A NEW tram system for Warrington has not been ruled out – and transport chiefs have identified a ‘tube-style’ map of a potential mass transit network.

The New Civil Engineer has recently reported that five last-minute bids have been added to the list of projects bidding for funding under the third and final round of the Restoring Your Railways ideas fund.

It said three of the new schemes are in the north west – a new station in Coppull, the Salford to Warrington to Stockport tram and tram train, and the UK Light Rail tram tracker.

But Cllr Hans Mundry, cabinet member for transportation, highways and public realm, confirmed Warrington Borough Council did not submit a proposal as part of the Restoring your Railways Ideas fund.

He also emphasised that the authority does not currently consider any scheme that might be eligible for the funding as critical to supporting its vision for transport, when compared to the work it is already doing to improve rail services and infrastructure for all of the town’s existing stations.

“That being said, should any of the proposals impacting on the borough that have been put forward by third parties be taken forward for funding, we would be very happy to work with partners to ensure that suitable schemes are identified that would be most beneficial for Warrington,” he said.

The council has a statutory duty to develop and maintain a local transport plan.

The local transport plan, LTP4, has been adopted – but it has been labelled as a ‘living document’.

A study has been considering two possible modes for a mass transit network for Warrington – light rail/tram and bus rapid transit.

Cllr Mundry said: “Our fourth local transport plan, LTP4, which was adopted in December 2019, aims to reduce the number of people who drive to work from 75 per cent to 60 per cent by 2041.

“To do this, we need to treble the number of people who commute by bus or other mass transit modes.

“In LTP4, we committed to identifying options for a mass transit system, and we have identified a ‘tube-style’ map of a potential mass transit network for Warrington.

“This would significantly transform how passengers can travel around the borough, creating an attractive, high-quality network that could provide a realistic alternative to people who are currently car-dependent.

“We are in the early stages of the process to identify a mass transit network and a large amount of work is required before we can identify factors such as the preferred transport mode for the network, the destinations that should be connected, the corridors that the network will operate on, or how the project could be funded.”

Asked whether both options – light rail/tram and bus rapid transit – are still firmly on the table, Cllr Mundry said the council has not ruled out any mode of transport for a future mass transit network, with both ‘still options that could be progressed’.

Town Hall bosses say they are working to identify the mode that will offer the most benefit to Warrington residents and businesses.

Cllr Mundry added: “Since we adopted our local transport plan, Government have published Bus Back Better, the national bus strategy for England.

“This could potentially provide us with a significant opportunity to improve our bus service and the government have announced that over the next three years across England, some £3 billion of additional funding will be made available to local transport authorities across England.

“The Government has also said that we are required to develop a bus service improvement plan by the end of October 2021.

“We are, therefore, focusing our efforts on developing this plan, and we will be consulting with residents and stakeholders in the summer to give everyone the opportunity to share their views and suggestions.

“Alongside our commitments to improving bus services, we continue to work with partners to secure the best possible rail service provision at stations in Warrington.”