The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board have been awarded a package of £3.3 million from the Department of Transport which will enable them to continue with their vital safety work over the next three years. A number of projects will now be able to proceed during this period in a boost to safety on light rail networks in the UK.
Carl Williams, Chief Executive of LRSSB, said: “This continued funding will enable us to accelerate our ambitious delivery programme in a number of key areas. These include the further development of sector-wide approaches to risk management and accident reporting, enhancing stakeholder engagement, updating safety guidance and leading on research into new technologies.”
The £3.3 million worth of funding is part of an overall package of £4.5 million which also includes support for UKTram.
Baroness Vere, Transport Minister, commented: “Light rail is a fantastic way to keep our country moving quickly, efficiently and sustainably. Our £4.5 million investment towards improving tram safety is a key step forward for the development of light rail in the UK and will help pave the way for an urban mobility revolution up and down the country.”
Considering that there has been no new light rail system in the UK for eight years, and the several others that were planned cancelled in the 21st century, it is unlikely that Baroness Vere’s assertion that light rail will bring an urban mobility revolution up and down the country will actually happen. Successive governments have shown little interest in light rail, and there is no sign of any change in this unwillingness to spend money on new tram systems.