Rowen champions light rail at conference

Date published: 14 March 2010

Paul Rowen, MP for Rochdale and Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Light Rail, made a speech on the role of light rail in big city transport at a Centro fringe event at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Birmingham.

The event was chaired by Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council Councillor Paul Tilsley, and Mr Rowen joined a panel of speakers including Geoff Inskip from Centro and Councillor Jon Hunt.

Mr Rowen gave his support to Centro’s plans to extend the light rail system in Birmingham, and shared his experiences of the Manchester Metrolink and his successful campaign to bring the tram to Rochdale. Mr Rowen argued that tram schemes can bring a wide range of benefits for the environment, air quality and urban regeneration.

Where the UK has invested in modern trams, we have seen motorists switching to the tram and impressive growth in passenger numbers. At least one in five peak-hour travellers on trams in the UK formerly commuted by car. At weekends, as many as half of UK tram users previously used a car to make the same journey. This translates to at least 13 million car journeys taken off our roads every year.

Mr Rowen said: “There’s little argument that modern trams can help get cities moving and transform the urban realm.

"Other European cities have extensive tram networks that provide people with a quick, safe and environmentally friendly way of travel. I want to see the same thing in the UK and I was very pleased to talk about light rail in Birmingham and add my support to Centro’s plans for expansion.

"I am incredibly excited that in the coming years Rochdale will be welcoming its own tram network that will provide the town with many new opportunities.”