| Bristol Supertram | |
|---|---|
Artist impression of Supertram in Bristol city centre |
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| Info | |
| Locale | Bristol and South Gloucestershire |
| Transit type | Light rail |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 16 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Standard gauge |
Bristol Supertram was a proposed light rail system for the Bristol and South Gloucestershire regions of England. In 2001, the project was given backing from the government to build a line that would link the city centre with the North Bristol region.
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The Supertram project was given the go ahead in March 2001, following an announcement from the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. The initial cost of £194 million was to be provided by a public–private partnership (PPP) which would include 20% funding from the private sector. The remaining funds were to come from the government and the local authorities of Bristol and South Gloucestershire.[1] Bristol was one of 25 towns and cities that had been selected for light rail development by the New Labour government. This was part of a 10-year plan to improve public transport in the UK.[2]
Opinion polls in Bristol have consistently shown that the issues of inadequate public transport and traffic congestion are two of the biggest local concerns.[3] Public interest in a light rail system had been raised by a demonstration service by Bristol Electric Railbus Ltd (BER). This service was operated on Bristol Harbourside, where it carried more than 50,000 passengers between 1998 and 2000.[4]
The first stage of the project was a route called Line 1, which was planned to run from Bristol city centre to Almondsbury. This line would use a combination of existing Railtrack operated tracks and specialised tram tracks.[5] The 30 minute journey would cover a total of 16 stops, which would include Bristol Parkway station and Bradley Stoke. At the end of Line 1, the track would terminate at an M5 park and ride site next to the Almondsbury Interchange.
Line 1 stations
The line was intended to provide an affordable and efficient transport service that would improve the economic competitiveness of the North Bristol corridor. It was predicted that the service would become operational in 2007. Four additional routes have been proposed for future light rail development in the region, all of which would connect with existing railway lines.
Future routes
With a commitment from the government to provide substantial funding for the project, the unitary authorities of Bristol and South Gloucestershire needed to finalise a route for Line 1. It was at this stage of the project that South Gloucestershire put forward a plan for a new route that included the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre instead of Parkway station. Bristol council remained in favour of the original route to Parkway, with a proposal for an extension that would include the University of the West of England (UWE).
An independent evaluation was commissioned by both councils in order to decide between the two schemes, which was carried out by the engineering consultants, WS Atkins. The results from the study showed that the Parkway option was feasible and cost effective. The Cribbs Causeway option was shown to increase the project cost by £100 million and to also lengthen the construction time by two years. It was also demonstrated that the Cribbs Causeway route would not meet the criteria that was required in order to qualify for government funding. Following the rejection of their proposal, South Gloucestershire withdrew from the Supertram project, which had by now been running for more than two years.
With the departure of South Gloucestershire, Bristol council submitted a modified route plan in late 2003 for a new Line 1 that would terminate at Parkway station. A government feasibility study was initiated to determine whether the new project still qualified for the original level of funding. It was during this period that the council found itself under political pressure to reduce a proposed local council tax increase.
With financial pressure from the council and growing uncertainty about Line 1, the Labour and Conservative groups recommended that the project should be abandoned. In March 2004, Bristol council announced that the Supertram project would be cancelled. This allowed funds that were set aside for the project to be used to cover the council tax increase.[6]
Since the 2004 cancellation, a number of local proposals have been made to revive the project and to look at alternative transport schemes for the region.
It has been suggested that the four unitary authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset should form a regional Integrated Transport Authority (ITA). This could benefit the area by offering an improved level of decision-making power with regard to local transport needs. It could also potentially avoid the kind of regional disagreements that ultimately ended the Supertram project.[7]Attempts have been made within the Bristol region to call for the establishment of an ITA. So far, these have all been rejected by the three other unitary authorities of North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.[8]
One idea that would enable a local authority to raise the finances necessary for a light rail system is the introduction of a “tram tax”. It has been suggested that Bristol residents would agree to a local tax increase if they fully understood what it would deliver as a result.[9] Tram taxes have been proposed unsuccessfully in a number of regions within the UK for the development of new light rail systems and to provide support for existing ones.
With Bristol Council unable to continue with the development of a light rail scheme, they have changed their focus to a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or “guided bus” system as a way of addressing the same congestion problems within the region.[10] In 2007, an initial BRT route was proposed that would run alongside the Bristol and Bath cycleway, causing a narrowing of the path and a loss of natural habitat in the process.
This led to a campaign against the plan by local cycling and environmental pressure groups, which attracted considerable support from the Bristol public and the scheme was soon frozen after a 9,500 strong petition was received.[11] The sustainable transport charity Sustrans said the plan was the "right idea, wrong route".[12] The West of England Partnership is still targeting a BRT scheme by 2013 along a different route.[13]
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