The Stoke Streetcar was a proposed bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

 system for The Potteries Urban Area

The Potteries Urban Area

The Potteries Urban Area is a conurbation in North Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.It includes the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove....

 (Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...

, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Newcastle-under-Lyme

Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...

 and Kidsgrove

Kidsgrove

Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112...

) in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It would have consisted of two lines, serving five of Stoke's six towns, the city centre with its new Central Business District, Newcastle, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent railway station

Stoke-on-Trent railway station

Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station is a main-line railway station in central England. It is located on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and serves the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent...

, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire

University Hospital of North Staffordshire

The University Hospital of North Staffordshire is a major teaching & research hospital in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England, near the border with Newcastle-under-Lyme...

, both universities (including the new University Quarter) and both football clubs. The proposal was developed in partnership with First Group

First Potteries

First Potteries Limited is a company based in Stoke-on-Trent that operates buses in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Crewe, and in Chester and The Wirral through its sub-brand First Chester & The Wirral.-History:The company began life as Potteries Motor Traction or PMT...

, and included plans to use the same Wright StreetCar

Wright StreetCar

The Wright StreetCar is an articulated bus developed by Wrightbus and Volvo Buses for FirstGroup. It consists of an adapted Volvo B7LA chassis, featuring a separate driver compartment at the front, resembling to some extent similar designs in continental Europe.They feature air-conditioning and a...

 as the FTR services found in York, Leeds and Swansea

Swansea Metro

ftrmetro Swansea is a bus rapid transit route being implemented in Swansea, Wales. The route will be served by FTR articulated buses in an attempt to relieve traffic congestion and provide alternative transport to cars....

.

Suspension

In late June 2010, the UK Department for Transport

Department for Transport

In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...

 announced that councils would no longer be considering applications for funding for major transport schemes. For this reason, Stoke's city council decided to suspend work on the project. However, work is still planned for the development of the University Boulevard and the new Hanley bus station.

Network

Construction of the Green Line was proposed to begin in 2013 for completion in 2017. It would have linked four of Stoke's six towns, including the city centre, as well as Newcastle, Kidsgrove, the railway station and both universities. 14 FTR buses would be used on this route to ensure a waiting time of 10 minutes. The second phase, known as the Blue Line, would link another of Stoke's towns, Longton

Longton, Staffordshire

Longton is a southern district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and is known locally as the "Neck End" of the city. Longton is one of the six towns of "the Potteries" which formed the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1925.-History:...

, to the new network and have the same core as the Green Line.

University Boulevard

The core of the Streetcar network was to be a new boulevard linking the inconveniently placed railway station and the city centre. Despite the demise of the network, the city council are still continuing with plans to build this boulevard. Most of the boulevard will follow what is currently College Road from the railway station to the Central Business District, before linking to the new bus station on John Street. There were further proposals to make College Road available for local and bus traffic only, possibly by means of bus gates.

Stations

Green line

| Blue line

Kidsgrove (possibly near railway station Kidsgrove railway station Kidsgrove railway station serves the town of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England. The station is 12 km north of Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line...  ) Tunstall Tunstall, Staffordshire Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent.... Burslem Burslem The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...  (for Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...  and Ceramica Ceramica Ceramica was a museum in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, which explored the history of the area's pottery industry. It was located in the former Burslem Town Hall.... ) City centre (for Potteries Shopping Centre Potteries Shopping Centre The Potteries Shopping Centre is an indoor shopping centre in Hanley, Stoke on Trent. It is the major indoor shopping centre in the city. The town of Hanley is generally regarded as the commercial city centre of Stoke-on-Trent....  and new East West Centre) Central business district (probably near Smithfield bottle kiln) Stoke College Stoke-on-Trent College Stoke-on-Trent College is a provider of further and higher education based in Stoke-on-Trent. According to www.stoke.net the college has more than 30,000 students and over 1000 staff. The college's main campus, known as Cauldon Campus, is in Shelton and it has a second campus in Burslem.Stoke on... Staffordshire University Staffordshire University Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :... Stoke railway station Stoke town Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke or Stoke town, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England.... University Hospital Newcastle Keele University Keele University Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...  (and science park Keele University Science & Business Park Keele University Science and Business Park is a science and business development facility located on the campus of Keele University in North Staffordshire.... )

Newcastle Wolstanton Wolstanton Wolstanton is a suburban area on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.-History:Historically, Wolstanton was a place in its own right. It is mentioned in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands belonging to the King. The land consisted of work for 2 ploughs, 14... Etruria Valley Etruria, Staffordshire Etruria is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.-Home of Wedgwood:Etruria was the fourth and penultimate site for the Wedgwood pottery business. Josiah Wedgwood, who was previously based in Burslem, opened his new works in 1769. It was named after the Italian district of Etruria,...  (Park and Ride Park and ride Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...  ) Festival Park City centre Central business district Stoke College Staffordshire University Stoke railway station Stoke town Sideway Sideway Sideway is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, approximately one mile south west of Stoke-upon-Trent. It is located on the junction of the A500 and the A50 adjacent to the Britannia Stadium....  (Park and Ride ) Trentham Lakes (for Stoke City FC) Longton Longton, Staffordshire Longton is a southern district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and is known locally as the "Neck End" of the city. Longton is one of the six towns of "the Potteries" which formed the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1925.-History:...  (probably at railway station Longton railway station Longton railway station is a railway station in the United Kingdom at Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands...  ) Meir