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D-day for tram extension bid

James Ducker
16/12/2004

A MAJOR announcement on the extension of the Metrolink tram system was expected today.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling was due to release a Commons statement as hopes rise of a change of heart by the government.

Withington MP Keith Bradley and Rochdale MP Lorna Fitzsimmons were meeting Mr Darling in London. But there was an element of caution. Earlier this year, officials met to hear what they thought would be good news, only to be told that ministers had scrapped the '1 billion plan to extend the network.

Today's optimism comes after the Manchester Evening News urged readers to bombard Tony Blair with letters urging him to reverse the decision to build lines to Oldham and Rochdale, Tameside and south Manchester, including the airport.

The Prime Minister had already received more than 40,000 demands from business leaders, transport chiefs, councillors, celebrities and people in Greater Manchester as part of our "Get Back on Track" campaign.

A special committee set up by Mr Blair to investigate the extension plans held a meeting earlier this month to look at ways of reducing the cost of the tram system.

After the last meeting of the committee Mr Bradley said he hoped a revised system would get the go-ahead. He said that throughout the meetings with the government they had concentrated on reducing costs, but not reducing the extensions.

We launched our campaign after the government refused to help to pay for three new lines in July. Costs had risen from '500m to nearly '1 billion.

A top-level delegation travelled to Downing Street in September with a petition of 41,500 signatures urging the government to reconsider. Business and transport leaders in Greater Manchester believe a failure to win the extension would have a devastating impact on the local economy.

Should the government change its mind and give this scheme the green light? Have your say.


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   i am sick of being bombarded with stealth tax as a driver and being given no real alternative. the proposed toll (conjestion charge)to drive in my home city when i am given no real alternative is not only a joke but probably illegal under the european monopolies laws. i live in south manchester where probably about 70% of the trafic comes from given a viable tram system this would probably be reduced by half and thus ease the conjestion problem on our over crowded and over smoked city. when is this retarded decision be overturned for the common good of man-chester.
james, beard
12/12/2005 at 15:09

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   Sort your head out Tony Blair u are skating on thin ice as it is, your so called guaranteed Manchester votes in my opinion might not be there this time round, you have made allot of very bad decisions for the nation during your spell in charge but this decision about the Metro Link hits home personally to the good people of Manchester a stab in the back for ALL our good support for Labour over the years, you have been told by many that the system is the best around and you have talked about congestion being a problem getting cars off the road yet you will not give the go ahead to the most successful light rail system in the UK (doesn't figure,I don't care what people say there is a North - South devide when so much money can be pumped into one area of the country on stupid idea's eg The Dome, London Eye bid for the Olympics and the trans London system estimated at 10 billion but like the Metro Link will increase by the week probably ending up more like 20 billion, you need to make other area's of the country more desirable to outsiders to even out the population / poverty and regeneration, let other regions benefit from the prosperity the country is witnessing, London is already bursting at the seams, creating a better transport system is just going to attract more people to area, Make other regions more desirable and you will see the population evening out a good count for this is house prices why are the house's in the South so much more (ans: Because London is more desirable to live to most people - myself excluded) if there was a transport system like London's in Liverpool , Manchester, Leeds etc etc then maybe people would not be relocating down South because of seeing the benefits from other regions, so sort your head out Tony Blair the U.K. does actually extend further than the M25
Lee Flickcroft, Manchester
16/12/2004 at 12:05

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