Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit

Last updated
HERT
Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit logo.png
Overview
Owner Hertfordshire County Council and Essex County Council
Area served Hertfordshire and Essex
Locale South East England
Transit type Trackless tram (proposed)
Number of lines3

Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) is a proposed public transport system, planned to operate across the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex in South East England. It is being jointly promoted by Hertfordshire County Council and Essex County Council. The proposals envisage the creation of an east–west transit system using unspecified electric vehicles.

Contents

The project is at the consultation stage and has not been confirmed or funded.

History

In Hertfordshire, roads crossing the county from Hemel Hempstead to Harlow suffer from significant traffic congestion. With an increase in housing developments in the area, Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) have sought to mitigate these problems by developing new a public transport scheme.

The first proposals for a Colne Valley Transit were put forward in the 1980s. [1] This was an east–west light rail transit across Hertfordshire's central belt linking Watford and Hertford. The rapid transit concept developed in the 1990s, known variously as the Central Herts Transit and the Herts Orbital Transit. [2] [3] These ideas formed the basis of the Hertfordshire to Essex Rapid Transit project, which was first published in HCC's A414 corridor strategy in 2019. [4]

In 2023, Hertfordshire County Council conducted a Public consultation about the HERT proposals. It found the 75% of respondents supported or strongly supported the scheme. [5] The project was evaluated by the consultancy City Science. [6]

Proposed route

Outline of the proposed HERT rapid transit routes, as yet unconfirmed HERT rapid transit map.png
Outline of the proposed HERT rapid transit routes, as yet unconfirmed

A precise route for HERT has not been specified, but it is envisaged that the system will follow an east–west transport corridor between Watford and Hemel Hempstead in the west of Hertfordshire, across the Essex border to Harlow in the east. [5] Detailed route plans were due to be announced in mid-2024, but were delayed pending the results of computer modelling. [4] The current proposals outline three approximate route sections: [5]

Each section would be constructed in phases, dependent on available funding. [5]

Vehicles

Vehicle types under consideration
20220607 Centrebus BU16UWN.jpg
Guided buses on the Luton to Dunstable Busway
Yibin ART System 10 12 45 035000.jpeg
The trackless tram system in Yibin, China
HERT proponents are evaluating possible vehicle types, including guided busways and trackless trams

HERT vehicles have not been specified, but proposals indicate that zero-emission passenger vehicles are being considered, including trams or guided busways. [4]

Watford Borough Council have indicated that the track bed of the Abbey Line and the former Watford and Rickmansworth Railway and could be converted into trackless tram operation, with street running sections along segregated sections of existing highways, creating a new transport route from Watford West station via Watford Junction to St Albans. [7] [8]

Refs

Citations

  1. ↑ "June 2, 1989: New rail network". Watford Observer. 24 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Transport fo Hatfield in Central Hertforshire" (PDF). Gascoyne Estates. 2021. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Hertfordshire - Herts-Essex Rapid Transit". www.connectedcities.org. ConnectedCities. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Wait continues over Hemel Hempstead to Harlow transport link". BBC News. 25 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Improving passenger transport - Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit". www.hertfordshire.gov.uk. Hertfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dedicated Driverless Spaces for Mass Transit (HERT) – City Science". cityscience.com. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  7. ↑ McGuinness, Fintan (28 June 2024). "Fears Abbey Line 'will be converted into busway' under scheme". Herts Advertiser. Archived from the original on 12 October 2024.
  8. ↑ McGuinness, Fintan (28 January 2026). "'Reopen West Watford' petition backed but 'trackless trams' could be more likely". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.

Sources

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