Back On Track

How to Build New Trams in the UK and Get Britain Moving

Cities across Europe are building trams at a rate not seen in nearly a century. Places that had torn up their tram tracks in the 1950s have realised they had made a mistake. Twenty-one French cities have built a tramway system this century. Sixty German cities now have trams.

Further afield, China has built 35 tramlines since 2010, with ten more currently under construction. Even the United States, land of the automobile, has been investing in new trams and light rail. America now has 27 light rail systems, the most in the world, and 15 tram systems.

But Britain is falling behind. While we have restored trams in Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, London and the West Midlands, there are too many large British cities and towns that lack reliable transportation. Leeds is the largest city in Europe without a tram or metro. As country, we're worse off because we have failed to build.

In "Back on Track" we look at why we struggle to build much-needed trams and how to fix it…

Read the full report

Building a mile of British tramway costs more than double the global average

Britain so far has failed to realise the benefits and join the global tram renaissance in full because it costs more than double the global average to build a mile of tram track in the UK.

Of the 10 most expensive projects per mile, five of them are British. Only one British project, out of a total of 12, Nottingham’s first phase, cost less than the global average.

A great example of this continued problem is the £2.5bn Government has committed towards a West Yorkshire tram. At current UK prices, this could build 29 miles of tramway.

If we got costs down to European averages, we could build 59 miles, and 
at German costs, we could build a massive 102 mile network.

Reducing the cost of building new trams is essential if we are to follow France, Germany, and the US in having a tram renaissance.

Our solutions to make them cheaper

To lower the cost of new trams and fund Britain’s tram renaissance, the Government needs to:

  1. Create consistent standards between tram networks and 
encourage a pipeline of new tram projects
  2. Reform the current planning system for trams, which is too expensive and slow, by devolving powers to metro mayors
  3. Fix utility guidelines to make sure only the pipes and wires that need to be moved are moved, with utility companies paying their fair share of the costs
  4. Give local leaders new powers to fund local transport extensions so they can get on with building instead of constantly having to appeal to Central Government for funding.

If Britain follows this plan, we can reinvent the age of the tram as is becoming the norm internationally.

Let’s get building trams.

Read the full report

Leeds Needs Trams

We're campaigning for faster action on getting trams back on the streets of Leeds after almost 30 years of dither and delay.

Sign our petition today.

Sign Today