The potential shutdown of Sheffield's trams
The people affected
Five year-old James Wilson is stepping onto a tram for the first time in his life.
The toddler is captivated by the big red and blue carriages.
He looks out the window in awe as the tram makes it journey from his home in the Crystal Peaks to Malin Bridge.
“The excitement going through the tunnel right before the University. Five year-old me loved that bit.”
It was now that he realised he had discovered his dream: To one day be the conductor of his very own tram.
14 years later, James’ dream risks going up in smoke. The trams are on the verge of being shut down.
All that is needed is a “measly” £230 million to keep the trams on the streets of Sheffield for at least another 30 years.
“It makes me very upset, more than any 'normal' person that Supertram could close.”
“The fleet of Siemens trams are sentimental to me as well as Sheffield and Supertram themselves.”
However, James is not the only resident who would be affected by the loss of the trams.
Tram user John Barnard, 62, is a retired business man who lives in Stannington, an area in the northwestern part of Sheffield.
Due to unreliable bus services, John relies heavily on the trams to get to Sheffield station.
"The bus service from Stannington has become extremely unreliable over the years to the point where you can't rely on any bus turning up."
"When I'm going to the station, I need to take the bus to get to the tram which then takes me to the station."
"However, now I must allow two buses in hand so that at least one of them might turn up."
"In some cases I've even had to walk all the way from my home in Stannington down to Malin Bridge simply because no bus turned up."
With stories like these, how is it that Sheffield's trams risk shutting down?
The story behind the trams
The Supertram service has been roaming on the streets of Sheffield for over 20 years.
It's currently owned by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), while it's operated by Stagecoach.
The tram service minimises traffic congestion in the city, reduces pollution, and links businesses with customers that live far away.
Earlier this year, SYPTE began a consultation with the public regarding the trams future.
In the consultation, several different options were discussed for the future of the trams, ranging from modernising the tracks and carriages to exploring alternatives to the service altogether.
Despite that over 12 million residents use the trams every year, many parts of the network and vehicles are approaching an end of their working life with no funding available for the long-term renewal of the system.
Results from a similar consultation from 2016 show there were things that could have been improved, but generally, the trams were seen as a vital part of the city and a reliable mode of transportation.
Results of SYPTE's previous consultation conducted in 2016 regarding the future of Sheffield's trams
Results of SYPTE's previous consultation conducted in 2016
The council's response
When asked what Sheffield City Council thinks about this issue, Councillor Jack Scott, Cabinet Member for Transport and Development, said: "We don't think the trams will be shutting down anytime soon. What we know is that they're coming to the end of their initial first generation use."
"We have to get together a funding package which is around £230 million to make sure that we're able to rerun the tracks and keep everything safe and modern."
"We have a duty to sit down and go through a range of options, one about extending the tram network, one about keeping the tram network as it is at the moment, and one around closing it as well."
"There is no suggestion that anyone wants to close it and I'll never allow our tram network to close if I've got any say about it."
Despite the possibility of it shutting down, Councillor Scott is optimistic about the tram network serving as a vital part for Sheffield's development.
"It's absolutely critical for our success and our future as a city that we keep our tram network and actually expand it too."
"Sheffield's tram network is vital, we've got to keep it, I'm determined that we're going to do that and this consultation is just the first phase of that process."
Whats next for Sheffield's trams
While Supertram has declined to comment on this story, it remains difficult to predict what lies ahead for the trams.
If the proper investments are made, the carriages and tracks will be renewed, and the service will continue.
However, if the proper funds aren't found, the entire network will need to be dismantled. This means the tracks would be torn up from the roads, the cables would be taken down, and the roads would be resurfaced.
The results of SYPTE's latest consultation will be released on December 17th. What is discovered from these results may give an indication as to what lies ahead.
Built with Shorthand