ENM Guardian article re Tramtrust

Manawatu Tram Trust – Back to the Future for Sustainable Transport

Palmerston North has an inspiring history of innovation in the use of sustainable energy for transport.  Back in the 1920s the Destructor, a rubbish incinerator/generator on Maxwells Line, generated enough electricity to power a fleet of electric rubbish trucks and the Rongotea Dairy's battery operated delivery vehicles.

The oil shocks of the 1970s prompted the Council to convert its fleet of over 300 vehicles to CNG (compressed natural gas). In the early 1980s, Palmerston North could boast the first all natural gas bus fleet in the world. Under the leadership of Mayor Brian Elwood, Bus Manager John Galbraith and Engineer Roy Bodell devised a technical strategy for vehicle conversion – all of which was done in the Council's Albert Street workshop. Even the Mayor's Jaguar was converted to be powered by natural gas.

The Manawatu Tram Trust aims to bring sustainable transport back to Palmerston North.  The idea of an iconic heritage style tram to help people move around the city centre emerged in 2000, and the Tram Trust was born.  Trustees decided that the Manawatu Tram should showcase sustainability, local innovation and, most of all, uptake of locally generated energy in an iconic tram format. The Manawatu Tram Trust was registered under the Charities Act in 2007.

The Tram is currently being designed in Palmerston North-based Coachworks Central. Funding applications are in place which, if successful, will see the Manawatu Tram operating as early as next year.

The Tram Trust works closely with Horizons Regional Council, Palmerston North City Council and Manawatu, Rangitikei and Tararua District Councils to make green transport a reality. Lessons learned so far and the local expertise developed in this project will help the Manawatu Green Transport Pilot, a call to reduce transport sector emissions using energy generated from our landfills, bio-methane from organic waste, wind energy and hydro-electricity.

As Prime Minister John Key and Environment Minister Nick Smith meet and greet their fellow leaders in Copenhagen, the Tram Trust is working hard to make Green Manawatu Greener by promoting greener transport technologies. More information and a discussion forum, Tramlines, can be found at www.tramtrust.org.nz. You can follow Tramtrust on Twitter, become a friend on Facebook, or comment at www.tramtrust.blogspot.com.

"MG" Gopalan

Project Manager, Manawatu Tram Trust

 

 

Photo captions:

 

One picture is the CNG Bus. In the foreground are John Galbraith Bus Manager, Mayor Brian Elwood and Bill Birch, Minister for Science and Technology.

 

The other picture is in the yard of the Rongotea Dairy Co-operative. The Dairy operated a fleet of 22 battery operated delivery trucks. Picture is circa 1918.

 

All pictures are courtesy the Ian Matheson Archives, PNCC.