Marking the fortieth anniversary of the Tyne & Wear Metro, an icon of Newcastle and Tyneside's railway and public transport network, Colin Alexander celebrates its fascinating past, present and future.
Marking the fortieth anniversary of the Tyne & Wear Metro, an icon of Newcastle and Tyneside's railway and public transport network, Colin Alexander celebrates its fascinating past, present and future.
In this report, ippr north argues that the role of transport as a tool for social inclusion needs to be given at least equal weight to its role in economic growth. The authors suggest a positive agenda for action to improve transport-related social exclusion in the North East with ideas, which will resonate in every part of the UK.
Integrated Transport : The future of light rail and modern trams in the United Kingdom, tenth report of session 2004-05, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence
From the horse-drawn trams of the nineteenth century to the larger electric models of the early twentieth, this reliable form of public transport revolutionised town travel by making it affordable enough for working people to use. From the 1930s, the rise of the trolleybus, which also picked up power from overhead cables but ran without expensive tracks, looked set to supersede the tram – but ultimately, by the 1950s, both fell victim to motor buses and private cars. However, since the 1980s the environmental benefits of light rail have encouraged a growing comeback for trams on our crowded and polluted city streets. Using beautiful contemporary photographs, this is the fascinating story of the rise, fall and revival of this everyday, yet sometimes controversial, mode of urban transport.