Construction work can begin on the extensions to the Nottingham tram system, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced last week.
The Department for Transport will provide funding of up to a maximum of £371m towards the total maximum scheme cost of £570m.
The winning consortium includes Alstom, VINCI Investments, Keolis and Wellglade (owners of local bus operator Trent Barton) and Meridiam and OFI Infravia as financial investors.
As part of the contract, Tramlink Nottingham will also take over responsibility for the operation of the existing Nottingham Express Transit (NET) Line One which has been open since 2004, for the 23-year concession granted to the consortium.
The two extensions will to go to Chilwell/Beeston and Clifton, linking directly into Line One at Nottingham Station.
The decision will allow Nottingham City Council to complete the remaining contractual steps so that construction can begin in January.
Norman Baker said:
“I am delighted that we are able to finally approve funding so that construction of Phase Two of the tram system can begin.
“Line One of the Nottingham tram has proved to be a great success in encouraging people onto public transport.
“These extensions provide the opportunity to build on that success, and give people in the south of Nottingham quicker, more convenient access to the city centre as well as providing an alternative means of accessing the city centre for people commuting by car.
“They will also help to regenerate sections of the city and support the Government’s wider growth agenda by providing better access to local jobs, and our environmental priority of cutting carbon by encouraging modal shift.
“This good news follows on from the Government’s recent announcement to fund the widening of the A453, which will feed into a 1000 space NET Park & Ride site on the edge of Clifton further speeding up people’s journeys between the M1 and Nottingham.”
Councillor Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation at Nottingham City Council, the scheme’s promoter, said:
“After ten years in planning and development, alongside the innovation of the Workplace Parking Levy – our ambitious proposals to add two more lines to our tram network will now be realised.
“This is fantastic news for Nottingham. In these constrained financial and economic times it means a significant boost to the local economy, more jobs and better public transport for thousands of people.”
An interesting but sad point to note concerning this news is that bus operator Wellglade is the only British company involved in this project. Meridiam is a Luxembourg company and the others are all French. How many British companies are involved in similar projects in France? The answer of course is NONE!