Funding approved to reinstate full horse tram line

Tynwald members have approved spending of up to £3m to reinstate the horse tram tracks the full length of the Isle of Man capital's seafront.

The 1.6 mile (2.6km) tracks for the 150-year-old line were pulled up during the multimillion-pound Douglas Promenade refurbishment scheme but only re-laid to the bottom of Broadway, about half the original length.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall said the tramway was "one of the island's most recognisable and cherished heritage assets".

Crookall said the funding would "finally" allow the department to deliver the scheme that Tynwald "has discussed, debated and invested in over the many years".

Two successive previous administrations have backed safeguarding the horse trams along the full length of the promenade from Derby Castle to the Sea Terminal.

In June politicians tasked the department with bringing a motion for the funding – made up of £2.5m for the project and a further £500,000 in contingency to be held by the Treasury.

The heritage attraction came under a wider gaze last week, when King Charles III unveiled a plaque marking the tramway's anniversary and took a trip on one of the horse-drawn trams.

Urging Tynwald members to back the funding bid on Tuesday, Crookall said the tramway was a "living piece of Manx heritage that attracts tourists, educates future generations and promotes the island internationally".

He said completing the scheme "represents a sensible option" and to do nothing "would not realise the tram's full potential as a visitor attraction".

The Treasury's backing for the funding bid was an assurance that the scheme was "not a vanity project", but an investment to sustain the "critical mass of attractions needed for a heritage visitor economy".

Supporting the motion, Joney Faragher MHK said it was one of the island's "internationally recognised heritage assets".

"Frankly, if we debate this for much longer, we may qualify as part of the heritage attraction ourselves," she added.

The motion was supported by all 19 MHKs present in Tynwald for the vote, with only one vote against in the Legislative Council.

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