Features

James Simpson
The G8 meetings in gleneagles highlighted 2 main issues poverty and climate change this would have made a huge contibution towards cutting emissions and conjestion on the roads as well as uniting every major city in the UK with this envirofriendly transport scheme.

ronnie clark
liverpool once again is going to be the loser why cant this city move forward what narrow minded people just look at the polution with buses trams are the way forward i think we will regret this chance to move forward

Lindsey
Very disappointing, i think it would have been a fantastic addition to the city.

James Mc
I think that the in fighting between Storey and Henshaw has been a contributing factor in the failure to land this project. Stories of 100+ items to address on the tram project before permission was granted and finance agreed suggests the project planning and council interferance would ensure that the money needed to finance this debacle was never ever going to be achieved/agreed. Local govenment, Parliament or the European Commision leaders were never going to risk pouring money into a poorly managed project that had very little going for it anyway. This is a stark reminder of the Hatton days and has openned up old scars between Merseyside and London and endangers future funding requests for new projects.

Helen
Doesn't it seem strange that the news comes on the day Liverpool has no official party leader to object? If this were Manchester we would've had no problems securing the trams. Utter contempt shown for Liverpool yet again by the government. Utterly appalling

James - St Helens
I reckon the idea for trams is excellent although at least two Police officers should be required to ride these trams at night to prevent anti social behaviour if the trams have a night rider scheme for early hours in the morning, it would make it cheaper for people like myself to get home safer.

Tracy
The trams provided an opportunity to provide a fast effective transport link between the City Centre and outlying areas - creating a real chance of sustainable regeneration and inward investment in places like Speke, Kirkby and Huyton. Scrapping the project has effectively ensured that the benefits of Capital of Culture, 2007 and all the rest will stay firmly rooted in the City Centre and communities outside will see no benefit from any of it. I'm gutted!

Stephen Hughes
A great shame that this project has been stopped. Though the original tram lines should never have been removed/covered.

Dev
So what happens to all of the money they have spent already on the simple infrascructure for the project? Someone has to pay for all of that surely, so yet another waste of our local council funds on a fruitless venture???

Liam Fitzsimmons
Why have the goverment pulled the plug,it's stupid they give money to manchester so why can't they give money to Liverpool for our TRAMS.

scotty
this is an absolute digrace. The city is a joke the sooner we realise it the better. We should have the city of culture taken off us as we are incapable of completing any worthwhile projects. Give it to the geordies at least they havn`t won it with lies and false promises

Mike
Knowing the background of the project, it's demise of lies firmly with Liverpool CC and Knowsley BC, they failed to underwrite the costs of the project correctly. It has nothing to do with central government not releasing the funding but all to do with the lack of vision that is shown by the Local Councils. They have been trying for the last 18 months to bury the project and blame someone else, and they have finally managed to do it. Come 2008 Liverpool will be a city to be proud off!

Nick
The usual story. Reminds me of the 4th grace "the cloud" which I originally wasn't fond of. I grew to the idea after a while and the plans were then scrapped. All the money and time for nothing and now it is the same story again. What is going on? Are they going to suddenly scrap the Paradise street project in the middle because they run out of funding? It seems we are to ambitious and most ideas we have will never get off the ground.

smashanken
we want the trams they are cool! they will be good for the city!

Matt Daley, Crosby
Yep, disgrace isn't a strong enough word. Unfortunately I can't use obscenities about the Labour Government on this website, however rest assured I am doing so elsewhere. Money being squandered on an illegal war in Iraq that no-one wanted, money being squandered on the Olympic games that not even most Londoners wanted, it shows the government's utter contempt for Liverpool. Just for once I believed we had a government who cared about the people it represents. Think again.

Ian Scullin
Typically someone comes up with a brilliant idea to ease traffic congestion on our busiest routes into our city centre. Also a reliable public transport system & someone pulls the plug why don't we just quit now capital of culture '08? We'll see...

Hudsonian
Great..... A huge chunk of the money to be ploughed into the tram system would have come from the mersey (car) tunnels, drivers being taxed yet again. People from the Wirral using the car tunnels would be paying for a tram service they would never get to use as it did not extend to the Wirral. Well done blocking this and now the tunnel rates should not need to rise again for a long time

Paul Mason
What will this city have to show for the so called "Massive investment" gained from the capital of culture. We seem to be going backward and the only real change to the city will be another shopping centre.

Dave
Typical - Just lazy! Do whats right! What a good start to capital of culture!

David
Once again the generosity of our government is without bounds.

Mike Q
I pay amazingly high fuel tax's when I fill up the tank of my car and this tax is supposed to be spent on improving public transport. But the government are not willing to invest in low polluting mass transport systems like the trams, crazy. The only positive side to this is that the tree's will not get chopped down, something I thought was stange as the old tram lines ran the same routes so the trees should have been able to stay. Make the tunnels free, the tolls are now unjust.

Alice
What will the scrapping of the tram plans have on the new shopping area and bus station - presumably the bus station won't be big enough now that the trams aren't taking their share of the public transport.

Graham Olsen
Manchester used trams as a low cost way of linking its old rail terminals in the city centre. Liverpool didn't need to consider trams because the underground rail system, as extended 30 years ago, did the equivalent at much higher speeds. It would have made more sense to consider reopening the outer rail loop line (now SUSTRANS footpath) from Woolton through to Walton, as well as putting in an airport link. The reopening of the loop line as a rail link, with an interchange at Broad Green with the Liverpool -Manchester rail line, would have provided a fast link to the city centre for more communities via links to the northern and Ormskirk lines at a much lower cost than the combined tram routes 1 2 and 3.

Dave (resident of Liverpoool)
At least they could try to do something about the poor link between the airport and the city centre. Currently, visitors either wait around in the rain for a bus to arrive, or pay a small fortune for a taxi. That won't look too good in 2008!

wayne
yes what a shame..we could have all sat on a tram and travelled around the most filthy streets in britain.any money should be for the filthly areas like old swan, dingle,tuebrook etc not on a stupid tram.....

Wendover
Park and Ride is the answer to city parking problems - not the tram

Brett
I think it would have been a waste of money- Line 1 from Kirkby is almost the same as where the Merseyrail line to Kirkby goes now-

rebecca spencer
ithink that the mersey tram should still be aloud beacause it gives people with dissabilities a chance to get out and about!

Pete
Liverpool doesnt need a tram! It has a perfectly adequate train network. Having just moved from Liverpool to Sheffield I can see Sheffield's need for a tram as it does not have a similar train network but Liverpool does!

Jen L15
I am made up it is all off. The mature trees are saved! For now. (planting replacement new trees is a waste, due to the idiots that like to go around snaping them in two.)

joey hattin cressington
the government are nieve and think that just because its liverpool it wont work because they generalize the city as a poor place, these trams could improve the lives of many people and the plans should be carried out

Paul Atkinson
May only be 18 but disgusted..heritage should be brought back.,,instead they seem to be destroying it and putting up new stuff..they're killing Liverpool!!

Steve
I think it's a brilliant idea, many areas in Liverpool have poor public transport and it's a shame it's been scrapped really.

Dave Lovell
Pehaps the money could go into bringing redundant lines back into service like the dock link lines and the outer loop which at the moment is a dogs toilet and haven for vandals.

James Lawson
Just typical. Liverpool as a city could'nt organise a piss up in a brewery. 2008 is a waste of time as it does not benefit the people of Liverpool but benefit's large corporate companies and investors from down south. Why dont they create long term employment oppotunities for the people of this city instead of thinking of absurd idea's just to justify the objective one grant. What tourist wants to go to Kirkby or Speke anyway its a mess. The city council should hang its head in shame. Losers.

Brendan, The Wirral
Although it seemed doomed a few months back, the money for Merseyside transport should still e handed over and ploughed into the cumbling underground stations.

J Dutch
Why must the North West, particularly Liverpool, always suffer because of the London olympic bid and its lust for money.

Samiya
please please dont stop this project. i belive tram project should be complete by 2007 it will be great for our Liverpool city

Mark S
A complete disgrace. I think that just about sums it up.

Andy P
Disappointed that the trams system is not to be developed. But I am more disappointed to read all of the very negative words written by the people of this wonderful city. I moved here nearly 7 years ago. I have seen a huge transformation and there are many more projects still to be submitted and approved. Take alook around you, the Paradise Street project, the Met Quarter, the Kings Dock development just to name but a few. Yes there is still much more to do, including the garden festival site, stanley dock edge lane approach etc. I also think that the council needs to re-think its policy on tall buildings if the city is to attract further investment. Many cities in the UK are envious of the growth and investment that Liverpool is enjoying at present. The Capital of Culture 2008 will be a massive success and thats just the start. Glasgow has seen massive investment since it was awarded the City of Culture back in the late 80's early 90's

Rhodri Morgan-Smith
It's very short sited, both Leeds and Liverpool have been scrapped, the expansion of Manchester's has been put on hold, whilst money is thrwon at overbudget road schemes and light rail schemes in London. The only new line is Nottingham, a great example, now running AT FULL CAPACITY, and this was one that was thought to be a white elephant at first.

dave
So, the trams were scrapped because of lack of local support - do we support rate rises........hmmmmmm

Robert Bennison
North West England suffering the pain of the London Olympics. What next ? No second Mersey Crossing

Liz S
Well we'll never get another chance will we! Will the proposed second Runcorn bridge go the same way...funding diverted to 2012?

HARRY SMITH
I don't condone the "handbag swinging" actions of certain members of the Liverpool Council, however it is clear that this govt feels that England finishes at Watford. Everyone in Merseyside should remember this farce when the General election comes round. After 48 years of voting Labour,I for one will seriously consider the other candidates, both Liberal and Conservative.

David Ford
It's in the governments interest to support tram systems in our Cities as threre under pressure to clean up the environment. They'll be back with an alternative offer, just before the next election. Don't be fooled - remember all these occasions and hit them were it hurts by voting them out of office!

Uncle Ian Harris
Liver poeple don't know what their missing... If you haven't took a tram up Edge Lane or to your grad-mum .. So go to Manchester and take a traim.. What ever happen to the over-head railway,too

Laurence anfield
What must the judge's of capital of culture think of this city now.everything they were told was going to happen is falling apart.maybe the title should go to the runner up.in 2008 we will be a total laughing stock,and its the people of liverpool who are to blame.we put these power crazed people in office.

Chris
As much as I hate to side with the council, the same one that has such a stupid policy on tall buildings, this farce is blatantly the Governments doing. They know for a fact that it would be totally irresponsible for a local authority to write a blank cheque. Basically it seems they have simply gone cold on the topic of light rail. Why couldnt they just be honest. As a life long Labour voter, Im fed up to the back teeth of this govt. Why couldnt they just be honest. I didnt really wantthis tram anyway, as a resident of the south end of town it wouldnt really benefit, but what really gets my goat is this Govt now trying to pass the blame on to the local councils of Lpool and Knowsley! Lets hope the good residents of Halton see sense and speak with their votes come the next general election.

JOHN H.
Derek Twigg the minister who say's NO! I'd hate to think if this was a Branch Line! I think a project of this compexity should be awarded to someone who can run a railsystem, like HATTONS???

andrew fisher
bring back maggi thatcher, she would have got the trams moving

peter dunne
An absolute disgrace on the leaders of this city and again like numerous other projects left in a mire of indecision and lack of courage...who votes for these people? the local people should revolt against these inept clowns!

paul moran
this is a disgrace - both the council and the government want their heads banging together - surely it would have been better to get the basic system in place and then expanded later rather than have the fiasco result in it being scrapped.

Denys Owen
As a student of public transport not living in Liverpool I would say that all parties must share the blame i.e. Storey, Henshaw,Scales and last but not least, The Minister of Transport.Unfortunately as far as the city is concerned it is history repeating itself and once again makes it a source of pity and amusement. A public disater indeed.With benefit of hindsight maybe Prof Lewis Lesley had the right idea after all.

Ste
The government are right to not to give Liverpool the money. Livepool City council is a mess and isn't performing - its time for some resigations otherwise the public will be doing the sackings on local election night.

David B
It wasbig,it was bold,it was daring,it needed commitment,drive and vison from our elected councils........it was never going to happen was it?

Tom Williams
The Secretary and Minister of State should be dismissed and investigated over their handling of this and causing such a waste of public money.

RKB
Goodbye Merseytram, goodbye Leeds Supertram. Hope LONDON has a great olympics!

Gertrude, Wirral.
To Richard Davies i would like to update his rather myopic view of the good people of Wirral. We are not all against tunnel toll fees being used to improve HIS city!

Ken Yarwood
Yet another vision/project/dream done away with because of the long winded way in which the council approves/passes/funds projects in Liverpool. God knows if the 2008 completion date for other projects will ever see the light of day.

David Parker
Given the previous performances by this City Council I am not surprised. Could they all have a pang of conscious, do the honourable thing, resign.

danny carr
please pay for the olympics, we didnt want it until the powers that be used heavy pr to change the sheeps minds. now it has to be paid for. :(

Phill
Listening to this muppet Twigg makes me concerned for the future health of the nation, the nation being anywhere outside of London. Its amazing that London received a huge amount of money just for bidding for the Olympics, and is now undergoing a massive investment programme in public infrastructure to enable its delivery, where is this money coming from?

Denis Knowles
Money is always found for the unjust war in Iraq. 2008 capital of culture and no tram. it stinks.

Andrew Dobson
Now that the "surplus" money from the Tunnels isn't needed for a tram in Kirby, will Merseytravel be reducing the toll for tunnel users?

Michael Williams
Boo hoo the Government hate us yet again? Come on Liverpool lets look a little further North for the absolute mish mash that our wonderfull City Councill have yet again navigated to destruction ..... I believe this Local Government should rename themselves from Liverpool City Council to Liverpool City CANCEL .... Well done LCC (NOT!)

Matthew
i think that the trams should continue am a 12 year old boy but i can't rely on the buses because you never get it on time i was realy looking forward to it getting up early in the morning and see the trams go by

Robert Hughes
It's another sign of the malaise which seems to affect this entire city. Large numbers of public bodies and quangos, spending thousands of hours locked in meetings and never making a decision. But the wider message is alarming. We've failed to deliver the Fourth Grace, Everton's stadium at King's Dock, the Ocean Terminal, the tower at Brunswick, the other tower at Skelhorne Street, anything on the Garden festival site - and the list goes on. Never mind suggesting the cash will go to Manchester or London. Those of us in Liverpool have a lot to answer for, as we appear bogged down in bureaucracy while other cities get on with it. Capital of Culture 2008? Prepare to be Capital of Embarrassment. The rehearsals are certainly looking very good.

Peter
Good old council dragging its feet again. What happens to all the prep work already done i.e. utility diversions etc. What a joke !!

Neal
It's about time that this farce was killed off, if we need a tram anyware in this city and i'm not so sure we do it is a link with the city airport that is lacking. it's unbelivable with the capital of culture coming closer that our local representitives thought we needed a link with Kirby more than the airport.

Peter Maye
Is anybody really surprised with this decision? This money will, along with that refused to the Leeds & Manchester tram proposals, go simply go to London & the South-East where the government wanted it in the first place. They have all sorts of schemes that they want the money for down there, e.g. Tube & Docklands extension proposals, crossrail, etc. Don't fall for Londoners paying for the Olympics either. London Council tax will provide £550 million (38p/week extra in band d)out of a total package £2.375 billion, (most of the rest is from the National Lottery!). Since Wembley stadium on its own, again in London, has cost £757 million, they appear to be getting a bargain down there.

Richard Davies
I found it somewhat perverse that Wirral residents objected to using tunnel money for this essential scheme. They should have remembered that many of them earn their money over here in Liverpool, polluting MY city's air with THEIR dirty cars in doing so. All in Merseyside would have benefitted from this, not just Liverpool.

Chris Cahill
As MP for Halton, will Derek Twigg be re-directing this money for the much needed new Mersey crossing?

NP
Looking to use tunnel revenues to support this White Elephant was the final straw. I hope the local politicians that blindly pursued this scheme take note. I doubt it though. It will be everyone's fault but theirs

Ray
It's hardly suprising the govenment pulled the plug. When you have your two main Chiefs in the Council constantly swinging their handbags at ten paces, the Government are hardly confident in them putting together a £500 scheme on time and budget. Look at the Kensington Regeneration fiasco. Not a good advert eh!

Paula Brown (PB)
Merseytram represented a window of opportunity for the city Liverpool. The cost is attractive, the inward investment to the region would be excellent and yet it is all lost by a Labour Governmnet who have not released monies for a rail transport project since 1954. I hope the good people of this country realise the harm that this goverment is doing.

Mike Atkins
The main arguament in favour of the tram was to improve public transport from 3 main areas, Kirby, Speke, and City Centre. We now have to find alternative means to improve our poor infrastructure and somehow get some of the money that was promised from the government. Putting the blame onto people will not solve things.... we need to look ahead now and have new ideas for Liverpool, there is always something good that comes with dissapointment. Be positive!!

Dougie
If you're in any way concerned about either the efficient use of taxes or efficient public transport then this is good news. Trams are costly to build and inflexible (you can't change a route once it's built), whereas electric bendy-buses are far greener and more flexible. Plus, we don't have a congestion problem in the city (Big Dig aside) and have an excellent bus and train network. Oh, and how is this Liverpool council's fault when it was the government that changed the goal posts?

Susan Taylor
I hope the people of Liverpool remember this sorry episode when it comes to election time. What a farce, the government never had any intention of giving us that money. It will be interesting to see if Metrolink in Manchester now get their extension. Good luck to them if they do, wonders have been worked in Manchester, its cleaner, smarter and a pleasure to visit, unlike the scrote-filled filthy streets of our City.

Tom
This is obviously another example of the Government being inconsistent. The only reason Liverpool has a bad press is from people who haven't been there. The trams would have brought the whole city closer together. Once again, the South East bleeds the productive north for its own gain with no regard for the people there. They should be ashamed of themselves. Vote them out next time.

Dave
Disastrous PR for the city yet again, whatever your views on the scheme itself. Will we ever get a group of local politicians who actually put the city first, instead of the self-serving amatuers of all parties who currently "run" the place? I despair sometimes, I really do.

F. Fitter
I am bitterly disappointed at the governments decision to pull the plug on Merseytram, the government has said they refused to release it's £170 million contribution because of what it called a lack of local support, but is it the governments lack of support and commitment to a modern transport systems which will help to move forward on a much needed energy policy. I firmly put the blame in the Governments court for the lack of commitment to Merseytram, Leeds Supertram and the extensions the Metrolink. If money is wanted for London, be it Crossrail, London Trams or he Olympics, then I am sure they would not restrict their funding to a mere £170 million. Can Derek Twigg being a North West MP, whose constituency borders on Merseyside hold his head up by when he made this decision? Is it any wonder we are behind Mainland Europe in both Light & Heavy Rail Transport. I feel sorry for the teams at Merseytram who have carried out a lot of hard work.

Stuart Gardner
Thank goodness this plan has been scrapped! Liverpool is already congested enough with cars without putting trams on the same roads. A far better plan would be to extend the existing underground train network with new stations, new routes and more frequent and reliable trains. While we're at it, can we get rid of some of the new bus lanes in the town centre too?

Robert Rathbone
What plans do they have for the miles of track they have already bought

Les
I live in Wallasey and pay £50 per month in tunnel tolls to Liverpool.I cannot say that I am unhappy that the scheme has been scrapped as I could envisage the tunnel tolls being doubled in a few years to subsidide the trams

Craig Earley
This has nothing to do with Liverpool City Council but rather with a Labour Government that didn't stick by its promises. I'm sure that 170 million will come in handy for the London Olympics! Once again this serves to highlight the inequality that exits in this country, North v South. Liverpool people will do well to remember this and other negative decisions at the ballot box instead of blindly voting in Labour MP after Labour MP.

Andrew Whiteside
I'm a Londoner but a frequent visitor to Liverpool, and I just want to say two things. We have trams in South London and whilst they are very good in many ways I'm not convinced it was worth the years of disruption to build them (and your trams certainly wouldn't have been ready by 2008, leaving the city centre looking like a building site for new visitors!). As for the Olympics, don't believe the hype; it'll be Londoners paying the bill, not the rest of the country (one of the many reasons that MOST Londoners opposed it, not that you'd have known that from the media and government propaganda machine); they're already calculating the extra money that'll go on our council tax bills to pay for the b***dy thing!

jim mathews
fantastic news! the thought of a loss making white elephant on our rates for years to come was dreadful. its a pity there is son of white elephant in the concert arena at the docks. if we cant make money with concerts in a tent! how will we make money in an arena costing tens of millions. less municipal ego boosting grandiose schemes that look good but have no economic base.

Liam Curry
I suspect this will be the first of many failures which where supposed to be ready before 2008. Capital of Culture (My Ass).

Ian Cartledge
Wonder how much of the £170 million will go towards Londons Olympics. Absolute disgrace to waste the city's time and effort when they knew quite well that funding was never going to be given, giving reasons such as inflation as an issue. How much was the millenium dome over budget!! Goodnight Darling!

Paul Hughes
What a waste of money. Thank god this farce is finally over.

Lee Miller
What a disaster though its pretty typical of liverpool Council to put pay to anything that should benefit Liverpool!

fmurphy
Now that the Trams project is dead can we now have the Tunnel money plowed back into what it should be to pay of the debt and MAKE THE TUNNELS FREE

[email protected]
what a terrible waste after all the work put into a project that could have done nothing but good to a great city

Toni Altobelli
Another disgraceful decision by this government to pull the funding for Merseytram. It makes you wonder if they are really anti north, as Leeds' tram scheme suffered a similar fate a fortnight ago. I have no doubt that if this tram had been proposed for London or another area of the south east it would have been agreed - just look at the amount of money that is being pumped into London for the 2012 Olympics! The way the government has gone about this decision is abysml, saying in the summer the scheme could have the £170m if Merseytravel found the remaining funding which they now have and then killing the like this. It leaves a sour taste in the mouth this whole sorry affair!

Andy P
Very disappointed. The tram system (Line 1 & 2)was an intregral part of the regeneration of some of Liverpool's most deprived residential areas. The tram would have hopefully brought further investment in Liverpool and Merseyside. The councils, MerseyTravel and other regeneration bodies such as NWDA need to bang their heads together and bash out a new plan to submit to central government as soon as possible and get the tram system back on track

Liam
Finally, what many of us suspected has finally been confirmed: the tram will not happen. Did any body really think it would? Liverpool can not convince central Government that it is a good investment. The bickering between the leader of the council and the chief executive have no doubt not helped matters. So yet again the people of Liverpool will lose out on what would have been a fantastic addition to the infrastructure of our city. Well done to all concerned.

Mark
A discrace!

CASEY JONES
So much for the City of Culture eh! Another grand fisco presided over by an inept Liberal City Council. No wonder Mike Storey stood down as leader before this came out.Talk of about rats deserting a sinking ship,comes to mind. It looks bad on the City and has knock on repercissions on other projects i should imagine. The canal extension will be the next to fail probably. The only fesible first line of the tram should have been to the airport. Could a monorail be a suitable candidate as a follow up idea???????????

Helen W
Its a shame that trams will not be returning to the city- they are an ideal solution to combat the current traffic issues the ciy seems to have. With all the extra visitors arriving from 2008, it could prove a costly mistake.

Kevin Humphreys
The truth is this project would have made a definate contribution to easing the problem of traffic congestion and pollution as people would have used these fast trams instead of cars. It's a huge dissapointment to all the people of Merseyside who looked forward to this new development. We still have lots of exciting projects going on to cushion the blow.

Mohamed Hassan
That's very bad news. This tram is a very good project. I hope that there is still a chance to construct.

andrew, hunts cross
yet another example of the government refusing anything thats outside london. where will the money go to now? The Olympics?