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Light Rail

: I will come on to Metrolink in a bit more detail later, but it is clearly an attractive way to get people out of their cars. That is part of the strong case that Members of Parliament for Manchester have made to me. Given its high cost, light rail will not be the right solution in every location. We expect scheme promoters to explore all the options for meeting their transport problems, especially the possibility of delivering better bus services, before they approach us for funding for a light rail scheme. For instance, work that we did with Leeds suggested that high-quality buses could deliver most of the benefits, and at a lower cost. We look forward to working with Leeds to develop a showcase high-quality bus system that may well provide a model for other cities. Where light rail is the best solution, it will need to be developed as part of an integrated approach to tackling an area's problems. Light rail schemes will need to be supported by commitments to complementary measures that will deliver the benefits of increased public transport usage and reduced congestion, and that will support the viability of the light rail system.