West Midlands Metro backs Birmingham Festival 23

Posted on Friday 28 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

West Midlands Metro are helping to celebrate the legacy of last year’s Commonwealth Games by supporting Birmingham Festival 23 which takes place between 28th July and 6th August in Centenary Square. With a handy tramstop at Town Hall for Centenary Square the Metro is ideally placed to transport people to the events and volunteers at the festival will be able to travel on the trams for free.

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Picture in Time: Manx Electric Railway 21

Posted on Friday 28 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Today “Picture in Time” is on the Isle of Man as we feature another photo of the Manx Electric Railway from the past.

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In Pictures: 49 enters service and 25 re-enter service on West Midlands Metro

Posted on Thursday 27 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

And just like that the Urbos100s become the second highest class in the history of the West Midlands Metro in terms of trams which have run in service! 49 was the record-breaker when it became the seventeenth of the class to carry passengers with its first confirmed reported sighting being on Wednesday 26th July. And that’s not all “new” that was out on that day as 25 was also back in use after the conclusion of its post-repairs commissioning.

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In Pictures: Trackwork gets underway on Supertram

Posted on Thursday 27 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Major rail replacement works are now underway on Sheffield’s Supertram network which sees no trams running beyond Shalesmoor between 24th July and 6th August. The work is taking place in four phases during this period with the first section being attended to being on Middlewood Road between Dixon Road and Keyworth Road. Stuart Cooke with the photos.

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In Pictures: Another red wheel plaque celebrates UK tramway heritage

Posted on Thursday 27 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

The National Transport Trust’s Red Wheel scheme continues to increase the number of sites it is recognising with the latest set to be unveiled being in Edinburgh. Not due to be formally unveiled until 7th August this red wheel commemorates the former Shrubhill tram depot in Edinburgh.

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In Picture: Leo Messi returns to Manchester Metrolink!

Posted on Wednesday 26 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Last year Leo Messi was used as part of a Hard Rock Café promotion which included a full vinyl wrap advert on Manchester Metrolink (and two adverts in Edinburgh as well). And now the Argentinean footballing superstar is back on Metrolink as a new promotion for the new Messi Chicken Sandwich launches.

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In Pictures: The “Auld Tram” in Dundee

Posted on Wednesday 26 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

In many towns and cities across the UK there are coffee shops/kiosks which are in temporary structures – and some of these are designed to look like trams. There is one such one in Dundee but unlike many of the others across the country this one is also sat on old tram tracks!

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In Pictures: MER trailer 19 back in service – for first time in over 50 years!

Posted on Tuesday 25 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

The Transport Festival on the Isle of Man is now in full swing with eight days of events across the island’s railway and tramway network. The Steam Railway is celebrating 150 years and the Manx Electric Railway has reached 130 years of operation and to mark the occasions this years event is even more action packed than normal! While our full pictorial review will follow next month, we’ll be picking out some highlights and the first of those happened on the first day – Sunday 23rd July. This was the re-entry into service of MER trailer 19, running in passenger service for the first time since 1971.

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National Transport Awards announce shortlist for UK Tram Operator of the Year

Posted on Tuesday 25 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Awards season seems to be approaching as the shortlists for the National Transport Awards – not due to take place until 5th October – has now been announced. Amongst the many categories to be announced on the night, is the UK Tram Operator of the Year and the vast majority of modern tramway systems in the country are up for this award.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Edinburgh Trams, Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Express Transit, South Yorkshire Supertram, West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on National Transport Awards announce shortlist for UK Tram Operator of the Year

In Pictures: Urbos3s in service on West Midlands Metro

Posted on Monday 24 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Over the past month or so the service on the West Midlands Metro has been heavily dominated by the newer Urbos100 class of trams, with the Urbos3s mainly confined to driver training duties. Indeed its thought that Friday 21st July was the first day for approximately a month that multiple Urbos3s were in service when 28, 31 and 36 were all in service with 37 being used on driver training duties.

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In Pictures: Metrolink mock-up at Manchester Museum of Transport

Posted on Monday 24 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Often before a new tramway, or even a new class of tram, is introduced the manufacturers of the trams produce a mock-up which allows the public to see what they may expect when services commence. Many of those mock-ups have a very short life span as once their original purpose is over they find no new role and are scrapped. But some have a longer life, whether that be as a “Tram Lounge” in Edinburgh or in the case of the Metrolink T68 mock-up put on display at a museum.

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Out and About: Trams at The Hawthorns – May 2023

Posted on Monday 24 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

“Out and About” is off to the West Midlands Metro today as we take a look at a couple of Urbos100s in action.

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Manchester Metrolink Then & Now: St Werburgh’s Road

Posted on Sunday 23 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

“Then & Now” today returns to Manchester Metrolink’s South Manchester line as we continue this series where we see images before the trams arrived and after they started running.

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Timetable of events for Volk’s Electric Railway 140th anniversary weekend announced

Posted on Sunday 23 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

As reported earlier this year, 2023 marks the 140th anniversary of the Volk’s Electric Railway and Brighton & Hove Council and the Volk’s Electric Railway Association have teamed up to run a special event to celebrate the occasion over the weekend of Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th August.

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Lower Bull Street reopens as Birmingham Eastside extension work progresses

Posted on Sunday 23 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Yes, it an extension of the West Midlands Metro which has no opening date (not even a year), but work on the Birmingham Eastside extension has continued to progress in recent weeks and months away from the area around the HS2 station at Curzon Street. Progress has now been so good in the city centre on Lower Bull Street that the road is set to reopen with buses able to return to a stop on Corporation Street as from Sunday 23rd July.

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MER Freight Trailer 26 to return for Year of the Railways Festival!

Posted on Saturday 22 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

The Manx Summer Transport Festival is nearly upon us with the eight day event taking place between Sunday 23rd and Sunday 30th July and in the immediate lead-up to the event a few changes to what is happening have been announced. Inevitably, since the original programme was announced earlier this year there have had to be some changes with vehicle availability and other circumstances having changed – but those changes and not a negative as its also been announced that MER Freight Trailer 26 has been restored back to use!

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Around the World in Trams: Rome 2203

Posted on Saturday 22 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Its that time of the week again when we head overseas and its Rome that we stay in this week for this edition of “Around the World in Trams”.

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In Pictures: The trams at the Ipswich Transport Museum

Posted on Saturday 22 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

The Ipswich Transport Museum – which oddly enough is located in Ipswich! – is the home to two cosmetically restored tramcars. In this pictorial article we take a look at those vehicles on display on 30th July 2022.

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All-night trams return to Edinburgh for the Festival

Posted on Saturday 22 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams will again be operating services throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays in August during the world famous Festival – and for the first time this will see trams running on the extension to Newhaven.

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Damaged wheels and Brexit blamed for Tramlink woes

Posted on Friday 21 July 2023 by Gareth Prior

A report on the https://insidecroydon.com/ Inside Croydon website has confirmed that the current tram shortages being suffered on the London Tramlink network have been caused by wheel damage with repairs taking longer than they should because of supply issues due to Brexit.

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