“The physical permanence of the rails has a much bigger impact on developers and investors, especially in the UK where bus routes can be changed or withdrawn at such short notice”

Trams are great for city transport – why doesn’t the UK have more?

and can help underpin neighbourhood regeneration projects.

“Think of trams as an urban development project rather than a transport scheme,” says Martin Wedderburn, Transport Planner and Associate for thinktank the Centre for London. “The physical permanence of the rails has a much bigger impact on developers and investors, especially in the UK where bus routes can be changed or withdrawn at such short notice.”

 light-rail use in England is at record highs of 268 million journeys, the highest since records began in 1983

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/trams-edinburgh-manchester-uk-transport-system