It now seems that when the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway starts services for 2019 it will only be running for 500 metres between Derby Castle and Switzerland Road. It is still expected that the service will kick off in mid-late May once training of the horses has concluded.
A report on Manx Radio has quoted Infrastructure Minister, Ray Harmer MHK, as saying that this was always the intention and that it was vital to keep the horse trams running despite the short-length of track available. No official confirmation has come out of Isle of Man Transport as to what sort of service will be able to run on this short section or indeed what fares will be offered. It also hasn’t been mentioned whether the line will be extended as the year progresses although it is thought in various sources that this is what will happen.
Work on relaying the track along the Prom is ongoing with good progress continuing to be made although not at an advanced enough level for any more than 500 metres being available for the trams. Progress is also being made at constructing the temporary marquee to house the horse trams.