Petition launched to support Blackpool Tramway extension to Poulton

Could another extension of the Blackpool Tramway follow that due to open in 2019 to Blackpool North Station? It could if a petition recently launched has its way with a plea to commission a study into extending the tramway from Fleetwood to Poulton using the disused railway line.

The petition comes at a very early stage and it would appear that no thought has been given just how the railway line would join up with the current Blackpool Tramway or even if at the Poulton-le-Fylde end it would run into the main railway station – the link between the Fleetwood branch and the main line to Blackpool North was severed a while ago by Network Rail during upgrade works. The idea of using the line for trams is also partly controversial as there are other plans for this to be used for heavy rail services, immediately brining this plan into opposition with this.

David Smith, creator of the petition, said: “If the Poulton to Fleetwood line was opened as a light rail route, it would more provide benefits to the economy than a train link ever could. A tramway could easily connect from the line directly in to Fleetwood’s high street businesses and residential areas, but a new railway would require a new station that would likely unable to be in an ideal location without large costs.”

One part of the plan which has been suggested already is that a number of new stops would be constructed along the route, again said to be an advantage of using trams rather than trains as the latter would have less stations.

It is at the very early stages and the petition has no official backing but the results will be presented to local politicians once completed to see if there is enough support to look at conducting a feasibility study.

* The petition can be signed at https://www.change.org/p/commission-a-study-for-trams-on-the-fleetwood-rail-line.