Plans for trams to return to the streets of Swansea are seemingly back on the agenda of the City Council with councillors discussing the feasibility of a tram network. There is believed to be growing public support for a tram network linking Swansea with Llanelli and Port Talbot.
Cllr Rob Speht – Liberal Democrat councillor for Landore – said: “Over the past year or so around 1,000 people have signed petitions to persuade Swansea council to look at bringing trains back. This is growing at a rate of about 10 to 20 signatures per day at the moment through the online petition on the website. In Swansea there is a deep well of sentiment for trams, as the very first tram in the world - Mumbles Railway - was built here more than 200 years ago. Swansea's city centre economy is stifled by the fact that you can't get people in and out fast enough. If you look at the city, it was designed really before cars came into being. If you think about growth and economic development, if you want a vibrant city centre, then it is naturally limited by cars."
It is estimated a tram network for the city would cost £400 million with much of this coming from private contributions and the City Council funding approximately £50 million.
Cllr Speht added: “This work will consume us for a year or two. It is only 12 or 24 months from now that we will know whether it is worth proceeding with or not. There's certainly political support to examine this issue, and I think generally the public are behind it."
Source: BBC News Online