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| News...May 2004...News...May 2004...News...May 2004...News This Page was last updated Saturday 28 May 2004 |
| All the news carried on these pages is done so in good faith and the source is always quoted, normally with hyperlinks. If you have a correction to give us on a news story or have any additional news that can be added do not hestiate to email us . We are grateful for those people who have given us permission to use their images and news on this page. |
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For all previous news pages click here to go to the new News Index page which provides links to news dating back to September 2002. Photos on this page: Blackpool Illuminated Frigate 736 in the paint shop on 1 May 2004. (added 23 May 2004) |
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News In Brief Manchester: There was a major points failure in the late morning on Thursday (27 May)at Piccadilly Station on Manchester's Metrolink network. This meant that for a time no services were able to serve Piccadilly with many journeys being terminated at Piccadilly Gardens instead. Metrolink sent their Response Unit to the location as soon as possible to resolve the problem. In addition during the past week there have been two days where vehicle failures have seen delays and cancellations on both the Eccles and Bury/Altrincham lines. (28/5/04 - Manchester Metrolink) ------------------------------------------------- Crich: The latest progress on Leeds 345 has seen the controllers completed and installed and the traction wiring has also been completed which means works is commencing on the lighting circuits. Meanwhile Blackpool Toastrack 166 has now been moved from its home for several years of the Exhibition Hall to the Workshops awaiting attention to commence whilst the Berlin Works Car continues to be stripped with inspection being made to ensure there is no asbestos. Finally the Tramway Musueum Society have been approached by Blackpool Transport for the loan of a tram for the September English Electric 70th Anniversary celebrations and the board are keen to assist in any way possible. (I know I haven't mentioned what tram BT want but if you really want to know why don't you become a member of the TMS - details here.) (23/5/04 - Contact from the TMS) Sheffield: Sheffield City Council are continuing with their controversial plans to introduce new digital cameras in the city in order to fine people who use bus and tram lanes in the city. The major area are the so-called Tram Gates in the Hillsbrough area which are known to be abused significantly by motorised. Quite why it is causing so much controversy I just don't know. (23/5/04 - Sheffield Today) ------------------------------------------------- DLR: Buses will replace trains between Polar and Stratford on 22/23 May because of essential maintenance works. The buses will operate between Stratford and Westferry to connect with the remaining services. (22/5/04 - Docklands Light Railway) Nottingham: Tram services had to be suspended for a period of time on Tuesday 11 May at approximately 2.30pm after a man was killed when a train hit him at Bulwell station. The man died instantly and caused disruption to tram services due to the shared crossing at this location. (22/5/04 - This is Nottingham) Sheffield: Firstgroup have revealed plans to introduce a trambus with plans for Supertram extensions starting to fall apart. They would basically look like trams but be running on the road instead of rails. (22/5/04 - Sheffield Today) ------------------------------------------------- Birmingham: Midland Metro 03 has been named Ray Lewis. Mr Lewis was the Director of Technical Services for Wolverhampton City Council during the construction of Midland Metro. (9/5/04 - Peter Courtenay) Nottingham: Art and poetry are making an appearance on NET. 211 has become a moving art project for BA Fine Art student Laura Watson where she has models in poses we relate to specific celebrities on posters stuck to the tram sides. She said: "I was going to use billboards to do something different, then I thought of the tram.". Meanwhile verses by city poets have been put on all the trams, some buses and in shops to get people intersted in poetry in the city, they are to remain on the trams until 15 May. (9/5/04 - This is Nottingham) Nottingham: The road leading to the tram depot at Wilkinson Street is to be named after Pat Armstrong, the NET Project leader, in recognition of the key role he has played in bringing the project to fruition. (9/5/04 - Nottingham Express Transit) Seaton: Apologies on the Way to Go program on the Seaton Tramway it has since be advised that the show was to broadcast tonight (9 May) at 1730 or 1745 and not 16 May as mentioned last week. Unfortunately I have been unable to get to updating the site in time and although I am writing this before the show is on it will not be uploaded to the site until too late, it makes you think why I am writing this bit at all doesn't it? (9/5/04 - Seaton Tramway) ------------------------------------------------- Crich: Leeds 345's lower saloon structure and truck are now complete and reunited with work now concentrating on wiring work and internal painting. Meanwhile Glasgow 812 is back in service whilst London 1622 in undergoing testing before it returns to use. The Berlin Works Car is now on site and being stripped for spares. Finally the Woodland Walk is to be officially opened by the Duchess of Devonshire on 20 May. (2/5/04 - Contract) Croydon: Completing the set of UK light rail systems reaction to the NAO report Tramtrack Croydon Ltd have said: "Application of these recommendations, prior to its construction, would have helped delivery of Croydon's Tramlink and would certainly improve the delivery of new systems and extensions to existing systems." (2/5/04 - Croydon Guardian) ------------------------------------------------- |
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Ok, so I lied there is a bit of a news update this weekend. The only reason that there is an update here is that the major news of the launch of Seaton's new tram, number 9 has been revealed this week and I thought you should hear about before it happens (just about!) and as I had a few other bits of news floating about I have put them on as well for you to look at. The main news update will be back as usual next weekend as promised last week. SEATON TRAM 9 TO BE LAUNCHED SATURDAY 29 MAY Saturday 29 May 2004 The first of the three new trams built by Bolton Trams for the Seaton Tramway, number 9, is scheduled to enter service today (Saturday 29 May) with a special run being planned. The tram is to leave the Seaton terminus just after 3pm with invited guests, the press and ticket holders on board, this after speeches and photo opportunities being granted. 9 is then scheduled to arrive at Colyton just before 3.30pm where light refreshments will then be served to those on board. The tram will then return to Seaton, leaving Colyton at 4.17pm with arrival at Seaton at 4.40pm. Tickets were available for the journey priced at £10 (unfortunately we could give no chance for you to know about this before now as I have had boring work commitments this week!), which was scheduled at short notice following the granting of an Exemption Order to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 by the DETR and HMRI. Following this journey the tram is likely to become the main member of the service fleet allowing many of the older fleet members to take semi retirement. 9 is in a three tone blue livery which is based on an experimental livery used in Glasgow, and becomes the first tram in the Seaton fleet to be in blue. It is also the first new double decker to be built anywhere in the UK for 36 years since Seaton built their last one! In addition the tram is the largest in the Seaton fleet with seats for 56, with an open deck and two enclosed saloons on the lower floor as well as having a low floor centre section for disabled passengers. Source: Seaton Tramway CROYDON TRAMLINK UPDATE Saturday 29 May 2004 On the actual tram front all of the fleet were taken into the workshops over a 3 night period at the start of May for a gearbox modification to take place whilst there has also been a program to fit louder horns to the trams after a trial last year on 2542. There has also been the replacement of the large windows on many of the trams with a version which includes opening hopper windows to ease air flow during the summer months. There was a major points failure on Sunday 25 April at Church Street in Croydon town centre at 11.45am which left 2537 trapped in the stop for a time. After Mowlem had inspected the problematic points they discovered that the pistom arm had broken and as they had no spare they had to remove the points blade, put sand in the gap and this meant all trams had to head for Wimbledon. From that evening until Tuesday night Tramlink introudced a revised service with New Addington (Line 3) services terminating at East Croydon, Beckenham Junction (Line 2) services were leaving Church Street and heading towards Wandle Park before reversing into the single line at Jubilee Bridge and then onto West Croydon, avoiding Reeves Corner. Meanwhile Line 1 (Wimbledon) trams were unaffected and ran as normal to Elmer's End. The points were finally repaired on Tuesday 27 April and the normal service resumed on the Wednesday. For all the latest news on Croydon Tramlink see the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website - link below. Source: Croydon Tramlink TRANSDEV NAMED AS OPERATOR OF EDINBURGH TRAM SYSTEM Sunday 23 May 2004 On 14 May the Managing Director (Europe) of TRANSDEV, Joel Lebreton was in Edinburgh to sign the deal which makes the company officially the operator of the Edinburgh tram network. TRANSDEV will now work alongside Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (tie) and City of Edinburgh Council to plan and then construct Lines 1 and 2 (North Edinburgh Loop and West Edinburgh Line). David Humphrey, TRANSDEV's project director for Edinburgh said: "We are delighted to have completed the contract so swiftly. It augurs well for the future and we are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with tie that will bring huge benefits to the people of Edinburgh, and provide world-class services for the city." At the same time as announcing this major piece in the jigsaw for the return of trams to the city tie were responding to the recent National Audit Office report on Light Rail in England (although obviously Edinburgh is in Scotland and not England and so wasn't covered by the report). They say that the issues which have been highlighted by the report have already been included when they were planning the routes and alignment of the trams. The press release goes through each and every one of the major things which the NAO report mentioned and gives responses to them. To start with they say that bus services will be intergrated with the trams and that a separate company is to be formed involving TRANSDEV, Lothian Buses and tie to ensure there is effective integration. The system will also have Park and Ride sites in several areas already identified including some which will be linked by buses to tram stops. The trams will be mostly off street and when on street will mainly only ever share with buses with priority afforded at junctions and tie also mention that before deciding how they are going to collect their fares they will be studying other UK systems. Source: Edinburgh: Tram Time BAD DAY ON METROLINK Sunday 23 May 2004 Friday (20 May) proved to be a bad day on Manchester Metrolink with no fewer than 4 trams having to be withdrawn from service during the day due to failure. Two of these trams were operating on the Eccles service whilst the other two were on the main Bury and Altrincham lines and this caused problems throughout the day. It is unclear what reasons the trams had to be taken out of service but Metrolink were advising customers throughout the day that on the Bury/Altrincham line there could be 12 minutes between trams whilst over on the Eccles line as may as 24 minutes could occur between services. As if that wasn't bad enough for one day, at around lunchtime there was a major points failure in the city centre which meant that all services were then subjected to further 'noticeable' delays. All of these troubles had been preceded on Monday (17 May) with another vehicle failure at around 1300 on the Bury/Altrincham line although on this occasion Metrolink expected to have another tram in service within one hour. The new Metrolink website now offers the chance for you to have the latest service disruptions and news from the system emailed directly to you. This is where this information has come from and it is certainly very interesting to see how often the trams have problems on our first on street second generation tramway. Source: Manchester Metrolink MORE DETAILS RELEASED ON NET ROBBERY Sunday 23 May 2004 During the past week Nottinghamshire Police have released CCTV footage and further descriptions of the three youths who were involved in the knifepoint robbery on Nottingham Express Transit on Monday 10 May. All three of the suspects were aged between 16 and 19 with the one armed beging desribed as 18-19 years old, of a slim build and with dark hair. The second youth is said to be 16 years old with dark hair and he may have possibly been carrying a screwdriver and the final one was 18 years old and wearing a light coloured top. All of the three are white males. Police are now seeking witnesses who may be able to help catch the youths who managed to get off with around £100 in cash. Source: BBC News Online CONDUCTOR ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT IN NOTTINGHAM Saturday 22 May 2004 A conductor on board a tram in Nottingham was robbed at knifepoint on Monday 10 May in the first serious incident of this sort since opening in March. The assailants held a 6 inch blade to the 43 year old man's throat before they ran off with his fare money and satchel bag at Moor Bridge station. The youths had boarded the tram at Hucknall and had been asked to settle down before they made their attack just 3 stops after they had boarded. The Police have released brief descriptions of two of the three attackers, with one being 6ft tall and wearing a blue hooded top with a white stripe whilst another was described as being 5ft 8ins in height and they were chubby with dark hair. Colin Lea of NET told the Nottingham Evening Post: "We are clearly concerned about this and find it appalling that this would happen to somebody providing a public service." The company are now looking at installing extra CCTV, particularly on the trams, although they fear this could prove unpopular with the general public. Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward to the incident. Source: This is Nottingham & BBC News Online FARE DODGERS RECORD LOW ON METROLINK Saturday 22 May 2004 The percentage of passengers travelling on Manchester Metrolink without buying a ticket is at an all time low. Last months figures saw just 3% of passengers fare dodging, which is the lowest since Metrolink began 12 years ago. The latest scheme is called "check and eject" which sees inspectors converge en masse at Metrolink stops and check all of the tickets of the passengers. Anybody found without a ticket are not allowed back on board but have to walk the remainder of their journey. The inspectors are helped by hand held computers which allow them to check peoples names and address within seconds, to make sure people do not avoid their fines. The Revenue Recovery Manager for Serco Metrolink, Mike Mabey said: "A great deal of thought went into the hand-held system and it is good to see that we are now reaping the benefits. Because the system is so quick we can check more people's tickets to make sure Metrolink's revenue is protected." Source: Manchester Online IS IT THE END FOR METRO EXTENSIONS? Saturday 22 May 2004 The Birmingham Evening Mail reports that with the government making winning approval for light rail schemes more difficult the Midland Metro major network could now be in huge doubt. Centro are now having to rewrite or even dispense with plans for three of the potential routes with the City Centre-Airport, some of the Five Ws line and Birmingham-Eastside and from Quinton-Halesowen most at risk. The PTE are in fact admitting that it may well be more difficult to get approval for schemes because the DfT is insisting that new lines must result in huge reductions in car congestion. Councillor Roger Horton, Lead Member for Midland Metro on the West Midlands PTA said: "We are only allowed to calculate direct transport benefits, such as the time saving for passengers and motorists. The Government is now asking for a benefit to cost ratio of 1.5 - in other words, the scheme must reduce congestion by half as much again so only real winners stand a chance of getting the green light. Studies show that by providing an attractive alternative to the private car, light rail can actually speed up traffic on the roads. Experience has shown that light rail developments can also lead to considerable regeneration benefits and boost the local economy, but we are not permitted to include this in calculations." Source: icBirmingham ROW CONTINUES OVER TRAM SHELTER AT CLEVELEYS Saturday 22 May 2004 Claims are coming out of Cleveleys that the lack of a shelter at the main tram stop in the town could soon cost lives. There has not been a shelter at this location since the old one was removed due to health and safety reasons 3 years ago and since then arguments have insued over who should pay for its replacement. The shelter will cost around £3,000 to replace but Blackpool Borough Council say it is out of their boundaries whilst Wyre Council say its isn't their responsibility. A meeting was held back in January between the two Councils and Blackpool Transport about the shelter and it was considered that funds may be able to be raised by advertising space. A spokesman for Blackpool Council said: "Blackpool Council has no obligation as a highways authority to place shelters in Cleveleys as it's this council's priority to invest in its own borough. It is a district council's responsibility to provide public transport facilities and Wyre Council currently provides bus shelters in the district and it, or Lancashire County Council, should also provide tram shelters. Blackpool Transport Services has tried to help resolve the matter and offered to provide the shelters subject to an advertisement agreement, but this hasn't been taken up." Meanwhile Wyre have replied with their spokesman saying: "Wyre Council is keen to find a solution to this problem, but remains of the opinion that the primary responsibility for the replacement of the shelters rests with Blackpool Council. However, we are prepared to consider any options, and to work with both Blackpool Borough Council and Blackpool Transport Services to find a satisfactory solution. The situation with the shelters reflects badly on both borough councils and we recognise that something must be done." The continuing saga of the shelter has led one local resident, Mrs Adelaide Cowie, 77, to say: "Someone is going to get killed. If it is raining then we stand under a veranda on the opposite side and we look up the road for the tram. When we see it coming we rush to the stop, but we have to cross a four lane road and a double tram track to get there." Source: Blackpool Today MERSEY TRAM PUBLIC INQUIRY CONTINUES Saturday 22 May 2004 The latest progress at the public inquiry into the Merseytram scheme on Merseyside has seen the British Transport Police come out in favour of it. The Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Martyn Ripley told the inquiry: "British transport police are happy to support the tram scheme. It will create new jobs and access to employment as well as connecting communities to cultural amenities and services. We will do everything possible to ensure Merseytram is a safe and secure mode of public transport." This was followed by National Museums Liverpool removing their objections to the line and further objectors have signed deals with three householders in Stonebridge Lane, Croxteth signing agreements. National Museums Liverpool were originally concerned about the effect the tram has on the likes of Liverpool Museum, The Walker and the Conservation Centre and also access their staff may have during construction. A spokesman for National Museums Liverpool told the inquiry: "We support the principle of a tram system and believe the tram is potentially beneficial to the city generally. Our lawyers have confirmed we have reached agreement with Merseytravel and have withdrawn our objections. Friday 14 May then saw a final summing up of opposition to the trams by Lewis Lesley, former Liverpool University Professor and bus operator Glenvale before any outstanding objections are heard on resumption on Wednesday 26 May. Source: icLiverpool EXTRA STOP TO BE ADDED ON NET EXTENSTION Saturday 22 May 2004 Campaigners have won a battle to have an extra stop added when the Chilwell extension to NET is constructed. A two year battle was being fought over the stop, at Cator Lane, which is to serve elderley residents at Greenwood Court in addition to other local people. The campaign was led by the Beeston and Chilwell for Integrated Transport (BACIT) group whose Chairman Steve Barber said: "We are absolutely delighted that NET are now planning to provide a tram stop at Cator Lane. Nearly two years ago we had our own pro-tram 'stop the tram' campaign when we identified over 700 households who would benefit from a stop here and leafleted them all. We received an overwhelming response in support of this extra stop." A spokesman for NET said: "We were swayed by the huge strength of public comment in favour of a stop there and we have included it in the plans as a direct result of the strong feedback we received during consultation. This is one example which demonstrates that our public consultation is a two-way conversation and that where possible we will implement changes as a result of listening to local views." The plans now have to be ratified by both County and City Councils when they meet next month in the next stage of the extension plans. Source: This is Nottingham FINALLY LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL REACH AGREEMENT Sunday 9 May 2004 On Wednesday night (5 May) Liverpool City Council and Merseytravel finally reached an agreement on the Merseytram scheme which sees the Council removing their objection to the scheme at the Public Inquiry. Wednesday saw a very busy day which is believed to have started as early as 7am when Merseytravel Chief Executive Neil Scales and David Henshaw from the Council were on the phone. Lawyers then met at the offices of Merseytravel DLA at 10am and a deal is thought to have finally been decided upon at 8.30pm. David Henshaw said after the deal had finally been signed: "The city has driven a hard bargain and there will be serious challenges ahead in delivering the tram system we all want to see. This is a good deal for the people of Liverpool. We have had the assurances we wanted that taxpayers will not have to foot the bill for any escalation of cost, and our celebrations in 2007/8 will not be disrupted. Now Merseytravel has a job on to deliver the project on budget and on time." It is believed that the deal involves the Merseytravel making concessions including any escalation in costs being met either by Merseytravel or the trams operator and not the council. Also on the concession list is that there will 20 days in both 2007 and 2008 when work will not be taking place so as to avoid disruption, any changes needed to the historic buildings on Liverpool which mean extra cost will again be met by Merseytravel or its operator and from the Council's side Merseytravel or its operator will be compensated for any development which require tram stops to be moved. The Liverpool Daily Post also reports that with the Council removing their objections regeneration groups Liverpool Vision and English Partnerships will also not give objections to the scheme, joining Knowsley Council who announced last week they would not object. Source: icLiverpool COUNCILS GIVE A BIG YES TO CLIFTON NET EXTENSION Sunday 9 May 2004 In the past few weeks both the Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council have given their approval to the proposed Clifton extension to the Nottingham Express Transit system. Now that they have both said yes to the scheme it will go forward to the national government for approval and then it will be able to progress further in Nottingham. The line will need more than 700m of 6ft high anti noise fencing near to Wilford where the houses are likely to be affected by increased noise. Source: This is Nottingham MIDLAND METRO GETS MORE TROUBLE Sunday 9 May 2004 It has been claimed by anti Midland Metro campaigners on the proposed Varsity North line that the cost of the extension will rocket because of newish mains electric cables buried under the road. The leading opponent, Councillor Ron Whitehouse (Labour, Perry Bar) said: "They have approved this Metro without finding out exactly what will be involved first. The price tag is rising. The Metro already costs £30 million per mile - but they will have to move these cables and that does not come cheap." A spokesperson did admit that they had not looked into the costs in full detail and that they would be "contacting the utilities and work out the costs when the detailed planning work begins." Meanwhile a spokesman from the National Grid who fitted these cables just 2 years ago said: "We have equipment under the A34 and we have to move it. There will be significant costs of which about 70 per cent must be met by the developer under the Transport and Street Works Act." It seems that the saga of the Midland Metro extensions will just go on and on and on. Source: icBirmingham CROYDON TRAMLINK REVEAL ACCIDENT FIGURES Sunday 9 May 2004 Under the headline "One trams accident for every 54,000km" the Croydon Advertiser reports the latest figures released on the number of accidents involving Croydon's trams. The figures show that there have been only 186 accidents involving trams in the last 4 years (that makes 46.5 a year, less than one a week - try comparing that with car figures) but the General Manager of Tramtrack Croydon has said that there is nothing to be alarmed about. When you actually disect the figures it looks even better as 111 of these accidents are described as minor vehicular accidents with just 18 considered major vehicular accidents. The total number of accidents did drop between 2002 and 2003 but unfortunately it has risen again in the last year. Mr Harding said: "We were conscious this time last year that we were getting more pedestrian accidents and, as a consequence, we started a safety campaign. Now we are planning to do the same again in the next few weeks, aimed at car drivers. We have been concerned at the level of pedestrian accidents right from day one." He also understands that there will be more recent figures released soon which will show even more positive results for the tramway. The newspaper article goes on to cover the old ground on recent major car accidents on Tramlink without mentioning that it is believed in at least one of the cases to be the drivers fault with him on his mobile phone. Source: icSouthLondon BLACKPOOL TRAMWAY UPDATE Sunday 9 May 2004 Coronation 660 has been taken out of service and moved to the body shop where it is receiving an overhaul, the biggest it has ever received. So far the tram has been stripped of seats, floor boards, glazing, panelling and beading before it was moved back to the depot awaiting further attention. Meanwhile the Illuminated Frigate 736 has been in the Paint Shop where it has been receiving a two tone grey livery as seen on standard battleships and it remained there on 2 May. It is now believed the tram is virtually complete and should be available for testing shortly. Also receiving significant attention has been Balloon 712 which is back in the Body Shop for a restart to be made on its overhaul, although it has been decdied to retain the traditional shape for this tram it will have to feature many modern concessions because of the HSE's concerns over the pointy ends. This will likely include rubber bumpers and blade style lifeguards. Elsewhere with tram fleet Boat 600 has received the flag poles from sister 607 for the 70th Annivesary Celebrations in September and Centenary 644 is back in service following workshop attention after its major derailment. Finally for this months big update the 1907 Reel Wagon 750 has been stripped in the Body Shop to undergo an overhaul. The ONLY way to get full monthly news on the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway is to become a member of the Fylde Tramway Society. In addition to a monthly magazine there are also monthly meetings and regular tram tours taking trams to parts others can't get! For more details go to the FTS Site or see this page. Source: Fylde Tramway News and Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups: Blackpool Transport |
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Progress continues with the Illuminated Frigate 736 and the tram has recently been in the Paint Shop receiving two tone Battleship grey. The tram is seen here on 1 May 2004. Photo: Alan Robson |
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ARMED GANG ON MANCHESTER METROLINK Sunday 9 May 2004 Five armed men boarded a Manchester Metrolink service to Eccles at around 2330 on Easter Saturday police have said. The men all had Salford accents and had knives and CS spray and they threatened and stole money from four passengers aboard the service. The gang reportedly told all their victims that Langworthy was their area and that they should not travel through it to get to or from Eccles. Police have released descriptions of two of the gang, one was around 20, about 5ft 9ins with at least one tooth missing and a square shaped graze on his forehead. The other one was about 15 years old, between 5ft 5ins and 5ft 7ins in height and had a shaved head. The Salford Police are now appealing for 10-12 witnesses who were on board the tram at the time to come forward to give evidence. Source: BBC News Online LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL DELAYS DECISION Sunday 2 May 2004 Liverpool City Council have delayed their decision over whether to support or block Merseytram. An agreement was reached at 6.30am on Friday (30 April) morning after tough negotiations which require Merseytravel to sign an implementation agreement within 7 days. The council now say that the majority of their concerns have been sorted out but that the main sticking point remains the construction of the line being completed in time for the 2008 Capital of Culture status. In order for a final decision to be made the Council have asked not to give evidence at the Public Inquiry until Thursday which means the contract must be signed by 5pm on Wednesday evening. The City Council will now be the final expert witnesses to be heard at the Inquiry which will be at the tail end of its third (of 4) week when their evidence is heard. Charlie Parker, the council's executive director for regeneration said: "Throughout this week there has been detailed negotiations and we had intended to complete these talks by today. Regretfully, that didn't happen but we have narrowed our positions and solved a lot of the problems." Meanwhile a spokeman from Merseytravel said: "Over the past 24 hours we have moved forward considerably. We have reaffirmed our commitment that Line 1 will be completed on time and within cost. We are making progress and keen to keep open a dialogue with the city council to overcome any potential problems." Source: icLiverpool SOUTH HAMPSHIRE HOPEFUL OF RESOLVING FUNDING ISSUES Sunday 2 May 2004 Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council, the joint promoters of the South Hampshire Light Rapid Transit (SHRT) scheme, are hopeful that an agreement will be reached with the Government over the funding issues in the coming months. Councillor Keith Estlin, the Executive Member for Environment on the County Council said: "There is no doubt that there continues to be widespread commitment to SHRT, not just from the local authorities but from local Members of Parliament, the Government Office for the South East, and regional planning and development agencies. It represents good value for money and underpins the transport strategy for the whole of south Hampshire. What is also encouraging is the fact that Government asked us to investigate with the bidders whether our revised proposals would improve their offers, while elsewhere light rail projects were put on hold." As will be remembered back in 2000 the councils were asked by Whitehall to provide estimates for the project and submit them to bid for funding. At this time it was estimated that the scheme would cost £170 million and the Government agreed to cover 75% of that cost but then the costs increased rapidly for a variety of reasons outside the councils control. The main factor in these rises was that the tunnel under Portsmouth Harbour would have to be deeper in order to accommodate new ships for the Royal Navy. In addition the bidders for the DBOM contract saw increased insurance premiums, high construction inflation and an increase in public utility diversion work. The Department for Transport (DfT) have now said that they will set its budget for the next three years in July and the two Councils are now hopeful that this will give them good news. The Portfolio holder for traffic and transportation on the City Council, Councillor Alex Bentley added: "We believe that this is a transportation scheme which will enable a complete change in the way people in south Hampshire travel to places of work, leisure and play. It's a project where the true value of its implementation can only be proven after it has operated for a couple of years, changing people's travel habits and removing three million car journeys from local roads." If good news is forthcoming from the DfT the next stage will be selecting the preferred bidder for the DBOM contract and then when this is in place the Government and Councils can confirm the full funding issues with 2005 being mentioned as a date for designing for the final contracts. The July DfT funding announcements could also hold good or bad news for other places across the country including Leeds, Blackpool, Nottingham and Newcastle. Source: Hampshire County Council MERSEYTRAM PUBLIC INQUIRY CONTINUES Sunday 2 May 2004 This week has seen Week 2 of the Public Inquiry into Merseytram Line 1 in Liverpool. The week started with more objections and the Glenvale Transport bus company outlining why they don't want to see the trams operate in the city. The Counsel for Glenvale, Jonathan Crystal, told the inquiry: "To expect bus companies to roll over and not respond to threats to 6.5m of their yearly customers is naive." He also said that Merseytravel's claims of support for the trams were not really true and when he cross examined Neil Scale, Managing Director of Merseytravel he said: "The reality is that you do not have committed funds from the government, Europe or the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), and it is misleading to say otherwise." In reply Mr Scales said: "We are in the programme for European money and are not asking NWDA for money until 2005/6." Mr Crystal went on to say that Merseytravel could not exactly say that they had a lot of support from the Council, another claim that Mr Scales refuted telling the inquiry that there were just "minor" issues involving the Council. Mr Crystal then went on to claim that less than one in ten people on Merseyside would have access and gain from Merseytram especially is Lines 2 and 3 never happened as he says is a distinct possibility. He said: "Many of the benefits of the tram will be degraded or reduced if lines two and three do not come along. Only one limited corridor will have access to trams to commute from Kirkby to Liverpool." This claim was again refuted by Merseytravel with their transport economist Lee Eyles saying: "Everybody in the city centre will have the opportunity to use the trams." It was later claimed at the inquiry that there would be significant job losses from Glenvale as if people moved from the buses to trams they would not be able to keep all 860 drivers and staff on at the company. The Chief Executive of Glenvale, Dominic Brady said: "There is a lack of common sense about putting trams on a route served every two minutes by buses. Unemployment does not help regeneration. It offers no time advantage to passengers. The line from Kirkby to Liverpool is served by a train - which takes less than half the tram's proposed journey time. Can a tram be justified when 95% of the population will receive no benefit but will have to pay for it?" The final word of this weeks news from the inquiry goes to Merseytravel associate Alan Jones who said: "There will be a net increase in employment as a result of the scheme as new jobs are created. There will be an opportunity for bus drivers to apply for jobs. We have been working to improve bus services in Liverpool as part of the local transport plan. It is all part of raising the game of public transport on Merseyside." Source: icLiverpool POLICE CALLED TO NET PUBLIC MEETING Sunday 2 May 2004 Police had to be called out to a council meeting at Beeston Town Hall that was discussing the proposed Nottingham Express Transit extensions. Broxtowe Councillors had to adjourn the debate on Wednesday (28 April) night when some members of the 300 strong crowd became unhappy there was no room in the council chamber. The majority of the crowd were able to sit in the chamber but around 50 had to stand in the corridors and claimed they could not hear what was going on. Whilst they were waiting for the Police Council Chief Executive Mel Brown said: "The public have no say in this meeting. If you are not prepared to remain in silence then you will have to leave." Once the meeting resumed Police remained on site and a tannoy was provided so everyone could hear what was happening. The majority of the people went home unhappy when the full Council voted 26 to 11 in favour of recommending to the cabinet to support in principle the construction of NET. The issues in the meeting being discusssed included things such as the relocation of Beeston's bus station and multi-storey car park, the demolition of shops in Chilwell Road and the environmental impact. Before the meeting took place Councillor Milan Radulovic, the council leader said: "While I support the council's position of the tram in principle, I have a number of major concerns regarding the impact it will have on individuals' lives. You can't make a decision of this magnitude without considering all the implications - for the regeneration of Beeston, the mass transportation of people for generations to come and the impact on the environment and individuals." The next step for the extensions will be for the City and County Councils to meet and decide whether to progress with the lines by applying for the Transport and Works Act. Source: This is Nottingham SEATON TRAMWAY NEWS UPDATE Sunday 2 May 2004 New tram 9 is still undergoing test running and the tramway are now awaiting the completion of the approvals process with DETR and HMRI. Meanwhile 4 has had its traction wiring completely renewed whilst 7 has received repairs to its trucks to make it fir for service although it is planned for the tram to undergo a major overhaul when the 3 new trams are finally in service. Finally on the tram fron 14 and 16 have both received new brake shoes. Visitor numbers for April are reported as being 6% up on last year although the actual Easter period was down on the previous years figures. New crossing equipment was installed at Colyford during January and as such the Northbound passenger loading stop has had to be repositioned. Finally Seaton is to feature on the television programme Way to Go on Sunday 16 May at 5.30pm on ITV1 Westcountry only with the filming work having taken place during June 2003. Source: Seaton Tramway |