Assessing Tram-Train feasibility via multicriteria approach: The case of Brescia (Italy)

Tram-Trains (TTs) are advanced, sustainable mobility systems that merge the best features of trams with regional railways. However, integrating heavy rail and tram operations introduces complexity in various areas, including infrastructure (track design, vehicles, power supply, and facilities) and organisational management. Ensuring compatibility often requires compromise solutions, such as adjusting the track gauges, modifying vehicle specifications, integrating power supply systems, and coordinating scheduling and operational procedures. Additionally, although this system is familiar to the transport community, there is a notable lack of studies utilising relevant planning tools and evaluation frameworks to assess the system's applicability and analyse potential alternatives, thereby enabling the selection of the best option for implementation in the target context.

The framework applied in this paper aims to address this gap in the existing literature. It employs a combined multi-criteria analysis approach: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to establish a hierarchy of evaluation criteria and ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité (ELECTRE) to determine the best compromise alternative. Moreover, the framework benefits from the input of practitioners and academics who were involved to assign importance to evaluation criteria and Monte Carlo simulation methods to include uncertainty. This framework enables the analysis of various design options and identifies the most suitable one for implementing a TT system in the studied context, precisely the territory of Brescia (Italy). Therefore, this study shows the potential viability of an interoperable system, such as the TT, which could be applicable in the selected area. These results are helpful since they might guide city planners and practitioners and serve as a benchmark for the scientific community while evaluating the applicability of the system.