Hurry, hurry, hurry, while old stocks last. Pilgrims journeying down Watling Street - aka Church Street, which is taking longer to lay than a Roman road - will notice that the excavations incorporate sets of tracks. Yes, you've guessed right. Old tram tracks, buried during the early 60s and now surely part of our industrial heritage?

No so. They're merely being removed and thrown in skips.
Ironically, the plan still technically exists to revive Liverpool's 21st tramway, kicked into touch by the government when central funding rose from £170m to £238m. Cue new Alun Owen drama, Last Tram to Kirkby).
But bonkers Merseytravel never accepted thst the scheme was dead. It remains in their strategy plan detailing intended work through to 2011.
Meanwhile, back at Westminster, a report from former Thatcherite Minister for Merseyside, Michael Heseltine, suggests that councils could keep money back from a special business rate to pay for the trams - an idea already torpedoed by new Tory leader Big Dave.
No need to get excited anyway. The guy who would be able to make this happen is none other than nouveau chancellor Alistair Darling - the man who killed off Mersetram in the first place and is certainly no fan of the scheme, even under ideal financial conditions.
So the fiasco continues....and just where did all those new rails purchased for the 21st centuury trams go?

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit