines are planned to be set-up at ‘hot spots’ in 2013.

New premises at Steyrergasse 113a

The new function wing and depot were completed in December 2011, and at the beginning of March 2012 the first members of staff moved into the office premises and the extended main tram workshop with specialist workshops that were successively taken into operation during the course of the year. The new site offers office and tram workshop staff ideal working conditions. Glazed light offices and an openplan working layout encourage communication and facilitate collaboration. The site allows additional extensions of the tram workshop that will be necessary in order to further expand public transport in Graz.

New tracks for the city

The track construction department renewed approximately 2,800m of single-track as part of the 2012 construction programme – laying a total of 1,500m of new tracks under the main railway station local public transport hub project. Altogether, a total of 4,272m of tracks were therefore laid, with the appropriate contact line sections being modified or renewed. All work was completed on schedule and within the estimated budget.

The total length of track in-use after commissioning the ‘Hauptbahnhof’ stop now amounts to 73,612m, with 61,778m being used for the route network.

New bus lines 64 and 65

The new ring road lines 64 and 65 now finally complete the bus ring road around Graz. The new number 64 runs from Stiftingtal to St. Leonhard and Puntigam, with the new number 65 continuing to Wetzelsdorf. This permits a connection to the main hospital with – out having to change, particularly for residents in the St. Peter area. The idea of connecting the various parts of the city with bus lines (lines 41, 50, 52, 53, 58, 62, 63, 64, 65, 71, 72 and 85) has thus been successful.

Extension of the number 7 tram line

After successfully extending tram lines 4, 5 and 6, preliminary work has begun on extending tram line number 7. The extension of this line provides access to the ‘knowledge and tech – nology transfer in medicine centre’ currently under construction (ZWT), the planned new dental clinic, and the MED CAMPUS, construction of which is scheduled to begin in summer 2013.

Digital tachographs

Digital tachographs were purchased for all Graz Linien buses in 2011. The buses were successively converted from analogue to digital tachographs at the Graz Linien bus workshop. Conversion work was completed in the first quarter of 2012. The mass storage data collected in the digital tachographs are stored by WLAN at the Graz Linien bus centre.

PATRIS

The ‘PATRIS’ software system allows all participating organisational units with a standardised overview of Graz Linien sales from all distribution channels. Tram and bus ticket sales data handling based on the PATRIS system was installed in 2011 and enhanced in 2012. Development of a new sales system has been contracted for the mobility and sales centre and will be completed in the next few years.

Transport funding agreement

The transport funding agreement with the City of Graz which came into force on 1 January 2008 defines the commercial framework for Graz Linien. Because the transport funding agreement is based on an annual increase in demand and revenue but does not govern any increase in transport services, it is necessary to handle capacity increasing measures in the form of amendments to the agreement.

Public transport master plan

Graz Linien and the City of Graz have set out to increase the percentage of public transport in the modal split from a current 20% to 24% by 2020. The aim is to achieve this by means of an average annual passenger increase of 3%. Given a time frame of 10 years, this means roughly one third more passengers, which will in turn require increased services and capacities. In order to plan these additional services and capacities, the City of Graz and Graz Linien approved the drafting of a public transport master plan in May 2011. The aim is to co-ordinate the various necessary measures from now to the medium and long-term so as to ensure that the goals are achieved within a time frame of 10 to 20 years. In addition to the technical feasibility of measures and projects, focus is also placed on funding of public transport. Out of a total of 56 sub-projects, more than 30% were completed by 2012.

Among other things, it was agreed with the representatives of the owners in September to purchase 34 new articulated buses. Together with the 17 articulated buses that have already been operating since August 2012, and the two solo buses under a call for tender, the Graz Linien bus fleet will be renewed step-by-step up to winter 2013. That reduces the average age of the bus fleet to 7.6 years. By purchasing the articulated buses, Holding Graz also reacts to the volume of passengers that has been increas – ing for years, thus also necessitating greater capacities in terms of buses.

Communication and sales

Customer-friendly services characterise day-today operations in combination with ecological and economic considerations. The comprehensive information available consists of 172 information displays at stops, customeroriented ‘Tram TV’ in 60 trams, information screens in the new articulated buses, information stands at diversions and disruptions, press and PR work (extensive building site communication), Internet, Facebook and line apps for smartphones.

With the aid of a ticket app from A1, smart – phone owners can now buy tickets even more easily in Graz and five other Austrian cities. The ticket app – called ‘Handy Fahrschein’ – can be downloaded for free for customers of all mobile phone providers. The ‘Bus Bahn Bim’ app informs passengers quickly and conveniently about the ideal connection from any location to their desired destination.

Under the ENERQI project, Graz Linien invites passengers to use public transport and to test and assess the quality of mobility services. The result of this analysis is explained in detail in the 2012 Sustainability Report, in the section on ‘Customer Satisfaction and Citizen Focus’.

E-mobility at a preferential price

In addition to the ‘original e-mobility’ – the trams in Graz that have been running on electricity since 1899 – new combined services in this sector are being developed for the model region Graz, for instance sponsored purchase of folding e-bikes and combined Graz Linien season tickets. In addition, part of the Holding Graz fleet is being – and will continue to be – converted to electric vehicles (e-cars, e-bikes) in order to make a crucial contribution to climate and environmental protection.

Biography

Between 1984 and 1989, Barbara Muhr studied Law at Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz. After holding different positions in the Steirermärkische Sparkasse in Graz from 1991 to 2010, Barbara then became a Member of the Board of Management in Holding Graz (Linien/Energie) and a Member of the Supervisory Board of Energie Graz. Since July 2011, Barbara has been Chairman of the Graz e-mobility Supervisory Board.