MIKE'S BUS PAGES

TRAMS RETURN

(A BRITISH RENAISSANCE)

 

 

                                       Metrolink Manchester 2005                                          

Well, it was such a long time coming wasn't it? - but the muddled British way of thinking that saw off some of our biggest and best tramway systems in the post-war era did seem to have changed with the construction in the 1990's of the Sheffield Supertram system. This was followed by Manchester's  excellent MetroLink, Croydon's well planned Tramlink system and a sort of system (Midlands Metro) running Birmingham to Wolverhampton which is hopefully just the start there. What about Wolverhampton to Walsall? - think how well a certain other form of electric conveyance served that route for so long!  Now Nottingham is under way, one route with a branch, hopefully to expand in time....... but where else? There has I have read been interest, if only as feasibility studies from Liverpool,Birmingham, Southampton and Swansea, plus Leeds (which apparently may now opt for trolleybuses!*).In Edinburgh I believe that tracklaying for what will be quite an impressive start with a line to the city airport has started,and doubtless there are other places too, but it all depends on Government funding which seems to have stalled to the extent that further developments to existing operations are also in jeopardy. I do hope the government of the day,whatever its political persuasion, finally wakes up to the tremendous long-term value of such investment.

The systems up and running in the UK are nevertheless quite excellent and their future development does need to be taken more seriously. Sadly none are as yet living up to their expectations regarding patronage levels and are certainly not making any money, which is tending to make the inevitable for these days private sector purse strings of the likes of Stagecoach, and Transdev stay closed. It is quite amazing to recall however that continental cities, especially in Germany were knuckling down to this sort of thing as long ago as the sixties (see page on European Systems). It may have been a lot easier for them because their war ravaged cities were still undergoing major re-modelling then and I suppose defining effective transport systems, the construction of subways and underpasses etc. must have been less problematical, but I live in hope that the whole UK initiative doesn't just peter out - I'm not holding my breath however. Here are some views of my visits to our new systems over recent years.

 

  METROLINK  MANCHESTER IN 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near Salford Quays

 

 

Passing the G-MEX Centre - Once the grand Manchester terminus of the much missed Great Central main line. I well recall two visits to Manchester 1963 and 1964 travelling overnight to arrive here.  It was then a grimy uncared for edifice so its present role and condition, given that we've lost the railway, probably for good is to be thoroughly welcomed

 

 

 

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SHEFFIELD SUPERTRAM c.1996

 

 

 

 

 

 

CROYDON  (LONDON) TRAMLINK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MIDLAND METRO (BIRMINGHAM-WOLVERHAMPTON)

 

 

 

 

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NOTTINGHAM EXPRESS TRAMWAY -  2008

 

 

 

 

 

I shall shortly be putting some shots on the English Independents page of Barton buses at the Broad Meadow terminal area which was roughly in the left background of this shot underneath the large church which survives more or less the same today. Also in these views are glimpses of the high level viaducts by which the former GCR main line reached the city's former Victoria Station. This tram flyover is, I imagine, more or less on the same alignment and takes the tram to its terminus just above the current Midland Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  Who's Next Then??............................

I have deliberately ommitted the Tyne & Wear Metro from this page. As it has no street running I pre

fer to think of it as a railway, and such photographic record as I have of it will eventually be included within the RAILWAYS page.

* I don't know how far this has got, or indeed how serious the proposal might be, but wouldn't it be nice if they and the government got their skates on so that a new service can be unveiled on a certain day in June 2011, exactly a century since the city started its first operations of this type.?