Buses 'first and foremost' says mayor, as trams bid to extend their reach

@nottslive Suggested destinations for an extended tram network include Gedling, Clifton and Derby

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

EXTENDING Nottingham’s tram network would not work “right across the rest of the region', says the East Midlands Mayor.

But Claire Ward pledged that bus improvements would be prioritised.

Her comments came after tram operator NET’s boss insisted that extending the network would be “hugely beneficial” after a series of crashes forced sudden timetable changes.

A study was commissioned in March by East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) looking at extending NET out to Gedling, the Fairham Pastures housing estate in Clifton or the planned Chetwynd development in Toton.

An extension to Derby has also been mooted - but one transport boss questioned why there would be a focus on expanding a project which financially is “so clearly loss making”.

Trentbarton managing director Tom Morgan previously told the Post that the tram was hugely beneficial for Nottingham, but that buses could deliver the same result “much quicker and at half the price”.