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What future for light rail in the UK after Ten Year Transport Plan targets are scrapped?

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  • Knowles, Richard D.

Abstract

Light Rail schemes were key components of plans to improve accessibility and personal mobility in conurbations as part of the UK Government's Integrated Transport Policy and its 2000 Ten Year Transport Plan. However by 2004 light rail's future in Britain looked bleak as sharp increases in capital costs, following the demise of Railtrack and the loss of private sector confidence, led Government to withdraw its part funding of light rail schemes in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Portsmouth. This paper examines recent changes in Government urban transport policy; why the Ten Year Transport Plan 2000 target of doubling light rail journeys and supporting the opening of 25 new light rail lines was scrapped after just 2 years; the role played by the 2004 National Audit Office Report in enabling the Government to marginalise light rail outside London; ways of reducing light rail's capital costs, securing new funding sources and lessening dependence on Government finance; and why part funding of extensions to Greater Manchester's successful Metrolink light rail system has been re-instated.

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  • Knowles, Richard D., 2007. "What future for light rail in the UK after Ten Year Transport Plan targets are scrapped?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 81-93, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:14:y:2007:i:1:p:81-93
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    1. Senior, Martyn L., 2009. "Impacts on travel behaviour of Greater Manchester’s light rail investment (Metrolink Phase 1): evidence from household surveys and Census data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 187-197.
    2. Kołoś, Arkadiusz & Taczanowski, Jakub, 2016. "The feasibility of introducing light rail systems in medium-sized towns in Central Europe," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 400-413.
    3. Irfan Ahmed Memon & Saima Kalwar & Noman Sahito & Mir Aftab Hussain Talpur & Imtiaz Ahmed Chandio & Madzlan Napiah & Hasan Tayyeb, 2021. "Mode Choice Modeling to Shift Car Travelers towards Park and Ride Service in the City Centre of Karachi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-26, May.
    4. Carlos Bueno-Suárez & Daniel Coq-Huelva, 2020. "Sustaining What Is Unsustainable: A Review of Urban Sprawl and Urban Socio-Environmental Policies in North America and Western Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-36, May.
    5. Lee, Shin S. & Senior, Martyn L., 2013. "Do light rail services discourage car ownership and use? Evidence from Census data for four English cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 11-23.
    6. Irfan Ahmed Memon & Noman Sahito & Saima Kalwar & Jinsoo Hwang & Madzlan Napiah & Muhammad Zaly Shah, 2021. "Choice Modelling of a Car Traveler towards Park-and-Ride Services in Putrajaya to Create Green Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-25, July.
    7. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Yazdi, Asieh Haieri, 2019. "Technological frames and the politics of automated electric Light Rail Rapid Transit in Poland and the United Kingdom," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    8. Seidenglanz, Daniel & Kvizda, Martin & Nigrin, Tomáš & Tomeš, Zdeněk & Dujka, Jiří, 2016. "Czechoslovak light rail — Legacy of socialist urbanism or opportunity for the future?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 414-429.
    9. G. Currie & A. Ahern & A. Delbosc, 2011. "Exploring the drivers of light rail ridership: an empirical route level analysis of selected Australian, North American and European systems," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 545-560, May.
    10. D. Knowles, Richard & Ferbrache, Fiona, 2016. "Evaluation of wider economic impacts of light rail investment on cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 430-439.
    11. Kevin Dwarka & Eran Feitelson, 2013. "The political economy of urban infrastructure," Chapters, in: Hugo Priemus & Bert van Wee (ed.), International Handbook on Mega-Projects, chapter 8, pages 158-181, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Alpkokin, Pelin & Topuz Kiremitci, Sabahat & Black, John Andrew & Cetinavci, Sukru, 2016. "LRT and street tram policies and implementation in turkish cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 476-487.

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