Category Archives: General

New board member confirmed at LRSSB

The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board have confirmed another permanent appointment to its board of directors. Danny Vaughan (Head of Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester) is now on the board permanently having served as an interim board member … Continue reading

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Public transport in English cities in “precarious position” according to new report

Whilst not only concerned with trams and light rail, a new report commissioned by the Urban Transport Group lays bare the current position of public transport in major English cities with the group calling on more clarity and certainty over … Continue reading

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Bournemouth tram heads to auction

A tram which once ran on Bournemouth Corporation Tramways is heading to auction. No. 113 has been in use as an office by Plankbridge (a firm who specialise in making and restoring shepherd’s huts) for around a decade but they … Continue reading

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Saltburn Cliff Tramway won’t be ready to reopen by Easter

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council have confirmed that the repairs required to the Saltburn Cliff Tramway after a fire in January will not be completed in time for the cliff tramway to open again at Easter as originally planned.

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Centralised learning platform set to provide revolution in light rail training

The management of training and development on UK tramways is set to be transformed with the launch of an ambitious sector-wide initiative. The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board are leading the project which is aiming to revolutionise learning across … Continue reading

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How does the Stourbridge Shuttle work?

Have you ever wondered how the Stourbridge Shuttle works? Now being billed as the only Very Light Rail (VLR) system in the UK, operators of the shuttle service (which links Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town) Pre Metro are trying to … Continue reading

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In Pictures: Artefacts of the Ryde Pier Tramway

If you think of Isle of’s and trams its probably fair to say that the first one which springs to mind is Man and not Wight! But the Isle of Wight, off the Hampshire coast, was once home to a … Continue reading

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New LRSSB Chair announced

George Lowder MBE has been named the Chair of the Light Rail Safety and Standard Board (LRSSB). He is currently the Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this non-executive position.

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Tram track uncovered in Leeds

It didn’t long for the first “tram track found during roadworks” story in 2024! First out of the blocks for this year is Leeds – and whilst the usual reminiscences of trams when they used to run in the city … Continue reading

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Saltburn Cliff Tramway suffers major damage in fire

The historic Saltburn Cliff Tramway has received major damage in a fire, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault. The funicular is the oldest operating water balance cliff line in the UK and dates from 1884.

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KeolisAmey Metrolink contract extended until 2027

Transport for Greater Manchester have confirmed that KeolisAmey will continue to operate and maintain the Metrolink network for a further three years until July 2027. The new contract is an extension of the existing deal which had been due to … Continue reading

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LRSSB on track to provide more support for light rail sector in 2024

The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board are to build on their successes of the past 12 months and aim to continue to grow and evolve in 2024 according to a new year’s message from their Chief Executive, Carl Williams. … Continue reading

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LRSSB and ORR forge closer partnership

The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have signed a landmark agreement which will see the two organisations working hand in hand to further reduce the risks of accidents on UK … Continue reading

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Glasgow 585 on the move – but not far!

A recently released video on the National Railway Museum YouTube channel has shown that Glasgow 585 – the only tram which remains part of the Science Museum Group collection of objects – was moved this summer between storage locations at … Continue reading

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In Pictures: Heath Park Tramway, Cardiff

You probably need to read the title of this article very carefully as it does say Heath not Heaton and its in Cardiff not Manchester! The Heath Park Tramway is a miniature tramway which runs in the park which is … Continue reading

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Public consultation to take place on proposed light rail line to Stourbridge

Pre Metro Operations Limited – operator of the Stourbridge to Stourbridge Junction service – have just started another public consultation of the proposed “Dasher” service which would run between Stourbridge and Brierley Hill. Since previous research was conducted the West … Continue reading

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Former Lowestoft tram depot up for sale

Do you fancy owning a former tram depot? If you do – and have a spare £875,000! – now is your chance as the former Lowestoft Corporation Tramways depot in Rotterdam Road has gone up for sale.

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Trams for Liverpool could be looked at again claims Mayor

Steve Rotherham, who is the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, has suggested that should a Labour government get into power at the next general election they may be able to look again at plans for trams in Liverpool. The previous … Continue reading

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In Pictures: More old tram track discovered in Sheffield

As roads are continually dug up around the country either for utility works or in the name of improvements we keep seeing the past being unveiled as more tracks from the first generation of tramways in the UK reappear after … Continue reading

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In Pictures: Lucie in action at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Thanks in no small part to its appearances on Channel 5 series “A Yorkshire Steam Railway” and “Britain by Steam” probably the most famous steam tram engine in the UK now is Lucie, an engine which spent most of its … Continue reading

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