Does anyone know for certain if the supertram is or isn't going to be extended to broomhill? I read an article which said this:

"Bosses at the South Yorkshire Transport Authority made the announcement at a meeting last month, meaning the tram will now have a new loop leading from Glossop Road, up Western Bank and Whitham Road, turning into Newbould Lane, and then returning to Glossop Road."

but then read somewhere else the extension was scrapped due to only 25% support and won't be carried out for another 10 years.

If anyone can shed some light on this I would appreciate it. Thanks.

No decision has been made to my knowledge, it is still with the DfT in London. There is a lot of opposition, the same voices are complaining their buses are not arriving. :rolleyes:

It would make sense... The students would use it for a start...

And that's why it won't happen, cos it makes sense.. :loopy: :rant:

The tram doesn't work particularly well through built-up areas sharing the route with other traffic. The route from town to Middlewood can be a real pain during rush hour traffic.

If they were to ban all other traffic from West street the scheme might have a chance :)

Get the tram up to Broomhill. I live there, and at the minute the roads don't work in rush hour, so any decent solution would be a good thing. Yes there would be opposition re: disruption etc, but the opposition to the tram on West Street was massive, and now most businesses down there are seeing the benefit.
One particular small business, i seem to remember, was massively and vocally against it. Now his business is more of a success and he is one of the tram's strongest supporters.


PS - They were also planning on taking it up to Wickersley in Rotherham. If they did I could (and would) get the tram from my house in Broomhill to my parents in Rotherham! That'd be great!

Supertram bosses are allways looking at expanding the current network further a-field, but the plans never seem to take off!

Everyone wants it, no one wants to pay for it.

If for one minute I thought my taxes were actually being used to pay for the Supertram, I'd happily pay for it.
But as my taxes don't seem to be being used to improve the roads, I sincerely doubt they'd be spent in this area.
Isn't the 'tram profitable now anyway? Couldn't some be invested?

I think it's only profitable because the current owners paid none of the multi-million pound setup costs.

That's fine. So it's profitable. Perhaps those profits could be ploughed into extension costs.

That's fine. So it's profitable. Perhaps those profits could be ploughed into extension costs.

I think you will find that as a general rule all sucessful public transport is heavily subsidised by the public purse all around the world. Public transport infrastructure is something which has to be planned for decades ahead and so it makes sense for it to be paid for by public bodies rather than private companies. a private company could never [ well hardly ever ] survive with the burden of set up costs of a huge infrastructure project without being propped up by huge institutions like governments and banks. Take Eurotunnel for example, Almost bankrupt but a wonderful project which has the potential of being the busiest route to europe if taxes on aviation fuel were to be imposed. If they didn't have the debt of the set up costs, of £6.3 billion as an expensive debt. The profits would be sky high. They are now the world's leading piggyback transport, and has just marked the 10 millionth truck journey

That's all well and good, and I agree. However, I don't see this requiring the set-up costs you mention.
The business infrastructure is there, and the overall planning/design work which would be involved in set-up costing has been done.
I'll admit I'm no business expert, but initial set-up costs are bound to be much more than the costs to extend the network. Correct me if I'm wrong!

I imagine the original design team disbanded on completion of the original work. Therefore the costs of any extension will probably actually be higher per mile of track than before. There's all the detailed planning to be done, probably a great deal more regulatory work these days than before, designs to be chosen, contractors to be hired etc etc. If anything, I imagine a final figure for an extension would be higher than the original install - economies of scale and all that (plus it's 10 years later so there's inflation etc to take into account).

so how do we get to the hospitals while all the construction work is done?
we have to go to western park on a regular basis (every 21 days) we have no alternative but to use a car, dont people remember how bad it was when they did the original construction?????? roads closed for months, & the traffic chaos is still with us!!!!

I imagine the original design team disbanded on completion of the original work. Therefore the costs of any extension will probably actually be higher per mile of track than before. There's all the detailed planning to be done, probably a great deal more regulatory work these days than before, designs to be chosen, contractors to be hired etc etc. If anything, I imagine a final figure for an extension would be higher than the original install - economies of scale and all that (plus it's 10 years later so there's inflation etc to take into account).


Aye fair enough. It'd be interesting to see the actual figures/proposed financial plans though.

so how do we get to the hospitals while all the construction work is done?
we have to go to western park on a regular basis (every 21 days) we have no alternative but to use a car
If you genuinely have to use a car (and personally I think that most people who say they have to use one are either idle, lying or both (people with disabilities excepted)) I imagine you'll still be able to get to the hospital. Probably just a bit delayed.

I haven't kept up-to-date on this for a year or so, but if the situation hasn't changed, the treasury is prepared to stump up 2/3rds (?) of the cost if certain criteria are met. These include that the project has public approval and that the line can be run profitably. Even if the council could fund the project, it would still not make sense to do so without the government money.

There was also money available from regeneration agencies, presumably if there was some benefit to regeneration.

The last set of proposals were shouted down by nimby type groups, but the consultancy excercise did show a good deal of support for inclusion of the hospitals on the network. I would guess that they couldn't show that a spur or loop to the Hallamshire would run at a profit.

Their solution would appear to be to run the line to somewhere with a lot of potential passengers, via the Hallamshire, without going past too many anti-tram activists.

You obvioulsy have no idea what it's like to have chemo therapy administered!!!!
Within less than 1 hour the affects can be deverstating!!!
the first time we went without the car the taxi could'nt get, leaving my wife in such a state they had to admit her in to hospital for the night!!!
If we had taken the car she would have been in bed within 30 mins. But by thinking we would be better leaving the car at home put my wife in a place she did not want to be, back in a hospital bed!!!!!!
Go up to the hospitals & have a look at the people who use there cars, yes some may be idle, but I think you'll find most use there cars out of need.

If you genuinely have to use a car (and personally I think that most people who say they have to use one are either idle, lying or both (people with disabilities excepted))


Disabled people can lie and be lazy too you know.

Funny how hotphil has gone silent!!!

Sorry tintsexpert, there's no need to get all self-righteous - I have to work for a living so can't spend all day here.
To answer a specific, believe me I've been well exposed to the affects of chemotherapy and the issues surrounding it. I'd rather not get into a debate on one particular person's illness in a thread that is a discussion about a proposed tram extension possibly near a hospital.
Perhaps best answered with a general comment that some car travel is always going to be necessary. The majority is not. They'll be a vast reduction in parking up that way soon anyway with the ridiculous "resident's" parking scheme so the situation will be pretty dire. A tram route along there won't make the traffic/parking any worse than it currently is, far from it - it may actually alleviate it.
Think of it this way - if the only realistic option to take a sick relative/friend to the hospital is by car, wouldn't you be glad if a large number of people had taken the tram and left you a space to park?
And liencam, yes I guess people with disabilites can be idle/lie, I could have phrased that better - was trying to make the point that, in some situations (perhaps like tintsexpert's), car travel to hospitals will always be the only really practical option.

If like me you work at different places, needing to get tools & supplies to various sites around sheffield, you have to use a car / van. How am I suposed to get around without my car/van? if you work in 1 place & you can get a bus thats fine, I wish I was in that position, but like many contractors that work in & around sheffield there is no alternative to the car in this city at the moment.

well clearly for you there is no practical alternative if your livelihood depends on transporting yourself and equipment all over the place. however, i don't think you're in the same position as most people - i'd still suggest that a very significant number of car journeys in this city aren't necessary.