An innovative new form of mass transport for Yorkshire
March 19 - 25, 2008
AN INNOVATIVE form of public transport was to be trialled for the first time in Britain on a Yorkshire rail route, it was announced during this week of 2008.
Tram-trains, which were able to run both on traditional heavy rail lines and on tram tracks on city streets, had been a proven method of beating congestion in many European cities.
Now a £30m-plus project would see the Penistone line between Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield – which took 4,000 passengers a day – converted to take the new tram-trains, ready for a two-year trial beginning at the end of 2010. Journey times would be cut from 75 to 70 minutes, with faster acceleration and deceleration. Five new vehicles would be built to replace the old trains, though the narrower tram-trains would have fewer seats. The Department for Transport, which would run the project with
Northern Rail and Network Rail, said the trial was designed to test whether the lighter, more energy-efficient vehicles were suitable for use on commuter lines around the UK.
It was not, officials said, designed to test whether tram-trains could unclog congested British cities – at least not until the trial had proven whether Britain’s rail lines could first be adapted to cope with the new technology.
Despite that, it was generally welcomed. David Young, head of transport integration at the South
Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, said: “This is great news for the region. These modern, flexible vehicles will improve the travelling experience.”
Ryk Downes, chairman of Metro, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, said: “We have been to Germany where tram-trains have been working very successfully and spoken to our overseas colleagues about their schemes, and we are convinced they are one of the answers to combating congestion.”
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said: “Tram-trains will bring quicker journeys and offer a greener travel option for passengers in Yorkshire.”
■ A thousand of the most “challenging” children were to be targeted by a plan aimed at preventing anti-social behaviour in youngsters at risk or already involved in criminal behaviour. They would be assigned “assertive” and persistent key workers and would be forced to agree to a contract. They would face either an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo) if they failed to comply, or an Individual Support Order to compel them to cooperate, the Government said.
The scheme was launched by Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls, MP for Normanton.
He said: “Recognising these problems doesn’t condone bad behaviour – nor is help a soft option. In the end, where young people and families don’t accept help to change their behaviour then the right thing to do is to use Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders.
“Communities want lasting improvements and that means not only stopping bad behaviour but also changing it and intervening early.”
The Week That Was
■ The week was also marked by two high-profile deaths.
Oscar-winning British film director Anthony Minghella died aged 54 following a cancer operation. The man behind films including The English Patient was a drama student and later lecturer at Hull University before moving into film-making.
And British science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90 after suffering respiratory problems. He wrote more than 100 books including 2001: A Space Odyssey.
We have been to Germany where tram-trains have been working very successfully... and are convinced.