UK Tram – a not-for-profit organisation who bring together all organisations with an interest in the future development of light rail in the UK – have recently released a new video putting forward the case for more investment in light rail extoling the virtues of those networks already in operation across the country.
In the video – which can be viewed on the UK Tram website – we find out that in the UK we are 40% behind Europe’s investment in light rail and this is despite the fact that all light rail lines in this country are seeing continued growth year on year. Light rail has helped to make areas on the country develop with the availability of trams said to be part of the reason why some companies – such as the BBC in MediaCityUK, Salford – relocate.
We have often mentioned on these pages various projects across the British Isles where councils have considered light rail but they rarely come to fruition due to a variety of factors, not least the funding conundrum with government seemingly reluctant to provide the money to allow more towns and cities to join the light rail family. It is hoped that this video will show exactly why we need more light rail and will persuade decision makers to consider tram when trying to improve transport links in their region.