It's a different story today but trams once ruled the roads in Liverpool.
The idea of a fully functioning tram system in Liverpool might seem like something of a fantasy today but at one point in time commuters enjoyed the use of a thriving tram network to shuttle them around the city. At first – back in 1868 – the trams were pulled by horses but by the turn of the century most of the system had been electrified.
They would operate for more than 80 years in the city, with lines running from the "hub" at Pier Head, where the tramcars terminated, before heading all over the city to places like Page Moss, Aigburth Vale and even Goodison Park, where they would pick up football fans back in the first half of the 20th century.
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Photos shared with the ECHO in 2020 show the tram system in all its glory. Speaking to the ECHO at the time, transport archivist and author Charles Roberts said: "On the stretch of straight road between Everton Valley and Goodison Park, the trams had their own private right of way next to Stanley Park.
"On matchdays, there would be lines of trams after the final whistle to take supporters back into the city centre."
They would enjoy almost eight decades of use, but he death knell for Liverpool's trams came in 1957, with the increasing popularity of buses and private cars. Hundreds of people flocked to watch the final services of the tram system – the 6/6A to Bowring Park and the 40 to Page Moss – which finished on September 14, 1957.
Charles said: "On the last day, hundreds of people came to see the last tram and then, in early evening, to view the cavalcade of 13 ticket-only special trams, after which the tracks were ripped up."
But the city was not entirely done with trams and decades later, in 1997, 'Mersey Rapid Transit' was proposed, putting forward the idea of a system of 'electric trolley buses' said to be the first in the UK, running from the city centre to Page Moss. However the plan was rejected.
Then, in 2001, plans for a Merseytram project were proposed, envisaging a modern tram system that would loop around Liverpool City Centre before heading off in three directions (via three lines), including to the airport. The following year the project won government backing, and Merseytram won £170m for the funding of Line 1.
Construction was set to begin on Friday, July 1 2005, with the aim of opening two years later. Yet, the project was hit with delays and rising costs, to the point that transport secretary Alistair Darling had to warn the project to stay within budget if the government was to maintain its promise of investment.
However, the government was said to have been worried that spending on Merseytram had got out of control, and withdrew their funding. The project was then scrapped, leaving Merseytravel with a £70m bill without even a single piece of track being laid.
The city has flirted at other times with the idea of bringing back trams, but this week Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram revealed that plans for a tram network across the city could be considered once more if the proper funding was made available under a future Labour government.
Addressing a fringe event at the Labour Party conference yesterday, Mr Rotheram said should his party take power at the next election and deliver the funding required, transport bosses could “look again” at installing trams across Liverpool city centre.
Speaking about previous failures to bring a tram system back to Liverpool Mr Rotheram said: “We had the money before Manchester for a tram. Our local authorities couldn’t work together and we lost the money.
“We spent the money on rails but when we ended up selling them, we didn’t even get the money for them. We ended up fighting each other and lost the opportunity to steal a march on Manchester.”
Mr Rotheram said he has held conversations with Transport Secretary Mark Harper since the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2, confirmed by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week. When asked what else would need to be devolved from Westminster to get Merseytram back on track, he said: “We (Rotheram and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham) have been promised £1.6bn.
“Now if that ever became real, we could look again at it in the future, at a tram system in Liverpool. We’re also looking at trackless trams.”
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