Trams being discussed for Bath and Bristol once again

It’s a subject which often comes up – could Bath and Bristol be home to a tram system once again? And then often soon after nothing happens as other priorities come up and its decided the plans would be too expensive to implement. But there is now a refreshed hope that something could happen with the local Green party suggesting it could become a major part of the next Mayoral election.

The new hope that something could eventually has come after a recent presentation by Dr David Walmsley, a transport expert who has recently worked on some projects with UKTram. At this meeting Dr Walmsley talked about the various benefits trams and light rail bring to a city and gave details on how projects get their approvals.

And now having attended that meeting, the Green Party are of the belief it will be a major talking point during the May 2025 Mayoral election for the region.

Cllr Heather Mack, who will be the Green Party candidate at the election, posted on social media: “I’m excited about the prospect of bringing trams to Bristol and Bath, we need to create the system and the right environment for the demand to follow. It’s definitely on the cards. Underground sections make it a lot more expensive, but I’ll need to see the full feasibility study to see if it’s necessary.”

Cllr Emma Edwards, Green Party leader in Bristol, added: “We learned trams are not only feasible, but vital for a growing city that is trying to decarbonise and be accessible. What we need is the political will, which is why we need a Green Metro Mayor for the region like Heather Mack.”

Road congestion in the region has long been an issue with the belief that this has caused issues with development and investment. The idea of mass transit is nothing new which many different schemes having been considered and then rejected. It has been thought that it would have to underground due to the unsuitability of it running above ground, a belief which obviously increases costs.

Although not directly linked to this meeting, the Labour candidate for the Mayor, Helen Godwin, has also said that transport needs to be revamped, but has stopped short of saying what any mass transit option would look like.

This entry was posted in Bath and Bristol. Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Trams being discussed for Bath and Bristol once again

  1. daodao says:

    Bath is too small and hilly, without any major road corridors with space for tramways; it has essentially no suitable disused railway lines. Trams are highly unlikely ever to be justified or viable.

    Bristol is much larger but is also hilly and the major road corridors don’t have space for reserved track tramways. However, there are a couple of disused railway lines (to Whitchurch and Mangotsfield) that might conceivably be used in part. Underground routes would be unaffordable for a UK city of this size. Lulsgate Airport might justify a tram or light rail line given that it now has nearly 10m passengers annually, but there is no obvious route to it.

  2. Bob says:

    Tram-trains are the game changer, the South Wales Metro looks like a promising blueprint for how to combine increased frequency suburban services with limited on-street running. Battery/overhead/fast charge operation would also reduce capital cost.

  3. lazzer says:

    Lisbon shows that trams can operate easily on hilly sections of a line. Bristol possibly might get trams, you coulf fit a tramline down Gloucester Rd, though Leeds and Cardiff are ahead of them in the queue for government funding. A tram line from Bristol to Bath will not happen, not worth the expense of building it, there are very frequent rail and bus services already.

  4. David says:

    Before Labour took power there was some hope for Bristol but now it is not worth wasting any money on planning because the end result will be a repeat performance of what Alistair Darling did for the Liverpool and Portsmouth schemes.

Comments are closed.