It was heartening to read in your special supplement how the Manchester network system (Metrolink) is expanding. But one thing worries me: it's a high-floor system. It is convenient when expanding over existing railway lines to continue with the system of high-level platforms and employ vehicles with high-level entry doors. The disadvantage is that where the system leaves the railway tracks, high-level platforms must be constructed for stops in the street. This was already apparent in the centre of Manchester and I note that another raised town centre halt is being built in the centre of Oldham. Such structures are very obtrusive and might be objected to, especially in an historic urban environment; they mitigate against the advantages of trams, which can integrate seamlessly into the urban structure.
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