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Trams to be proposed for Barnet


A campaign to build a tramline through Barnet is underway.

Though in very early stages, the light railway would run from Ealing Broadway, to Finchley via Brent Cross, West Hendon and Colindale.

A separate branch would run from Finchley Road through West Hampstead and Cricklewood before joining up at Brent Cross.

It would provide residents with a link to the development around Wembley Stadium and the proposed Crossrail, connecting West London with East London and Essex. The project is estimated to cost £16 billion.

Now a network of cross-party politicians, environmentalists and transport groups are hoping to drum up support in a bid to win funding for the large-scale project.

The light-rail, or electric tram, will ease road congestion as well as reduce climate change, say the Campaign for Better Transport backed by Barnet councillors Geof Cooke, Labour, and Conservative John Hart.

In Barnet Council’s Local Development Framework, published in June last year, poor transport links within the borough were identified as a key challenge in the borough’s growth.

A meeting to discuss the plans is to be held at Barnet House, 1255 High Road, Whetstone, this Wednesday at 7.30pm.


Your Say Your Times

Irvine, LYTHAM ST ANNES says...
11:03am Wed 14 Jan 09

As someone born and brought up in Finchley and Barnet and who has kept in touch with public transport developments since, I strongly suggest that the proponents of this tram scheme reconsider it. The reality is that it is likely to be far too expensive to get funding. However a similar but much cheaper trolleybus scheme would have comparable benefits and might stand a chance of getting funded. Faced with no funding for its ‘Super Tram’ scheme, Leeds is now proposing a trolleybus scheme.

Gordon M, East Malling says...
11:54am Wed 14 Jan 09

Any alignment for the route suggested would inevitably involve street running. Trams on streets are very expensive to install and result in massive disruption to other traffic (inclduing buses) both during construction and operation. They simply do not fit into London's roads and as they can only travel at the same speed as other traffic offer no benefits for the huge costs that could not be achieved by running a vehicle on rubber tyres. If you wish that vehicle to be quiet, emit no noxious fumes on street, to reduce greenhouse emissions and not to be reliant on depleting oil reserves, you need only provide an electric trolleybus system giving all those benefits at a fraction of the cost of a tramway.

Jon10, London says...
6:39pm Thu 15 Jan 09

Thankfully, the cost is not £16 billion. (I think that is for full-sized trains of "Crossrail", from Maidenhead and Heathrow, across to Stratford and further into east London.) There are enough hardly-used freight lines and abandoned track-beds in Barnet and Brent for us to use - there is no need to ANY on-street running. Please see the London page on www.bettertransport.
org.uk.

Jon10, London says...
11:53am Sat 17 Jan 09

More details are at
www.bettertransport.
org.uk/
london_local_group.


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Vision: An early design of the North West London 'light' railway Vision: An early design of the North West London 'light' railway

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