By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: Bath and North East Somerset Council has hailed a three-quarters of a billion pounds government investment in the West of England’s transport as a “turning point” for the area’s transport.
Labour West of England Metro Mayor Helen Godwin said that the £752m investment would start the area on the path towards a mass transit system which could use trams, light rail, or guided buses. The money would also be spent on improving buses, increasing the frequency of suburban railways, and some road improvements.
Deputy leader of Liberal Democrat-run Bath and North East Somerset Council Sarah Warren said: “This investment marks a turning point for sustainable transport in our region. It is a huge opportunity to deliver a cleaner, greener and more connected future that our communities deserve.
“From progressing mass transit options to electrifying our bus fleet across Bath & North East Somerset, this investment will help us tackle costly congestion, achieve our net zero targets, and make it easier for people to choose public transport, walking and cycling.
“On top of the work that’s already being achieved in B&NES, this is welcome news for our region. We look forward to working with our regional partners to deliver a transport system fit for the 21st century.”
There have long been calls to bring back trams in Bath. While the mass transit system could see them return to the city in a form, Ms Godwin said she was “mode agnostic” about whether the system used trams or a different form of mass transit. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m not a particular transport geek.”
She said: “I know there’s a great romance and affection for trams. We used to have them in Bristol. […] If the infrastructure points us towards trams in certain parts of the network then great. If the infrastructure — and of course the budget envelope — points us towards something else, whether that’s guided buses or light rail, that’s fine too.”
Even if trams are used, mass transit is not likely to mean a return to something exactly like Bath and Bristol’s tramway networks of yesteryear. Ms Godwin said that buses remained the area’s primary focus for public transport and new mass transit would be focussed on where there were areas of congestion, such as the A4 corridor between Bath and Bristol, or building a transport connection to Bristol Airport.
But it could still be years before anything is built. When the “Bristol Underground” mass transit system was envisioned, it was estimated have a price tag in the billions. But only around £200m of the newly announced transport funding is expected to be spent on the mass transit plans.
Ms Godwin said: “This doesn’t mean in five years time we are going to have a mass transit network. That’s not going to be the case. But what this enables us to do is to start to get on a fixed path of delivery which is really important.”
She said: “We are behind. We are not where I would have liked to be given the combined authority is nine years old but this is the start of a different direction of travel for us.”
£150m of the funding would be used to improve the frequency of the area’s current suburban rail network. The West of England Combined Authority said it would support the ambition of having four trains per hour across the network.
The £752m is the West of England’s share of £15.6bn announced by the government today for transport in six areas of England. The West of England Combined Authority covers Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. North Somerset is planning to join the combined authority and the mass transit network would also extend into the area.
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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