Sheffield tram to be brought under public control ?

[Snow1964]

Proposals to bring the Supertram network back under public control are set to be considered by South Yorkshire leaders next week.

Under the plans, the running of trams services, infrastructure and finances would be controlled by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) when Stagecoach's current contract for operation of the network ends in March 2024.

Proposals to bring the Supertram network back under public control are set to be considered by South Yorkshire leaders next week.

Under the plans, the running of trams services, infrastructure and finances would be controlled by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) when Stagecoach's current contract for operation of the network ends in March 2024.

The move forms part of a wider ambition to upgrade Supertram, as part of a fully integrated public transport network.

South Yorkshire leaders will consider proposals to create an 'arm's length' publicly owned company to run the region's tram system at the Mayoral Combined Authority Board meeting on 18 October.

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard said: "Supertram has been part of our region's fabric for nearly thirty years. It's iconic to South Yorkshire and plays a critical role in helping us reach our net zero goal. But with that legacy, parts of the system are nearing the end of their design life, and – in the aftermath of the pandemic - passengers are using services differently.

"Our ambitions – for how our communities get to jobs or education, and how they visit family and friends – must work for the whole of our region for a generation to come.

"That is why we are reviewing the funding and future of our region's tram network. I am excited to propose public sector operation as the next stop on Supertram's journey. This will help us to develop a long-term approach that integrates Supertram into our wider plans for public transport across South Yorkshire."

Opened in 1994, South Yorkshire's Supertram system cost £240m and now serves a number of residential and employment sites in Sheffield. A Tram Train project extended the network to Rotherham in 2018.

SYMCA recently secured a £100m Government grant to modernise parts of the system, including track and infrastructure improvements and better facilities for passengers.

https://www.insidermedia.com/news/yorkshire/public-control-for-supertram-network-proposed

Supertram: South Yorkshire's tram network could return to public control

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard proposes putting Supertram network back into public ownership.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[2192]

I don't mind, as long as they don't stop Derby residents using their English Old Folks bus passes on the trams.

 

[Mal]

I don't mind, as long as they don't stop Derby residents using their English Old Folks bus passes on the trams.

Do they? I've used my Merseytravel one it.

 

[2192]

Do they? I've used my Merseytravel one it.

Sheffield trams allow any English old folks bus passes. Nottingham and Birmingham do not, unless you live in the area.

 

[JD2168]

The mess with the recent bus changes makes myself not fully look forward to the Trams being under authority control, Stagecoach have done a very good job at running them.

 

[Harpers Tate]

I have a major criticism of the LA here (and it's likely true elsewhere, too) that they simply cannot or will not consider "public transport" as a whole; as THE (singular) alternative to driving. They persist in thinking of buses, trains, and trams in their own little boxes when it comes to planning timetables and routes (esp. at tendered/supported times). Consequently there is zero attempt at any kind of integration.

At the very least (and it's nowhere near enough) for as long as Stagecoach operate the tram, there is some rudimentary integration with their own buses - whether it be cross-availability of certain tickets, or buses specifically routed to virtually extend the tram beyond it's tracked route. It seems likely that if the tram reverts to public ownership, absent any major change in LA thinking, such schemes would disappear, probably quite quickly.

 

[johnnychips]

The main example of bus/ tram integration, namely the buses from Middlewood terminus to Stocksbridge has recently disappeared.

 

[Kite159]

Sounds like it has been agreed that the trams are going to become run publicly

South Yorkshire's Supertram to be brought back into public control

South Yorkshire regional leaders vote to create a publicly owned company to run the trams from 2024.

www.bbc.co.uk

Sheffield's tram network is to be brought back into public control from 2024.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) voted earlier to create an arm's-length company to manage the network.
It is part of a wider ambition to upgrade Supertram and create an integrated transport network of trams, buses and trains.
Stagecoach runs the service at present, but the contract expires in March 2024.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said previously that bringing Supertram into public control would help it to be integrated into "wider plans" to improve public transport across the county.
When it first opened in 1994, Supertram was owned by a public body before it was privatised and sold to Stagecoach in 1997.
Stagecoach is responsible for running the trams and day-to-day maintenance of the system, though the infrastructure is owned by the SYMCA.
The £240m network covers Sheffield and was extended to include a tram-train service to Rotherham in 2018.
A £100m government grant to modernise parts of the network was recently secured by SYMCA.

Last bit of railway Stagecoach had any part to play in.

 

[WatcherZero]

Theres always been questions of what would happen, they sold Stagecoach a 26 year concession with Stagecoach having to return the system at the end in the condition within which they received it, but because of that they had no incentive for significant investment towards the end of the concession, merely replacing worn track sections meaning most of the assets would be life expired when returned, hence the city had to go to the Dft to ask for £570m funding for a complete system renewal.

 

[johnnychips]

Rather than open a new thread, just a note that the maximum fare is now £2, in line with the buses in South Yorkshire. I take it the section that runs through a field in Derbyshire has no effect!

 

[ElBoiii]

Rather than open a new thread, just a note that the maximum fare is now £2, in line with the buses in South Yorkshire. I take it the section that runs through a field in Derbyshire has no effect!

Yeah, it's literally just 200 metres and there are no stops there so it can't matter