In Pictures: Tramlink 2550 back in fleet livery

Posted on Sunday 27 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

London Tramlink CR4000 2550 is now operating in standard fleet livery again following the removal of the yellow based Tramlink Safety vinyls. The tram was moved into the workshops during November for the removal of the special livery and is now operating in the Lime Green, Blue and White Tramlink house colours once again.

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Transport Group unveil commemorative plaque

Posted on Sunday 27 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

The Edinburgh Transport Group have unveiled a plaque and information panel at the former Braids tram terminus on Comiston Road, Edinburgh to mark the restoration of the former 1930s tram shelter and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closure of the last of the Edinburgh Corporation Tramway route on 16th November 1956. The panel gives a brief history of Edinburgh’s tramways as well as the shelter itself and was unveiled on 19th November.

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Blackpool Brush car 637 under threat

Posted on Sunday 27 November 2016 by Andrew Waddington

The future of Blackpool Brush Railcoach 637 is currently in some doubt after its private owner was given notice that a new home must be found for the tram after Christmas. 637 is at present stored at a compound on the Fleetwood docks along with many of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust’s trams, but the FHLT have now informed its owner that it must be removed in the near future.

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Picture in Time: Docklands Light Railway 04

Posted on Saturday 26 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

We are off to London for today’s Picture in Time as we take a look at one of the original trains which operated on the Docklands Light Railway.

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Blackpool tramway extension gets Council approval

Posted on Saturday 26 November 2016 by Andrew Waddington

Its more good news for the proposed extension of the Blackpool tramway up Talbot Road to North Station – which has been approved by local Councillors at their latest meeting held on November 23rd. This is in spite of some serious opposition from the Conservative Party, which is quite a turnaround as the project was actually a key feature of their local election manifesto only last year!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 11 Comments

Tram-train pilot delayed to 2018?

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

The much delayed Tram-Train pilot which will eventually see services running between Sheffield City Centre and Rotherham Parkgate has been delayed even further with the BBC reporting that the first public services will not operate until Summer 2018. This will be some three years after it had originally been hoped that services would run and means that the extra time Network Rail needed from the last opening date announcement (early 2017) will amount to 18 months.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 9 Comments

Preston Trampower approved – but not for passengers

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

After much delay and continued refusal by Preston City Council approval has finally been given for a tram line in the city although if anyone wanted to ride on the line they will be disappointed as it will only be used for “training purposes, as a demonstrator for other local authorities and to raise public awareness of trams as a sustainable mode of transport”.

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Tram-Trains for Glasgow Airport?

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

Plans for a tram-train service to link Glasgow City Centre with the Airport are once again on the table with local councils set to discuss the plans further. Almost exactly a year since we last reported on the story the plans are now set to be discussed further before it is passed to Glasgow City Region cabinet in December.

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Edinburgh Airport tram passenger numbers down

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

A new report by the Airport Operators Association has shown that just 8% of all journeys taken to Edinburgh Airport are made by tram – a fall by 2% since the figures were last reviewed. Meanwhile 25% of journeys were made by bus, probably not that surprising considering bus fares from Edinburgh City Centre are £1 cheaper than those on the tram.

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Fallen tree causes East Didsbury disruption

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

The first major storm of the autumn caused problems for Manchester Metrolink with a fallen tree damaging the overhead lines at Withington on the East Didsbury line. The tree was reported as being down during the early evening on Monday 21st November and caused the East Didsbury line to be suspended for the remainder of the evening and delays were also experienced the following morning. The tree was removed and the overhead was repaired to allow a full service to resume on Tuesday 22nd November.

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New fare to be introduced on Nottingham Express Transit

Posted on Friday 25 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

Passengers wishing to travel short distances within Nottingham City Centre will be able to take advantage of a new £1 short hop fare from Sunday 27th November. Any single journey between Nottingham Station and Nottingham Trent University will cost just £1, a significant saving on the previous lowest single fare of £1.70. On the same date the limit for all child tickets will be increased from 16 to 18.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 713

Posted on Thursday 24 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

We head back over 40 years to Blackpool for our latest edition of Picture in Time and feature one of the iconic Balloon Cars – 713.

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In Pictures: Bluebird gets a roof

Posted on Wednesday 23 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

A major milestone in the restoration of London County Council 1 “Bluebird” has been reached with the tram’s roof being reunited with the body. In a similar procedure to when the body and roof were split back in March the reuniting of the two took place by the Bandstand with a crane specially bought in to assist.

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Posted in Crich Tramway Village | 2 Comments

Warning, snow clearing!

Posted on Wednesday 23 November 2016 by Andrew Waddington

The Blackpool tramway usually prepares for winter by fitting two Balloon cars with snowploughs, just in case a rare heavy snow fall should occur in the resort. For the last few years, cars 701 and 723 have been used in this role, but this year 711 has been selected – the very first B Fleet car to be equipped with a snowplough.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Standard 49

Posted on Tuesday 22 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

Another trip to Crich for “Picture in Time” today as we catch up with Blackpool Standard 49; this time we see the tram in 1989 when its current operating life was coming to a close.

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399 207 arrives in Sheffield completing tram-train deliveries

Posted on Monday 21 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

The late evening of Sunday 20th November saw the arrival of the seventh and final Tram-Train for Stagecoach Supertram arrive at Nunnery Square Depot. Built by Stadler the Citylink vehicle made the standard trip from Valencia in Spain arriving after dark in its new home. It has since been unloaded and will eventually undergo commissioning ahead of a entry into service at some point in the future.

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Who said winter in Blackpool was quiet?

Posted on Monday 21 November 2016 by Andrew Waddington

The illuminations might have been switched off for another year and the peak summer timetable has come to an end, but the Blackpool tramway is still a great source of interest. This was particularly evident over two days in November, when two local events and a series of interesting private charters involved winter outings for three heritage trams.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 20 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

This week we bring you another two Photo Galleries at different ends of the tram and light rail spectrum:

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In Pictures: Final preparations underway at Edinburgh Gateway

Posted on Sunday 20 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

Some two and a half years after Edinburgh Trams opened final preparations are now underway for a new stop to be opened with the first trams due to stop at Edinburgh Gateway within the next month. Edinburgh Gateway is located between the public stops at Gyle Centre and Gogarburn and will provide an interchange with Scot Rail services on the Fife Circle supposedly providing easier access to the Airport for passengers travelling from the east of Scotland. In this photo update we take a brief look at the current site with photos from Alasdair McFarlane.

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Picture in Time: Manchester Metrolink 1004

Posted on Saturday 19 November 2016 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of Picture in Time we head back to 1992 and the newly opened Manchester Metrolink system for a duo of images of T68 1004, a tram which arrived in the UK on 27th November 1991.

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