Merseytram scheme scrapped

Posted: 14/08/2013

Merseytravel have already spent £70 million on preparing for the new Merseytram scheme which was planned for Liverpool City Centre. They purchased steel tracks in preparation but this was not a wise idea as the £170 million funding was withdrawn by the Department of Transport back in 2005 after the scheme began to diminish over several years.

The Merseytram scheme was planned over a 13 year period and many a time the scheme had been knocked back or delayed for various reasons but it now seems a reality that the scheme will no longer exist. It will be taken out of Liverpool’s transport framework which was first put together back in 2001 and approved in 2002.

However, the Merseytram started to becomes less and less popular when commercial and residential properties that stood in the future tracks for the tram were on the verge of receiving compulsory purchase orders for demolition. This also meant that other land where the proposed tracks would have been laid stayed undeveloped in fear the tram would slice through a brand new housing development.

Unfortunately, a lot of public money has been wasted on this project over a number of years that could have been spent on some simple yet desperately needed transport upgrades. The latest plans for transport improvement is to implement a package of measures to boost transport in Knowsley.

These plans would involve improving the accessibility of the Knowsley Industrial Park through the creation of a transport hub and extension of the Merseyrail Northern Line past Kirkby station. The new train station could be at Headbolt Lane along with an improved bus station.

What do you think of the latest news relating to transport in Liverpool?

Amanda McGovern, Pali Ltd
www.paliltd.com

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