25 May 2001
According to the executive, which makes decisions on public transport in South Yorkshire along with Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster councils, extending the tram network will link areas of high unemployment to new areas of job creation.
The tram network, run by private company Stagecoach Supertram, could be extended by laying new track or using existing railway lines.
Funding for the multi-million pound project would come from European Objective 1 cash matched by money from the private sector, government grants and the four local authorities.
'There needs to be decent public transport so that deprived communities in South Yorkshire get access to those jobs,' said Ken Wheat, transport manager at Rotherham Borough Council. 'Trams are an option, which, together with heavy rail and road improvements, will make an integrated transport system.'
The trams will help give access for deprived areas to the estimated 40,000 new jobs to be created in South Yorkshire as a result of Objective 1 funding over the next six years.
Plans to extend the network will be published in six months' time.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach Supertram said: 'It's still in the early stages but we welcome it. We should extend lines into other areas to link communities to new job opportunities.'
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