Supertram Extensions (Read 3,434 times)

[02southeranc]

Yeah, they need to be good and hopefully popular routes!
If I could, I'd veto the plans to extend Metrolink! It makes me so angry that the Government may give the go ahead to extend the metrolink massively whilst some systems have either just 1 line or have great potential to be a good service (like Supertram)!

[mrdearne]

Apologies in advance for sounding so negative, but I think the prospect of us seeing any major extension before 2012 is between none and highly unlikely. Unless of course it is funded by private sector investment.
South Yorks LTP2 have the coppers in the bank, but any new proposal now is guided by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board who report to the D of T.
Supertram extension has been given a value for money rating of just 2.06 out of 10. Compare this to the Waverly Link road 6.99/10, and the Airport Link Road 9/10.
In fact in the six main identified South Yorkshire projects, Supertram extension is the lowest rating:

A57 Improvement Scheme M1 Junction 31 to Todwick Crossroads
- £11.9m Rating 4.4

A631 West Bawtry Road Improvement - £5.0m Rating 2.63 to 5.35

Cudworth and West Green Bypass - £16.1m Rating 2.08

Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme - £72.2m Rating 9.0

South Yorkshire Supertram Extensions - £132.1m Rating 2.06

Waverley Link Road - £6.8m to 8.1m Rating 6.99

I understand also that Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board have recommended the Airport Link Road be financed over 3 installments within the LTP2 2006-2011 time scale. This would infer the bulk of the money from the budget is going the Airport Link Road way.
What we might see is, is minor supertram extension, but nothing significant.

www.goyh.gov.uk/goyh/docs/199734/199807/352625

[admin]

Thats a real shame that the supertram is only rated that low.

[02southeranc]

That is absoulotly dreadful.

[foxydebs]

I didnt expect it to be that low

[Tom B]

Why not use the Supertram to serve the airport? Construct a new line to Doncaster and then run out to the airport, possibly utilising the Lincoln lines (which are hardly used as it is).

[humberside]

Running the Supertram from Doncaster to the airport is a good idea since it can then serve the terminal, unlike the rail line. However, at the moment, the airport couldn't support such a tram link

One thing to note with the Lincoln lines is, that although very under used, they are of strategic national value as an East Coast Main Line diversionary route, both for when the mainline is shut and also to divert freight traffic away during the daytime so more passenger trains can run

However running the Supertram from Sheffield to Doncaster, in my opinion, isn't such a good idea. The tram is meant for local journeys. Doncaster-Sheffield is far more suited to a fast bus/coach service (like the X78) or to rail services

[mrdearne]

The logistics wil be an absolute nightmare Humberside, not to mention the cost.

[02southeranc]

Just looking on www.thetrams.co.uk forum. It looks like the plans for any Sheffield plans have been basically scrapped for good. For example, the extensions website has been taking offline.
Can't we all club up, cross the Pennines and sabotage the Metrolink?!

[manclad]

Each case is valued on it's own merit so why criticise Manchester's metrolink???
The truth is, the government withdrew funding fro manchesters expansion but through the Manchester Evening News and various other bodies, the GMPTE campaigned for the expansions. The result was that they now have part of the funding, but not all, from the government.
I also personally believe that expansion in Manchester is needed more than in Sheffield. Routes to Ashton Under Lyne and Manchester Airport will definitely provide passengers as the passenger volumes between Central Manchester and these two destinations are enormous, especially Ashton. Also, the proposed routes to Oldham and Rochdale would replace heavy rail.
Finally, Manchester has not had loads of expansions....just the one to Eccles!

[02southeranc]

Supertram has had no extensions.
I just think that there's loads of systems in Britain desperatly needing extensions to make them just as good as Manchester's. It's not just Supertram. Nottingham and Birmingham still run solely on Line 1. That's why many of the systems don't yield the passenger numbers, because it serves one particular area.
I just hope Manchester doesn't get any extensions and the govt will at least review other areas of the country.

[manclad]

But surely any investment is given on the basis of priority. If a larger return on investment is going to occur by expanding metrolink than on supertram then why should metrolink lose out? Think about it logically and rationally.
Birmingham and Nottingham should have had the forsight to build more than one line, instead i dare say they were in too much of a rush just so that they had a tram system.
A similar thing happened to Sheffield City Airport. They were in that much of a rush to establish an airport that a small runway was built which didnt allow larger aircraft to land there otherwise they would have attracted the low cost airline market.

[tox0114]

Have these plans now being scrapped?

[admin]

yes the plans to extend the supertram are not going ahead now so looks like the supertram ones are scrapped but the manchester ones which have already being extended are going ahead again.

[mattw]

My dad works for the company who built the supertrams for the sheffield area and knows some of the information about the proposed routes what were planned from the begining of the supertram. By 2010 there should be a line connecting parts of Rotherham, Manvers and Hellaby Industrial Estate. By 2020 then expanded the manvers line to mexbo, conisbo to doncaster and the helaby line by Maltby, Bawtry to doncaster that way and join up with the other line in the south bus station at the time. (now will be fgtint if it goes ahead). Hopefully if this goes ahead like they had planned it will also go to the airport. I might be able to get a copy of the plans 2 if my dad can get his hands on them from work too (hope so!!)