UK Cities Clamour For New LRT Funding: Light rail has been both in and out of favour in Britain in recent years. Now, it is flavour of the month again, though the reasons why are not entirely clear - Rapid Transit Review

International Railway Journal, Nov, 2001 by Mike Knutton

The private sector is very much involved in all current British light rail schemes, most of which are completed on a design, build, operate, maintain (DBOM) basis. The key issue for the private sector is the transfer of risk, especially as the concessionaire has to buy the future revenue stream to determine their initial input. Nottingham is the exception because the private sector has put all the money up front and will be reimbursed over the life of the concession.

But whatever the issues, the fact remains that ridership on existing systems is growing while car use and use of car parks is shrinking. The number of passenger journeys on the four operating systems in 2000-01 totalled 48.7 million compared with 29.9 million in 1999-00 when only three systems were open--in its first year the newest system, Croydon, handled 15 million journeys.

Transport minister, Ms Sally Keeble, comments: "These figures are further evidence of how successful light rail has been in appealing to users by providing a modern, attractive, fast alternative to the car. Light rail vehicles can play a key role in reducing congestion, which is shown in that around 20% of light rail passengers previously travelled by car.

"In addition to raising the standards of service and quality of public transport, they also help improve the urban environment and contribute to urban regeneration."

RELATED ARTICLE: LRT Reference Is Short But Significant

THE British government's 10-Year Transport Plan, published in July 2000, includes spending totalling [pounds sterling]180 billion from both the public and private sectors. The money will be split equally three ways--on rail, road, and local transport including London. It includes up to 25 new light rail lines, though some had already been approved while others were passing through the legal, planning, and financing processes.

The reference to light rail in the plan document runs to just 215 words:

"Light rail, trains and other rapid transit systems can play a significant part in improving the attractiveness and quality of public transport in major conurbations. They can move large flows of passengers quickly and reliably. They compete with the car in terms of journey times and convenience. And they help to reduce congestion and pollution.

"There is growing evidence that light rail can be successful in attracting people out of their cars. On Manchester Metro-link, for example, around 20% of passengers previously used a car for the same journey.

"There are currently only four such systems in operation outside London--in Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and the West Midlands--far fewer than in countries such as Germany and France. We will fund a substantial increase in the role of light rail in our larger cities and conurbations over the' next 10 years, backing schemes that offer good value for money as part of integrated transport strategies.

"This will require a public and private partnership, using the resources made available through this Plan, together with local and private sector contributions. Because of the high cost and the benefits light rail schemes bring locally, we shall expect local contributions towards the cost of these projects, including developer and operator payments and the proceeds of local congestion charging schemes."