Light Rail for Milton Keynes?

Light rail is one form of electrically powered public transport that is possible. The network shown below - which is based on Milton Keynes' current layout, without the proposed expansion areas - would link most of the main destinations (shops, secondary schools and higher education, the hospital and the prison, and leisure facilities such as Xscape and the MK Dons Stadium) with the areas of densest housing, using just two main lines. The total network length below would be around 40km, which might cost some £400-500 million at 2009 prices. However costs could be constrained by keeping to existing reservations alongside MK's grid roads, and by using lower-cost construction techniques such as LR55 rail.


Base Map screenshot © 2008 Google - Map Data © 2008 Tele Atlas.

In the scheme shown above, the Blue line would run from Stony Stratford (Library) to the Lakes Estate (Leon School) via Wolverton, Stantonbury, the City Centre and Rail Station, MK Dons Stadium and Bletchley. The Red line would be slightly shorter and connect Westcroft with Coachway, via the Prison, Rail Station and City Centre, the Hospital, Open University and Kingston. There would be very limited street running (eg. along Stony Stratford High Street, part of Wolverton Road and through Queensway in Bletchley).

By 2050, there could be extensions to serve the new expansion zones. These might include a possible branch from Stony (London Road) back towards Two Mile Ash and into the new Southern expansion zone. Another potential branch could run from the Open University via Walnut Tree to Woburn Sands. Single track branches near the ends of routes could be built at a lower cost and would permit more regular running on the core central sections. Other future extensions could run from Westcroft to Snelshall and back into Far Bletchley. A possible Line 3 could connect the Theatre to CMK station then double back through Bradwell Common, Neath Hill, Willen or Blakelands to Newport Pagnell. Alternatively Newport could be reached by a Northern extension from Coachway, but this would be illogical in terms of the overall route pattern.

Given the existing availability of land, a Milton Keynes light rail system could probably be built for around £10mn/km, slightly lower than the European average. Allowing for a couple of kilometres of shared route in the city centre, a full system might cost £400-500 million, including rolling stock. The most expensive stretch would be to find a way through the city centre between the centre:mk and Midsummer Place. This might have to dip into approximately 500m of cut & cover tunnelling. Other high-cost stretches might include bridging the main West Coast rail line and A5D near Portway (Great Holm-Rooksley section), recrossing it North of the MK Dons stadium and crossing the Ouzel alongside H9 (although street running along this stretch of H9 could reduce the cost significantly).

Redways could be developed to encourage cycling to light rail stops. Secure cycle parking could be provided at most stops, with smart card cycle hire at key locations. More traditional Park + Ride facilities might be needed in the short to medium term, especially at key entry points to the city such as Coachway and near Westcroft.

Above: Milton Keynes' first tramway system opened over 120 years ago (left):
The new light rail system in Le Mans (right).
Critics argue that light rail is excessively costly and should only be undertaken in large cities. Taking the latter point first, in November 2007 alone two new systems opened in France, in Le Mans (population 146,000) and Nice (population 347,000). Milton Keynes' current population sits neatly between the two, and by 2030 is likely to have overtaken Nice. In Germany, the city of Freiburg - which as the country's "Solar City" is often compared to Milton Keynes - a substantially new light rail/tramway system has been built over the past 15 years in a city with a population of just 217,000. And we should remember that even Milton Keynes has had a tramway in the past, running from Deanshanger to Wolverton via Stony Stratford between 1887 and 1926.

Cost is undoubtedly a real issue. The Le Mans system cost around £15million/km and that in Nice, rather more. But as noted above, Milton Keynes already has much of the land available, and could probably build a system at significantly lower costs. Very preliminary calculations suggest that if the light rail system was funded through a 30 year bond with no support from central Government, servicing the debt and contributing to a sinking fund to repay the debt on maturity would cost under £200 per capita per annum, a figure that could conceivably be met by higher car parking charges on the remaining car users in the borough. And while the numbers sound large, they should be compared to a typical UK cost of £17.5million (2005 figures) for a mile of motorway, that excludes the vehicles travelling on it. The cost per tonne of CO2 saved is hard to compute as it depends on many factors including tramway occupancy levels and the numbers of cars displaced, as well as the assumed life of the system.

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Do you agree with our vision?

Tramway image is based upon a Brussels Tram 44 at Tervuren by Vitaly Volkov, and is used under the Creative Commons 2.0 license. This design is now regarded as historic; current light rail is more accessible to those with physical disabilities.

This idea for a Light Rail network is not based upon any official Council or other policy, but represents an individual view of one of the ThimkAgain! team members, based upon best practice in continental Europe. As part of the ThimkAgain! campaign we are seeking your views on whether we are looking at the best measures for the city and at the actions that the Council should be taking in the nearer term. If you would like to contribute to the debate, please visit our feedback page.

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