Jonathan Fox, DLRL Director said: “The DLR is one of the best performing railways in the UK, consistently recording reliability figures over 97 per cent. We look forward to finalising the contract with Serco as we continue to prepare for and support the London 2012 Olympics.”

Final negotations are now underway between the two parties and it hoped that the contracts will be signed by the end of the year. Serco first took on the franchise in April 1997, which was originally for 7 years but was extended to oversee the opening of the London City Airport extension (due to open at the end of the year).

Mr Fox added: “Over the last nine years of the current franchise the DLR has continued to expand, stimulating the growth and success of communities and businesses across East London. Passenger numbers have leapt from 15 million per year in 1996 to over 50 million now. The next franchise will cover a hugely exciting period. Thanks to the £10bn TfL 5 Year Investment Programme, it will see further expansion and development, as well as the London 2012 Olympics. DLRL and Serco will continue to work very closely together to meet the challenges ahead and build on the DLR's reputation for reliability and delivery."
Source: Docklands Light Railway & Transport for London

MERSEYTRAVEL CHAIRMAN’S ACCUSATIONS OF SABOTAGE
Sunday 27 November 2005
In an extraordinary move in the ever growing soap opera of the Merseytram scheme, Councillor Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, has accused senior Liverpool Council officials of deliberately trying to ambush the city’s tram project.

This latest twist in the saga has come about after the council lawyers advised it would unlawful to write a blank cheque to cover any increases in the construction of the tramway. After this legal advice the Council refused to sign a document in which it was all set to agree to underwrite a £24 million contingency fund to cover any funding over runs, with Merseytravel agreeing to cover any further costs.

Councillor Dowd has claimed that this legal advice is flawed and that the transport authority would be taking legal action is this led to the DfT refusing to release their agreed £170 million contribution.

He told a meeting of the transport authority: “Liverpool city council officers have without any doubt tried to be politicians. They have never wanted this scheme from day one. There was a deal between Liverpool and Knowsley councils, and Merseytravel, which was a good one, and it has been ambushed by the officers of the city council. They will never, in my opinion, be forgiven for this."

Merseytravel were also unhappy about the new clauses inserted into the agreement at last Friday’s meeting – especially the watering down of enthusiasm for the scheme from “committed” to “supportive”.

In response to these claims from Merseytravel, City Council leader Mike Storey – who has since resigned from his post after numerous clashes with the Council Chief Executive – said: “The city council has never accused Mersey-travel of being a party to mislead and defraud the Department for Transport. The QC's advice considered by the council's executive board said that if the council were to sign the comfort letter without a due diligence exercise, it would be acting illegally. If Merseytravel want to take legal action, then clearly that is a matter for them and we would not wish to comment on that."

Unfortunately, at the moment the Merseytram project is going the way of countless other light rail schemes in the UK – absolutely nowhere.
Source: icLiverpool

LEEDS START TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES TO TRAM
Sunday 27 November 2005
Transport bosses and local Councillors have now started to look at how they can proceed with improving public transport in the city and surrounding area, now that the DfT have told them funding for the Supertram is no longer available.

Initial discussion have already taken place between Metro, Leeds City Council and key partners and they have decided before they go much further they need a meeting with the DfT to discuss their commitment to providing funding for Leeds. As the official Supertram website says they need to do this: “so we do not repeat the wasted energy that has gone into Supertram only for the scheme to fail” – in an obvious dig towards the government.

As well as looking at improving current train (with extra carriages) and bus services they want to review the latest technological developments such as trolleybuses and tram-trains. However, it is highly unlikely the government will be interested is developing this ideas further as it does not include a bus.
Source: Leeds Supertram

BLACKPOOL MEP CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO MAKE DECISION
Sunday 27 November 2005
Blackpool Euro MEP, Chris Davies (Liberal Democrat) has called on the British Government to support the upgrade of the Blackpool Tramway to light rail standards – or risk being the people who killed the Blackpool Tram after over 115 years.

Mr Davies says that the scheme offers the best value for money for any of the schemes currently on the DfT table: “The tramway is already in operation, its land is in public ownership and no utilities will have to be moved before work is carried out. Refusal to support the proposal would leave the Government's commitment to public transport improvement in disarray."

At a recent Blackpool Council meeting attended by the MEP he was told by officials that unless investment was forthcoming the complete 11 mile line between Starr Gate and Fleetwood was unlikely to stay open beyond 2006/7. It is claimed that 55% of the track is of poor or very poor structure and the electrical infrastructure is also rapidly deteriorating.

The latest bid for funds has recently been sent to the DfT, asking for 75% of the total cost of £88 million, which would buy 14 low floor articulated trams and raise average speeds by 60%.
Source: Blackpool Today

CRICH TRAMWAY VILLAGE NEWS UPDATED
Sunday 27 November 2005
A day of tram shunting has taken place, moving trams withdrawn from service for the winter from the depot (mainly, 3 do remain situated in the running depot). Of course, not as many trams are needed for service in the winter with weekend running only.

It is hoped that all going to plan Sheffield 46, Leeds 600 and Glasgow 1100 should be moved to the Clay Cross store at the end of November – this is if Hepthorne Lane in Clay Cross is reopened following roadworks. If the road does not reopen in time it is likely the trams will not be moved until the New Year.

The major restoration of Leeds 345 is very nearly complete with just the stair-head mirrors and ticket boxes remaining to be fitted. It has recently been fitted with side body advertisements.

The new major restoration project is LUT 159 which has seen its underframe being completed up to wet assembly. In addition the body is taking shape with the body pillars being reconstructed using the originals as patterns. The controllers are also being dealt with, one of them is being reassembled with many items being repaired and replaced. The second controller will be dealt with after the first is completed.

Glasgow 1297 continues to be tested and before it is released for service attention is needed to parts of the air system. There will also be remedial attention to the paint work in order to make it not only look more presentable but also to make it more watertight. Once the work on this tram is completed Leeds 602 is expected to undergo its repaint. Halle 902 has also recently had some paint attention to its roof – again to make it more watertight. 902 has operated successfully in service after the rectification of an electrical fault.

Two trams have recently been lifted from their trucks for workshop attention, Chesterfield 7 and Johannesburg 60. 7’s truck has been stripped to allow inspection of the wheelsets and re-profiling and also for a motor overhaul. Meanwhile, 60 has been fitted with a temporary truck following the removal of its own, which is to undergo major attention by sub contractors. New wheel centres are needed, which will take approximately 8-10 weeks, and when these are done the wheelsets will be stripped and reassembled by another sub-contractor. The trams controllers are also to be dealt with after those of 159.
Source: Contact from the Tramway Museum Society

CROYDON TRAMLINK NEWS UPDATE
Sunday 27 November 2005
2533 and 2538 were involved in a minor collision at the New Addington terminus on Wednesday (23 November) morning. The incident happened at around 0815 when 2538 was approaching the terminus but failed to stop in time at the signal, meaning its front offside was just foul of the swept path of the westbound track. 2533 was already on its way out of the terminus and due to a combination of the thick fog and misjudgement the driver did not realise 2538 was fouling its path. What occurred was 2533 colliding with the angled cab door of 2538, which scraped along the side of 2533’s leading car and the centre car, coming to a rest and pushing in the corner of the rear cab of 2533.

The Rail Accident Investigation Board were called and attended the incident for most of the morning with trams having to be turned back at King Henry’s Drive – single line operation was in place from the Addington Village crossover. Both trams were eventually driven under their own power to the depot with a full service back in operation at around 1300. The trams are now awaiting repairs with the damage to 2538 believed to be more serious as there is damage to frame between the saloon and the cab. On the other hand 2533’s is believed to be superficial with windows broken and damaged lower panels.

Sutton Council are commissioning consultants to study options for extending the Tramlink system into the town. Four possible routes will be considered in the study to be undertaken early in the new year.

Mr Wilson, head of strategic planning and projects at the Council said: “The tram enables the development or re-development of the town centre by allowing shoppers and employees to get to Sutton town centre conveniently without adding to traffic congestion and the environmental impact of increased traffic.”

The tamper, which had been in town at the end of October/beginning of November, has now left – despite the work not being completed. The New Addington line was affected due to the Overhead Line being pulled down at Heathfield meaning the ballasting came to a halt and it was not resumed once the line was reopened. The tamper is fully booked in Europe for the next few months and so the hire could not be extended and it returned to Germany on 8 November.

On the tram front, all trams have now had the new seat covers fitted with 2544 the last so treated, returning to service by 6 November. All the trams have also been fitted with the modified bell push in the disabled bay with just 10 trams to have the disabled bay modification completed – the latest to be released is 2540.

For more on these stories and more news from Croydon visit the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website.
Source: Unofficial Croydon Tramlink

GOVERNMENT REMAIN COLD ON MERSEYTRAM
Sunday 20 November 2005
Despite assurances early last week that a decision of whether the DfT could give the go-ahead to the Merseytram project as the week ended the Government were still not willing to say yes to Liverpool. The sticking remains the so-called “blank cheque” the government wants the local authorities to sign for any overspend – something that is claimed to be illegal.

On Monday Derek Twigg MP, Transport Minister, summoned a delegation to meet him in London to discuss the issue and told those who attended that a decision would be made within two days – something which has evidently not happened. Having attended the meeting Councillor Peter Millea, member of Merseytravel and executive member for regeneration was not impressed with the stance of the government who keep making new demands. He said: “The Government went beyond moving the goalposts, they actually moved pitches. They don't seem to have realised that we are keeping up with them every step of the way. We have done everything they have asked for. We are not asking them for a penny more than the £170m. I fail to see how they could justify saying no."

On the government’s stance that the local Councils must sign a blank cheque, Councillor Richard Marbrow of the City Council said: “The Government should know that the two councils cannot write blank cheques. The Department of Transport was not happy with the alternative at first because they thought we had gone against what they had asked. But the fact is we have done everything they have asked and if it does go over budget, which we don't think it will, there are systems in place to cope with that."

Two days passed and there was still no decision forthcoming from the DfT, instead another letter was sent repeating the demands for the signing of a blank cheque. A spokeswoman from the DfT said: “A letter has gone out and we need to hear back from Merseytravel. The Government needs to know there will be no requests for any more money. We need the councils to give an unconditional assurance that they will cover any excess costs. We also need the districts involved to be fully aware of the risks. We have not had these assurances.

The spokeswoman went on to say: “We have not yet received the guarantees we are looking for from the Merseyside authorities. We are waiting to hear from them. They are offering a capped guarantee, but we are looking for a commitment to provide any funds that might be necessary to complete the scheme." She added that the money guarantee had to come from the local authorities and not from Merseytravel.

A frustrated source from the Town Hall said: “Some signs are positive, and we left Monday's meeting feeling confident, but there is always another hoop that we have to jump through. There is no chance that any excess costs will go beyond £24m. What is wrong with Merseytravel agreeing to cover it. The company is in a better position than a local authority is to come up with the money. They keep saying that is not enough and we are not in a position to do any more. We are ready to go, and as far as we are concerned we have everything we need."

In a further twist to the saga on Friday, lawyers acting for Liverpool City Council claimed that the Council could be charged with obtaining property by deception if they agreed to sign the “blank cheque”. Council leader, Councillor Mike Storey said: “We will send him this opinion along with a letter making it absolutely clear that we want to start this project and we need no more than £170m from him. We want him to see why we cannot give unconditional guarantees even if we wanted to. Maybe at this 11th hour something will happen as a result."

In reply to these claims a DfT spokesman said: “We have just received this advice, and are reviewing it. Clearly we would not expect councils to act unlawfully."

It would appear, unfortunately, that regardless of what the local authorities do in Liverpool the DfT are going to come up with something which means it won’t go ahead. They have even rejected an offer from Merseytravel to cover any additional costs which really does show how much they have gone cold on the idea.
Source: icLiverpool & BBC News Online

METROLINK SERVICES ENHANCED FOR CHRISTMAS
Sunday 20 November 2005
Approximately 195 extra services are to be run on Manchester Metrolink over the Christmas period including trams until 12.30am on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Councillor Roger Jones, Chairman of the GMPTA, commented on this boost: “This is good news for the travelling public. The Authority is always keen to hear passengers' views and I am pleased we have been able to respond to concerns expressed about Metrolink services finishing early last Christmas. I'd like to thank Serco Metrolink, the tram operator, for working with us to improve this key element of public transport in Greater Manchester at one of the busiest times of the year. As demand for later services is growing we will now look at also extending Metrolink's weekend operating hours throughout the year."

His views were echoed by Graham Stringer, MP for Manchester Blackley, who said: “I received complaints from my constituents about Metrolink last Christmas and am pleased that the Authority and tram operator have acted to provide a better service for passengers this year. In particular, the decision not to finish early on Christmas and New Year's Eve will provide people with a safe and accessible public transport option for getting home on these busy nights. I also welcome the fact that the Authority and Serco Metrolink will now look at extending the hours of weekend night services throughout the year to cater for the ever growing numbers of visitors and workers in Manchester city centre."

In addition to the Christmas Eve and New Years Eve enhanced service, extra trams will be provided on the two Bank Holidays and Boxing Day to cater for both shoppers and football fans. Services on Boxing Day will run between 9am and 9pm with enhanced services on the Altrincham line between 12 noon and 6pm for the Manchester United match.
Source: Manchester Online & GMPTE

WEST EDINBURGH BUSINESS COMMUNITY THROW SUPPORT BEHIND TRAM
Sunday 20 November 2005
The growing west Edinburgh business community have thrown their support behind the Edinburgh Tram by withdrawing their objections to the proposal. Following negotiations with tie, major landowners New Edinburgh Ltd (NEL), New Ingliston Ltd (NIL) and the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) have withdrawn their objections.

Speaking of behalf of the landowners, Malcolm Deans, Development Director of NEL, said: “We have already put in place expansive public transport services and, having worked closely with tie over recent months, believe that Tram Line Two will continue to enhance the Park’s strategic development, assisting in the expansion of the Southern Phase over the next 10 to 15 years.”

The tram project director of tie, Ian Kendall added: “Business and tourism in west Edinburgh provide a sizeable contribution to the local and national economy and, as such, the area needs an integrated transport system to cater for increasing employee and visitor numbers. Tram Line Two will play a pivotal role in the future development of west Edinburgh and today’s announcement signals the growing support the project is gaining from some of Scotland’s key businesses.”
Source: tie

BLAIR BECOMES INVOLVED IN MERSEYTRAM FIGHT
Sunday 13 November 2005
Prime Minister Tony Blair has become involved in the decision on whether to give the go-ahead to the Merseytram project after last weeks news that the funding gap has apparently been filled by local Councils.

On Monday a five strong delegation went to Downing Street to try and convince the powers that be not to pull the plug on the scheme to return trams to the streets of Liverpool. It was originally believed that the meeting would be with Minister for Transport, Derek Twigg, who is in charge of rail and light rail projects. The meeting which did ensue was reported as being very positive by Councillor Mike Storey, Liverpool City Council leader. He was joined by MPs George Howarth and Louise Ellman and Councillor Ron Round (leader of Knowsley council) and Sheena Ramsey (Chief Executive of Knowsley Council).

Ms Ellman (MP for Riverside) said: “We explained the importance of the tram to Liverpool and our region, and why we felt it should be supported. Mr Blair was certainly interested and listened carefully to what we said, and said he would make further inquiries and then come back and told us what he thought. But there was no clue on what the response would eventually be."

It is believed that the one sticking point is the Governments demands that there are assurances any future overspend will be met locally the by the Councils. This so-called blank cheque is something neither Liverpool nor Knowsley Councils are willing to give, although they have agreed to fund a joint £24million contingency fund.
Source: icLiverpool

WINTER SERVICE STARTS AS TRACKWORK COMMENCES
Sunday 13 November 2005
The 2005/6 Winter timetable commenced on Monday (7 November) in Blackpool and is the usual 20 minute daytime Monday-Saturday and 30 minute evenings and Sundays service. As ever the one person operated trams will be used in the main for the service, with 9 such trams available following the return to service of Centenary 645.

Monday 7 November also saw the commencement of trackwork on the tramway with initial work concentrated at North Pier (Talbot Square). The north crossover at North Pier is to be removed as it is very rarely used now with the Inspectors Office being disused. These points are to be reused as a replacement for those at the Tower.

Single line working is to be in use between North Pier and Gynn Square during the work. Southbound trams will use the rarely used crossover at Gynn Square to run wrong line along the northbound line as far as North Pier. This will include running on the wrong line around the Metropole Hotel. The tram will then stop at a barrier located just south of the Southbound tram stop. It would then move north onto the centre track and use the crossover to return to the correct line.

Further work expected to be undertaken this winter including the aforementioned points at Tower, the sunken track at Central Pier and some work south of Thornton Gate.

As mentioned above Centenary 645 returned to service following overhaul at the start of the winter timetable. The tram now carries an all over advert for Palm Beach Hotel.
Source: Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport

NOTTINGHAM PUSH FOR TRAM EXTENSIONS
Sunday 13 November 2005
A visit by Cabinet Minister David Miliband to Nottingham during this past week gave transport bosses and council leaders in the city to push for a decision on Phase 2 of NET.

He was due to be presented with a large fake pound coin. One side carried a message about the city’s future growth whilst the other talks about Phase 2 of NET to Beeston and Clifton.

Derek Brewer, chairman of the Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership said: “Growth and good transport are inextricably linked - we can't have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. Through presenting this coin to Mr Miliband we're explaining that Nottingham wants to grow but we need Government investment in NET phase two to help achieve this."

The City Council leader, Councillor Jon Collins is also anxious that a decision is made: “We've been hanging around for nearly six months waiting for a decision on moving forwards. It's been shuffling between civil servants. It's about time somebody grasps it and makes a decision and gives us a yes or no. We've got a successful first line of the tram, more successful than anywhere else in the country - it's popular and it makes sense to extend the network. I know there's always going to be some controversy about routes and disruption and so on, but the bottom line is the tram is good for the city. Extensions of the tram will be of real economic and growth benefit. We do want to move forward and we need Government to support that."
Source: This is Nottingham

LEEDS DECISION WILL NOT AFFECT US SAY CENTRO
Sunday 13 November 2005
Bosses at Centro, the West Midlands PTE, say that the decision of the Department for Transport not to give the go-ahead to Leeds Supertram does not mean the end of their plans for extending Midland Metro.

A spokesman from Centro said: “We already have Transport and Works Act powers to build and we have positive business cases for both lines. It is not a foregone conclusion and we recognise costs will have risen with inflation during the past year but we know there is a solid case there."

As reported last week, Centro are hoping to submit the final business case for the city centre extension to Five Ways via New Street and to Brierley Hill by December.

Transport 2000, the public transport lobby group, have criticised the decision of the DfT not to give the go-ahead and have warned a similar decision in Birmingham would be disastrous. Meera Rambisson from the group said: “With many more decisions like this, our transport network will get stuck in a rut. The provision of modern and efficient network links is vital to the economic performance and sustainability of our city regions and essential if the Government's objectives of regenerating regional economies, managing road congestion and tackling social exclusion are to be met."
Source: icBirmingham

FURTHER DELAYS HIT METROLINK
Sunday 13 November 2005
It has been another bad week in Manchester with delays hitting the Metrolink system on several occasions. The system, which is already suffering from vehicle unavailability due to spate of RTAs causing more trams to be out of service, has seen flooding and vandalism affect services this week.

On Tuesday (8 November) services were badly affected by flooding during the evening. No trams were able to run between Piccadilly and Piccadilly Gardens because heavy rain caused parts of Aytoun Street and London Road to flood making it impassable to trams. During the disruption direct services from Bury to Altrincham were unaffected whilst the Eccles line services were diverted to run to Victoria.

A spokesman from Serco Metrolink said: “We will be working very closely with the highways department at the local authority to see if there is anything we can do to stop this happening again, or whether it was an isolated incident due to the weather."

Then on Thursday (10 November) morning a serious act of vandalism caused severe disruption on the network. A brick was lodged between the power cables and a tram just after it left the G-Mex stop heading towards Altrincham. The tram suffered fairly extensive damage and this caused it to come to an immediate stop and also causing significant disruption to most tram services due to the location (direct Bury-Altrincham, Altrincham and Eccles services all have to pass this point).

A spokesperson from Serco Metrolink said: “A replacement bus service was put into place, however there were still significant delays to passengers during the morning peak. At around 9.15am recovery of the service began and the seriously damaged tram was moved to Cornbrook sidings to carryout a full inspection of the tram before moving it safely back to Queens Road depot. This is a very serious criminal act of vandalism that could have put the safety of passengers and staff at risk. This incident has been reported to the Police and we will be working closely with them to assist in their investigations.”

Once the tram had been moved out of the way and the power supply was restored services started to get back to normal. Passengers on board the affected tram were transferred onto another tram to get into the city centre.
Source: Manchester Online, Manchester Metrolink & BBC News Online

DOUGLAS HORSE TRAM PASSENGER FIGURES DOWN
Sunday 13 November 2005
Figures released this week show that the popularity of the horse trams in Douglas on the Isle of Man is continuing to decline with 76,000 people taking a journey behind the horses this year.

The number of journeys being taken have been falling dramatically in recent years with 108,000 more passengers being recorded on the trams in 1995 – only 10 years ago.

Councillor David Christian, Chairman of the Leisure Services Committee said: “I think it is very important that we do maintain a service on the promenade. I think the horse trams are very safe at the moment. Any local authority in England that provides services will tell you that 99% of them run at a deficiency, that is the nature of the beast."
Source: BBC News Online

TRAMPOWER RUNNING IN LIVERPOOL UNTIL END OF MONTH
Sunday 13 November 2005
There was an article in the Liverpool Daily Post about the Trampower tram currently undergoing tests on the Birkenhead tramway on Merseyside. The tram was of course on test in Blackpool during the last 1990s and is a low cost British built tram.

The tram was developed by the Trampower company based in Gilmoss on Merseyside and its technical director Professor Lewis Lesley. He said: “I offered this design to Merseytravel but it was rejected. As a Liverpool-based company it would be fantastic to see it running on Merseyside. I think there is a strong case for a good tram system here. Unfortunately, there are always so many obstacles to overcome. We are trialling this tram in Birkenhead ahead of introducing it in Blackpool where we hope it will become the first of a large fleet of 85 to modernise their trams, many of which are around 70 years old. It is my 22-tonne baby which I have been working on developing since 1993."

The article mentions that the tram will continue to be used on tests in Birkenhead until the end of November when it is planned that it will return to Blackpool for further tests.

Scott Hellewell of Trampower added: “Trams are often difficult to introduce in cities because of the perceived high cost of them and the convoluted legal arguments that go along with them. Tram systems often do not operate as well as they should do. However, without them, cities face increasing levels of congestion."
Source: icLiverpool

ANGER AT LEEDS SUPERTRAM AXING
Sunday 6 November 2005
On Thursday (3 November) the decision which transport bosses and politicians in West Yorkshire had been dreading was finally made public by Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport – the go-ahead will not be given for Leeds Supertram/ Needless to say this decision, although probably not that much of a surprise, has been met with dismay and anger in Leeds.

Speaking after having made the announcement Mr Darling said: “It is clear that the tram scheme is still very expensive and the costs remain much higher than originally planned. The value today is £486m - compared with the approved figure in 2001 of £355m. Clearly it does not represent the best value for money for the people of Leeds or the best use of public money."

But Leeds needn’t worry as Mr Darling knows exactly the way forward to improve transport in the West Yorkshire city – which is apparently the largest city in Western Europe without a tramway or underground railway – and that is, yes you’ve guessed it, buses! He said: “We were talking about a tram that certainly would have been helpful for some parts, but not for all. I very much hope that Leeds will work with central government. Our objectives are the same. We want Leeds to be a first-class city and we want to do all we can to create a first-class transport system. I recognise that a conventional bus service would not fit the bill. We are talking about new vehicles that look like trams rather than buses. They are longer and they run a regular and frequent service."

He added that the blame for the failure of the project laid firmly at the doors of councillors in Leeds. He said: “I made my decision on Supertram 18 months but I was asked to look at it again and so I did.” He also denied claims that he snubbed these councillors when they demanded a meeting with either him or his junior, Derek Twigg: “I know that councillors have met Derek Twigg and I have met Leeds councillors. There has been as much contact as possible and I can't see what the problem has been there."

The usual nugget of the north/south divide has of course come out after this decision and it is very hard to see a way through this. Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, said: “Alistair Darling giving £500m to pay for a ticket office at Kings Cross in London and we are not granted £355m for a tram system. That gives you an idea of the Government priorities and frankly it stinks. There is a concern that certain projects which may have gone ahead may not now because of the need to pump money into the Olympics."

Metro (the West Yorkshire PTE) Chairman, Councillor Karam Hussain said that the decision to not give the go-ahead was a disgrace. He said: “This is a disgraceful decision which reflects the Government’s lack of any clear policy on transport or on the development of the cities and regions outside London and the south east. What is the point of the Government publishing grand strategies such as its ‘Northern Way’, which claims to be a strategic plan to increase investment and economic drive across the north and which cites Supertram as an important element, and then turning the scheme down like this? Transport affects all aspects of life including 15% of total business costs but the region suffers from a £200m Department for Transport underspend every year. Where is the strategic thinking? Does the Government’s left hand know what the right hand is doing?”

Mr Hussain added: “We are going to sit down with the Department for Transport and key stakeholders to draw up a plan but we need a commitment from ministers that they will support that plan in principle and with resources so that we can then go on to deliver it. We have also considered alternative strategies in terms of how we might still deliver transport solutions along the original planned Supertram routes and also develop new strategic links into other areas.”

Leeds City Council leader, Councillor Mark Harris said: “This is a massive knock but we are determined it will not affect our ambition and competitive drive. We are resilient in Leeds. We will bring expertise together and are confident that we can find an alternative way forward."

His deputy, Councillor Andrew Carter added: “This government has let down the people of Leeds and this council in a way that no government has ever let down an area of the country before. It was they who encouraged us to move ahead with Supertram, it was them who put £350m on the table and it is them who have destroyed the scheme. I know that there are people who do not support the Supertram scheme. However, everybody in Leeds should unite in saying that the delays caused by the government are absolutely unforgivable."

Around £40 million had already been spent on planning the scheme and this money, taxpayers money, has now been wasted on something which has no chance of happening. What this decision means for other light rail projects in England is not known, but if you’re in places like Portsmouth I wouldn’t hold your breath for good news on tramways.
Source: Leeds Supertram, Leeds Today, Yorkshire Today & BBC News Online

MERSEYTRAM DEAL AGREED IN LIVERPOOL
Sunday 30 October 2005
In a good piece of news in this week, Liverpool City Council have announced that they too, along with Knowsley Council who agreed last week, are backing the £25 million contingency fund to get the Merseytram project back on track – Merseyside now awaits a final decision from the government. Also, this week in a related move a Liverpool entrepreneur has offered to give millions of pounds of his fortune to help ensure Merseytram is built.

The decision by Liverpool City Council to agree to the deal came at a Council meeting this week, but only after three senior Council officials (including Chief Executive Sir David Henshaw) tried to warn the Councillors of the danger of the scheme. The final vote of Councillors was 25-8 in favour of backing Merseytram. A Liberal Democrat Party source told the Liverpool Daily Post: “The officers said they would carry out our wishes but then listed all the other schemes that might be jeopardised by supporting the tram. They also said that if we did wish to approve anything beyond the £24m contingency we should do so only after a full due diligence report but of course that would take time we just don't have now."

The meeting also had several people speaking in favour of backing the scheme, including Councillor Peter Millea, executive member for regeneration and a member of Merseytravel. After the decision Mr Millea said: “Over the last few months we have had our differences with the officers but, to be fair to them, it is their role to be cautious. We value that, and they are there to protect our interests. They pointed out the risks and they have their interpretation of those and we have our own. As a group we have decided to take the risk of underwriting a contingency which may never be needed anyway. The officers made it clear that we could not agree to anything more than the £24m contingency and we never intended to do that anyway. It would have scuppered the tram if Liverpool and Knowsley were asked to pay more than the £24m and quite rightly Merseytravel did not ask us to do that."

He added that it all now rested with the government as to what happens next: “The ball is now firmly in the Government's court. We have shown we meant what we said all along and that is we want this project to go ahead. There is no more we can do; it is now up to the Government."

One of the Ministers at the Department for Transport, Derek Twigg MP said about Merseytravel: “We all want to be sensible about this. We have almost reached agreement and I fully understand that this scheme is of vital importance to Merseyside."

Meanwhile, Mike McComb, a local entrepreneur who made his money selling his mobile phone retail chain to BT Cellnet in 2000, has said that he would give millions of pounds to Merseytram to ensure it happened.

He told the Liverpool Daily Post: “It should be possible to bridge any funding shortfall with a public private partnership. There should be no obstacle to this project going ahead because I believe its success its vital for the future of this city. I have the wealth to help out. Of course this would be a commercial venture for me and I am obviously looking for some kind of return on any investment. But I also passionately believe in this project and I am not sure everyone realises how important it is to Merseyside. If this ends in failure, then we are going to become a second-class city."

Merseytravel Chief Executive, Neil Scales welcomed this development, saying: “This is brilliant news and we are prepared to talk to anyone who thinks they can help in any way. If Liverpool approves the contingency budget tomorrow then we will have a fully funded scheme but we are always willing to look at other ideas. There is always scope in a big capital project like this for people to get involved." It has been suggested if the deal went through Mr McComb could buy a tram and have his own livery on it as a permanent legacy.
Source: icLiverpool & BBC News Online

MAJOR DISRUPTION FOLLOWING OVERHEAD DAMAGE IN CROYDON
Sunday 6 November 2005
Services on Line 3 to New Addington were severely disrupted from late on Tuesday (1 November) until rush hour on Friday (4 November) after a lorry transporting ballast in connection with the tamper work brought part of the overhead down near to Coombe Lane tramstop. The damage was so severe it took two whole days to fix.

The incident happened at around 2345 after the road vehicle had completed its delivery of the ballast. It was driving over the Heathfield Level Crossing, still with the crane raised, and struck the overhead breaking the westbound contact wire and kinking the eastbound one. The force of the impact was so severe that fixings and bracket arms between the crossing and Combe Lane stop were damaged.

During the disruption trams were terminated at Lloyd Park with replacement bus services being used to serve the remainder of the tramway. However, as the road was also shut because of the incident Lloyd Park and Combe Lane stops were not served by this replacement service, the bus was running from Sandilands to New Addington.

Two trams were stranded by the closure of the tramway, one on the eastbound track at Coombe Lane and one at Addington Village heading westbound.

Jim Snowden, Chief Engineer of Tramtrack Croydon Ltd, said: “The vehicle hit the overhead power line at the road crossing and pulled it for a considerable distance. The maintenance people have at least half a mile of work to deal with, slogging away to attach all the support fittings to the structure which became detached."
Source: Unofficial Croydon Tramlink & icCroydon

TIGHT DEADLINE TO PROGRESS WITH METRO EXTENSION
Sunday 6 November 2005
The plans for the City Centre extension of Midland Metro from Birmingham Snow Hill to Five Ways via New Street station will have to progress at a fast rate with the West Midlands PTA wanting to submit their final business case to the DfT in December.

Centro (the West Midlands PTE) believe that if they are to progress with the extension plans to open the line by 2011 this tight timetable is very necessary and now they wait for the City Council to come up with the goods. Managing Director, Rob Donald agreed that it was a tight timetable but was also a necessary one: “Two months to get an agreement is shorter than we would have liked but there is a true belief in Birmingham at cabinet and officer level in metro as part of their future transport plans."

A steering committee has now been set up so differences can be sorted out at an early stage between Birmingham City Council and Centro/PTA. This may include last weeks claim that the council wanted to change the route in the city centre.

Councillor Roger Horton, PTA spokesman on Metro matters said: “I hope Birmingham will cooperate with this because everything else has come together. As far as I am concerned 2011 is too far away, I'd have the thing built tomorrow if I could but the first deadline is December and we simply must meet it."
Source: icBirmingham

WRONG PARLIAMENTARY ETIQUETTE LETS PM OFF ON METROLINK
Sunday 6 November 2005
This week, Liberal Democrat MP for Rochdale, Paul Rowen, attempted to ask questions to Prime Minister Tony Blair on what was happening on Metrolink extensions, however the question remained unanswered as he did not address the PM correctly!

Mr Rowen called Mr Blair “you” rather than the correct “the Right Honourable”, and the speaker Michael Martin slapped him down, leaving Mr Blair off the hook with the issue.

Mr Rowen said: “Parliament needs to grow up - this was a serious, important question that we need answering. For the Speaker of the Commons to do this has cemented his Christmas card from Tony Blair - he did him a serious favour. But he has let down the residents of Greater Manchester. I will not let him off the hook, though, and will be continuing to put pressure on the government to get vital answers."

Liberal Democrat whips are now believed to be taking the issue up with the Speakers office whilst Mr Blair has managed to get away without answering the question.

Mr Rowen added: “I would encourage the people of Greater Manchester to write to Tony Blair asking him whether he was electioneering when he claimed just before the election that the Metrolink would definitely happen."
Source: Manchester Online

EALING COUNCIL BECOME INCREASINGLY ISOLATED ON WLT SUPPORT
Sunday 6 November 2005
Ealing Council are in danger of becoming more and more isolated in their unwavering support for the proposed West London Tram scheme. The latest withdrawal of public support has come after leaflets were delivered along the route saying that shops would have to be demolished to make way for a series of substations and construction compounds along Uxbridge Road. And it has also been claimed that Hillingdon Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council are set to launch an official joint anti tram bid.

Richard Barnes, Ealing and Hillingdon London Assembly Member said: “It has the economics of a madhouse and environmentally it is even worse. It is reducing everything to the level of lunacy. I can't believe how any bureaucrat sitting in a darkened room could come up with this scheme. They have the collective brain power of an amoeba." He also said he would be going directly to London Mayor Ken Livingstone to get the scheme dropped.

However, Ealing Council are still publicly 100 per cent behind the WLT. A spokesman said: “Doing nothing about the traffic problem in west London is not an option. We all know first hand how bad traffic is along Uxbridge Road and it is getting worse. The west London tram supports the council's aim of encouraging motorists to switch to public transport to reduce pollution and congestion and will help to revitalise local town centres by linking local communities and bringing the workforce closer to jobs." It will ensure Ealing residents have access to a fast, comfortable and reliable transport service."

The anti tram group, Save Ealing’s Streets (SES) have also got in on the act this week. Penny Wark from the group said: “It is clear Transport for London is pushing this scheme ahead, and therefore it is really important that people of west London tell TfL what they think about the latest proposals. Clearly it is not appropriate to have a big construction compound by a school as lorries and children don't mix, and many of the other proposals need to be examined in detail. Everyone should make sure TfL knows what they think because we have shown in the past that if enough people say they are not happy changes can be achieved."

The latest round of consultation closes on 16 December.
Source: Ealing Times

RAILWAY WITHDRAW OBJECTIONS TO EDINBURGH TRAM
Sunday 6 November 2005
Both First ScotRail Ltd and the Strategic Rail Authority have withdrawn their objections to the Edinburgh Tram Line Two Bill after discussions with tie Limited. This is all the more remarkable considering the SRA no longer exist having been disbanded by the government!

The issue of contention for both First ScotRail and the SRA was access and parking arrangements to Haymarket Station and Depot. First ScotRail have worked alongside tie to come to an agreement that should minimise the impact during and after the construction of Line Two. This has included provision to create new routes to access the parking facilities at Haymarket during construction and operation of the tramway.

Mike Price, Head of Contracts for First ScotRail said: “"First ScotRail is grateful to tie for addressing the points raised in connection with the tram project. We very much look forward to its completion and the opportunities it will provide for people to travel to Haymarket Station and will work closely with tie to ensure that transfer from tram to train is as seamless as possible."

Ian Kendall, Tram Project Director for tie, added: “This is another important step in the Edinburgh tram project. We have reached a workable solution with two key train organisations, First ScotRail and the SRA, through ongoing communication.”

Meanwhile, Insurance company Norwich Union were due to oppose the tram on Tuesday (1 November). They are concerned about the route of the proposed tram loop linking the city centre with Leith and Granton, which has been altered so it runs within 3 metres of its office in Haymarket. They were going to lobby the Scottish Parliament for a major say in all future tram decisions.
Source: tie & The Scotsman

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE BLACKPOOL TRAMWAY
Sunday 6 November 2005
As previously reported on BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE Balloon 717 has had a start made on its major heritage type overhaul. The tram has been completely stripped to the frame with the original cab end frameworks removed. A new underframe and cab ends will be constructed in house by Blackpool Transport and 717 will be released following the overhaul in a traditional streamlined appearance a la 700 and 719.

Jubilee 761, which was recently stripped of its vinyl advertising for Wilkinson is still running in a plain cream livery. It is expected to receive replacement vinyls next year Asda who have recently refurbished one store in Blackpool and will be opening one soon in Fleetwood. Along the same lines Centenary 645 has recently been released from the Paint Shop in all over light blue and is expected to receive an all over advert for the Palm Beach Hotel. What this means for the future of Balloon 701 which currently holds an advert for Palm Beach Hotel remains to be seen.

All trams with wrap round contravision advertising have been banned from use at night following passenger complaints. The trams involved have been Brush 626, Railcoach 678, Balloon 701, Balloon 707, Balloon 709 and Balloon 711. The passengers were complaining that they could not see the illuminations out the windows due to the contravision.

Probably, by the time you read this the 2005 Summer Season in Blackpool will have finished and the majority of the trams will be having a well earned rest during the winter. The Centenary Cars are expected to take over the core Starr Gate to Fleetwood service from tomorrow (7 November).

* Don’t forget the only way to receive FULL monthly news on the Blackpool Tramway is by becoming a member of the Fylde Tramway Society? The Fylde Tramway News has just been redesigned with a much more modern look and is just one of the many benefits of being a member. For further details see here and here.
Source: Fylde Tramway News