A few months ago we mentioned how as part of the construction works for the new Blackpool Tramway extension along Talbot Road to Blackpool North Railway Station stop signs had started to be put up. Whilst the one in Talbot Square was obviously called Talbot Square that up at the station has the rather unusual North Terminus. But that’s all changed now and it’s a far more sensible name for the terminus now.
That name is North Station which pretty much sums up where the stop is (although its not quite outside the station its fairly close). It also brings back the nostalgia of how trams used to run to North Station up until the 1960s.
Work on construction of the extension has reached a stage where little more can be done until the hotel is completed and the latest estimates remain that trams may start running along the route this November.
Welcome to North Station! The far more sensible name for the new terminus is now shown on the standard stop signs. (Photograph by Peter Dockerty, 25th May 2022)
Entirely predictable. Sums up the shambolic journey (which still not over) to complete this tiny extension perfectly. Do we start the sweep stake for when Blackpool Council come out and say 2023 soon?
This whole extension has always seemed pointless to me. It will either mean trams that could have gone down the prom terminating there instead (missing out the busiest part of Central Promenade, many Northbound trams not running through to places like Bispham and Cleveleys or, even worse, trams between StarrGate and Fleetwood making a detour!
It would have been far better to extend the tramway South from StarrGate, opening up more of the valuable seafront to tourists and hence local businesses.
I think the “logic” was was it was seen on paper as quick win and springboard. In reality its been unmitigated farce (with nobody coming out of this shambles well)
Has there yet been any official word on how the extension will operate? No-one seems able to say with any certainty.
Probably the Starr Gate to Fleetwood service will run via North Station, adding perhaps 6-8 minutes to journey time, and a Pleasure Beach to Bispham service will run via the Promenade. But we don’t yet know, which seems amazing at this late stage. Many journeys will probably either involve a change of tram, or a detour via North Station. There are barely enough Flexities to provide say a 12 minute service on both routes, and B fleet trams are not good news for those in wheelchairs or with prams.
Tram extensions that rely on other construction to be completed before they open are hostages to fortune. Delays to the other construction, failure of the company building it and many other delaying factors mean that the brand-new ready-to-run infrastructure can lie unused for years. Both the Blackpool and Wolverhampton extensions are victims of the transport companies relying on the goodwill and promptitude of works outside their control. Perhaps the lesson of this is that tram extensions should be standalone projects that do not rely on other things being completed before the trams can begin running.