Transport Minister confirms upgrade plans
Mon 15 Jun 2009
New Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan, visited Blackpool this week to rubber stamp the Government's commitment to the tramway upgrade. Mr Khan reiterated that a £68.3m contribution will come from central government, and added to a local contribution of £33.4m, this will allow for full upgrading of the tramway to light rail standards in time for the new service to begin at Easter 2012. Mr Khan said: “This scheme will deliver significant benefits for the local community. Trams have been running in Blackpool for more than 100 years – I hope this funding will mean the world-famous tramway can continue to run well into the future." Cllr Peter Callow, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “This is a great day for Blackpool and we are very grateful to the Government for supporting our ambitions." The planning application for the proposed Starr Gate depot is due to go before Blackpool Council for approval on 29th June. However, local residents are not happy at the proposed change to their locality and have said they do not want an “industrial unit” on their doorstep. Blackpool Council have made it clear that there is no alternative site and that failure to gain approval for the Starr Gate site could mean the end of the whole project.Meanwhile, Bombardier Transportation have unveiled an artists impression of Blackpool’s version of their Flexity 2 tram, 16 of which are to be built for the resort. Back
