In Pictures: Adverts and lots of them in Manchester!

Posted on Wednesday 27 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

There seems to have been a bit of a splurge of new adverts on Manchester Metrolink recently with companies taking the opportunity to use the power of adverting on the trams to publicise their products – ranging from those who want to get you out of the country, enjoy the new Bee Network in the region and enjoy some entertainment at the Palace Theatre in the city!

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In Pictures: Latest from the Birmingham Eastside extension

Posted on Wednesday 27 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

We may now have finally seen the opening of the West Midlands Metro extension to Wolverhampton Railway Station but that does not equal the end of construction work for the Midland Metro Alliance as there remain two further extensions which are being actively worked on at the moment. These are the Wednesbury to Dudley and Brierley Hill line and the Birmingham Eastside extension between Bull Street and High Street Deritend. In this pictorial we take a trip to the Eastside extension to see recent progress on construction work. Ken Jones is the photographer.

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Metro Flow named best new rail engineering project

Posted on Wednesday 27 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Metro Flow, the £104 million project to increase capacity on the Tyne and Wear Metro, has been recognised at the National Rail Awards. It was named Major Project of the Year at the prestigious ceremony whilst the Metro Customer Service and Operations Teams were recognised in their work at the 2022 Great North Run.

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In Pictures: London Transport 1858 in service at East Anglia’s Trolleybus Weekend

Posted on Tuesday 26 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Every year in September, the East Anglia Transport Museum run their “big” event of the year: Trolleybus Weekend. With their extensive fleet of trolleybuses in use throughout the weekend (which includes late night running on the Saturday evening) the trams don’t get ignored either and this year it saw Blackpool 11, Sheffield 513 and London Transport 1858 in service.

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Edinburgh Trams nominated for Global Light Rail Award

Posted on Tuesday 26 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

It’s a year where the award nominations for Edinburgh Trams just seems to have kept on coming and it shows no signs of ending after it was confirmed that they are up for a number of awards at the forthcoming Global Light Railway Awards, which take place on 4th October.

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Record numbers carried on Metro during Great North Run – despite flooding disruption

Posted on Tuesday 26 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Over 100,000 passengers travelled on the Tyne and Wear Metro to get to and from the Great North Run on Sunday 10th September, despite the fact that services were severely disrupted following the event due to heavy downpours causing flooding. This was the highest footfall ever seen on the Metro since it opened 39 years ago.

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In Pictures: More new adverts in Edinburgh

Posted on Monday 25 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

It looks as if there are some things more certain than death and taxes – new adverts in Edinburgh! The past few months have seen a major influx of new contracts and two trams not previously pictured here are 255 and 267 which have seen changes to the vinyls that they now carry. In both cases they are not full vinyl wraps but are in the more traditional “Edinburgh” style.

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Increase in penalty fare cost on Metrolink confirmed

Posted on Monday 25 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Transport for Greater Manchester have confirmed that the cost of travelling without a ticket on Manchester Metrolink will be £120 from 24th September as part of their ongoing efforts to tackle fare evasion. This is an increase of £20 and comes on the same day that the Bee Network of locally controlled buses starts operation.

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Out and About: West Midlands Metro – Urbos3s in service

Posted on Monday 25 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

We go “Out and About” again today and the location this time around is the West Midlands Metro.

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Stop by Stop Edinburgh Trams: Newhaven extension – Picardy Place

Posted on Sunday 24 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

After eight week we come to the end of our journey along the Edinburgh Trams Newhaven extension as we reach Picardy Place.

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Telford Steam Railway get chance to secure boiler for their steam tram

Posted on Sunday 24 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Back in April we reported that the Telford Steam Railway were launching a fundraising appeal to allow their narrow gauge steam tram engine to return to service. At the time they were looking to raise around £20,000 for the construction of a new vertical boiler but as they say six months is a long time in vehicle restoration and they have now been given the opportunity to purchase a new built boiler which is available for £8,500. To help they reach this target they are again appealing to the enthusiast community for support to raise the funds to allow this saving in the project to be made.

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GMB Union members to take Metrolink strike action

Posted on Sunday 24 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Cleaning staff on Manchester Metrolink are to take three days of strike action after voting in favour of industrial action. The ballot was taken after the terms and conditions of the staff are said to have been eroded since the contract was outsourced to Bidvest Noonan.

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In Pictures: Metrolink 3079 says “yellow” to the Bee Network

Posted on Saturday 23 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Manchester’s new Bee Network will officially be launching from 24th September 2023 and in preparation for this Metrolink 3079 has received a new advertising livery as it asks you to say “yellow” to the new public transport network in the region as bus services will be under public control for the first time in 40 years.

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Around the World in Trams: Riga 51765

Posted on Saturday 23 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition of “Around the World in Trams” we return to the Latvian capital city of Riga.

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Retired drivers swap the Metro for Beamish!

Posted on Saturday 23 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Three retired drivers who used to work on the Tyne and Wear Metro have found a new lease of life at Beamish where they are now playing the role of miners at the Colliery at the world famous museum.

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Sherlock Holmes statue back at Picardy Place

Posted on Saturday 23 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

In preparation for the official reopening of Picardy Place island later this month a much missed statue has been returned – and its elementary as the Sherlock Holmes statue is back in position. The statue was removed in 2018 during the Trams to Newhaven works but now after restoration and the near completion of works to refurbish Picardy Place Island it is back to keep an eye on things.

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In Pictures: Supertram 120 gets rainbows

Posted on Friday 22 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Stagecoach Supertram 120 seems to have something against fleet livery as following the expiry of the contract for its all advert for The Full Monty television series it hasn’t returned to standard colours – meaning the last time it saw fleet livery was at the start of May 2009! The new livery for 120 features the LGBTQIA+ rainbow colours as part of a design for “Bringing People Together”.

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MediaCityUK service to return on Metrolink from Monday 25th September!

Posted on Friday 22 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Since services on Manchester Metrolink started to return to normality after the severe curtailment during the pandemic there has been one notable omission – the MediaCityUK service. But that is to change from Monday 25th September when it will return at peak times Monday to Saturday, running from MediaCityUK to Etihad Campus.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 716

Posted on Friday 22 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

“Picture in Time” moves on this week and for the next few editions we will be in Blackpool as we continue to take a look at some of Donald Brooks’ excellent photos of the tramway as it was in the late 1970s.

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In Pictures: Crich celebrates anniversaries and looks ahead at Tram Weekend

Posted on Thursday 21 September 2023 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September saw the Crich Tramway Village pull out all the stops again with their annual enthusiasts event, which for 2023 was extended to two days and became Tram Weekend instead of Tram Day. The event saw significant tram anniversaries celebrated whilst there was also a chance to look ahead to the future and some trams which should be returning to service over the next year.

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