Tag Archives: trams

At Autumn Conference, our party endorsed two policy motions tied to transport. F22: Connecting Communities – Building a Transport Network for the 21^st Century built upon our party’s commitment to making rail a genuinely affordable, accessible and environmentally-friendly mode of transport, while F30: This Land is Your Land – Restoring Public Paths Through Nature sought to restore our nation’s nature and improve the public’s access to it.

Both policy motions featured the proposal that 5,000 miles of railway lines left disused since 1965 following the Beeching Cuts be redeveloped as footpaths, cycle paths or bridleways. I had hoped to speak at Conference during the debate on F30 to express my reservations about this proposal specifically. In truth, I had unsuccessfully attempted to submit amendments – one for each motion – addressing this issue. However, due to time constraints, I was not called to the rostrum. In lieu of such a speech, I would like to share with you my thoughts on this proposal in this article.

Before I do, I should say that I voted for both policy motions, including for the amendments that were successfully adopted. I believe in their proposals as well as improving and safeguarding women’s personal safety during travel, expanding Network Railcard applicability outside of London and the Southeast, and providing facilities for rest along pathways in the form of benches. I am an ardent supporter of expanded rail access and restoring nature. I am not someone to throw the baby out with the bathwater. My main fears are about potential friction between our policy commitments.

Our party is committed to expanding rail capacity including ‘implement(ing) light rail schemes for trams and tram–trains’. Our modern light rail systems are different from the tram systems that provided public transport before being supplanted by buses during the mid-twentieth century. With historic tram networks – barring Blackpool’s – having been torn out, modern systems such as Greater Manchester’s Metrolink and South Yorkshire’s Supertram utilise existing, previously disused railway infrastructure. This allows for separated routes that minimise conflict with road traffic (where thoroughfares have not been pedestrianised to accommodate trams), for integration between light rail and railways, and systems that serve communities beyond urban centres.