Is the light rail pendulum swinging again?

The political attitude towards rapid transit has swung widely since the early 1990s - from the drop of some light rail schemes to the go-ahead of others. Chris Cheek looks at milestone decisions, and considers what is ahead

Croydon was the scene of deputy prime minister John Prescott’s conversion, with a high profile project which dazzled him, says Cheek

Croydon was the scene of deputy prime minister John Prescott’s conversion, with a high profile project which dazzled him, says Cheek

Over the years since TAS started monitoring the development of rapid transit schemes, there have been several swings of the pendulum. In the very early 1990s, there was an upsurge of interest, with feasibility studies undertaken in as many as 40 towns and cities around the UK.

As might have been expected, many of these quickly concluded that there was little prospect of a viable scheme being developed - but others went ahead, and much time, effort and funding were devoted to their...