PR 1660
REVISED TRAM SCHEME BID SUBMITTED TO GOVERNMENT
A revised bid for the South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT1) tram scheme linking Fareham town centre, Gosport and Portsmouth city centre is today being submitted to Government.
The promoters - Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council - have been working for months to rework the bid to better meet funding concerns put forward by the Department for Transport when it refused to fund the scheme in July.
The scheme will enable people to travel seamlessly between Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth, switching to heavy rail or bus at either end as necessary. However, in order to reduce overall costs, the promoters have reviewed the scope of the scheme so that there are options for Government to consider a phased approach. At the north end of the route, the proposed loop between Fareham train station and the main bus station was forecast to benefit the least number of tram passengers. The relatively low level of expected users and the opportunity for adopting an improved shuttle service between the bus and train stations means that the Fareham loop would be the most likely element deferred.
Risk has also been realigned between the public and private sectors to bring Government's contribution down to £170 million.
Key `selling points' for the scheme include:
· It dovetails with Government aims of economic regeneration and social inclusion
· It makes use of disused railway lines, thus freeing up space on congested roads
· A tunnel under Portsmouth harbour will link Portsmouth and Gosport
· SHRT1 will bring capacity, frequency, reliability and attractiveness to its passengers, reducing travel time
· Gosport, with 70,000 people, is the largest town in the UK without a train service
Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: "There's no stronger case for a tram scheme than here in south Hampshire, where unlike schemes in Leeds and Manchester we're proposing a totally new link rather than an extension or parallel scheme. The social, economic and environmental benefits far outstrip the costs, and it would be of massive benefit to commuters in the area.
"The SHRT1 scheme is the missing link in the transport network. We'd be putting in place a much-needed service that doesn't exist at the moment, and we believe that gives us a very robust case.
"Local transport infrastructure in south Hampshire is stretched to the limit, and we desperately need measures to tackle existing access and mobility problems - and that's before we consider the significant pressures that additional housing would bring under the South East Plan.
"We also believe that we've done everything that Government asked of us when our initial revised funding bid was refused back in July. Government said then that light rail is very effective in persuading people to use public transport - we're urging it to give the people of south Hampshire the opportunity to have this choice."
Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said: "It's predicted that by 2020 there will be a 40 per cent increase in traffic. It's imperative that alternative transport solutions are found if gridlock is to be avoided in busy urban areas such as south Hampshire.
"This link will assist in the regeneration of Portsmouth and Gosport, which is likely to be held back if transport improvements are not made. The very real problem of traffic congestion will not disappear. Viable ways to alleviate congestion are not a luxury, they're a necessity.
"The proposal put to Government would be sufficient to maintain the connection to the city centre, which is essential for the city council."
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Portsmouth and the Gosport peninsula are two of the most densely populated parts of Hampshire and home to the naval dockyard and many service industries. Recent research has shown that Portsmouth has one of the county's lowest average gross weekly earnings per person and one of the highest percentages of long term unemployed. Although there are high levels of skilled manual workers compared to the national average, there are pockets of deprivation and the area is suffering from lack of investment and growth partly because of the poor infrastructure including transport.
Costs for the project increased to £270 million due to a number of factors outside the local authorities' control - including greater insurance premiums following the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, high construction inflation, an increase in public utility diversion work and the fact that the tunnel under Portsmouth harbour has to be deeper to accommodate the Royal Navy's new ships. The bids also reflected the financial backers' cautious assessment of how much would be available from fares, and the level of future operating costs.
Hampshire's SHRT project team were not alone in finding their initial forecasts would require additional funding. Leeds and Manchester also bid for additional funds from Government for similar tram schemes.
The two bidders for the tram project are SMART consortium and South Hampshire Supertram Ltd.
For further information please contact: Sarette Martin on 01962 847666 sarette.martin@hants.gov.uk