Improvements to Blackpool’s heritage tram tours

Blackpool Transport have announced a few minor amendments to the heritage tram service being operated between Pleasure Beach and Little Bispham this season. The changes have been introduced following initial feedback from customers, and will hopefully encourage more people to take a ride on a vintage tram.

Firtsly, a new ‘single ride’ ticket priced at £5 for adults or £2.50 for children is being introduced from this weekend. This will cover one full round trip over the aforementioned section of tramway on one of the heritage fleet, and hopefully will encourage those with a more casual interest in trams, such as visiting tourists, to get on board. The day passes remain available at £10 for adults and as stated previously, these offer unlimited rides all day on not only the heritage tram tours, but also the service trams and buses.

Another welcome change is that NOW card holders will only have to pay £5 for a day pass to ride on all of the trams and buses in service, which is undoubtedly a bargain price. Whilst enthusiasts have been supportive of the tours, the £10 price tag was feared to be a little expensive for the average holiday-maker who probably wouldn’t want multiple journeys, so these changes should lead to an increase in passenger numbers, more so as the season progresses.

The May Day Bank Holiday weekend co-incides with the annual Fylde Tramway Society convention weekend, and Bryan Lindop of Blackpool Transport is determined to pull out all the stops to give visitors to the town a memorable weekend with an increased number of vintage trams due to appear. It is planned to change the trams in operation on tours over part-way through the day, meaning that up to four historic trams could run on each day. Trams in use will depend on the weather, but a full list of what is planned can be found on the ‘Trams Today’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Trams-Today/144002195699684 Of particular interest, the illuminated Western Train 733+734 should make its debut on the new heritage service on Sunday 6th May, and Boat 600 should hopefully be used over the weekend if weather permits. Hopefully the extra effort being made to entertain visitors will encourage more people to sample the heritage tours, and perhaps visit again later in the year, when more trams join the available fleet.

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2 Responses to Improvements to Blackpool’s heritage tram tours

  1. Frank Gradwell says:

    Well done Bryan

    That’ll bring them on board!

  2. Tram Man says:

    I entirely disagree with the reasoning. The average holiday makers wouldn’t want multiple journeys? At £10 per day, hell no. But throughout the course a week they absolutely would want multiple journeys, in fact I would always be willing to let a Flexity pass to ride on a proper tram. There is absolutely no reason now for me to ride on the tramway, I might as well just get the bus. However, if there was a weekly ticket that incorporated the heritage fleet too, then that would be a different story and would attract so many more people. As it stands there is a section of the market being alienated and many people, such as myself just do not see the point in picking a day to pay £5 for a single ride or £10 for a day pass on trams that we have been previously riding at will and as needed for a lifetime. If there was a weeklet ticket that was even, say £5 more expensive than the standard ticket and it incorporated the heritage fleet as well as the buses and trams then I would be willing to pay that bit extra to have the choice of which tram I wanted to ride on. But now? No, sorry. The tramway has been let down and has become nothing more than a seaside Metrolink that looks completely out of place and has lost all its character and charm. The reintregration of the heritage fleet might do something to reduce the colateral damage but as it stands there’s just no attraction any more.

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