 The MET consortium has lost the contract to build Merseytram |
Liverpool City Council has been dealt a setback in its plans for the new Merseytram system. The MET consortium, which was drafted in to build the first stage of the network, has now been told it will not be awarded the contract.
But despite this the council said it is fully supportive of the proposals for the Merseytram.
Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, said MET's plans did not represent "best value".
Confident of completion
However, he added that it was still looking for a new company to build the system and that he was confident there would be plenty of interest in the project.
The council has also added its support to Merseytram and said it is confident it will be completed on time and on budget.
Design work on the project is continuing and has gathered pace with the winning bid for the tram designs on Line One, from Liverpool city centre to Kirby, and Line Two, from Lime Street to Edge Hill, already tendered.
The news comes as the latest setback for the Merseytram scheme which has been plagued with problems from its conception.
MET was left as the only consortium in the running for the bid after Serco pulled out due to reservations about the route the line would take.
And MET also threw the project into doubt when it was late with its bid which was eventually accepted by Merseytravel.
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