Trampower are to continue to with their plans for a tram route in the London borough of Southwark – even though Transport for London have expressed their concern about the scheme. The planned route would run between London Bridge and Denmark Hill and Trampower claim that it could be built within 12 months and at reduced costs to the taxpayer.
Now, as many reading this website will be aware, Trampower have been attempting to get a demonstration line up and running in Preston for many, many years but despite promises that work to get it operational would be starting on several occasions very little progress has been in Lancashire. It would now appear that the firm have loftier ambitions with this 10 stop line in Southwark.
The major stumbling block – probably one of the major stumbling blocks – is that ideally they would need TfL backing to smooth the way for permissions being given for this construction but they are certainly not currently getting that.
A spokesperson from TfL said: “While we are keen to see increased connectivity across London, our number one priority is safety and we have significant concerns about the Southwark Supertram scheme. A number of safety and operational issues that would impact walking and cycling in the area as well as other road users, including bus passengers, have been raised during consultation with the promoters and remain unresolved.”
In response to this statement, Stewart Saunders, Transport and Policy Advisor at Southwark Supertram, said: “It may well be looking for problems to stop the scheme. As an organisation, they’re used to setting the pace… they were seeking strong assurances. They’ve been set up in a context where they decide what happens and what doesn’t happen. It’s very hard when you’re having to fit in with others’ demands and ideas. There’s a certain amount of politics playing into this – when we first contacted TfL they literally ignored us.”
The planned route would run from London Bridge to Denmark Hill with stops provided at Guys’ Hospital, Great Dover Street, Borough Road, Newington Causeway, Elephant and Castle, Wansey Street, Cadiz Street, Westmoreland Road, Bowyer Place and Camberwell Green.
The Southwark Supertram team claim it would only cost £90 million to build with the bulk of finance coming privately. Much of the savings against other tram schemes seems to be from how they plan to lay tracks as instead of digging up the roads and diverting utilities the rails would be laid in small grooves. Even with this different way of laying the tracks the costs do seem very optimistic in comparison with other tram schemes in the UK.
As TfL have reservations, the group behind the plans are now seeking local planning permission from Southwark Council. However, its likely that more permission is needed than this which could end up being a huge issue in getting these plans approved and trams running in the area.
I’m not quite sure where to shart here… The track system sounds highly flawed to me. If you just cut two slits in the existing road surface then any rail laid is at the mercy of the existing surface and sub-surface (which could be of variable age and quality) to hold it to gauge and level. Don’t even ask about electrical continuity between the rails!
Unlike most, I’ve actually been aboard their prototype vehicle when it appeared as part of Fleetwood Tram Sunday a good few years ago. if you thought thise East Lancs bodies on Blackpool’s centenary cars were cheap and rattly you ain’t seen nothing yet! The technology was crazy too. If I remember correctly the traction motors were mounted in the nose of each cab, with a shaft drive to the end bogies. This had been secretly trialled on a withdrawn OMO car around 1997ish. God knows where they put the motor in that, but it was quickly scrapped soon after. And it wasn’t long after the prototype appeared at Fleetwood that it famously caught fire on the Prom.
One could write a ten-volume book on proposals for tramways in London that never happened. Yet another…