Work to start on redevelopment at Tramtown

Posted on Monday 27 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

£800,000 has been secured to start work on the redevelopment of the heritage tram sheds at Blackpool’s Rigby Road Depot. The work is set to be undertaken in four phases and with this money now secured – through the support of Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport – the first phase will be able to start at what is now known as Tramtown.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 14 Comments

Over £1 million to be invested in upgrading of Bury line cycle storage

Posted on Monday 27 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Stops on Manchester Metrolin’s Bury line are set to get upgraded cycle storage facilities following the awarding of a grant through the Mayor’s Challenge Fund (MCF). £1.2 million will be invested which will see high quality cycle parking installed at eight stops with the aim of making it easier and safer to scoot or cycle to the stop.

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Trams &: Sheffield 510 & car

Posted on Monday 27 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Today “Trams &” is heading to the Crich Tramway Village as we take a look at a Sheffield tram alongside a car during the Best of Sheffield event which took place back in 2014.

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Stop by Stop Nottingham Express Transit: Hucknall & Phoenix Park – Bulwell

Posted on Sunday 26 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Our journey to Hucknall is continuing today as we reach the next stop on the line – Bulwell.

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What is the difference between an Urbos3 and Urbos 100?

Posted on Sunday 26 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Ever since the first CAF built Urbos 100 tram arrived on the West Midlands Metro (9th June 2021 in case you’re wondering was the date) there has been a question on many people’s lips – what is the difference between these trams and the older Urbos3s? Well, wonder no more as regular British Trams Online contributor Michael Morton (who has his own YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@podbabatransport7515) has detailed the differences between the two as an easy guide to anyone who wants to easily identify which class of tram it is.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Edinburgh Trams becomes accredited Living Wage employer

Posted on Sunday 26 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams is now officially a Living Wage employer after receiving accreditation. This Living Wage commitment means that everyone working at Edinburgh Trams will receive a minimum of £10.90 per hour – significantly higher than the national minimum wage for over 23s of £9.50 an hour.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 26th February 2023

Posted on Sunday 26 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Photos come from London Tramlink this week:

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In Pictures: 2531 back in fleet livery on Tramlink

Posted on Saturday 25 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

A story we haven’t reported on is the fact that London Tramlink 2531 is now running in standard fleet livery again having lost its advertising vinyls for Taylor Rose MW. The vinyls had actually been removed as far back as September 2022 (if not earlier) but the fact this had happened seemed to pass us by (even though we’d included a photo of it back in fleet livery – must pay more attention in future!).

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Around the World in Trams: Strasbourg 1036

Posted on Saturday 25 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Its one last shot from Strasbourg in today’s “Around the World in Trams” and this time we feature one of the Derby built trams.

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First new Tyne & Wear Metro arrives in the UK!

Posted on Saturday 25 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

The first of the new trains being built by Stadler for the Tyne and Wear Metro has arrived in the UK. 555 003 was delivered by rail from the Stadler plant in Switzerland and was then moved initially from Dollands Moor to Wembley and then on to Doncaster with a further move expected to Tyne Yard ahead of its arrival on Tyne and Wear Metro metals.

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Posted in Tyne and Wear Metro | 1 Comment

New tram safety campaign in Nottingham aimed at school children

Posted on Saturday 25 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit and local community group, The Pythian Club, have teamed up to help deliver a new safety message to local schoolchildren. The Pythian Club have found an innovative and effective way of engaging with young people and is now working with the tram operator to tackle anti-social behaviour around the trams as well as how to act safely in the vicinity of the network.

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In Pictures: New Metro bridge makes progress

Posted on Friday 24 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

The West Midlands Metro extension from Wednesbury to Dudley and ultimately Brierley Hill (subject to funding etc.) has a number of major infrastructure projects which need to take place to allow trams to travel on the route and this includes a number of bridges, replacing previous structures which weren’t considered to be of the required standard for the modern tram system. One of these bridges is located in Tipton which has continued to make progress over the autumn 2022 and winter 2022/3 period.

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Luas Engineering Works: March 2023

Posted on Friday 24 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

There will be a change to operating hours on Luas’ Green Line this March to allow work to take place on the upgrading of the overhead wires. The work is part of the ongoing maintenance programme to ensure trams can continue to run safely. It will be taking place over two weekends in March.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 726

Posted on Friday 24 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

For the next few weeks “Picture in Time” is returning to the Fylde Coast as we feature another set of images taken by Donald Brooks on the Blackpool Tramway. We are heading back to July 1977 again for these shots and we start off this set in Fleetwood.

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In Pictures: Balloon 713 returns to service at Blackpool’s first enhanced weekend of 2023

Posted on Thursday 23 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

The weekend of 18th and 19th February saw the first newly christened “Enhanced Weekend” from Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours. What was once known as a “Gold Weekend” saw a timetabled six tram service run on both days from 1000 to 1700, including trips between Pleasure Beach and all points north as far as Fleetwood. Although things didn’t quite go according to the plan (we are, of course, dealing with trams which are approaching 90 years old!) there were still several different trams out in service – including the return to action of B-fleet Balloon 713.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Event Reviews | 1 Comment

Metro services resume between Monkseaton and North Shields

Posted on Thursday 23 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Tyne and Wear Metro services are now running between Monkseaton and North Shields again following their earlier suspension owing to storm damage at Whitley Bay. It has originally been stated that there were be no trains for the rest of this week but after engineers attended to the damage it has been possible to resume services.

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Public consultation set to take place this year for next Edinburgh extension

Posted on Thursday 23 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Whilst most of our extension attention in Edinburgh may have recently been concentrated on the Trams to Newhaven project with the excitement of the final overhead wire being installed, the same can’t be said for officials at the Council as they are already planning the next line with confirmation that they are planning a public consultation later this year. This line will be the much mooted line from Granton to the Royal Infirmary.

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Sandwell concrete pour marks another milestone for WMM Brierley Hill extension

Posted on Wednesday 22 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Another week and another press release giving us details of more progress on a West Midlands Metro extension. This time its back to the Brierley Hill line (which is currently only funded to go as far as Dudley so does that make it more the Dudley line?!) where a significant concrete pour has taken place at the site of the former Staffordshire Railway corridor in Wednesbury.

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Blackpool 010 back to fleet livery

Posted on Wednesday 22 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Its been a period of adverts and special liveries being removed in Blackpool as following on quickly from 001 and 011 losing their vinyl wrap liveries comes the news that Flexity2 010 has lost its special Queen’s Jubilee vinyls and it is now running in plain fleet livery once more.

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Communications issue causes NET service delays

Posted on Wednesday 22 February 2023 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit services had a disrupted start to the day on Wednesday 22nd February after a communications fault. It was announced around 0600 that there were no trams running at all due to a “significant issue” with this later confirmed as being a communications fault which prevented them from talking to drivers via the radio system.

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