Light rail still being discussed for Leeds...

[stuartmoss]

Was just sent this link by my local MP Greg Mulholland in one of his updates: https://gregmulholland.org/en/artic...and-could-be-started-with-the-ngt-250-million

Light Rail for Leeds is realistic, affordable and could be started with the £250 million of public money available from the cancelled NGT scheme, was the unanimous conclusion from the Light Rail for Leeds summit held in the city yesterday.

Manufacturers, operators, engineers and promoters of other tram systems came together at the special event, organised by Light Rail (UK), and presented plans and the economic case for light rail, as well as highlighting advances in technology for both trams and track. The summit was proposed by Leeds North West MP, Greg Mulholland, who is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group, and included people from other Core Cities that already benefit from light rail as well as Elmet & Rothwell MP Alec Shelbrooke, Harewood Councillor Ryan Stephenson (both Conservatives) and former Nottingham Labour Councillor Steve Barber, who led the campaign for the Nottingham tram phase 2 and firmly believes Leeds needs light rail.

The summit demonstrated that light rail for Leeds is realistic and affordable, and that a project could be started with the £250 million of public funding on the table, supplemented by private investment, with a number of proposals put forward.

 

[bluenoxid]

This provides no indication about how trams are feasible in Leeds. These trams are going to get stuck in the same traffic jams that the buses are stuck in at the moment. Putting a load of people in a room with business interests and enthusiasm for one mode of transport is not a group of experts but a fantastic example of group think.

Greg wants a tram to serve his constituency. Now it is a fair thing to ask for but he forgets that £250m gets very little in light rail terms. A 15-30km tram line is not as long as people think and I have my doubts that even that is achievable.

The best thing Greg (and the rest of the MPs) can do is get back to parliament and bang on the table for more money. He should be saying that this is not enough money to resolve the transport and economic problems that northern cities face. We're going to achieve what the council proposes which is a stepping stone but more will be needed to deliver the Powerhouse.

I have my doubts about some of the council proposals but at the moment every other city just has to point at the £173.5m allocated at Leeds when they request funding. It is making a joke of Leeds.

The council need to get on with producing the plans for the £173.5m and then get them on the table for transport users to review and provide their views

Light rail should not be taken off the table but kept on for the next batch of funding. Greg says there's no more money then says that there will be more for a tram network.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm all for light rail, so long as it's new light rail serving communities who aren't currently well served. Sadly such schemes tend to be a cheapo conversion of existing railways which would do better with conventional electrification.

 

[anti-pacer]

Leeds is and always will be behind its competitors, thanks to its council. In fact, Yorkshire councils full stop seem backwards. Look at Wakefield.

 

[J-2739]

Leeds is and always will be behind its competitors, thanks to its council. In fact, Yorkshire councils full stop seem backwards. Look at Wakefield.

To be fair, Sheffield does well with their Supertram. But I agree, it's really an embarrassment for one of our largest cities to be missing big parts of public transit.

 

[Deerfold]

Leeds is and always will be behind its competitors, thanks to its council. In fact, Yorkshire councils full stop seem backwards. Look at Wakefield.

What should they have done differently? They were told in 2005 they could not have funding for a tram that they'd been led to believe was more or less a formality.

 

[WatcherZero]

So was everywhere else in the country, yet since then Nottingham, Manchester, Blackpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh have all managed to open new/extended routes with a Sheffield one under construction.

 

[Andyh82]

None of them were completely new schemes though, except Edinburgh which of course isn't in England.

 

[anti-pacer]

What should they have done differently? They were told in 2005 they could not have funding for a tram that they'd been led to believe was more or less a formality.

Put their foot down and fight their cause.

 

[nerd]

Put their foot down and fight their cause.

Offer to raise the differnence locally, through an addition to the West Yorkshire rates - contributing to a Local Transport Investement fund.

 

[Deerfold]

Put their foot down and fight their cause.

And then be accused of wasting money on something they've been told they wouldn't get?

 

[Ianno87]

It worked for Manchester Metrolink and the Big Bang extensions...

 

[HSTEd]

If you could find £800-900m or more you could try to build a full blown VAL style Mini-Metro.

Would be expensive but it has the advantage, over trams, that it would not be affected by traffic jams in the slightest.
In the long run it would probably be a better deal than a mediocre tram line, which is what you woudl get for ~£250m or so. And that could easily baloon.

Tunneling has less trouble with unmarked utilities after all.