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| News...December 2004...News...December 2004...News...December 2004...News This Page was last updated Friday 24 December 2004 |
| All the news carried on these pages is done so in good faith and the source is always quoted, normally with hyperlinks. If you have a correction to give us on a news story or have any additional news that can be added do not hestiate to email us . We are grateful for those people who have given us permission to use their images and news on this page. |
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For all previous news pages click here to go to the new News Index page which provides links to news dating back to September 2002. Photos on this page: DLR new fleet livery as shown on 77. (added 5 December 2004) |
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News In Brief DLR: Increased services have been announced for the London Boat Show being held at ExCeL 6-16 January 2005. The basics mean that more services were serve Custom House for ExCeL in peak periods - frequency is expected to be every 3.3 minutes. Normal service patterns will change on 6, 13 and 14 January with the Bank-Canary Wharf service diverted to run Bank-Custom House. Passengers are advised to listen carefully to announcements. (24/12/04 - DLR) Midland Metro: Fares will rise from 2 January 2005. Off peak maximum fare will be £2 (adult) and £1 (child), the £3.40 adult return rises to £3.60 with the equivalent £1.70 child return increasing to £1.80. The Day Metro/Bus ticket is also hit by a rise now costing £3.90 with a childs version being £2.60. All other fares remain unchanged. (24/12/04 - Midland Metro) Nottingham: As we go to press it is reported that there is an incident in Hyson Green, disrupting tram services. It is believed a pedestrian has been struck by a tram. More on this story in the new year (if received!) (24/12/04 - Joe Mills) Seaton: : Opening dates in 2005 are as follows: 12-20 February (daily), 26 February-13 March (Saturday & Sunday only), 19 March-30 October (daily) and 5 November-24 December (Saturday & Sunday only). BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE will update the Diary page with details of special events next year. (5/12/04 - Seaton Tramway) ------------------------------------------------- Birmingham: : Trams are to operate on Midland Metro on Boxing Day, continuing the success of seeing services on this day in the past couple of years. A modified Sunday service (commencing at 10am) will be used on this day and New Years Day. A mixture of normal service and Sunday services will be used for the rest of the festive period. (19/12/04 - icBirmingham & Midland Metro) Liverpool: Olivia King, 9 years old from Huyton, has won the prize for her design of the uniform Merseytram staff should wear. £500 was won for her school and she went home with a bag full of goodies including artists materials. (19/12/04 - Merseytravel) Nottingham: A new website is to be launched in the new year which will enable passengers in the Nottingham area to better plan their transport connections. The £20,000 Triplanner site is due to launch early next year and will even show people how far they have to walk between parts of their journey. (19/12/04 - This is Nottingham) ------------------------------------------------- Blackpool: Balloon 721 has had work started on a new all over advert. Further to last weeks news story about the stored trams all those on the list can be confirmed although the two Balloons to be stored are rather surprisingly 703 and 722. 722 had some work undertaken on the domes at the start of the Illuminations this year and this work now seems a bit of a waste of time and effort. (12/12/04 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool_Transport) ------------------------------------------------- DLR: Further to our reports of the new fleet livery on the DLR it can be confirmed that the following trains are now running in it: 23, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 39, 77 and 83. Internally seating has been reduced to 56, there is a new upholstery, grab rails and colour scheme. The trains also have new side external destination indicators. (5/12/04 - Chris) Nottingham: £1500 was raised on the tram network on Friday 19 November, in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal. 202 was renamed Pudsey for the occasion - although it has now reverted to its D H Lawrence name. (5/12/04 - Peter Courtenay & NET) Nottingham: : During December a special group ticket is being offered from Wilkinson Street. Groups of up to 5 people (can be 5 adults or a mixture of adults and children) can travel unlimitedly on NET for just £5. (5/12/04 - NET) Nottingham: The majority of the Temporary Speed Restrictions have now been lifted following work undertaken. The only ones which remain are at Station Street, Phoenix Park and the southbound line at the delta junction, Wilkinson Street. (5/12/04 - Joe Mills) Seaton: 10 made its first test run on Friday 26 November. It ran without incident from the Depot to Colyford and back and will now undergo regular test runs before it enters service in March 2005 (if all goes according to plan). Some work still needs to be taken on it including the top deck seats, destination boxes and the life guards. (5/12/04 - Seaton Tramway) ------------------------------------------------- |
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MERSEYTRAM GETS GOVERNMENT APPROVAL! Friday 24 December 2004 David Jamieson, Transport Minister, announced on Tuesday (21 December) that an order is to be made under the Transport and Works Act (TWA) to give powers to build Line 1 of Merseytram. This decision follows the successful Public Inquiry held earlier this year in front of C J Tipping. Mr Tipping was persuaded that the scheme would bring clear transport, regeneration and socio-economic benefits to Merseyside and that its impacts on local people and the environment would be acceptable when proposed mitigation measures were in place. He concluded by saying that the benefits should far outweigh its disbenefits. Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport, decided to accept the recommendations from the Inspector and has made the TWA order with a few modifications and he will also grant planning permission for the development as long as conditions are met which should minimise the impact of the work. On making this announcement Mr Jamieson said: “This new tramway would bring clear transportation, regeneration and socio-economic benefits to the area. This scheme provides for a high quality public transport service which would serve some of the country's most deprived areas as well as some important new development sites. It would integrate well with the existing transport network and I agree with the inspector that it is capable of giving a real boost to the image and profile of Merseyside.” Of course on revealing this news it was met with widespread delight across Merseyside with Neil Scales, Chief Executive of Merseytravel telling the Liverpool Daily Post: “We have been given the powers to build the tramway in half the time it has taken for any other tram scheme in the UK. "We had always hoped and planned for a decision in December 2004. We realise this was very ambitious but Government officials have worked incredibly hard to meet the target." His comments were echoed by Councillor Mark Dowd, the Chairman of Merseytravel: “The speed of the decision is phenomenal and emphasises the confidence the Government has show in Merseytravel. Liverpool council leader Mike Storey has said he thought this announcement was due in October. This is not true. "We have always known - and we have stated on a number of occasions - that a decision could not be expected before the end of December." The next stage is now to thrash out a deal with the remaining bidder for the scheme, Mersey Express Tramway (MET) and it is hoped that once this is sorted out initial construction may start as soon as April 2005 - as long as the funding has been confirmed from Whitehall. Source: Department for Transport, BBC News Online, icLiverpool & Merseytravel MIDLAND METRO TO BRIERLEY GIVEN GO-AHEAD BY GOVERNMENT Friday 24 December 2004 As well as giving a TWA order to Merseytram on Tuesday (21 December), David Jamieson, Transport Minister, revealed that planning permission had been granted for the Midland Metro extension to Brierley, again following a Public Inquiry. Mr Jamieson said: “The inquiry Inspector concluded that this extension of the Midland Metro would bring transport, regeneration and socio-economic benefits to the area. We agree with him. The scheme would improve accessibility to and within the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill transport corridor. It would run through some deprived areas and serve some new development sites. It would also provide an attractive alternative to the use of the car. We believe that the loss of some public open space as part of the scheme is justified by the wider benefits. This will, however, mean that the Order will have to be referred to Parliament for consideration before the powers can come into effect.” This extension will be approximately 11km diverging from Line 1 at Wednesbury serving Dudley town centre and Brierley Hill utilising mainly disused railway lines. However because the order will authorise compulsory purchase it will have to go through Parliamentary approval first (as well as the usual funding things). There was also not particularly encouraging news coming out from Centro about this order as they said that the scheme could be delayed anyway because of the continuing saga of the underground railway in Birmingham City centre. A Centro spokesman said: “If Birmingham's extension is going to be held up then he have to look at whether we carry on with the Black Country extension exactly as planned." The reasoning behind this is because they were intending to give the construction contract for the city centre extension at the same time as the Brierley Hill line, thus saving costs. Source: Department for Transport & icBirmingham STRIKE CALLED OFF IN NOTTINGHAM Friday 24 December 2004 On Tuesday (21 December) a deal was reached between the GMB Union and tram operator NET which meant the strikes scheduled for tonight (24 December) and New Years Eve were cancelled. Helen Goulding, General Manager of the Nottingham Tram Consortium, said: “I am delighted that, as promised we will provide a Tram service for the public to get them both into the City Centre and indeed back home again, and on a safe and reliable service”. Speaking for the GMB, Martin Allen commented: “It was crucial to our members that they were not compelled to work on Christmas or New Years Eve. There also needed to be a package of measures to make it attractive enough to secure enough volunteers and the company have delivered on this. When you then consider that staffing levels will be doubled to ensure the safety of our members, we were happy to recommend the package.” However a full service will not be in use after 9m with a half hour service to Phoenix Park and Hucknall (meaning every 15 minutes departing from Station Street). Managers are going to use passenger loadings to plan next years service and all staff who work after 9m will only do so if they volunteer. It has also been agreed that all trams will be “doubled up” on conductors (meaning 2 on each tram), if not enough volunteers can be found private security firms may have to be used to provide adequate security for those staff who do work. Source: Nottingham Express Transit, BBC News Online & This is Nottingham BLACKPOOL DESERVES TRAM MUSEUM SAYS PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE Friday 24 December 2004 The prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, Gavin Williamson has said that Blackpool should become the home of a new tram museum of the nation. Mr Williamson is also keen on seeing the tramway receive the funding from government to upgrade it to light rail standards. He has been visiting local residents in Cleveleys and Bispham asking them to sign a petition in support of the tramway. He told the Blackpool Gazette: “Blackpool has a great history when it comes to trams. It is not just something for the tourists but a system which is used every day by local people. The people that I have spoken to are very passionate about fighting to keep the trams. When you think of Blackpool you think of having fun, the Tower and the trams. They are an integral part of the town, and the wider area. There are plans in place for expensive new infrastructure in places such as Manchester, and yet we have tracks in place here which would cost a lot less to bring up-to-date.” Speaking about his idea for a tram museum he added: “Rather than lose our tramway, why not capitalise. Blackpool would be a perfect place for a museum. Blackpool Transport already have a great deal of heritage stock in their fleet and with some imagination we could create another wonderful attraction for the town." Wouldn’t that be a good idea, what a shame nobody has ever thought about it before (note the last statement may contain a little bit of sarcasm!) Source: Blackpool Today CHRISTMAS SERVICE UPDATE Friday 24 December 2004 Here are details of Christmas services on some of the tramways in the UK we haven’t previously mentioned: Blackpool: Buses replace trams from mid evening on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. The 1900 and 2000 Starr Gate to Fleetwood services suffer from a bus changeover at Manchester Square at 1910 and 2010 respectively. An hourly service on buses on Line 1 then continues until just before midnight. Trams from Starr Gate at 1845, 1915 and 1930 will terminate at Tower and run to depot. The last journey from Fleetwood-Starr Gate is the 1859 with a 1929 running as far as Manchester Square, services from 1959 will be bus operated. No trams will operate on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Years Day although buses will run on the latter two dates. On all other days between Christmas and New Year a Saturday service is operated. Croydon: Tram services will run through the night on New Years Eve and will be free from just before midnight until 4.30am as part of a TfL initiative. DLR: Services will run through the night on New Years Eve and will be free from just before midnight until 4.30am as part of a TfL initiative. Manchester: Christmas Eve & New Years Eve: services until 10pm, Boxing Day: 9am-8pm, 27 & 28 December: 7am-10.30pm, 29 & 30 December: 6am-11.30pm, New Years Day: 10am-8pm (every 15 minutes). Normal services resume on Tuesday 4 January with a normal service also used on Sunday 2 January and a 7am-10.30pm on Monday 3 January. If you are travelling at all over the Christmas please remember to check what times trams are going to operate! Source: Blackpool Transport, Transport for London & Manchester Metrolink METROLINK BACK ON TRACK BUT NOT AT ANY COST Sunday 19 December 2004 The news that Manchester has been waiting for was given by the government this week, when Alistair Darling said that £520 million was available for Metrolink extensions. However he also said that the £900 million actually wanted for Phase 3 would not be forthcoming. Darling told MPs: “The £520m budget is still available for Manchester, subject to the Passenger Transport Executive developing a satisfactory plan. This represents a major investment in Manchester, enabling a package of measures to address the transport problems in parts of the city, which may include light rail improvements.” He added in an interview with the Manchester Evening News: “I'm saying to Manchester that £520m is on the table and they have an opportunity to bid for cash from the Transport Innovation Fund we set up in the spending review, which will build up to £2 billion for the whole country." The news (revealed on Thursday) was welcomed by the Greater Manchester MPs who has been involved in trying to get the government to change their mind. Keith Bradley (MP for Withington) said: “I'm delighted that not only the campaign of Manchester MPs but the overwhelming public support for what we are doing - spearheaded by the M.E.N. campaign - has brought us to this position. We have secured the original funding of £520m and the Transport Innovation Fund will allow us to bid for extra resources so that over time we can deliver all these extensions and a wider transport strategy for Greater Manchester. In areas where Metrolink is not appropriate we can bring forward new schemes that complement Metrolink.” Although this was mostly good news (or at least better than that received in July) it was not the 100% success that transport bosses wanted as it looked as if one of the proposed lines would have to be shelved, as £900 million is a lot more than the £520 million pledged. There are also fears that an awful lot of this money may not actually be new (£170 million of this has already been spent for instance) - with only a figure of £100 million being mentioned as new. Roger Jones, the chairman of the Greater Manchester PTA said on Thursday: “This announcement looks to me like it's taking five steps forward and three steps back. We can also bid for extra money from this fund if we put together a package which will include Metrolink as well as other transport schemes which we want to implement. But when you read the small print, it looks as though it could take a long time to transform all this into action. We're going to have to re-start the bidding process and it could take two or three years, in the meantime the costs might continue to grow. What we wanted was to be given the £520m with no strings attached and start the work next year but it looks as though we've got the money with lots of strings attached, and we're not even sure what those strings are yet. With this money we can't afford to do all three routes and the airport line is by far the most expensive." The next stage, over the next 3 months, will see revised proposals being drawn up. It would appear that these proposals may have to mean the abandonment of the extension to South Manchester and the Airport, as this was the most expensive part of Phase 3. It is hoped that the £520 million may be increased in line with inflation to £645 million which would mean that at least 2 of the lines would be able to be constructed. The MEN also report that Greater Manchester MPs are privately shocked to learn just how little comfort the restoration of the £520 million award has given transport bosses. If everything goes according to plan now construction would not be able to commence until 2007 at the earliest because the tendering process has to go back to square one again because of legal reasons. Source: Manchester Online & BBC News Online OMO 8 TO GET COSMETIC RESTORATION? Sunday 19 December 2004 The LTT’s website reports that Blackpool OMO 8 may be getting a cosmetic restoration over this winter. Blackpool Transport Services Limited have offered to fit OMO 8 into the workshops over the winter for repanelling and a complete repaint - with an estimate being given to the LTT soon. Further work for the tram is also continuing with the platform doors currently in Essex at G D Peters for assessment before repairs. There is also a hope that the full set of glazing from sister 10 may be forthcoming next year. Unfortunately this does bring bad news as 10 - currently stored at the Wokefield Park Conference Centre near Reading in Berkshire - is due to be scrapped in January 2005. It will be remembered that this tram was transferred to this location in the 1990s, painted into Reading Buses livery and used as a canteen. However, it now appears that it is not required for this use. * With news that the LTT are continuing with their plans to restore former members of the Blackpool tram fleet now is the time to donate money to the Blackpool Tram Restoration Fund. Details can be seen here and here on how you can help. With the news earlier this month that 25 trams have been stored in Blackpool NOW is the time to see if some members of these can be secured in the future for restoration! Source: Lancastrian Transport Trust NET STAFF VOTE FOR STRIKE ACTION Sunday 19 December 2004 NET staff have voted in favour of striking on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve over the late working proposed by transport bosses. The GMB Union, who control 90% of the staff, say that 77% of their members had voted to go ahead with the strike action. Martin Allan from the GMB said: “The members have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Our members week in, week out, work till ten past one in the morning, what we put forward to the management for working Christmas Eve and New Year is that we would finish working at 8 o'clock." Talks are to be ongoing to try and reach a deal to enable trams to work on these two days. The main gripe appears to be that trains and buses are stopping work early on these dates but the trams are not. A spokesman for Nottingham Express Transit, which promotes the tram on behalf of the councils said: “There is a contract to provide a public transport service for the people of Nottingham. That's what tram drivers signed up to.” There are to be further talks on Monday to try and avert this potentially damaging strike. There will be no effect on services at other times across the festive period. Source: This is Nottingham & BBC News Online SUPERTRAM CAUSES RUSH HOUR CHAOS IN SHEFFIELD Sunday 19 December 2004 Two trams broke down at the peak of rush hour on Tuesday (14 December) causing travel chaos for many travellers. The first breakdown happened at around 4.30pm when a tram stopped working on Bamforth Street, Lower Walkley. Passengers on this tram and those on trams following had to make alternative arrangements to get home with First buses agreeing to take passengers home. Then to compound matters a second incident happened at 6pm with a tram derailing in the city centre close to the Park Square stop. This tram was very busy at the time and the passengers had to get off and again alternative arrangements were introduced. A special tram service was introduced with trams serving Herdings-Meadowhall, Halfway-Sheffield Station and Middlewood/Malin Bridge-Cathedral. Stagecoach Supertram offered their apologies for the inconvenience caused to peoples journeys on Tuesday. * The official Supertram website has been relaunched in the past month and seems greatly improved. Previously the site appeared not to have been updated since about 2002 but now features the latest news and all the things you need to know about catching a tram in Sheffield. There is also a Kids Zone - the site can be found here. Source: Sheffield Today & Stagecoach Supertram BLACKPOOL TRAMWAY UPDATE Sunday 19 December 2004 Twin Car Trailer 685 has now been completed in the Metro Coastlines Red & Yellow livery to match Towing Car 675. The pair have now been reconnected and are almost ready for use, although still require Metro Coastlines branding. Elsewhere in Paint Shop news, Balloon Cars 721 and 722 have seen body shop repanelling attention before starts were made on preparatory work for repaints. However since this work it has been confirmed (see News in Brief last week) that 722 is to be stored out of service. The workshops are currently concentrating on three projects, Balloon 713, Centenary 645 and Jubilee 762. 713 is now awaiting transfer back to the Body Shop for repanelling, 645 remains stripped and is on its own trucks at the back of the depot just in front of 762 which is resting on trestles having been completely stripped. 762’s trucks are in the Fitting Shop for overhaul whilst a chance has been taken to thoroughly inspect the underframe of the tram which has been steam cleaned and painted. The winter tram timetable is identical to last years and as such includes the extended running time for Starr Gate to Fleetwood journeys. Why not become a member of the Fylde Tramway Society for the new year? By becoming a member you receive a monthly journal which is the only way to get full monthly news on the Blackpool Tramway. In addition there are monthly meetings and regular tram tours. For more details see here or here. Source: Fylde Tramway News CRICH TRAMWAY VILLAGE NEWS UPDATE Sunday 19 December 2004 Next year will see two new trams arriving at Crich, LUT 159 and Blackpool Brush 298, for restoration work to commence and continue respectively. 159 is expected to move from Clay Cross in January with 298 moving from Salford in February or March. The current major restoration project, Leeds 345, is still seeing good progress with ceiling panelling now complete and the lower saloon flooring been slatted. Painting is due to commence in January. It is now planned to launch this tram at the Enthusiasts Day in September 2005. Elsewhere it has been decided that Halle 902 should be the second Access tram and progress is now being made with purchasing the car and the appropriate papers have been sent to the HSE Asbestos Policy Team. The workshops have been busy in the past month with Leeds 602 completed (commissioned at the start of December) and Southampton 45 (trucks), Glasgow 22 (controllers), Blackpool Standard 40 (motors), Leeds 399 (brakes) and Berlin 3006 (motor brake drum) all seeing at least limited attention. Finally it has been revealed that admission fees for 2005 are going up with Adults rising to £8.50, senior citizens to £7.50 and children to £4.50. A family ticket will be £22.50. * Why not become a member of the Tramway Museum Society? By becoming a member you receive free admission, a quarterly journal and a monthly newsletters. You also know that you are helping to secure the future of the Society which celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2005. Further details can be seen here. Source: Contact from the TMS METROLINK HOPES CONTINUE TO RISE Sunday 12 December 2004 Hopes are continuing to rise in Manchester that a decision regarding Metrolink funding could be forthcoming, even before Christmas. The special committee set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair to investigate the £1 billion “Big Bang” plans held another meeting in the early part of last week to look at ways of reducing the cost of the scheme. The Manchester Evening News reports that insiders are saying that there is a growing sense of optimism that funds could be forthcoming for Metrolink. It is believed that another meeting is scheduled before Christmas and it is possible that the pleas from Manchester to the Prime Minister and his government could be successful. Keith Bradley, MP for Withington and a member of the working group, said: “We had a very good meeting with the transport minister Tony McNulty and officials and continue to explore all options. We hope to meet again before Christmas. The pressure is on and I'm conscious we need a conclusion as soon as possible because the outcome is in the best interests of the people of Greater Manchester." Source: Manchester Online ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP FOR THE DLR Sunday 12 December 2004 Director of Docklands Light Railway Ltd, Howard Smith, leaves as from Monday (6 December) to become Chief Operating Officer of TfL’s London Rail directorate reporting to its Managing Director, Ian Brown. He is to be replaced by Jonathan Fox, who has 18 years experience in various roles in the UK and European rail sector. Mr Smith was in the director role at DLRL for 3 years and during that time the new Heron Quays station has opened, 24 new vehicles were commissioned and a £20 million vehicle refurbishment programme was launched. Speaking about his at DLR, Mr Smith said: “With the support of a small professional and dedicated team, DLR has achieved significant results during the past few years. Passenger numbers have grown to 50m and within the next five-six years all the current projects will be complete and our remit to aid regeneration and provide fast, reliable and integrated transport will continue to be fulfilled. I know that under the leadership of its new Director, Jonathan Fox, DLR will continue to grow and provide its award winning services to meet the demands of east and south-east London.” Source: Docklands Light Railway LEEDS RHINOS PUT THEIR SUPPORT FOR LEEDS SUPERTRAM Sunday 12 December 2004 The Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Superleague champions have thrown their weight behind the “Supertram, It adds up for Leeds” campaign. Rhinos stars Barrie McDermott and Chris McKenna kicked off the campaign with a giant rugby stating “Supertram - it adds up for Leeds Rhinos”. The Chief Executive of Leeds Rugby, Gary Hetherington, said: “As well as being a major boost to the city’s economy, growth and regeneration, Supertram will provide a direct benefit to spectators coming to matches at Headingley. Supertram’s planned North line will ease traffic and congestion on the route between the city centre and Headingley and provide quick and direct links from the rail and bus stations, and from the planned park-and-ride sites around the city. This is a development which I am sure will be welcomed by Leeds fans, visiting fans and local people in Headingley alike.” It is hoped that this backing will prove to be a huge boost in the campaign to persuade the government to reverse their decision over funding. Meanwhile, a new report has been produced which shows that Supertram is vital for Leeds to become the largest financial services centre outside London by 2020. Financial and Related Services in Leeds, a report commissioned by Yorkshire Forward and Leeds Financial Services Initiative says that provided transport concerns can be overcome through Government approval for the revised Supertram bid the city’s financial services sector will continue to expand over the next 10 years. Metro Director, Kieran Preston said: “The findings of this report back all we have been saying about Supertram being key to the ongoing development of Leeds and West Yorkshire. This growth in the finance sector combined with expansions in other areas means it is vital that we have a clean, fast and efficient means of transporting people into and around the city. And just as importantly Supertram can contribute to economic regeneration by providing direct access to thousands of jobs for people from the city’s most disadvantaged areas." Source: Leeds Supertram, BBC News Online & West Yorkshire Metro COUNCIL URGE NET STAFF TO VOTE NO FOR STRIKE Sunday 12 December 2004 Nottingham City Council urged Nottingham Express Transit staff to vote no in the ballot action which took place last week over the late night working on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. The result of the ballot should be known sometime in the next week and if a yes vote is carried the action would take place only on 24 and 31 December with all other festive services being run as usual. The Nottingham Tram Consortium have said that it is part of their contract with the councils that they provide a full service on these two dates. A spokesman for the promoter of the scheme said that staff had known since day one what their hours of work would be and that “includes providing a service on some of the busiest evenings over the festive period”. The GMB Union (who have control of 90% of the NET staff) have to give at least a weeks notice of any strike action. Source: This is Nottingham BLACKPOOL HAS TO GET SUPERTRAM FUNDING Sunday 12 December 2004 It was claimed in Blackpool this week that if they do not get the full funding for a light rail upgrade of the current tramway then the whole “Blackpool Masterplan” regeneration would collapse. Last week they were awarded £900,000 for trackwork around Manchester Square but if that is just a sweetener and no further money is forthcoming many believe it will be the end for parts of the masterplan. Gordon Marsden, Blackpool South MP, has had private meetings with Transport Secretary Alistair Darling and he told the Blackpool Gazette: “very much welcome the emergency cash injection for Manchester Square which is crucial and underlines the point that this isn't just about a new light rail system, it's about keeping the existing system on track. If we get regional casinos in Blackpool, or a similar sized investment, that will have a tremendous impact on future usage of the tram system, an argument which Alistair Darling was very interested in.” Councillor Fred Jackson added: “It is essential the plan goes ahead. Trams have been linked with Blackpool forever. To imagine Blackpool without trams is just unthinkable. If the funding doesn't come through, it would be a very serious risk to the future of the tramway. It is true that the light rail system is a fundamental part of the masterplan and it would be a big handicap if we were to lose it.” Blackpool must now come up with a revised plan to present to government to see if money is to be awarded. Source: Blackpool Today MINISTER PRESSED FOR NET EXTENSION PLAN DECISION Sunday 12 December 2004 A group of pro-tram supporters went to London this week to meet with Charlotte Atkins, a transport minister, to express their concerns over the delay on the decision for Lines 2 and 3 of Nottingham Express Transit. The group was led by Councillor David Watts (chairman of the Broxtowe development control committee), Dr Matthew Frost and Nick Palmer MP (Broxtowe) and they were joined by local residents and BACIT members. One couple, Jenny and Geoff Drinkwater, whose home stands in the way of the proposed line in Chilwell, said: “If the Government pull the plug on the money, there will be further blight because the mud sticks. If they shelve the plans, it would put any prospective purchaser off because these things have a habit of being resurrected five to ten years on." The councils say that the hold up is down to the government, Nottinghamshire County Council leader Councillor Mick Warner said: “We can't commit the authority to a programme without knowing the funding package is in place. It would be wrong of the old council to commit the new council." It is hoped a positive decision will be made in the New Year. Source: This is Nottingham |
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Here is the new fleet livery for the Docklands Light Railway. 77 is seen with the river going down the side, grey doors and the DLR roundel on the front. The website is also listed on the side. Photo: Chris |
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BLACKPOOL STORED TRAMS REVEALED Sunday 5 December 2004 Although not officially revealed by Blackpool Transport Services Ltd it has been reported that a decision has been made on the trams that are to be stored. BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE would not normally report news unless it was confirmed but as this is a fairly major story we do here, but please remember nothing is 100% confirmed as yet. The list is as follows: All Boat Cars (600, 602, 604, 605 and 607) Replica Vanguard 619 Unrefurbished Brush Cars (621-3, 625, 627, 632, 634, 636 and 637) Unrefurbished Twin Cars (676+686 and 677+687) Ex-Towing Railcoach 679 2 Balloon Cars (not confirmed) Sheffield 513 (4 wheeler and so can’t go beyond Cabin) Stockport 5 (4 wheeler and so can’t go beyond Cabin) These withdrawals are in addition to the 3 Balloons currently stored (704, 716 and 717), meaning a total of 25 trams stored with 45 remaining in service. Some of the trams on this list will come as no shock, including the Boats, but probably the biggest shock are the vintage trams, Stockport 5 and Sheffield 513. Although 5 has seen very little use since arriving in the resort in 1996 it has been used on occasions but this will now not happen and 513 has been used as regularly as some of the other “vintage” trams. The problem of these two trams is that they can only run between Starr Gate and Cabin because they are only four wheelers and are banned from reserved track. 619 is also a shock and this means that the only summer type tram available for service in Blackpool is Open Top Balloon 706 - once Blackpool was almost the home of the open tram but not any more. The Brush Car fleet looks as if it will be totally decimated with only refurbished examples being retained in service. The Balloons escape more or less, this was always likely to be the case, although tow additional class members will be stored (possibly 708 and 715 which only just escaped withdrawal last year). Seven of the trams currently hold all over adverts (all Brush cars) and some of these are likely to be transferred to trams which remain in service. It is presumed that some of these contracts had already expired. One thing is for sure, and that is that there will be a fair bit of activity in the Blackpool Transport Paint Shop during this winter. Source: Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool_Transport HOPE FOR BLACKPOOL SUPERTRAM UPDGRADE PLAN Sunday 5 December 2004 The Department for Transport (DfT) have this week said that they will consider a revised bid from Blackpool for the upgrade of the tramway to a light rail system. The DfT have also said that they will look at any revised bid four months before any of the other schemes are considered. Bruce Allan, the council’s principal transport manager, said: “The DfT have said if we submit a revised proposal, and as long as it meets their criteria, then they will consider it for funding. What they have done is give us early consideration, before new proposals from other towns or cities are considered in July. By saying they will consider ours in March they have given Blackpool a four month head start on others. We have been encouraged to produce a scheme that does the job we require, but does not cost the earth. We know we have an awful lot of hard work to do between now and March, but we have a credible case. We believe we will be listened to sympathetically in Whitehall as nobody wants to see trams disappear from Blackpool." Meanwhile, the DfT were also forthcoming with £900,000 for work to be undertaken on the trackwork early next year around Manchester Square. Mr Allan told the Blackpool Gazette: “The work that will be carried out will give the trams another 30 year life. Parts of the track are so worn down that tramways inspectors, who we are in continual talks with, could have taken the view the system should be closed down. They were genuine concerns because when repairs have been carried out we were welding to track that had already been welded because it had been repaired so many times. We feared it would not last another season and trams in Blackpool would be dead within a year." The work will cause some disruption to traffic but the council believe that the long term benefits will be immense. It will also involve improving the road junction at Lytham Road. Source: Blackpool Today MANCHESTER CONTINUE PLEA FOR METROLINK EXTENSIONS Sunday 5 December 2004 On Thursday 2 December the Manchester Evening News ran a front page story on the “Get Our Metrolink Back on Track” campaign, incorporating a letter to cut out, sign and send to Prime Minister Tony Blair. The letter was then published inside the paper on 3 December. It is believed that the next few weeks will be vital as a decision is likely to be made before the Christmas break. The latest part to the campaign has been backed by transport bosses, business leaders and politicians in Greater Manchester with John Risk, assistant policy Director for Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce saying: “A positive decision would be a very welcome Christmas present for business in Greater Manchester - a huge bonus that would brighten up winter no end." His comments were added to by Roger Jones, chairman of the Greater Manchester PTE: “The problem is that this has been going on for a long time now and the two bidders have spent a lot of money - so the fear is that they could walk away at some point. It is very pleasing that progress is being made and meetings are taken place but I think it is good to let Tony Blair just how the people of Greater Manchester feel and if people will send these letters it could give that extra push." The campaign has also recently seen small stickers with the “Get Our Metrolink Back on Track” campaign logo applied to opening sections of the windows on the trams. 1007, 1009 and 1025 have been noted in service with this addition. Source: Manchester Online & Gordon Ferguson BALLOT CALLED IN NET CHRISTMAS WORKING CONFLICT Sunday 5 December 2004 There is no sign of resolving the conflict over the full service being run on NET on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. A statement from NET, on the official website, from Ray Harris, Operations Manager, says: “Following further meetings between the GMB Union and the management of the Nottingham Tram Consortium (NTC), we are very disappointed that despite an offer of enhanced rates of pay, we have not been able to reach an agreement. NTC has a clear contract with the local authorities to operate tram services on these two evenings and similar light rail systems in the UK operate over these periods too, including Midland Metro and Croydon Tramlink, which this year will operate through the night on New Year’s Eve. We would hope that the Union would be understanding to the people of Nottingham in planning the timing of any action.” The union are now to hold a ballot on Tuesday (7 December), with results known on 14 December, as to whether strike action will be taken over Christmas. The GMB control over 90% of NET’s workforce of 150. Source: This is Nottingham & NET |