Previous schemes included a
Supertram and trolley bus proposals, both of which collapsed.
The Metrolink is second - followed by the Tyne and Wear Metro (36.4m journeys), London Tramlink (28.7m journeys), Nottingham Express Transit (18.8m journeys) and Sheffield
Supertram (11.9m).
Supertram supporter Steve Barber, in the front seat, said: "We were in the air then we landed six metres to the left.
Extensions to the Sheffield
Supertram, where pioneering Tram Train systems operate on both light and heavy rail infrastructure, and Manchester Metrolink systems are also planned, with the latter looking to extend out to Manchester Airport from the city centre.
It boasts a
supertram system, and a thriving industrial base of shipbuilding, oil, steel and aluminium production.
The Stagecoach
Supertram, Sheffield's iconic light rail system, is easy to hop aboard, as are the buses, while there are frequent trains to London and the north.
This is the town that thought it was going to be a vital part of a
Supertram scheme - but it didn't happen.
But the trial never got off the ground and was replaced in May 2012 with a 58 million [pounds sterling] pilot that will see tram-trains operating on Sheffield's
Supertram system and using 150m of new track to access Network Rail metals, on which they will run into Rotherham.
This small step for the engineers and miners involved was a giant leap forward for the Tyneside
supertram system which today we accept as a normal part of everyday travel around Tyneside and even into Wearside.
Stagecoach also operates the
Supertram network in Sheffield.
The
supertram scheme - Cleveland Advanced Transport - was shelved by Cleveland County Council after it became clear the scheme on Teesside would not be given funding by the Government.