Environmental, social and economic benefits of tram and light rail: valuation of public policies in Colombia

Abstract

Current trends in sustainable urban mobility have led to the implementation of alternative urban passenger transport, for which, tram and light rail, have shown important benefits from the perspective of environmental protection, social equity, and the economic value. This type of systems, deployed mainly in Europe and Asia, and which begin to make their foray into countries in Latin America, require structured state policies that support their implementation, while allowing their promotion and development. The present paper exposes the nature of the environmental, social and economic benefits of the tramway and the light rail system, in addition, and use of a contrast matrix for the qualitative analysis of policies, makes the assessment of the sufficiency of the public policies surrounding these systems within the Colombian legal system. The results indicate the insufficiency of the policies of regulation, promotion and development, as well as the scarcity of plans, programs and projects for these means of transport. We discuss the need to structure policies for public passenger transport in the cities of Colombia, oriented to the specific regulation of tramway systems.