Merseyrail metro extension web site update

This web site has been updated with a section on a cheap extension to Liverpool John Lennon airport across fields, also serving Speke and Hale village. The section: "City Expansion Renders Tram Proposal Redundant" may be of interest as the city has moved on substantially since the misconceived tram concept, with two proposals under planning similar to London's Docklands wither side of the wide river.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/watercity...xtensions.html

I hope you find it of interest. Here is an added section:

City Expansion Renders Tram Proposal Redundant

The Merseyside region has been in the process of regeneration for a number of years. Since the tram network was conceived, Liverpool has progressed enormously. Events have overtaken the tram network before it has even been built, rendering the project a most certain expensive white elephant unable to cope with future growth.

Two Large Docklands Developments

Two large construction projects, similar to London's Docklands, Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters, have been proposed and are in the planning process. The tram network does not take these projects into account.

For London's Docklands to be successfully a new, mainly elevated, rapid-transit metro network was built, the Docklands Light Railway. It services a regenerated district, giving rapid-transit connections to the rest of London and the airports. It has over 30 stations, about half the number of Merseyrail. This rapid-transit metro was viewed as essential for the success of the project attracting investors to Docklands. The metro ensured the success of the London Docklands transforming the redundant docks into a world financial centre. To ensure the success of Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters, a similar network, or an extension to Merseyrail, would be needed.

Rapid Growth At John Lennon Airport

The airport has seen rapid growth in recent years. The increasing volume of passengers require a direct in-terminal rail station, with Merseyrail access. Rapid-transit from the city centre to the airport, especially the business quarter is essential. Having rail access at the station from Manchester, Warrington, Chester and North Wales would give the airport a far wider appeal promoting airport and city growth.

Date: Liverpool: Manchester: Ratio
Dec 2009: 358,000: 1,086,000: 1:3
Dec 2004: 244,000: 1,330,000: 1:5.5
Dec 1999: 124,000: 938,000: 1:7.5
Passenger figures for Liverpool and Manchester airports

In ten years the ratio of passengers handled at the airport has risen from near 1 to 8 to 1 to 3 in comparison to Manchester Airport.

Two Large Stadia Are To Be Built

By coincidence, the two major football clubs in the city, Everton FC and Liverpool FC are simultaneously planning new stadia. Liverpool FC have a planned stadium at Stanley Park, adjacent to the freight only Canada Dock Branch Line, which can accommodate Merseyrail passenger trains serving the districts it runs through and the new stadium. Everton FC have not finalised a site for their stadium, however the City Council sensibly are suggesting sites next to Merseyrail metro lines. Rapid-transit metro is an essential precursor for such large stadia, reducing impact on the surrounding residents and road traffic congestion. 30,000 to 40,000 fans per hour can be shifted using the Merseyrail metro rapid-transit network with connections to all Merseyside and mainline stations. A tram system could never hope to shift the volume of people that a rapid-transit metro network can, being wholly unsuitable for such a task. A tram network could never move passengers at essential rapid speeds having a relatively poor throughput.

Major Points Need Rapid-Transit To Ensure Economic Growth

• The transport priority in Liverpool and Merseyside is rapid-transit connections between:
• Liverpool Waters
• Wirral Waters
• Liverpool City Centre Business District
• Liverpool City Centre Shopping District
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport
• Liverpool Lime Street Mainline Station
• Everton FC
• Liverpool FC

Extending the Merseyrail metro to these key points and districts will ensure success of the two prime projects and economic growth within Merseyside. The image of the city will be greatly enhanced and viewed as go-ahead. The two stadia alone will attract many thousands of visitors, British and foreign, to the city each year projecting a highly positive image if a metro takes them directly to the stadium.

Electrification Renders Much of Tram Network Redundant

The announced electrification on the Liverpool to Manchester line, Liverpool to Wigan line and the Canada Dock Branch Line in 2009 entails that St. Helens and maybe Wigan will be on the Merseyrail electric network, City Line. This renders much of the tram routes that were to serve the east of the city and beyond, largely redundant.

Nice one WW. Right on the button.

Waterways, the new government seems to be all for the development of our railways (whether they'll be money for it is another thing). I definately can't see them supporting another ridiculous tram bid. However, Joe Anderson has always been a big fan of the tram idea. How do you see this one panning out now the players have changed? Also, I wondered whether you had taken your ideas to anyone with influence. Listening to you over the past couple of years, you talk up a good rhetoric about a proper light rail Metro for Merseyside, and to my mind a very compelling one.

Well, I guess the lack of a reply from Waterways says it all. If Central Station redevelopment is going to be scrapped then transport generally in Merseyside will suffer big time over the next parliament. Looks like Manchester Victoria redevelopment might be salvaged in some way though. Same old.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ingo

Well, I guess the lack of a reply from Waterways says it all. If Central Station redevelopment is going to be scrapped then transport generally in Merseyside will suffer big time over the next parliament. Looks like Manchester Victoria redevelopment might be salvaged in some way though. Same old.

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Quote:

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Waterways, the new government seems to be all for the development of our railways (whether they'll be money for it is another thing). I definately can't see them supporting another ridiculous tram bid. However, Joe Anderson has always been a big fan of the tram idea. How do you see this one panning out now the players have changed? Also, I wondered whether you had taken your ideas to anyone with influence. Listening to you over the past couple of years, you talk up a good rhetoric about a proper light rail Metro for Merseyside, and to my mind a very compelling one.

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I have only just seen this thread. We don't know what is going to happen. The transport budget was slashed by Ant & Dec, which had a small budget anyhow.

Big Transport Cuts

The Merseyrail City Line and the Liverpool-Manchester line was confirmed to be electrified last year and planning work started. We shall see, as it may be cut. I can see the Bootle Branch line electrification being scrapped and Lpool-Mcr line going ahead. We can say bye bye to Merseytram for a long time - a blessing in disguise.

Merseytravel Need to Focus on Extending Merseyrail

It appears Merseytravel will keep this tram nonsense open instead of planning to expand Merseyrail by small affordable and manageable bits and converting it into a cheaper to buy and run light rail network - which it can be as the prime infrastructure is still there. So we may not see any additions to Merseyrail, well not in the city centre and inner city districts which are in dire need for metro links. Rapid-transit rail creates economic growth. But tell that to blinkered Merseytravel who are trying to save face over the scrapping of Merseytram - they should have got over by now - after 5 years they should live with it and move and focus on the real rail infrastructure in the city that will create economic growth - Merseyrail metro.

Electrifying the City Line and the Bootle line to the Docks would mean a great lever to expand Merseyrail - at least along the Bootle branch line through Anfield

DfT & MerseyTravel are Aware of the Web Site

The web site? Oh they all aware of it and look at it. Dep for Transport in London, Merseytravel, Merseyside Civic Society etc. Neil Scales was annoyed at it and asked to comment on the content - he refused. The web site shows that Merseytravel never sat back and looked at Merseyrail and its future and how it can be easy and cheaply converted to a light-rail full metro system creating economic growth for the city. No joined up thinking from Merseytravel.

All the political parties are for Merseytram, even the Merseyside Civic Society. I protested to them and the took the web sites points on board - after making an announcement to support Merseytram. As Merseytravel have not done any assessment in expending Merseyrail to a proper full metro, the politicos will go for the easy option for Brownie points.

EFC & LFC Can Save The City LIne (Bootle Branch)

The Bootle Line can be saved from cuts if EFC and LFC are on the line. Both clubs are planning stadia at the same time. A once in a 1000 years event. Now we need joined up thinking. Common sense says:

• Both clubs should have the same design company and use the same sized pre-cast forms to build the stadia.
• Both clubs build at the same time or one stadium after the other, so the same crews are used.
• Cheap to build stadia all around - they don't have to be at the same locations.
• Both clubs be on the Bootle Line, or any Merseyrail line, to have a rapid-transit rail station at each stadium - to shift 40,000 per hour

Then all benefit, with many Liverpool districts brought onto a rapid-transit metro network, creating economic growth in these districts and the city as a whole. But joined up thinking is needed.

Manchester Victoria will be salvaged because it is currently a bottleneck in the trans-Pennine routes.

I find it amazing that they're all so blinkered as to not even assess it all as an option. It would obviously be a huge embarrassment factor for Neil Scales as he so stupidly bought all those tram tracks before getting government approval.

What is really interesting to me as someone who is relatively new to the city, is how political will is just so much more absent in the city now than it was many years ago. I guess the early part of the Henshaw/Storey era could be seen as a blip, but since then it seems like the dynamism of the city leaders has disappeared.

Is it the quality of the city's political leaders and executives that is the problem? Can Liverpool not attract enough high calibre movers and shakers required by a city like this? I really don't know, but I suspect it's a big part of the problem.