Trams

In larger towns and cities trams, metro and light rail bridge the gap between trains and buses. They can carry large numbers of people and can be integrated with existing public transport. While trains move lots of people quickly over a long distance and buses move smaller numbers of people over for shorter distances, trams and light rail are more flexible than trains – because they stop more often – and faster and more reliable than buses because they run on dedicated tracks bypassing road congestion.

Once a staple of British towns and cities, the UK now has just nine tram systems which last year carried 228.8 million passengers. As urban transport authorities grapple with the effects of air pollution and congestion and stifled economic growth caused by lack of transport choice, cities across Europe are returning to trams as an affordable, efficient and zero emission mass transit solution.

We want to see more new, extended and reopened tram and light rail networks in cities across the country. To achieve this, we need to:

• Reform the planning process for new trams to speed up delivery and lower costs
• Share the costs of moving utilities fairly between the tram project and utility companies
• Devolve the current Transport and Works Act approval process so elected mayors can start building tram networks more quickly
• Introduce shared standards between new tramways and encourage a pipeline of projects.

Learning from French cities

We compared three UK cities with similar French cities which have trams:

• Dijon and Oxford are historic cities, the same size and density. Dijon’s massively successful tram network has helped cut private car usage almost in half. Is it time for trams in Oxford?
• Bordeaux and Hull are both port cities of a similar size, replete with historic buildings. But while four tram lines keep Bordeaux moving, Hull lost its trams in the 1940s. Is it time for trams to run through Hull once more?
• The seaside resorts of Montpellier and Bournemouth / Christchurch / Poole both shut down their tram networks in the mid 20th Century. But while BCP still has no trams, Montpellier has brought them back – with resounding success!

Tram Network

In partnership with Create Streets and with the support of a network of experts in tram delivery, we will be actively working across the country to help towns and cities make the case for and ultimately deliver tram networks to transform lives for the better.

Read Tram Network’s advice for towns and cities which are considering trams. For more information, email Michael Solomon Williams: michael.solomonwilliams@bettertransport.org.uk.