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Preston Trams Discussion

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GRALISTAIR

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My UK home is north of Junction 32 so either way will not affect me. I do remember in the 1980s the weedkiller train going across Skeffington Road and taking photos. I also worked at Courtaulds in the 1970s so I have active interest in the possible project.
 
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mbga8mjb

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And if not Longridge at least as far as Grimsargh. Quite a lot of housing has gone up there in the last 20 years while I have been living in the USA. The spur to RedScar Works site would of course not be needed. I was surprised that John Southworth school got bulldozed to make way for a housing estate. My wife went to that school.

I live on the site of that old school, with the railway line out the back of my house
 

GRALISTAIR

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I live on the site of that old school, with the railway line out the back of my house
Its a lovely area. Through the back lanes to Haighton and Broughton. Turn left to Longridge and the Fells and yet Preston is not that far off. BTW - OT but I wrote the Wikipedia article on Courtaulds Red Scar works which used to be two miles or so down the road.

I would love to see a potential tram go up that way.
 

Robertj21a

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Is this proposal for trams in Preston really serious ? - I can't see any point in it at all and these things can be very expensive. Is it fully costed?
 

randyrippley

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My UK home is north of Junction 32 so either way will not affect me. I do remember in the 1980s the weedkiller train going across Skeffington Road and taking photos. I also worked at Courtaulds in the 1970s so I have active interest in the possible project.


Unless something has changed recently, that train would now need to be preceeded by a logging machine........
 

Howardh

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Preston is a horrendous place to drive through or around, the motorway link on the western side that's being built probably won't help much. The bus station is too far from the railway station so anyone going by train to Longridge really has a hard time of it.

There used to be a line from Longridge to Preston Station and I think it went through a tunnel before Preston rail station. If the route's still there, is it feasable? I've seen the plan above where the tram would run through the streets to the edge of town and then follow the old railway...then stop? Why not re-track the old railway as far as Longridge and then it gets trams to at least the crossroads there (even if not the old station)? That would cover the two large schools there and a P+R stop further south would cater for commuters.

Anyhow, unless they use what's left of the old tracks inside Preston centre then the building will cause even more horrendous congestion, but at least the station will be linked to the bus station as it appears now. But I hope it goes ahead!
 
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WatcherZero

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Is this proposal for trams in Preston really serious ? - I can't see any point in it at all and these things can be very expensive. Is it fully costed?

Its a private company thats been trying to do it as a demonstration line for its products, its progressed very slowly as it hasnt sought or received local government support for the project.

They ran some prototype tests of their vehicles on the Blackpool tram network quite a few years back now until one caught fire which highlighted to the RAIB both their naïve construction (containing batteries in a wooden box) and the complete lack of safety oversight or risk assessment from Blackpool Transport on vehicles they were allowing to operate on their network.
 

randyrippley

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Preston is a horrendous place to drive through or around, the motorway link on the western side that's being built probably won't help much. The bus station is too far from the railway station so anyone going by train to Longridge really has a hard time of it.

There used to be a line from Longridge to Preston Station and I think it went through a tunnel before Preston rail station. If the route's still there, is it feasable? I've seen the plan above where the tram would run through the streets to the edge of town and then follow the old railway...then stop? Why not re-track the old railway as far as Longridge and then it gets trams to at least the crossroads there (even if not the old station)? That would cover the two large schools there and a P+R stop further south would cater for commuters.

Anyhow, unless they use what's left of the old tracks inside Preston centre then the building will cause even more horrendous congestion, but at least the station will be linked to the bus station as it appears now. But I hope it goes ahead!


The tunnel - and track - is still there and could be reused, but to what purpose? You couldn't run the trams into Preston station unless you dedicated the eastern island platform and running tracks to tram-only, hindering the rail service. And by using the tunnel the tram would bypass the town centre, making the whole thing pointless.
As for extending to Longridge, doesn't the M6 sever the route?
 

Howardh

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The tunnel - and track - is still there and could be reused, but to what purpose? You couldn't run the trams into Preston station unless you dedicated the eastern island platform and running tracks to tram-only, hindering the rail service. And by using the tunnel the tram would bypass the town centre, making the whole thing pointless.
As for extending to Longridge, doesn't the M6 sever the route?
First point, absolutely correct - if the purpose is to serve the bus station and the shops, it's no good going through the old tunnel, but the negative is the journey from the station outbound will be slower. (But still faster than a bus!)
Second point,er, can't we build a bridge?
 

Bletchleyite

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The tunnel - and track - is still there and could be reused, but to what purpose? You couldn't run the trams into Preston station unless you dedicated the eastern island platform and running tracks to tram-only, hindering the rail service. And by using the tunnel the tram would bypass the town centre, making the whole thing pointless.
As for extending to Longridge, doesn't the M6 sever the route?

The M6 is bridged, but it's only a footbridge.
 

randyrippley

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First point, absolutely correct - if the purpose is to serve the bus station and the shops, it's no good going through the old tunnel, but the negative is the journey from the station outbound will be slower. (But still faster than a bus!)
Second point,er, can't we build a bridge?

A new bridge for an experimental project with a notable lack of funding over an eight lane motorway???
Even if the trams are ultra lightweight, that needs to be a fairly hefty and expensive long single span bridge
 

BeijingDave

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Also, how many people from surrounding towns actually commute into Preston?

Many people from around Chorley likely commute to Liverpool, Warrington (a bigger town with a stronger and more diversified economy than Preston) and Manchester rather than Preston. I know some of them (from Euxton and Wheelton into Warrington).
 

Bletchleyite

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Also, how many people from surrounding towns actually commute into Preston?

Retail workers and a fair number of students (FE and HE) I'd imagine.

The North West is a bit of a web (of railways and roads) and people commute from everywhere to everywhere, near enough. It near enough acts as one big city in many ways, and despite what many would think is far, far less rural than most of the South East.
 

LancasterRed

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It begins.

Preston's long-awaited £19million tram line is one step closer to reality with its pilot project getting the thumbs up from city council planning officials.

The overall transport scheme - brainchild of city company Preston Trampower - will see the disused railway line between Longridge and Preston transformed into the city's very own tram network in what many will hope can reduce congestion across busy roads.

It would also mark Preston's first tram line since 1935.

Now, the firm has received the all clear from planning officers at Preston City Council to create the test section of the site on the old railway line at Skeffington Road.

In August, it applied to bring back to life the 'short section' of the former railway line as the 1,250 metre-long pilot project behind the larger project. As part of this, new tracks will be created as well as masts, overhead cables, a station platform, cycle path, and lighting columns.

The test section will run from Skeffington Road in a north easterly direction towards West View Leisure Centre.


When fully launched, the hope is to see 12 stops across the city including at Deepdale Retail Park, the University of Central Lancashire, Preston city centre, and Deepdale Stadium.

Preston Trampower says the scheme will "ease" congestion across Preston city centre by "enhancing the use of the Park & Ride sites surrounding the city and reducing the number of journeys made by car".
 

Vespa

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The North West is a bit of a web (of railways and roads) and people commute from everywhere to everywhere, near enough. It near enough acts as one big city in many ways, and despite what many would think is far, far less rural than most of the South East.
This is why I like living in the North West, transport connections is very good between Merseyrail and Metrolink, Southport is a good candidate for connecting up with Preston to increase the viability of the network, going from somewhere people are to where they want to go, connecting with Southport using tram train technology increases the potential cross running with light and heavy rail across the region.

The Wirral and Lancashire is rural enough for me, I like walking the wirral way and not much further to drive for Wales or Cheshire.
 

Bletchleyite

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The easiest way to connect Southport with Preston is not to faff with trams, but to reinstate the Burscough Curves, operating a Preston-Southport hourly service instead of Preston-Ormskirk, and extending Merseyrail to Burscough Bridge. The connectivity benefits of this for the area would be superb.
 

Hardcastle

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The easiest way to connect Southport with Preston is not to faff with trams, but to reinstate the Burscough Curves, operating a Preston-Southport hourly service instead of Preston-Ormskirk, and extending Merseyrail to Burscough Bridge. The connectivity benefits of this for the area would be superb.
That's what has been said for years locally it's just than no one in power will action it. It's a totally no brainer between two large populations.
 

cool110

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Well they've got planning permission again to built a 200 metre test track with a single platform.
 

tetudo boy

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Just gonna leave this here...

1607090414179.jpeg
Apparently, that's how I heard why the TramPower project almost failed, but they went quiet for some years instead. It's good to see them back in the game.

Instead, we have this beauty TramPower made not so long ago:
City-Class-tram-Preston-Trampower-e1607025651411.jpg
Beautiful :)
 

randyrippley

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Apparently, that's how I heard why the TramPower project almost failed, but they went quiet for some years instead. It's good to see them back in the game.

Instead, we have this beauty TramPower made not so long ago:
View attachment 86760
Beautiful :)


The worlds first trackless tram....has someone perfected antigravity?
 

bluegoblin7

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Apparently, that's how I heard why the TramPower project almost failed, but they went quiet for some years instead. It's good to see them back in the game.

Instead, we have this beauty TramPower made not so long ago:
View attachment 86760
Beautiful :)
It’s the same vehicle with some new plastic replacing the flame-grilled end. The other end, and most of the interior, is unchanged.

I’m not sure anyone seriously connected with the tramway world has particularly high expectations of success. If Trampower (and by extension the trial) has got any merit at all, it certainly isn’t in vehicles.
 

Clip

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Fire or no fire it's worth noting that after a fire on a class 230 that hasn't stopped them being used or more ordered?
 
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