HERTFORDSHIRE transport chiefs have been giving residents a preview of how cross-county transport could look in the future – with their vision of a new trackless tram service that could run between Harlow and Hemel Hempstead as often as every 10 minutes reports Local Democracy Reporter.

Currently it can take in excess of three hours to make a  journey across the width of the county – east to west, or west to east – by bus.

And in a bid to speed up that journey, commuters can often find it is quicker to take the train all the way into  London and out again instead.

But transport officials at the county council have been looking at how a Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) could deliver what they say would be a more accessible, reliable and affordable way of crossing the county.

And this week they showcased how that could look – by releasing an image of the proposed route and taking a sample Irizar ie-tram on a tour of the county.

The county council’s executive member for environment, transport and growth, Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, estimates that the HERT could cut the time it takes to travel across the county by public transport to less than an hour.

And he says that will be made possible through a range of measures, depending on location, that could include separated busways, bus lanes or traffic lights programmed to prioritise public transport.

A “building block” approach is now envisaged to ensure pockets of the county will feel the benefit of the works in stages throughout the process.

But commuters will have to wait some time to travel the entire width of the county on the HERT – with Cllr Zukowskyj estimating that it could cost in excess of £2bn and could take until 2040 to complete.

According to the newly published route, a “rapid transit spine” would run between hubs in Harlow, Gilston, Hertford, Hatfield, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, with rail connections at all the hubs except Gilston and with a spur running from St Albans to Croxley.

Referring to it as “the transport system of the future”, Cllr Zukowskyj (Liberal Democrat, Hatfield South) says it moves away from a system set by the priorities of private bus companies.

The aim is for the service not to need a timetable, because services would be frequent enough for residents to “just turn up”.

And, says Cllr Zukowskyj, the ambition would be for services to run along the main spine of the HERT every 10 minutes.

“There’s a clear deficit in public transport for east-west travel across Hertfordshire,” Cllr Zukowskyj told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“And rather than allowing private bus companies to take commercial decisions to decide where routes are going to run, we are looking at trying to design a network that is more fit-for-purpose, more coherent and more structured.

“This vision isn’t something that’s going to be on the ground tomorrow. I would anticipate the full entirety of that might not be in the ground until 2040.

“What it requires is a lot of bits to be joined up across the route. And those bits will come forward at different times.”

Even if the council had an unlimited pot of money, Cllr Zukowskyj stresses that it would take time to build and manage the development of the HERT.

And he says the intention of showcasing the project at a number of ‘Future of Transport in Hertfordshire’ events has been to share the “vision” with Hertfordshire residents.

Cllr Zukowskyj also stresses that specific vehicles for the HERT won’t be chosen until a later stage in the project.

But centre-stage at each of the events has been an ‘Irizar ie-tram’, that Cllr Zukowskyj says is the sort of vehicle that they are looking at “very carefully”.

He hopes the tour of the ‘trackless tram’ around the county will give residents a feel for how it may feel to travel along the route, dispelling the perceptions that some will have about bus travel.

Cllr Zukowskyj describes the vehicle – which has wheels – as feeling like a mix of bus, train and tram.

And he said: “It has that kind of internal feel that a tram or train might have.

“And that’s important because I think an awful lot of residents have a poor concept of what bus transport is.”

‘Future of Transport in Hertfordshire’ events have been scheduled across Hertfordshire between May 9 and May 17.

Events, including the Irizar ie-tram, have already been held in Watford, Hertford, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead.

The final event will be on Victoria Street, St Albans, between noon and 6pm on May 17.