The future of the southern half of the horse tramway looks in doubt.

This week’s Budget includes £1.2m of funding to extend the line south from Broadway to the Sea Terminal.

But as part of a shake-up in the way capital schemes are funded, Tynwald will need to vote separately for the £1.2m to allow the extension to be built.

Tynwald voted in 2016 to reinstate the whole length of the Douglas Bay horse tramway.

But Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan told reporters at a pre-Budget press briefing: ’There is £1.2m in the Budget which is a vote which Tynwald will have to have if there is a proposal to extend the horse tram track to the Sea Terminal.

’That has been built into our approvals but before it is actually spent, Tynwald will have to have a formal vote on that specific item.

’It would require proper Tynwald consideration because Tynwald did not initially approve that.’

Asked if it had Council of Ministers’ support, Mr Cannan replied: ’That is not something that has been brought forward at the moment.

’Treasury has accepted that a potential project but it would require a Tynwald vote and it would require CoMin clearly to support it before it came to Tynwald.’

With the Promenade redevelopment project falling behind schedule, it was announced in June last year that elements of the scheme would be removed.

These included the southern section of the tramway, with the line terminating instead at Broadway by March this year.

But work to continue the line across the road to the War Memorial and then on to the Sea Terminal as single track was not due to go ahead until after the general election.

Some £750,000 taken from the heritage rail budget was earmarked for the extension in July.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker and his predecessor Ray Harmer both said they are committed to the line continuing on to the Sea Terminal.

During this week’s Budget debate, Mr Baker insisted the £1.2m was ’effectively a transfer from the heritage rail budget’.

It ’matched the principle agreed in July when it was made clear the tramway extension was taken out of the main scheme and funded out the department’s existing resources,’ he said.

A double track laid crossing Central Promenade opposite Clarence Terrace has since been removed after the engineers said it did not meet quality standards.