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Tram extension plan could be back on rails
EXTENSIONS to Sheffield's Supertram system could be back on track, according to the boss of its parent company Stagecoach.
Chairman Brian Souter says the transport firm is investigating alternative ways of extending the system, possibly by adapting it to run on more than one type of track.
Hopes of extending Supertram were dashed earlier this year when the Department of Transport ruled out paying for extensions, claiming they did not represent value for money for taxpayers.
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive had submitted a bid for 108 million to extend a line to Rotherham and a shorter spur from Glossop Road to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and back again.
But after refusing a number of applications from cities such as Liverpool and Leeds, the Government eventually also turned down Sheffield, which appeared to put the lid on extending the system.
Mr Souter told The Star: "There is more than one way to skin a cat. There are optical guidance systems for example, which are a cheaper type of system. It picks up a white line and talks to the steering box. There are magnetic guidance systems too.
"We are willing to buy the trams. We have already put a tremendous amount of investment into the Supertram. I think the tram system is a tremendous asset for Sheffield."
Another option being investigated is dedicated pathways for buses, which are already used in Leeds, to allow vehicles to drive unimpeded through traffic, or a "tram on wheels" which is already in operation in Caen in France.
Stagecoach is drawing up plans to link more of their bus routes with tram services to make the two networks as interactive as possible. Passengers getting off trams should be able to catch a Yorkshire Terrier bus to take them further on their route, and vice versa.
"We are talking to the PTE about all these things," said Mr Souter.
"We took a big risk with the tram when no-one would touch it."
But he added the ideas were still very much at the "research stage" and any extensions would be years away.
The transport supremo also warned Town Hall bosses and the Government, that he would pull out of South Yorkshire if they pushed ahead with plans for a regulated, franchised bus service in the county.
Mr Souter said he would "put up all our depots for sale" if a so-called Quality Contract were adopted here.
He rejected the model as unworkable and insisted the only way to deliver efficient bus services was through private companies and local authorities working voluntarily together.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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