The most recent meeting of the UKTram Owners and Operators Group was in Nottingham where members were given a tour of the tram depot at Wilkinson Street. This allowed members to get an in-depth insight into challenges faced by the NET and the steps its taking to meet them.
Steve Duckering, UKTram Operations Manager, said: “Every network has its own unique challenges, as well as facing issues that are common to all operators. Visits such as this provide an ideal opportunity for senior figures from across light rail to see for themselves the practical measures operators have developed to minimise disruption when the unexpected occurs. In turn, this will help them share best practice, and, by learning from the experiences of others, help drive up performance across the sector.”
As well as the tour of the Wilkinson Street facility – which included a look at its control and incident management rooms – the meeting also enabled strategic updates from networks across the country.
Manchester Metrolink reported excellent customer satisfaction figures of over 90% whilst their recruitment of 50 new CSRs had resulted in a significant reduction in fare evasion. Up on Edinburgh Trams and the good news continued with reports of continued increased passenger numbers and West Midland Metro reported good progress on the Brierley Hill extension.