Passenger services on the all-new, upgraded Blackpool tramway are set to commence on
Wednesday 4th April: two days earlier than was widely reported previously. Blackpool Borough Council have announced the opening date for the modernised system, with a special inaugural journey for invited guests taking place on the previous day. Presumably it has been decided to re-open ahead of schedule so that any minor issues with the revamped service can hopefully be ironed out before the traditionally busy Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
The confirmed opening date is certainly very welcome news as many people had feared
that the tramway would not be ready for passenger services to resume on Good Friday, let alone earlier. Indeed, there is still a lot of work to do with various holes appearing in some very prominent locations along the line where cracked concrete is being attended to in order to ensure that the tramway is looking its best next month. Track has been partly excavated at sites such as Pleasure Beach, Manchester Square and Little Bispham, to allow for the installation of automatic points which will be operated using the trams’ transponders. The new substation at Fleetwood is also a long way from being completed, but hopes are seemingly high that trams will reach the northern terminus when the system re-opens despite this potential problem. Details of the level of service to be offered have not yet been confirmed, but this should be announced shortly – and of course the much-anticipated heritage tram service is also due to start over the Easter weekend.
The special first run on a Flexity2 tram across (hopefully) the entire system, will mainly be attended by various dignitaries but 20 pairs of ‘Golden Tickets’ are also up for grabs and Blackpool Borough Council are giving away 5 pairs to competition winners. To enter, click on http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/News/Winagoldentickettoridethefirstnewtram.htm and follow the instructions on how to enter. We hope that at least some of these tickets will end up in the hands of enthusiasts, as it will undoubtedly be a historic occasion which will be written about for countless years to come. Although one of the new trams, 001, has already carried VIPs on two previous occasions it only operated with passengers on board for a short distance, so this will be the first chance to really get a taste of what these trams can do. Presumably someone from Blackpool Council got the ‘Golden Ticket’ idea from Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie & the Chocolate Factory’, although anyone expecting to see Blackpool Transport’s Managing Director Trevor Roberts dressed as Willy Wonka to celebrate the
occasion is likely to be disappointed!