Is light rail set for a renaissance?

The launch of Britain’s first tram-train passenger service could be a further indication that light rail is on the verge of a major expansion in the UK. Rhodri Clark reports

Rhodri Clark

26 October 2018

Tram-trains run on the Network Rail track at Rotherham Central station

The inauguration of tram-train services between Sheffield and Rotherham on Thursday was a milestone in the development of light rail in the UK. Tram-trains are common in continental Europe but a UK pilot was deemed necessary because some characteristics, such as station platform heights, are different in Britain from overseas.

A short new connection enables the seven tram-trains to leave Sheffield’s Supertram system and run on Network Rail track to Rotherham Central, where a new spur line...