Leeds Trams

[GardenRail]

There seems to be a little momentum gaining speed with the still to be, Leeds Trams. So maybe a new thread dedicated to everything from now to construction. Will be interesting to look back in years to come, whether it actually happened.

Mayor sets out plan for West Yorkshire tram system to better-connect region

Proposals for first phase of mass transit scheme set to be approved by West Yorkshire leaders before submission to the Government

www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk

 

[Nodding Cat Ch]

So many ideas, so little action...

New plan


Old Supertram plan


Trolley Bus plan

Back in the day.

 

[Ken H]

The route to start with is from the city to Lawnswood. Trams or trolleybuses, not sure. I favour trolleybuses cos they can be fitted with batteries to go off the wires for short distances. So maybe extensions to cookridge. Or even save wiring city square.

 

[The exile]

The route to start with is from the city to Lawnswood. Trams or trolleybuses, not sure. I favour trolleybuses cos they can be fitted with batteries to go off the wires for short distances.

So can trams though of course not (intentionally) off the rails. The advantage of a tram network is that it inspires more confidence in where / that the things will be running in the long term. Buses (including trolley buses off the wires) can be introduced and then withdrawn at the drop of a metaphorical hat.

 

[GoneSouth]

Maybe the title for this thread should be West Yorkshire Trams after publication of the latest attempt to introduce trams to the area?

Plans for £2bn West Yorkshire tram system published

The proposals would see two lines built to link Leeds and Bradford, with work potentially starting in 2028.

www.bbc.co.uk

I don’t know the status of the WYCA back in the days of previous attempts to do this, but it does look like the focus is now WY rather than just Leeds in future ?

 

[19Gnasher69]

The route to start with is from the city to Lawnswood. Trams or trolleybuses, not sure. I favour trolleybuses cos they can be fitted with batteries to go off the wires for short distances. So maybe extensions to cookridge. Or even save wiring city square.

This was considered to be the ‘premier’ route for both the erstwhile Leeds Supertram and NGT (trolleybus) schemes as it would have served the hospital, universities, Headingley and student residential areas all the way up to Lawnswood. Alas many good (sic) citizens of LS6 were very much opposed to both proposals.
In the case of the tram this was due to the disruption during construction and for NGT they objected to the posts and catenary (from recollection around Hyde Park).
Presumably they prefer to watch students and the hoi polloi boarding buses as they ferry the kids to the Grammar School in the Range Rover.
I suspect, therefore, that it’s very much on the back-burner. Though I’m pretty certain that WYCA (as successor to the WYPTE) owns a number of properties and areas of land along the route - legacies of the tram scheme.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Looks like WYCA is trying to start small to get the project approved initially, before adding more lines in the future. Whilst slower, if it gets approved, it's far better to have an initially small network that is approved and grows in the future than no transit network at all.

The project is set to be discussed on Thursday at the WYCA meeting, so there'll be lots of news out of the meeting regarding this and the West Yorkshire Bus Franchising.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Mayor Brabin said: "At the Combined Authority meeting this morning we approved our Strategic Outline Business Case to go before Government and I've promised spades in the ground by 2028.

'It will happen': Mayor makes Leeds trams pledge as funding framework approved

Mayor Tracy Brabin has pledged that a proposed Leeds tram system "will happen" this time.

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

I don't want to jinx it, but this could actually happen. It all depends on Government approval.

 

[Ben427]

The new routes seem to make far more sense than the Headingley route; that route although massively overcrowded (like alot of Leeds) has decent connectivity and the A660 corridor is not the outlier when it comes to congestion it once was.

Additionally from the point of view of economic deprivation the areas on the Headingley route are not in need of levelling up particularly.

The proposed initial routes imo are strong - Connection to Jimmy's is vital both for staff and patients and the general population - it's one of the most deprived LSOAs in the city from memory.

Likewise White Rose via Elland Road goes through highly deprived areas and Leeds and Bradford connectivity needs far greater improvement.

I'm still dubious as I imagine that the Govt will try to stymie things at OBC and FBC stages; which is typical of the many issues in UK infrastructure funding. The Govt claim to fund local areas through things like the CRSTS funding but still have final say on things. It's not proper devolution of funding and powers, there should be a one pot settlement over a five year period and then leave the local areas to it.