The Greater Nottingham Light Rail Transit Advisory Committee will be meeting in January 2026 for the first time in six months and as is usual ahead of the meeting an operational performance and progress report is released online. This report again goes through how the service has been running, with this particular one covering the period between the start of June 2025 and end of November 2025.
As has well publicised the network has been suffering recently with tram shortages caused by a unprecedented number of collisions with other road vehicles between April and June 2025. This period under review was being impacted by this and also included the reduced temporary timetable whilst repairs were undertaken to some of the trams.
Despite this, or probably because of it, the reliability of the service was recorded at 93.77% and the punctuality was at 92.75%.
Its also noted that the summer service plan proved effective during periods of extreme hot weather. A targeted air-conditioning maintenance programme significantly improved the reliability of on-board air-conditioning units, with few issues and service-effecting defects reported.
The delivery of a revised service during the Goose Fair (which saw a lower tram frequency during the day to allow more trams to run in the evening) was successful and saw increased passenger numbers carried (even though wet weather affected attendance on some evenings).
To build on this success, NET then introduced a similar service in the run-up to Christmas based on passenger feedback. They have now submitted a business case to Nottingham City Council to seek approval for a permanent change to the timetable to reflect evolving travel patterns (partly down to revised post-COVID working practices).
There were additional problems with maintaining the service towards the end of the reporting period with driver availability cited as an issue. This was mainly down to driver absentee due to illness with seasonal flue causing issues, but there were also short-term departures following dismissals which resulted in roster imbalances. To counter these issues 10 new drivers are currently in training.
Another departure saw Trevor Stocker, Head of Operations and Safety, leave in October 2025. After a recruitment process, Andy Downie will be joining Nottingham Trams Limited in January 2026 to fill the role. Andy brings extensive operational experience from the heavy rail sector, particularly in driver management, leadership, and safety governance.
The safety modification system for tram overspeed protection became fully operational in service during October 2025. This system will automatically bring the tram to a stop when overspeed is detected. After initial technical challenges, the system is now operating as expected with drivers said to be adapting well to the change.