TramForward welcomes new tram report

TramForward welcomes the commissioning of a new report on trams and light rail by the Urban Transport Group.

The Urban Transport Group (which brings together the transport authorities responsible for all but one of England’s tram and light rail systems) has commissioned this report, from transport consultancy Steer, and it will provide a comprehensive analysis and summary of the benefits of light rail as a mode, as well as setting out the economic, environmental and social benefits that tram and light rail systems have brought to the UK.

The report is being commissioned in the context of the financial challenges that light rail systems have been facing as fewer people have been traveling on them during the pandemic. It will also help inform Urban Transport Group’s response to this year’s comprehensive spending review.

LRTA Chair, Paul Rowen, said “This report is timely not only in view of problems faced by public transport post-pandemic but also because of the increasing concern over global warming, as trams can play a significant role in the decarbonisation of transport.

We hope that as well as giving the advantages of the existing light rail systems the report will also show the benefits of ultra -light rail systems. These are considerably cheaper and are widely used in the USA. Coventry is about to begin a trial of this system.”

Further information
This is the first major report on light rail by the Urban Transport Group (formerly PTEG) since it published a joint report with the All Party Light Rail Group in 2010. This led to the government green paper “Green Light for Light Rail” which adopted many of its recommendations.
For further information contact Paul Rowen chair@lrta.org