TravelSafe operation takes place in Manchester

Posted on Saturday 24 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

A joint operation between Greater Manchester Police and TravelSafe took place on Friday 16th December to keep people safe in the lead up to Christmas. It was all part of the continued TravelSafe Partnership operation to target crime and antisocial behaviour on the public transport network.

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In Pictures: A last trip to Beamish for 2022…

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

In this article we take what will probably be our last look at the trams running at Beamish – a wet 20th December 2022. This may have been a midweek day but with half a dozen school buses outside the museum it was a busy day with two (enclosed!) trams operating the service: Sunderland 16 and Sheffield 264. With the depot doors open it was also possible to grab a look at Gateshead 10 as its overhaul continues towards completion (hopefully at some point in 2023) and it now firmly looks like a Gateshead car and not a Grimsby & Immingham one once more now. Trevor Hall is the photographer for these latest images.

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New safety videos for motorists around trams released by LRSSB

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board have been busy in the lead up to the festive period with a series of new safety videos released aimed at motorists when driving close to tramways in the UK. Two new videos have been created which cover the dangers of jumping red lights and leaving enough space for trams to pass.

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Christmas and New Year services 2022/23

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Once again we bring you a one-stop article to see what services are planned on tramway and light rail systems across the British Isles over the Christmas and New Year period. So, if you are fed up with staying at home and feel that you need some tram action take a look here to see just what sort of service is being operated.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Blackpool Tramway, Docklands Light Railway, Dublin Luas, East Anglia Transport Museum, Edinburgh Trams, London Trams, Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Express Transit, Seaton Tramway, South Yorkshire Supertram, Tyne and Wear Metro, West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on Christmas and New Year services 2022/23

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

There we go, another year comes to an end! They just keep on ticking by don’t they?! Its been a year where things haven’t quite happened as expected with tram restorations not quite being completed in time and extensions not opening as planned (and systems even closing for long periods of time) but there have still been some highlights across both the heritage and modern sectors.

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The Number 20: Snaefell Mountain Railway 4 & 5

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

We go back to the Isle of Man for another edition of “The Number 20” and it’s a familiar calculation to get to 20!

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15 Years Apart: Stagecoach Supertram 111

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Time for another then and now look at a tram from a UK tramway – let us head to South Yorkshire to feature one of Supertram’s trams.

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Last piece of track welded into place on Castle Hill in Dudley

Posted on Thursday 22 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

A lot of the extension news from the West Midlands Metro in recent weeks and months hasn’t exactly been at the positive end of the scale but this should change that a little bit as a milestone has been reached on the scheme to extend the tramway to Dudley. That milestone has seen the final piece of track on Castle Hill, Dudley welded and will soon mean that two-way traffic will again be possible on the road early in 2023.

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Seaton Tramway offer the chance for tram rides in the post Christmas slump!

Posted on Thursday 22 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

You’ve had Christmas, eaten your body weight in food and then just sit around watching endless repeats on television! But there is an alternative if you are down in the south-west as the Seaton Tramway will be opening daily between 27th December and 2nd January offering the opportunity to take a tram ride along the three-mile line between Seaton and Colyton.

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Best practice workshops to take place for the unexpected

Posted on Thursday 22 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

A series of best practice workshops organised by UKTram are set to take place in early 2023 which will explore ways to manage malfunctions of critical tramway infrastructure of equipment. The workshops will be led by the UKTram Operations Group and investigate a range of different scenarios that require contingency planning.

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Crich Photo line-ups: Future Workshop programme – 2021

Posted on Thursday 22 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

We have a relatively recent Crich Photo line-up for you today as we only head back to 2021 for one of three line-ups which took place.

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The Number 20: Hull 96 & Stockport 5

Posted on Thursday 22 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

And off to Manchester and the Heaton Park Tramway for this next instalment of “The Number 20”.

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In Pictures: 47 enters service on West Midlands Metro

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

There was an early Christmas present for the West Midlands Metro on Monday 12th December when another of their Urbos100 trams entered service. This time it was 47 which carried its first passengers – the tenth of the Urbos100s to have entered service.

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Final piece of track is down for Trams to Newhaven project

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

When you take a look at the route of Edinburgh’s Trams to Newhaven project you could be forgiven for thinking that the previous promise of all major works having been completed by the end of 2022 was not quite going to be achieved, but whilst there do remain various worksites on the way there has this week been a significant milestone reached. That milestone is the laying of the final piece of track on the 2.91 mile route between York Place and Newhaven – this piece is the final link between the existing and new routes and marks the first time that they have been fully connected.

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In Pictures: Snow and manual points change in Sheffield

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Similar to other parts of the country, mid-December saw snow fall in Sheffield which again provided opportunities to see trams running through snow. Not necessarily linked to the snow there was also an issue with the points at the Park Square delta junction just outside the city centre which meant that the driver had to use a manual points bar to change the points. Photos from Stuart Cooke.

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15 Years Apart: Blackpool Brush 631

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Its another trip to Blackpool (sorry – but when you’re comparing trams and looking for differences Blackpool gives us the most options!)  for “15 Years Apart” today and this time we take a look at Brush Car 631.

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Crich Photo line-ups: Non-standard gauge – 2017

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Our next line-up on the Crich depot fan took place in 2017 and coincided with Bournemouth 85’s arrival which gave the chance to display several trams which originally ran on non-standard gauge.

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In Pictures: Tram breakdown in Edinburgh City Centre

Posted on Tuesday 20 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

There were delays to Edinburgh Trams services on Monday 19th December after one of the usually reliable CAF trams in the city broke down at York Place and required rescuing. This led to the unusual sight of two trams – already the longest in the UK at 42 metres long – being coupled together and running from York Place back to depot.

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In Pictures: More Ride the Lights at Carlton Colville

Posted on Tuesday 20 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

As featured on these pages a couple of weeks ago, the East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville has been open over the three weekends in the immediate lead up to Christmas for “Ride the Lights”. This has seen trams, trolleybus and the East Suffolk Light Railway running after dark with the museum also going all festive with Christmas decorations up. Bryan Grint with these photos.

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Posted in East Anglia Transport Museum | 1 Comment

New Greater Manchester Transport Committee Chair appointed

Posted on Tuesday 20 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

The Greater Manchester Transport Committee (GMTC) has appointed Cllr Mark Aldred as its new Chair. The GMTC is a joint committee made up of decision-makers from the ten Greater Manchester councils, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, representing residents and businesses across the region to ensure that operators, TfGM and authorities are held to account for the delivery and performance of transport services.

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