Nils Jänig
May 18, 2025
Light rail of the future – European lessons in urban mobility transformation
As European cities look to decarbonise, reduce congestion, and enhance liveability, light rail is becoming a key tool for sustainable mobility and urban transformation due to its blend of capacity, efficiency, and low-emission operations. This article explores the growing momentum for light rail across Europe through recent project experience, focusing on success factors, common challenges, and the critical importance of early public engagement and integrated planning.
Urban centres across Europe are rethinking their mobility strategies. Faced with rising carbon emissions, ageing infrastructure, and changing mobility needs, cities are recognising that large-scale modal shift requires more than incremental changes — it demands investment in high-capacity, electrified public transport.
“Light rail gives cities a platform to move faster, further, and more fairly toward climate and accessibility goals,” says Nils Jänig, Director of Ramboll’s Light Rail Competence Centre. “It’s not just about getting from A to B — it’s about reshaping how we live in cities.”
Yet, implementing light rail is not without challenges. From financing and urban integration to community buy-in, these projects are complex, high-stakes undertakings. But they also offer some of the most visible, impactful outcomes when done right.
Crucially, light rail can enhance social coherence and local resilience by improving access to jobs, education, healthcare, and cultural opportunities — especially in areas underserved by other transport options.
Lessons from Germany: Participation, transparency, and urban value
In Germany, several cities are embracing light rail to modernise mobility. One standout is Kiel, a mid-sized city developing a 36km light rail network expected to launch in the early 2030s.
A detailed analysis helped the city choose between light rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), with clear emphasis placed on user value, environmental benefits, and long-term adaptability. What made Kiel’s approach notable was its focus on public participation — engaging residents through walking tours, online tools, and workshops to build shared ownership of the outcome.
“You can’t build a system for people without involving them,” Jänig explains. “We’ve seen projects fail where that trust was missing.” This level of transparency helped Kiel move from feasibility to political approval, avoiding missteps seen in other German cities.
Experience from the Nordics: Integration, sustainability and passenger-centred design
In the Nordic countries, light rail is helping cities decarbonise transport while improving daily life. In Copenhagen, Aarhus, Helsinki, and Bergen, it is not only a mobility solution, but a catalyst for more inclusive, connected, and resilient urban spaces.
In Bergen, the latest Bybanen light rail extension to Åsane will support 60,000 passengers per day and is guided by the city’s "Den Gode Reisen" (“The Good Journey”) initiative — a programme aimed at placing passengers, sustainability, and experience at the heart of transit design.
“The Nordic experience shows that if you treat light rail as city-shaping infrastructure — not just transport — the benefits multiply.”
These efforts show how cities can use light rail to enable modal shift, reduce emissions, and anchor broader urban regeneration goals.
Expanding in the UK and Ireland: Light rail as a driver of urban regeneration
In the UK and Ireland, interest in light rail is growing, especially in mid-sized cities aiming to address historic underinvestment in public transport. Here, light rail is seen as a mechanism for inclusive growth — reconnecting communities, improving access to jobs and services, and reducing dependency on cars.
“What’s exciting in the UK and Ireland is the potential to build systems that are not just technically strong, but socially transformative,” says Jänig.
The emphasis is shifting from vehicle and tracks to how light rail can activate development, support climate targets, and deliver social return on investment.
Ramboll’s Light Rail Competence Centre works across Europe to help cities translate ambition into implementation. It’s not just about technical delivery — it’s about supporting city leaders in building the case, designing with purpose, and delivering with confidence
Towards a European standard for urban rail excellence
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution — but there are shared principles that work,” Jänig notes. The following five principles are emerging as universal success factors:
- Early community involvement – to shape routes and secure trust
- Secure, blended financing – including EU and national support
- Sustainable design principles – from green tracks to net-zero operations
- Integrated urban planning – embedding transport into spatial strategy
- Political leadership – with strong alliances across agencies
Light rail as a foundation for Europe’s urban future
Light rail is increasingly seen as a cornerstone of future-ready urban mobility in Europe. From mid-sized German cities to Nordic capitals and growing interest in the UK and Ireland, the projects that succeed are those that combine technical excellence with social insight and integrated delivery.
“These systems are not just about movement — they’re about momentum,” Jänig concludes. “Momentum for healthier, more inclusive, more sustainable cities. That’s something worth building for.”
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Nils Jänig
Director
+49 721 72191549767