Speaking at the UK Light Rail Conference in Gateshead today (12
July), Campaign for Better Transport revealed a ten-point plan to
help light rail realise its full potential.
, Head of External Affairs at
Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Light rail is a great form
of public transport which is very popular with the public, but it
is not realising its full potential. Our new ten-point plan will
help it do so."
Campaign for Better Transport’s ten-point plan for light rail:
- Government to set a target for growth in the use of light
rail in its Transport Decarbonisation Plan
- Government to identify towns and cities that have no light
rail network and work with local transport authorities to remedy
this i.e., Leeds, the biggest city in Europe with no light rail
system
- Government to redirect a portion of the £27 billion road
building programme to pay for light rail schemes
- Government to streamline the 1992 Transport and Works Act to
make it easier and quicker to get light rail schemes up and
running
- Light Rail Standards and Safety Board to review barriers to
investment and encourage standardisation within the sector and
cut costs
- Government to allow local areas to use the equivalent of the
French ‘versement transport’ to allow local transport authorities
to levy local business that will benefit from a light rail system
to help offset the costs
- Light rail sector to share best practice to bring down costs
of new schemes. For example, Edinburgh's scheme cost £71 million
per km against an average of £20-£30 million per km
- Light rail promoters to consider very light rail
schemes which cost less to install
- Government to help fund integrated ticketing between light
rail, heavy rail and bus in all towns and cities where light rail
schemes exist
- Department for Transport to produce an annual statement to
Parliament on progress within light rail.
