Garff Daphne Hilary Penelope CAINE MHK/Martyn John PERKINS MHK

"We apologise when welcoming tourists or business visitors for its lack of repair and progress. Reconstruction is now necessary along its entire length and work needs to commence as soon as possible, incorporating the horse tramway and maximising car parking. The Department of Infrastructure must deliver a cost-effective scheme to achieve this in a timely manner."

Did not speak

Mrs Caine: Thank you, Mr President.

Goodness, this is such a polarising issue, isn’t it? My inbox has been jammed with messages – 2975 nothing on Strategic Sea Services, one or two on a few issues, but jammed with well over 50 now– and I have stopped counting – on the horse trams.
Around 70% want to retain the horse trams altogether, exactly as they have always been, the full length of the Promenade; 25% of them, roughly, would scrap them altogether. A few others want more radical development. One constituent suggested the MER should be made a single 2980 line from Douglas to Ramsey, allowing for the development of a coastal running track, footpath and cycleway. I do not think that is going to catch on.
In terms of what is before us today, I feel the Infrastructure Minister is to be congratulated on the manner he brings the important schemes before this Hon. Court, seeking support for the principles before investing taxpayers’ money and working out the detail of the various projects. 2985 (Mr Cretney: Hear, hear.)

It is very clear from the briefings he has hosted and the motion before us today that the Department intends to invest in the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway to ensure its future as part of the Isle of Man’s tourism offering. And we need to be very clear that it is an essential part of our heritage railways, one that sets us apart from other jurisdictions that perhaps might have a steam railway or a mountain railway. No other place exists that boasts so many different original Victorian railways still operating on their original routes and with the original rolling stock.

When part of the network is lost – for instance, when the Laxey to Ramsey section of the Manx Electric Railway was closed following flood damage a few years ago – it took five years to recover the passenger numbers to pre-closure levels. There is an ongoing cost to invest in new track and maintenance, but the Transport Division should be recognised for delivering increasingly efficient rail services that have driven up income from 18% to its current 50%, almost, of operating costs. (Mr Cretney: Hear, hear.)

Despite taking over the horse trams following Douglas Borough Council's announcement in January that it would no longer operate the service, the Island's heritage railways managed to deliver an extended season of services and a celebration of the horse trams’ 140th anniversary. Swift action from the Department of Infrastructure meant that the impact on advance bookings was minimal. Failing to continue with horse tram services would unquestionably impact on the Island’s visitor numbers.
Collaboration with the Friends of Douglas Bay Horse Tramway enabled hundreds of people to be given tours around the stables, and they and other groups of enthusiasts make a strong case for why the trams should continue to operate on the full length of Douglas Promenade. But the Department tells us there is no operational benefit to continue tramlines along Loch Prom; however, we have to consider the heritage implications of scrapping this section. That has to be balanced against the needs of the retailers and shoppers in terms of the parking provision and driver frustration, with delays caused by single horsepower vehicles on the narrowest section of the Prom. The Options Review states:

Terminating the current scheme at the War Memorial would retain future flexibility to extend the tramway to the south, either as part of a heritage or modern electric tramway.

I think we do need to go further than that and insist that the tracks are laid along the full length during this Promenade reconstruction. We need the certainty of the future of the entire line, and I will be supporting Mr Ashford's amendment.

I would also support the Department's view that routine services could be scheduled between Harris Promenade and Strathallan Terminus. Until we have adequate and suitable parking provision for the town, we should not attempt to remove parking spaces along Loch Prom; but it is essential to maintain the integrity of the Douglas Horse Tramway to enable anniversaries to be celebrated, to provide enthusiasts with the full horse tram service experience and to have the facility to provide horse trams for cruise ship visitors arriving at the Sea Terminal.

Outside of such high days and holidays, having a central hub at the cultural quarter around the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre area would be a happy compromise, I feel.

We should also consider the additional costs of running a full line service. This year, the excellent service was delivered for a cost of £60,000. I agree the full length of line should be installed, but we should not be dictating the level of service to be provided. That should be left to the railway’s experts. And in terms of Loch Promenade being the hotels and the visitors wanting to go to the south end of the Promenade, my experience of travelling and observing the horse trams – which I have done in some detail this summer – was that actually the very southern end block of Loch Promenade is empty and it is a building site. Visitors, when they get to the end of the line, spread out over the carriageway taking loads of photos and then generally a good proportion of them reboard the tram.
The point about the Tourist Information Centre in the Sea Terminal, yes, they send people and can say, ‘Get the Manx Electric Railway; you can get a horse tram there’. But the fact is that the Isle of Man Railways is also the operator of the Bus Vannin network. So I would think it is not beyond their imagination, if they are terminating horse trams in a central hub at Harris Promenade for routine services, that there would be bus connections that would allow people to easily access the bus station and the Sea Terminal.
The other point about the Sea Terminal is, although it is now a centre for locals to visit, to enjoy Costa Coffee and meeting up with friends, that is when people drive in from out of town; and these days, actually, the Promenade is not the centre of the Island's tourism industry in the way that it was when the horse tram line was extended that way. Now, the people stay in bed and breakfasts, and premises all around the Isle of Man. They do not necessarily stay in Douglas. They do not always arrive in at the Sea Terminal except, as agreed, for cruise ships.

So I would support the facility to operate MER trams along the horse tram tracks, extending the MER service alongside a horse tram service, but also, no doubt, that would create huge interest for enthusiasts and regular visitors.

I feel we should not be afraid to bring about change. It is simply development of a historic service that better fits modern life. Isle of Man Railways has form in this regard, achieving success with the development of its dining car fine dining experiences on the Isle of Man Steam Railway.
The Isle of Man has a world-class heritage rail network. Improving passenger facilities along the Promenade and maintaining the full length of the Horse Tramway will build on that. For now, we need to allow the railways to strike a balance to operate heritage railway services and give due consideration to other Promenade users, but also not to be afraid of allowing heritage railways to evolve.
I feel the motion, as amended by Mr Ashford, gives a strong message to the Department of the best way forward. I do not feel I can support Mr Cretney’s amendment because, from my feedback, I would like the Promenade reconstruction to be commenced as soon as possible and I think that that would require a lot more planning consideration. The loudest message from all the feedback I have had on this matter is, please just get on with it and complete it as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr President.