Tram-trains which have been operating successfully in Germany for 20 years could be coming to Yorkshire.
The Government has promised a a £150,000 Government grant to further develop the idea of running tram-trains from Sheffield to Rotherham in South Yorkshire.
If the business and project case stacks up, this could lead to tram-trains being introduced on this route in 2014.
Plans for a South Yorkshire pilot scheme were first announced in 2009 - and were expected to be operating by now from Sheffield to Huddersfield.
Railfuture Yorkshire commented: "Given that tram-train technology has been in use successfully in Europe, it seems incredible that in Britain it is going to take five years just to establish that the concept is workable!
"At least the current proposal is for electric tram-trains, rather than the diesel version originally proposed for the Penistone line, so that should remove some of the potential 'difficulties'."
West Yorkshire passenger transport authority is also interested in considering the Harrogate-Leeds-York line as a route for conversion to tram-train, including a new link to Leeds-Bradford airport and on-street running in Leeds and York city centres.