“Work to restore the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway could begin within the next year, the Infrastructure Minister has told the House of Keys this week.
Tim Crookall MHK said the business case for the project is currently under review and, if approved by Tynwald, work could commence within 12 months and is expected to take approximately 40 weeks.
Asked by Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse whether any work would take place before the Tynwald debate, Mr Crookall replied: ‘It’s a case of waiting.’
Mr Moorhouse raised concerns over a national newspaper advertisement promoting the ‘full journey’ on the tramway, despite the service only operating on part of the promenade.
He asked whether steps were being taken to ensure visitors were aware of the situation.
The minister said he had ‘no idea’ about the source of the advert, while Onchan MHK Julie Edge explained that it was not new and goes out annually.
Ms Edge also asked whether foundation work had been carried out under the grassed area near the War Memorial to allow for a future tramway extension.
Mr Crookall confirmed: ‘I believe there has been some preparation work done underneath that grass area that leads up towards the other end of the War Memorial.’
Dr Michelle Haywood, former Department of Infrastructure minister, asked whether plans for the tramway would accommodate changes to bus passenger facilities around the Sea Terminal.
Mr Crookall responded: ‘Those secret plans all link together.’
The debate comes amid renewed public attention on the trams, thanks to historian Charles Guard, who recently released a video titled ‘Horse Tram Rant.’
In it, he criticised Tynwald for failing to reinstate the full line along the promenade, nine years after funding was approved.
The trams, which first ran in 1876, are recognised as the last original horse-drawn tram service in the world and form part of the island’s distinctive Victorian transport heritage, alongside the Manx Electric Railway and the Isle of Man Steam Railway.
Mr Guard described the truncated line as a ‘withered stump’ and noted passenger numbers had fallen from around 78,000 a year when the full route operated to roughly 45,000 today.
Highlighting the trams’ global significance, he said: ‘This year is the 150th anniversary of it… and instead of us having people from all around the world taking notice of it… we’re not going to have anything at all because all you’ve left us with is a withered stump of a tramway.’
He urged ministers to be held to account, contrasting delays on the tramway with other major capital projects, including investment in the Steam Packet Company, a new seawall, and brownfield developments.”
Mr Crookall confirmed that funds originally allocated to the project were previously used elsewhere under a prior administration but emphasised the current business case is under review and could lead to construction beginning within the next twelve months.”