§ Mr. LeightonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations the Department has given to the development of light rail in London.
§ Mr. PortilloThe docklands light railway opened in 1987 and is being extended to Bank and through the royal docks to Beckton. London Regional Transport is developing a case for a southern extension to Greenwich and Lewisham. In 1986 London Regional Transport and British Rail jointly published a report "Light Rail for London", which identified other possibilities. As a result, London Regional Transport and British Rail, together with the London borough of Croydon, are undertaking a detailed feasibility study of a light rail system in the Croydon area. The Government will consider carefully the financial and economic case for such schemes and their priorities, when they are brought forward.