Further details have this week been revealed on the ambitious plans to introduce tram-trains on the railway line from Blackpool South to Preston and onto the current tramway around Pleasure Beach. But as Sir Peter Hall in charge of planning for the scheme has revealed these details some local rail user groups have come out against the plan.
The partnership involved in the plan which as well as Blackpool includes similar projects in Belgium, France and Germany has until 9th May to submit their bid for £5 million to undertake trials. An answer would be forthcoming by the end of July. The funding would come from Europe and a national funding agency (in the case of Blackpool this would be the Northwest Development Agency.
Sir Peter Hall, who is in charge of the bid, said: In Kassel in Germany, where the system was introduced last year, trams run through the streets and then switch into being a diesel train on diesel motors and go off into the countryside. We think this is an absolutely obvious prospect for us because the tram could connect on the Blackpool South line either at the Pleasure Beach or airport. The rails are not a problem because they are the same distance apart, the main issue will be with the signalling. In Kassel the trams run on the same lines as high speed trains. The eventual plan here would be for the Blackpool South line to run as far as Kirkham, and then become part of the Blackpool tramway.
Trials would not be able to take place until 2012 once the tramway has been fully upgraded with no physical connection between the two. Trams would be trialled initially on the tramway and then lifted onto the railway line for further trials. If the trials are proved to be a success Blackpool Council and Network Rail would have to apply for funding from the government for the project to go ahead.
Sir Peter added: I believe we have a very good chance of getting this off the ground. By the end of 2012, if all goes well, we should be able to show these trams working and be able to get passenger reaction. The trams can run at 62mph but they accelerate better so they would give a better journey, but above all, they will give a connected journey with a direct fast tram through the centre of Blackpool."
However, Paul Nettleton, from the Blackpool and Fylde Rail Users Association group, does not think much of the plans. He said: These tramway plans fly in the face of the plans for the Community Rail Partnership (CRP) for the South Fylde line. A lot of hard work has gone into these plans, and come May, the CRP will be in full flow. This involves the use of heavy rail, whereas the tramway is light rail, so immediately there is a bit of a problem. What happens at Kirkham Junction, when trams, which at a guess have a top speed of maybe 50 or 60mph, would use track which has currently a maximum line speed of 70mph, potentially more. A two-year-old could work out the fact that the trams would cause massive delays. These plans are ill-conceived and have not been thought through at all."
Source: Blackpool Gazette