The first of the Stadler built trams for London Tramlink – 2554 – was officially
launched to the media and other invited guests (although oddly British Trams Online’s invite seemed to have got lost in the post!) on Wednesday 15th February. Those who attended the event – which included Mayor of London Boris Johnson were able to study 2554 internally and were also able to see the tram being tested at Therapia Lane Depot.
It is hoped that 2554 will be able to enter service on the Tramlink network by the end of this month – indeed driver training has already commenced – with the remaining five Stadler built trams gradually entering service at the rate of around one a month. As previously reported a new line 4 will be introduced when all the new trams are in Croydon operating between Therapia Lane and Elmers End (interestingly reports suggest that the trams will turn round inside the Depot so as not to get in the way of the Wimbledon-New Addington service). According to a report on the Railway Gazette International website – http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/london-tramlink-prepares-to-put-new-trams-into-service.html? – Transport for London intend for this new service to commence operation in June. The Variotrams will not exclusively be devoted to this service as it was deemed too complicated to dedicate a certain type of tram to one service so they will pop up on any of the lines.
20 additional jobs are being created at Tramlink with the introduction of the new trams and enhanced service. This includes not only drivers but also maintenance staff. Although the trams are built by Stadler they will be maintained by Bombardier as part of their maintenance contract at Therapia Lane with Stadler providing warranty support for two years.
It is also expected that improvements to the Wimbledon branch will be in place by the
end of the year. It is planned that a second line of track will be installed between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction to help improve capacity and reliability whilst talks are underway with Network Rail for a second platform at Wimbledon. Once both improvements are made it will be possible to run a tram every six minutes on this route.
Speaking about the new trams Boris Johnson said: “My focus in Croydon is on delivering
the long term improvements that will support jobs and help make it a better, more prosperous place to live, work and invest in. Trams are the cornerstone of the local economy and the superb new additions to our fleet will help deliver the better and more frequent services that local people deserve.”
Cllr Mike Fisher, leader of Croydon Council – who have put forward £3 million in funding
for the new trams, added: “This is a major boost for a transport network that is the envy of London and the rest of the country and it comes during a period where there is tremendous pressure on public finances, which demonstrates our commitment to this project. The tram network has proved to be a huge hit with the many thousands who use it on a daily basis. It’s fair to say that, at peak times during the day, it has become a victim of its success. These new trams will ease that burden, providing an even better service for the network’s customers and help ensure its continued success into the future.”
The Railway Gazette International report also states that Transport for London are
interested in finding a site on the eastern side of Croydon for secure storage of trams during periods of engineering works which cuts this area off from the Therapia Lane Depot. It is suggested an area of land at Woodside is being looked at for this purpose.
- Photos of the official launch can be found on Railway Gazette International’s Facebook Page which can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Railway-Gazette-International/92649604427#!/media/set/?set=a.10150801860324428.506906.92649604427&type=3