Trams will be running more frequently on the Blackpool Tramway from Sunday 11th July in the latest timetable change as a more usual summer service resumes. Exact details of the timetable haven’t yet been revealed but it would seem there will be intermediate services between Starr Gate and Little Bispham running in addition to a tram every 15 minutes to Fleetwood.
The announcement says that trams will be running every seven or minutes from Starr Gate to Little Bispham at peak times and that they will also be running up to every 15 minutes between Starr Gate and Fleetwood Ferry. The obvious service pattern here would seem to be departures every 7-8 minutes from Starr Gate with every other service only running as far as Little Bispham. Since the upgraded tramway opened the majority of summer timetabled services have run the full distance so this new timetable is a departure from that standard pattern.
The actual timetables will be announced in due course and will be available to be viewed on the Blackpool Transport website at https://www.blackpooltransport.com/routes/BLAC/Tram?date=2021-07-12&direction=outbound.
As well as the revised timetable Blackpool Transport have confirmed that they will have teams on the tram platforms to help passengers board and alight safely. This will see the return to security guards which have been used in previous years when it has been busy, mainly at the busier stops during the illuminations. These security guards have already returned and were seen from Monday 5th July for the first time this year.
Tower on 5th July 2021 with a security guard on each platform. Throughout the spring and early summer there have been complaints of over-crowding on the trams with only one conductor on board and unable to control the flow of passengers when two doors still remain open so hopefully the use of these security guards will help to solve these issues. (Photograph by Tony Armitage, 5th July 2021)
Hopefully this means more use of the B Fleet Balloons