NET Phase 2 on track

摘要

Nottingham City Council is expected to announce later this month the preferred bidder to construct and fund through a PFl scheme two new tram routes running from Nottingham station west to Bee-ston and Chilwell, and south to Clifton. The two bidding consortia are Arrow Connect and Tramlink Nottingham. Under pressure from DfT, the capital cost has been reduced, and the number of new trams to be purchased has been cut back from 27 to around 15. This means that plans for an intensive service on the core section through Nottingham city centre have been deferred. The expectation is that a contract will be signed in August or September, which means construction would start in earnest early in 2012. Both of the Phase 2 routes should then be in operation by December 2014.