“Next station 2027: 20th anniversary”. The phrase is from Enrique Arriaga, Minister of Mobility of the Council of Tenerife and president of Metrotenerife. With it, put into the mouth of Alicia Rodríguez, the voice of the tram, the presentation of the events to commemorate the 15th birthday of the light rail (2007-2022) that will take place next Thursday, June 2, culminates. In these three decades, the service has transported more than 200 million passengers in the Metropolitan Area of the Island.
The person in charge of the insular area of Mobility highlights from the outset that “the initial controversy has given way to not conceiving transport without this means.” Arriaga anticipates that “dozens of actions have been scheduled” to celebrate the anniversary. Among them, a photographic sample or the labeling of one of the units, “with the aim of thanking society for the fidelity shown to this means of transport and making it a participant in the acts,” says the island vice president.
Line 1 of the light rail (2007) forms, together with Line 2 (2009), a tram network connected to the main health, educational, administrative and commercial centers of the Metropolitan Area (Santa Cruz and La Laguna). Arriaga summarizes in another sentence: «200 (workers on the staff) have transported 200 million (passengers)».
Arriaga explains that there will also be gymkanas, “surprises for users and even the recording of a flashmob.” He values the work of the staff over these years and points out that “they are the great bastion of the transport company together with their Know-how (knowledge of the sector) for which companies from all over the world have been interested and have been Provide service”. At national and international level (Albania, Israel, Ecuador, Peru…).
“We want to thank the fidelity to this means of transport and involve society”
In addition to presenting a logo specially designed for these days, Arriaga advances: “Tomorrow (for today) the special signage alluding to the anniversary that one of the operator’s trams will wear will be presented at the Interchange stop”. The rest of the units will carry this commemorative logo on the front of their cabins until the end of the year. Meanwhile, stalls and mupis (panels) will display information alluding to these 15 years of service.
The hall of the Santa Cruz Interchange will host the photographic exhibition Yesterday and Today, 15 years connecting from June 2 until the end of the month. Twelve panels will show the transformation that its arrival in Santa Cruz and La Laguna entailed, as well as details of the service since its constitution, in 2001, to the present.
Fifteen years in figures.
The insular director of Mobility, José Alberto León, details the figures. He explains that since 2007 the tram has been in service for 181 months, which translates into more than 200 million passengers transported in nearly 2,020,000 commercial trips and 21 million kilometers travelled. Tram 111 was the first unit, of the 26 that make up the Citadis range fleet, to reach one million kilometers in commercial service. León adds that “integrated into the landscape, the tram contributes every day to the environmental quality of Santa Cruz and La Laguna by avoiding some two million journeys by private vehicle per year.”
The figure indicated during the presentation of the fifteen years of the tram in Tenerife is that 30 million journeys by car have been avoided at a rate of two million fewer per year.
Urban renewal.
The implementation of Lines 1 and 2 culminated a complex and complete urban renovation, both on the surface and underground, in their respective layouts. More than 40 kilometers of new water pipes were laid to supply homes and another 36 for the sanitation network. In addition, nearly 1,600 new trees were planted and ravines were channeled. Apart from the construction of more than two kilometers of new roads, as well as the remodeling or creation of thirteen roundabouts throughout the network.
User profile.
The tram service is close to the demand rates prior to the pandemic, currently standing at 97%. The user profile has not changed in these years: female, under 45 years old, with secondary education, resident in urban centers and employed. Punctuality, Environment and Accessibility are the aspects most appreciated by passengers, who have always described the service as remarkable.
“Integrated into the landscape, the tram contributes to improving environmental quality”
Accessibility and innovation.
A service for all. It is the commitment that marks the tram roadmap that made it the first light rail in 2011 to achieve the AENOR Universal Accessibility certification. To this day, it remains a benchmark and example of good practice in the field of accessibility for public transport. And in this commitment to citizens, its Social Responsibility Plan stands out through which multiple solidarity and inclusive actions are channeled, in addition to giving visibility to the work carried out by groups and associations.
At the forefront of the sector.
Technological and engineering advances have placed Metrotenerife at the forefront of the guided transport sector. One of its latest innovations is the removable rail insulating jacket, which is already being marketed and arouses the interest of operators such as Simove, a driving safety system to prevent accidents due to excessive speed, and Vía-Móvil, the comprehensive application for traveling by public transport.
Projection.
Metrotenerife has positioned itself internationally. In July of last year, it was the first Canarian company to issue Green Bonds in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To this must be added the consulting and technical assistance services on four continents through mobility projects. As Alicia Rodríguez would say: «Next station 2027: twentieth anniversary».
