Railnews.co.uk

• Manchester Metrolink to grow again
• New £15m entrance for Leeds station is approved, but some doubts remain
• Countdown is on to crucial £400m Tube Lines decision

Manchester Metrolink to grow again

Two further extensions to Manchester Metrolink have been authorised by the DfT, and talks are underway on the construction of another new line which would bring trams to Manchester Airport. full story

Metro Headlines:

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  Countdown is on to crucial £400m Tube Lines decision

  The PPP Arbiter Chris Bolt is due to publish a key decision about the funding of LUL contractor Tube Lines this week. His findings are set to play a major part in deciding how much progress the Underground makes over the next few years.

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  DfT’s ‘inadequate management’ of failed Metronet could have cost taxpayer £410m, say MPs

  A House of Commons Committee has published a damning report of the Department for Transport’s management of Metronet, the London Underground PPP contractor which collapsed in 2007. The Committee of Public Accounts said the taxpayer could have lost as much as £410 million because of the DfT’s methods.

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  Crossrail poses ‘unfair burden’ on London businesses

  Businesses in Greater London are paying too much towards Crossrail, according to a new report from the London Assembly.

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  MPs urge DfT to be ‘fairer’ over new tram schemes

  The Department for Transport should be fairer when evaluating proposals for more trams, say MPs. A cross-party Parliamentary inquiry has concluded that light rail schemes can help to transform urban transport systems.

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  Freight trams envisaged for Glasgow

  A new plan for sustainable transport in Glasgow includes a proposal to run trams in the city centre for freight as well as passengers. A similar scheme was attempted in Amsterdam but failed last year, and the plan's authors have suggested that this was because there were too few restrictions on road lorries.