MERSEYSIDE’S tram dream will be kept alive when work starts on a key piece of infrastructure for the £450m project.

Work will start on a huge park and ride site at Gillmoss, off the East Lancashire Road, within days.

The facility for 600-plus cars will crucially allow transport authority Merseytravel to retain its powers to build Line One from Liverpool to Kirkby.

Its rights to build the line expire in February but, so long as it has started work prior to that date, Merseytravel keeps the legal powers.

Conservative leader on Merseytravel, Cllr Chris Blakeley, said: “This keeps the tram alive. Nobody is going to come up with the money straight away, but all the parties are keen to keep it alive because you never know what is round the corner.”

Merseytravel said the park and ride was in a strategic location and would also provide a park and ride to Goodison Park and Anfield. The site would also eventually house a control centre, including maintenance workshops and tram storage, if Line One secures funding.

Politicians are currently working to revive the scheme and transport secretary Sadiq Khan has recently “clarified” his position on the tram, after appearing to have killed it off.

He said he was willing to entertain a new bid for the scheme so long as it had been prioritised in the regional funding allocation (RFA).

Labour leader in Liverpool Joe Anderson is currently working to have Merseytram replace a new £200m link road from Switch Island to the Port of Liverpool.