SYNOPSIS

The 'Nottingham Express Transit' has played a large part in transforming the city of Nottingham from a car-intensive metropolis to one that very much relies on public transport. This talk will trace the development of the tram network, including the innovative funding model used for its second phase. It will then concentrate on some of the major engineering challenges faced in bringing the tram through the heart of a many-hundred-year-old city, in particular the route through the 'Lace Market', one of the most constricted areas, and bridges across the main line railway station and city's main ring road. It will also reflect on the different track structures used and the possibility that the future holds for bring down the cost of such schemes.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Mr. Nick Thom

Nick Thom has over 40 years experience of the highways industry.He is currently a lecturer at the University of Nottingham, where he teaches and researches on the topics of highway and railway engineering. Previously he worked for Scott Wilson (now part of Aecom) as a pavement specialist and was responsible for designs of both highways and airfields in the UK and several other countries.His particular area of expertise is in analysis and performance prediction of pavement and rail track structures.