Last year when Blackpool’s famous Illuminations were switched on came the news that after 1900 on every night no trams would run along the newly opened extension to North Station. This was obviously met with consternation but the timetable which saw this happen remained in place throughout the lights season. However, 2025 is set to be very different as there are no plans to regularly stop trams running along Talbot Road, although it may be required at times depending on traffic.
Jamie Swift, Blackpool Transport Head of Service Delivery, explains more: “Throughout the illuminations season, trams will primarily follow the usual timetable, and we will only divert buses away from the promenade at particularly busy times.
“To avoid any confusion, these bus diversions will be in place on all Fridays and Saturdays between August 29 and November 1, but at other times we’ll take a more flexible approach.
“Buses will continue to run along the promenade when traffic is moving freely, which means visitors to the seafront will not have to go out of their way to catch a bus back home or to their accommodation, preventing any unnecessary inconvenience.
“While we plan to run trams to the usual timetable, including our regular services to North Station, there may be occasions when traffic on Talbot Road causes unavoidable delays, and we will temporarily revert to a mainline only service.”
The usual timetable alluded to above means that we won’t be seeing a special Illuminations timetable for 2025 which in recent years has seen a lower frequency to Fleetwood after around 1900 and additional short workings to Little Bispham to ensure the core section remained with trams more regularly.
The current timetable – tweaked from 27th July 2025 – sees departures from each end of the tramway every 10 minutes with alternate departures either going direct from end to end or to North Station.
The only time that North Station may not be served is if there is heavy traffic and when this happens Blackpool Transport will make announcements on their social media accounts to let passengers know.
The Illuminations will also see the split tramway service in place at times. Trams will run Starr Gate-Manchester Square and North Pier-Fleetwood Ferry when this is required, likely to be on the occasions that the World Fireworks Championships take place (as well as switch-on night).
It is not good that, having spent over £100million on a modern light rail system, the Council forces the closure of the Promenade to trams on numerous occasions each year with no alternative tramway replacement buses.
If you lie with a disability where the trams are an absolute Godsend, then having to cover the patch between Manchester Square and North Pier on your own effectively says “People with disabilities are not welcome in Blackpool when a big event takes place such as the Air Show, the switch on and fireworks displays”.
On previous occasions, trams have been walked through the busy areas and it has worked perfectly well.
With the amount of fencing that was put in place to coral the trams at North Pier and Manchester Square, that fencing could have been used to fence of the Promenade between Central Pier and North Pier with manned crossing points for people to cross the tramway.
Blackpool Promenade on switch on night resembled the building of the Berlin Wall and the bollards along the stretch near the Comedy Carpet have come to resemble World War 2, when bollards were put in place to stop any impending invasion from the sea!
Having spent an absolute fortune on making the Promenade look superb, which is laudable, Blackpool Council then goes and places unsightly bollards everywhere, some of them seemingly permanent.
You have to ask whether the number of severances of the tramway were recorded in the original submission to run a modern tramway in Blackpool or whether its is just done ad hoc when a pop concert comes to town or whenever the council decides to do it.
It is not good at all. My wife, who uses a disability scooter, used to love going to fireworks display but cannot do so because of this downright stupidity.