UKTram have recently had the chance to meet with Richard Holden, Minister at the Department for Transport with specific responsibility for light rail. In the meeting officials were able to highlight challenges faced by the sector whilst also pressing home the case for light rail growth.
During the meeting Mr Holden was also able to provide insight from the government’s point of view with their belief that increasing regional devolution provided a real opportunity for more UK cities to embrace light rail.
James Hammett, UKTram’s Managing Director, attended the meeting: “As well as listening to our concerns about rising energy costs and other challenges faced by existing networks, the minister expressed his belief that devolution would enable metropolitan and regional authorities to make their own decisions on local transport issues. This would enable them to deliver future schemes independent of central government, speeding up the process. During the meeting we were also able to update him on the work of our Centre of Excellence, which assists sponsors of proposed schemes to develop a solid business case for their plans, and he was very enthusiastic about the support it provides.”
- UKTram have also recently released their updated business plan outlining priorities for the next 12 months. These include working with operators to continue to help boost post-pandemic patronage as well as continuing to assess the viability of proposed new light and very light rail systems and extensions to existing ones. The new business plan is available at https://uktram.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Business-Plan-202324.pdf