South Yorkshire's Supertram to be brought back into public control

Supertram was opened in 1994 with an extension covering parts of Rotherham opening in 2018

Sheffield's tram network is to be brought back into public control from 2024.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) voted earlier to create an arm's-length company to manage the network.

It is part of a wider ambition to upgrade Supertram and create an integrated transport network of trams, buses and trains.

Stagecoach runs the service at present, but the contract expires in March 2024.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said previously that bringing Supertram into public control would help it to be integrated into "wider plans" to improve public transport across the county.

When it first opened in 1994, Supertram was owned by a public body before it was privatised and sold to Stagecoach in 1997.

Stagecoach is responsible for running the trams and day-to-day maintenance of the system, though the infrastructure is owned by the SYMCA.

The £240m network covers Sheffield and was extended to include a tram-train service to Rotherham in 2018.

A £100m government grant to modernise parts of the network was recently secured by SYMCA.