The 'Agglo net Twente' - light rail or high quality bus in the Netherlands?

The feasibility study for the 'Agglo net Twente', a project to improve public transport in the urban area of Twente in the Netherlands, is described. The region of Twente and its existing public transport system are outlined. Only 3% of trips are by public transport (bus, rail). The 'Agglo net Twente' project examined the feasibility of a light rail scheme or, alternatively, a high quality bus service. The case for treating the bus networkas if it were light rail is discussed. The important aspects of this treatment are considered: network planning and route alignment, integrating the public transport needs into the urban architecture design, providing traffic priority for public transport, the design and equipment of the vehicles, design of the stops, and driving style. Examples of high quality bus services in the Netherlands are described: the Almere network, the Zuidtangent (Southern Tangential) around Hoofddorp and Schiphol airport), and the Phileas system in Eindhoven. For the covering entry of this conference please see ITRD E132365