New strike dates announced on London Tramlink

Posted on Tuesday 30 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The industrial action on London Tramlink shows no signs of coming to an end with ASLEF announcing a new set of strike dates which will impact services in both September and October. The dispute centres on pay with members on the union overwhelmingly rejecting a 3% offer in July.

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In Pictures: Metrolink 3145 enters service

Posted on Monday 29 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

This article has been updated with photos since original publication.

We now have an unusual situation in Manchester as there are no new trams waiting to be commissioned for service! 3145 has entered service with 3146 having not been delivered to the city just yet.

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Out and About: Shots on Metrolink

Posted on Monday 29 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink is the subject of this latest edition of “Out and About”.

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Trams &: Blackpool 006 & bus

Posted on Sunday 28 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition of “Trams &” we are in Blackpool as we take a look at a tram and a bus on the extension to North Station during testing of that line.

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City of Edinburgh Council set to back plans to further extend tram system

Posted on Sunday 28 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

When there was a change in administration on the City of Edinburgh Council earlier this year as Labour became the controlling party you could have been forgiven if you thought that was the end of proposed tram extension in the city. In opposition Labour had been critical of the SNP’s record with the tram extensions (although nowhere near as much as the Scottish Conservatives) but it now seems that a new £1 billion transport plan they are set to unveil in December will include as its centrepiece a north-south line between Granton and the Bioquarter.

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In Pictures: Telford Steam Tramway

Posted on Sunday 28 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

A line which gets very little mention on these pages is the unique Telford Steam Tramway which runs on a 2 foot gauge at the Telford Steam Railway in Horsehay, Shropshire. The line is now a circular route and has been running at this location since the mid-1980s having previously run for a short-time in Telford Town Park. Although it has been closed during 2021 due to technical issues it is planned to reopen in 2022.

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Balloon 715 to bow out

Posted on Saturday 27 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The Fylde Transport Trust’s popular Balloon Car 715 is to be withdrawn from service following a mutual decision between Blackpool Transport and the owners of the tram. The tram has not undergone any significant workshop attention for many years and the time has now come for it to be taken out of service and it will become a static exhibit at Tramtown.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fylde Transport Trust | 7 Comments

Around the World in Trams: Berlin 3015

Posted on Saturday 27 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We’re off to Germany for the next batch of photos from around the world as we visit the Oldtimer Museum Rugen.

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Emergency overhead line repairs on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Saturday 27 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The recent period of hot weather has been the cause of damage to the overhead line on the Tyne and Wear Metro which will necessitate the closure of part of the Tyne and Wear Metro from Tuesday 30th August. The emergency closure will be between South Gosforth and Shiremoor and will last for four days.

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Trams 257 receives Leonardo advert

Posted on Friday 26 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams 257 has quickly moved on from its Edinburgh Napier University advert as after just a month it has now received a contract for Leonardo, a aerospace and defence and security systems manufacturer.

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Picture in Time: Seaton Tramway 6

Posted on Friday 26 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

“Picture in Time” heads to Devon for the next few weeks as we visit the Seaton Tramway, starting off in 1992.

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In Pictures: Update from West Midlands Metro extension in Wolverhampton

Posted on Thursday 25 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The next extension due to open on the West Midlands Metro is the short (0.7lm) line to Wolverhampton Railway Station. As with the last extension to Edgbaston Village the opening of this line is much delayed but in the last official update it was said that testing would be able to start “after the Commonwealth Games”. That has now been reached but there is still no sign of the start of even initial testing although since our last pictorial update there does seem to have been some progress made with the construction.

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New tram timetables in Blackpool for the Illuminations

Posted on Thursday 25 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Trams in Blackpool will be running to a new timetable from Sunday 28th August as Blackpool Transport prepare for the annual illuminations by running more regular trams in the evening than during the daytime.

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Passenger numbers on UK tramways bounce back – but still below pre-pandemic levels

Posted on Wednesday 24 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Passenger numbers on all tram and light rail systems in the UK have bounced back to their highest levels since before the pandemic but are still a long way short of numbers which were carried in 2019/20 according to the latest statistics released by the Department for Transport. Coming some two months later than usual the stats show passenger journeys on each system along with various other statistics such as concessionary passenger journeys and average length of journeys.

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London Tramlink Engineering Works start

Posted on Wednesday 24 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We’re a little late to the party with this one, but services on London Tramlink are currently suspended between Wimbledon and Therapia Lane whilst rail replacement works take place.

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In Pictures: Blackpool & Fleetwood Box Car 40 to return to service!

Posted on Tuesday 23 August 2022 by admin

On Sunday 21st August, Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Box’ car 40 paid a visit to the workshop at Crich Tramway Village. Since its return to the museum following its extended stint of operation in Blackpool and a visit to Beamish, the tram operated at the museum during the latter part of the 2019 season, but had not run since as it required some minor attention, and was not considered a high priority with the reduced operating fleet and the general backlog of jobs due to the coronovirus pandemic. However, on this day, 40 was extracted from the back of the depot and transferred to the workshop – and this was obviously a success, as by the end of the day the tram was moving under its own power again!

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Tick, tock! Clock returns to Leith Walk

Posted on Tuesday 23 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

A historic clock dating from 1857 has been returned to Leith Walk following 15 years of storage and an extensive restoration. The clock was removed back in 2007 during construction works for the original tram project and with works on the current Trams to Newhaven project continuing to mark good progress it has now been possible for it to be returned.

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Tram allocations announced for Blackpool Bank Holiday Vintage Weekend

Posted on Monday 22 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Please note there have been changes to the plan since this was originally published. The below article has now been updated with the new details (we did see subject to the usual caveats, its just we didn’t expect them to be come into effect quite so soon!)

How does 12 different heritage trams over the three day August Bank Holiday weekend sound? (13 probably sounds better!) If its sounds good then Blackpool is the place for you with the return of the standard six tram hop-on, hop-off timetable as part of the latest Vintage Weekend. Trams will include two Boats, one Brush, two Centenary Cars, four Balloon/Rebuilt Balloons, two illuminated trams and an interloper from Bolton!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Event Previews | 17 Comments

Out and About: West Midlands Metro 42

Posted on Monday 22 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We are off “Out and About” again today and its another trip to the West Midlands Metro.

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Trams &: Stagecoach Supertram 118 & bus

Posted on Sunday 21 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Trams &” we are off to South Yorkshire as we see another bus alongside a tram at the Halfway terminus on Supertram.

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