Streetcar named Southwark

I came across the Portland Streetcar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail

They decided to implement a tram that is lighter than Light Rail. They’ve spent $130m (£110M) for 5km of streetcar. The spec involves digging down 30cm for new tracks rather than 45cm for light rail. They also largely use traffic signals which are cheaper than special track signalling and don’t involve central signalling boxes etc.
 
This seems the perfect solution for a new tram from Peckham to Waterloo station or even London Bridge (connecting with the shard) via Elephant&Castle. The cost is such that even Southwark could choose to borrow the money for this on its own or use planning gain but it takes some big imagination and political will. 
 

 
 
 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Streetcar named Southwark

  1. […] writing a blog about a Southwark Streetcar I’ve been approached by various parties to discuss how we can do this in […]

  2. […] Bricklayers Arms. Political backing comes courtesy of Lib Dem councillor James Barber, who in April cited the streetcar in Portland, Oregon as a good model. The local website SE1 has an excellent report from earlier this year that […]

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