Plans confirmed for temporary Birmingham Eastside terminus

Posted on Saturday 11 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

It has been known for some time that plans to open the full West Midlands Metro Birmingham Eastside extension would be met with delay as works around the Curzon Street HS2 Station can not start until that project hands it over to the Midland Metro Alliance. That is not expected to be until 2026 which means there would be a significant delay to public services opening on the extension to Digbeth, when a lot of work would already have been completed. To avoid the complete line laying dormant for some time it has been decided to progress plans for a temporary terminus to allow services to begin earlier – but don’t get too excited as that earlier is in fact 2025/2026.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 3 Comments

Around the World in Trams: Stuttgart 1001

Posted on Saturday 11 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

“Around the World in Trams” is staying in Stuttgart for this latest photo from outside of the British Isles.

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More testing for the new Metro fleet

Posted on Saturday 11 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

As the anticipation of their entry into service continues to build, the new trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro which have already been delivered to the northeast are continuing to be put through their paces as part of the extensive testing required before they can be cleared for service. Although daytime testing is yet to commence, a recent update has seen a series of traction power tests take place over the network’s curves and gradients.

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Edinburgh Trams resumes full timetable

Posted on Saturday 11 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Tram services across the entire Edinburgh Trams network resumed in full from Saturday 11th November after the completion of essential engineering works. You may be used to seeing engineering works overrunning but in this case it’s the opposite as full service are resuming a day earlier than had originally been announced.

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Nottinghamshire County Council look at options for free concessionary pass tram travel

Posted on Friday 10 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

As regular readers of this website will probably be aware ever since concessionary pass holders were given free travel on buses across the country trams have been a bit of a poor relation with government funding only covering buses. This has led to local authorities either having to fund concessionary pass holders travelling on trams out of their own budgets or not extend the offer. Nottinghamshire County Council are one such local authority and they have now announced a full review of their funding of free tram travel.

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Free travel for the armed forces on Metrolink and West Midlands Metro this Remembrance Weekend

Posted on Friday 10 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Serving and former members of the military will be able to enjoy free travel on both Manchester Metrolink and West Midlands Metro services this weekend as they attend Remembrance services to honour the fallen from the two world wars and other conflicts. This follows on from the previous announcement that the same offer would be available on Edinburgh Trams.

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Picture in Time: Sheffield 189

Posted on Friday 10 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Another edition of “Picture in Time” goes to Crich on a 1979 Bank Holiday Monday.

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Posted in Crich Tramway Village, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Supertram works on Holme Lane

Posted on Thursday 9 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Earlier this week we brought you photos of the revised service operating to Middlewood with works due to take place on Holme Lane which meant trams weren’t able to run to Malin Bridge. This service change was in place over the whole of the weekend of 4th and 5th November but it seems that the Saturday saw no work happen with the Sunday then seeing the road surface patched on the outbound track.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 1 Comment

New members join UKTram

Posted on Thursday 9 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

UKTram have increased their membership after new organisations joined the light rail sector’s representative body. Amongst the new members are Transport for Wales who are working on ambitious plans for a new Metro system in Cardiff and the surrounding area.

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In Pictures: Blue route goes to Middlewood

Posted on Wednesday 8 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

The weekend of Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November was due to see work taking place on the usual Blue route to Malin Bridge. Rather than terminate Blue route services short, all services from Halfway were diverted to Middlewood instead leading to the unusual sight of trams with Halfway as the destination along Middlewood Road.

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Howdon viaduct inspected before Metro track renewal

Posted on Wednesday 8 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

The 1830 built Howdon Viaduct which has been used by the Tyne and Wear Metro for over 40 years has recently been undergoing in-depth inspections to check on its condition ahead of a plan of action for the complete track renewal across the 320 metre structure.

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In Pictures: 272 completes the OVO Energy quartet

Posted on Tuesday 7 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

The fourth (and final) tram in Edinburgh to receive an all over advert for OVO Energy has been revealed with 272 returning to service with the now familiar all over green vinyls in place.

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Planning permission granted for Tramtown phase one

Posted on Tuesday 7 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Plans for the development of Tramtown at Blackpool Transport’s Rigby Road have moved a step forward after Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee approved the plans for the overall project – paving the way for work to start on repairing and upgrading the historic tram depot.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 10 Comments

Coventry Very Light Rail vehicle tested on new track in Dudley for first time

Posted on Monday 6 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Most of the time when we report about the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre (VLRIC) in Dudley its because another West Midlands Metro tram has gone there for repairs but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the facility was actually built for a different reason – and that is for the development of new technology in regards to Very Light Rail. This purpose has come to the forefront recently with a major milestone reached in the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) project as the prototype vehicle has been successfully run on its test track.

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They’ve Run in 2023!

Posted on Monday 6 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

With the start of November traditionally the end of most heritage tram operating seasons across the British Isles (with just Beamish and Blackpool now offering the regular chance to ride on a heritage tram over the next couple of months, outside of special pre-Christmas trips) so it feels like a good time to have another look at which heritage trams have run across the British Isles. We are again aiming to feature all heritage tramways and which trams have run in service during this calendar year and to qualify the tram has to have run with passengers on board so private hires count but testing does not. If you notice any errors or omissions please let us know by using the contact details at the end of the article.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, Black Country Living Museum, Blackpool Tramway, Burton & Ashby 14, Crich Tramway Village, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, East Anglia Transport Museum, Great Orme Tramway, Heaton Park Tramway, Manx Electric Railway, Seaton Tramway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Summerlee Museum Tramway, Volk's Electric Railway | Comments Off on They’ve Run in 2023!

Out and About: Stagecoach Supertram – July 2023

Posted on Monday 6 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

It is time for another edition of “Out and About” and this time we are back in Sheffield for a selection of images taken of the two fleets of trams which operate on the Supertram network.

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Manchester Metrolink Then & Now: Withington

Posted on Sunday 5 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Your Sunday evening photo series return to “Manchester Metrolink Then & Now” for the next few weeks. This series takes a look at a couple of photos showing parts of the Manchester Metrolink network before or during construction works and once trams had started running, so let’s resume this look back in time.

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Free travel for armed forces in Edinburgh for Remembrance weekend

Posted on Sunday 5 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams have announced that they will be offering free travel to veterans and serving members of the army, navy and air force over the Remembrance Weekend as the city remembers the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces.

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Dudley tram repairs update

Posted on Sunday 5 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

Its been a little while since we last took a look at what has been happening at the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley in regards to the repairs to the West Midlands Metro Urbos3 trams so in this article we bring it up-to-date with two trams remaining in situ undergoing attention.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 5th November 2023

Posted on Sunday 5 November 2023 by Gareth Prior

This week its down to the Seaton Tramway for another set of photos:

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