John, the DfT
owes the city of Liverpool. Merseytravel misguidedly planned a totally separate tram system, when the city has an urban underground/overground network. Crazy? Yes. If this tram system was to integrate with the existing Merseyrail network and use Merseyrail lines and tunnels then it may have made some sense filling in gaps mossed by Merseyrail. But that is besides the point I am making. Merseytram was cancelled by HMG. Nothing has been built rail-wise in a city with a metro that can expand with ease with countless miles of mothballed trackbed and about 5 miles of disused tunnel under the city. The city is crying out for economic growth creating rapid-transit rail infrastructure. A Merseyrail station in some deprived districts will pull them up greatly. Less HMG money is then needed to socially support these districts, so money well spent.
Good link:
Easy Extending of Merseyrail - click here
Other cities have had substantial money spent on their rail infrastructure either in new systems or extending the existing - look at the Metrolink expansions in Manchester. All the DfT has built in Liverpool is Liverpool South Parkway station in 2006 (40 years late) - many view the station as a white elephant. Well the expensive station has contributed little in economic growth and the platform is to short for London trains to stop which was one its purposes.
The DfT needs to get Merseyrail extended. Using the two large football clubs as enablers is clearly a way to gain a substantial, extra, needed, rapid-transit urban line and vastly reduce football stadia nuisance. The
owed tram money has to be directed at Merseyrail, as bang-for-buck it offers so much. Rapid-transit will create economic growth while trams systems, electric buses on rails, will not, or only to a small degree.
Dingle_Station[1].jpg
Disused underground station