Transport written question – answered at on 12 January 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was given in subsidy by his Department to each light rail scheme currently in operation in each year since they commenced operation.
holding answer
The following light rail schemes are currently in operation in England.
Blackpool Trams
Of these, only the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Tyne and Wear Metro, have received operating subsidy from the Department for Transport or its predecessors and agencies.
The operating subsidy provided is as follows.
Docklands Light Railway | Tyne and Wear Metro | |
---|---|---|
1987–88 | 2.126 | — |
1988–89 | 2.840 | — |
1989–90 | 5.420 | — |
1990–91 | 9.999 | — |
1991–92 | 19.759 | — |
1992–93 | 15.342 | — |
1993–94 | 14.399 | — |
1994–95 | 15.656 | — |
1995–96 | 13.249 | — |
1996–97 | 19.530 | 8.795 |
1997–98 | 6.716 | 8.619 |
1998–99 | 6.343 | 8.630 |
1999–2000 | 20.824 | 9.428 |
2000–01 | 4.911 | 9.787 |
2001–02 | 3.681 | 9.884 |
2002–03 | 4.594 | 11.831 |
2003–04 | 3.734 | 13.407 |
2004–05 | 5.838 | 15.952 |
From 2000 the DLR subsidy has been paid by Transport for London (TfL).
For the years prior to 1996–97 it is not possible to separately identify the Metro element within the overall support provided for heavy rail and Metro services in Tyne and Wear.
The concessionaire of Croydon Tramlink, though it does not receive a revenue subsidy from central Government, is entitled to compensation on a 'no better, no worse' basis where fares policy enacted by the Mayor results in revenues per trip falling below those assumed in the 1996 financing plan which underpinned the Private Finance Initiative concession. It received compensation payments of £5.501 million in 2003–04 and £5.812 million (estimated) in 2004–05.
The local authorities which are responsible for the running of these systems may make some contribution to their operating costs depending on the commercial arrangements with the system operators in each particular case. The Department does not hold any central records on this.
The Department's capital expenditure on the construction of light rail systems in England since 1980 is as follows:
Amount | |
---|---|
Tyne and Wear Metro | 237.5 |
Docklands Light Railway | 335.5 |
Manchester Metrolink | 123.0 |
Sheffield Supertram | 220.0 |
Midland Metro | 80.0 |
Croydon Tramlink | 125.0 |
Nottingham Express Transit | 167.0 |
Normally this is paid as an upfront capital sum, except in the case of Nottingham Express Transit where the funding is in the form of annual availability payments.
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