Tynwald has (again) approved plans to extend the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway to the Sea Terminal, ending nearly a decade of debate over the future of the heritage attraction. Members will now be asked to approve the funding in July.
The amendment, moved by Sarah Maltby, received overwhelming support in the House of Keys with 21 votes in favour and none against, while the Legislative Council supported it by five votes to one.
The project, which is expected to cost up to £3,036,170, would see a single line built along the remainder of Douglas Promenade to the Sea Terminal, with a passing point created at the war memorial.
Presenting the business case, Stu Peters said the horse trams had been “an important part of our island’s heritage and identity for more than a century”, describing it as “a living museum using original Victorian and Edwardian tramcars”.
Mr Peters addressed concerns about funding, stating: “There is a persistent view expressed that the money was taken from the tram tracks to pay for the completion of the promenade project. Senior officers in the DOI assure me that this is a misrepresentation.”
He confirmed that rails had already been purchased and were in government stock, but said “as a matter of normal accounting practice, when materials such as rails are withdrawn from stock and allocated to an actual project, the cost is assigned to that project at the time of use”.
Funding decision to follow
The vote does not approve funding directly, with the department required to seek capital funding approval through the 2027-2028 budget process.
However, Mrs Maltby’s amendment requests that Treasury return to Tynwald in July with the necessary capital funding motion.
Mrs Maltby told members: “The Department of Infrastructure has done precisely what Tynwald asked it to do.”
She added: “The business case confirms that substantial allowances have been built into the estimates through contingency and optimism bias. Now Treasury may call it optimism bias. I might suggest it’s closer to pessimism bias.”
Mrs Maltby urged members to consider the consequences of further delay: “The business case itself acknowledges the risks posed by inflation, market conditions, and future construction costs. Every month or every year we postpone a decision increases the likelihood that the eventual cost will be higher, not lower.”
Cost concerns raised
Gary Clueit MLC expressed reservations about the expenditure, asking: “What are we willing to give up to pay for this?”
He noted that “the project is nowhere near as straightforward as some portray it”, adding that “there are complex civil engineering works to be undertaken, particularly around the War Memorial, where the Department of Infrastructure lacks complete certainty about what lies beneath the surface”.
Mr Clueit questioned whether the money could be better spent elsewhere, saying: “Would £3 million not be better spent and directed at supporting people in need?”
Support for completion
David Ashford highlighted the lengthy history of the debate: “This goes back to a vote in 2017. Nine years, honourable members, nine years debating horse trams.”
He added: “We thought we had voted to do it. What we’re trying to do now is get back to the position really we were in 2017. Nine years ago.”
Joney Faragher, who has political responsibility for Isle of Man Railways, clarified that the additional £1 million contingency “was included at Treasury’s request. It wasn’t an amount that the DOI independently decided to add.”
Treasury Minister Chris Thomas confirmed government support for the amendment, adding: “We’ll come back with whatever motion council of ministers decides to put on the July order paper.”
Dr Michelle Haywood, a former DOI minister, said: “I think the contingency is too large. I think there are possibly some duplicate line items in there, but all that will do will bring the costs down.”
If the funding is not approved in July, the department will stop all work on the project while protecting the tramway corridor.