| News Archive 2 This page was last updated 27 April 2003 |
| All news is carried on these pages in good faith. Where the news story comes from another source it is always cited. I however you feel that there is something here which does not belong please inform us on email britishtramsonline@lycos.co.uk and it will be removed. Also if you have a news story to provide email us now and let us know, this site does depend on casual observation from you. |
|
On the Nottingham Express Transit network work has now started on the noisy process of grinding the rails. The purpose of this is to smooth off the rough top layer of the tracks, a few millimetres are ground off in order to produce a smoother ride when the system opens for business in November. Some people who live nearby to locations where this work has already taken place have said that the noise meant that they could not sleep although some residents have also said they had no problems. The majority of the work will take place at night to minimise disruption to motorists. Incidentally for all of the latest photos of trams testing on the network join the Yahoo! Group UK Trams Source: This is Nottingham 27 April 2003: Support shown for Stagecoach Supertram extension to Stocksbridge A petition containing approximately 500 signatures has been collected in Stocksbridge, part of the Sheffield Hillsbrough consituency, calling on the Stagecoach Supertram system to be extended into the area. The petition has been handed into South Yorkshire PTE bosses and has support from MP Helen Jackson, Sandra White from the Steel Valley Community Project and Chris Prescott of the Stocksbridge Training and Enterprise Partnership. They believe that it would be a "quick, clean alternative to the daily car journeys many people have to make into the centre of Sheffield." Source: Sheffield Today 26 April 2003: Trams for Jersey? BBC News Online reports that a former tram driver from Croydon, John Trafford, has proposed that a tram system should be built on the south west coast of the Channel Island of Jersey to help solve traffic congestion. Mr Trafford now works as a coach driver on the island and believes that it would also improve air congestion and provide a faster commuter service. The plans have been backed by the Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft but Don Filleul, former Waterfont Enterprise Board boss, has said that the idea would not be neccessary. Source: BBC News Online 20 April 2003: Crich Tramway Village Latest News The current major restoration project at the Museum is that of Leeds 345 which is reported to be progressing well. The upper deck is now back in the main depot having been completed and painted (in the Blue and White livery) whilst the lower deck remains in the Workshop having being stripped. The removed parts are now being either repaired or replaced before they can be refitted to the tram and a majority of the bodywork has been found to be in a good condition. Glasgow 22 has also seen considerable work cosmetically and has met some delays as some panels were in a worse condition than was first thought although is still likely to be available for service during the 2003 season and fellow scot Paisley 68 has been reunited with its overhauled motors. Elsewhere with the tram fleet Gateshead 5 is back in service after a 'flash-over' of its Controller last year, Southampton 45 is to receive a refurbished controller during the commissioning period and Berlin 3006 continues to receive attention with many work parts now replaced. Finally at the Museum itself the new Library extension is behind schedule but its nearing completion, a grant of £131,000 has been awarded by the Countryside Agency in order to make a half mile stretch of the Museum into a Woodland Walk as this area still looks like the quarry it used to be. Source: The Journal of the Tramway Museum Society 20 April 2003: DLR Station Upgrades at All Saints and Bow Church The Docklands Light Railway have started upgrading the facilities at both All Saints and Bow Church stations on the Stratford branch. The work will include adding fully weather protected canopies, improved lighting and further CCTV in order to improve on security. It is anticipated that the work will be completed mainly at night whilst the DLR is closed and that it will be finished by July. Source: Docklands Light Railway 8 April 2003: Van strikes tram in Croydon On 31 March a delivery van driver struck a tram on George Street after he came out of an alleyway and claimed that his view was blocked by pedestrians and so could not see the tram until it was too late. It is reported that there were no injuries to passengers or driver. However the article in the Croydon Guardian has managed to turn the story round to say that there should be better safety on the tramway with signals to stop accidents like this occurring. Source: Croydon Guardian 8 April 2003: Critical period for Portsmouth Monorail A public inquiry is imminent which could decide the future of the proposed Portsmouth Monorail system. There are 3 major groups who are interested in the inquiry with Portsmouth City Council wanting a line that either loops around the former register office at Lord Montgomery Way, Southsea or one that terminates at Gunwahrt Quays. However the company behind the proposal, the Ambersham Group, wants to extened towards the university campus through Old Portsmouth whilst the final group is one of homeoweners who object to this proposal as they worry about the effect it would have on them. We await the results of this inquiry with interest. Source: Portsmouth Today 8 April 2003: Metrolink criticised for slowness The Manchester Evening News have carried a story that commuters have questioned Grater Manchester PTE bosses as to why the Eccles route takes longer than an equivalent bus journey. It reports that by bus the journey from the city centre to Eccles is 19 minutes yet by tram it is increased to 29. The Evening News undertook a test on the route and discovered that the slowness is due to the number of sharp turns and having to wait for trams off the Altricham route. Source: Manchester Online 8 April 2003: First Midland Metro naming announced It has been revealed that Midland Metro 09 will be named Jeff Astle on 12 April at the depot in Wednesbury. The naming will be undertaken by comedian Frank Skinner a few hoirs before a West Bromwich Albion game (the club for which Astle played most of his career). Source: icBirmingham 8 April 2003: Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway Update The main news this month concerns repaints for several fleet members with Twin Set 672+682 now completed in orange and yellow and is now awaiting reconnection (pictures are available at FTS Website. The second class member to be repainted is 671+681 which is receiving green and yellow and then 674+684 are expected to receive the next repaint and refurbishment which is including the fitting of saloon heaters. At this time it would appear that no other Twin Cars will be treated during the off season. Meanwhile Brush Car 632 is almost complete in an all over advert for The SeaLife Centre, with a blue base coat and the controversial contravision, whilst 622 has been repainted white, but this time it is as a basis of a new advertising contract. Princess Alice 706, Balloon 703 and Sheffield 513 are awaiting either the start of their paint jobs or the completion (513 requires the Corporation crests to be applied). Mid-Life Overhaul Centenary 647 has now had the new cab ends constructed on both ends. A significant amount of overhead wire was replaced at the start of March between Starr Gate and Abercorn Place on the southbound track whilst work has begin on installing overhead on the relaid track in the Rossall area. The trackwork north of Thornton Gate is now almost complete with the contractors expected to have left at the end of last month. Finally the Lancastrian Transport Trust have proposed a 'Blackpool Movin' event on 17 August 2003 replacing the Ribble Enthusiast' Club Southport-Blackpool rally. The event would be concentrated in Blackpool and would include a vintage tram service, the official launch of Coronation 304 and an open day at the LTT's new accommodation. Source: Fylde Tramway News 5 April 2003: New Tram stop opens on Manchester Metrolink At the beginning of this week the Shudehill Interchange Tram stop opened on the Manchester Metrolink network a couple of hundred yards to the city centre side of Victoria station. By next summer the stop will be joined by a car park and a bus station to make the biggest transport interchange in the city. Source: Manchester Online 30 March 2003: Rotherham MPs back Supertram extension The 3 MPs for Rotherham in South Yorkshire have backed the proposals for extending the Stagecoach Supertram into the town. The 3, Denis McShane, John Healey and Kevin Barron, have made a joint submission to the South Yorkshire PTE acknowledging that there will be concerns over the line into Rotherham but that lessons can be learnt from the experience of Sheffield. Mr McShane is quoted as saying that "it will link bits of the town together allowing people to use the tram rather than clogging up the roads with cars." Source: BBC News Online 23 March 2003: Portsdown and Horndean Tram moves home Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway 13 has now departed the Preserved Transport Depot in Broad Street, Portsmouth along with all other exhibits. Portsmouth City Council has evicted the trust who ran the buses and tram as the area is being redeveloped although it is hoped they can return to the city in 2004. The tram was the last vehicle to leave on Friday and would have been heading for either a museum in Basingstoke (presumably Milestones) or open storage at Warnford, it is not known which. There used to be a second Portsdown and Hornden Light Railway tram at this location (number 5) although their website no longer mentions this. Anyone who can help with the location of these trams please let us know. Source: Portsmouth Today 23 March 2003: Manchester Metrolink update The first purpose built park and ride site in Manchester on the Eccles extension of Metrolink at Ladywell is starting to become a success thanks to Manchester United supporters. The site originally attracted little support especially after a methane gas scare on the site but now the 450 space car park is proving popular with football fans and lovers of art visiting the Lowry. The success of the site has shown Metrolink planners that park and ride could be a big feature as the network expands in the coming years. Elsewhere however there is not quite as good news for Metrolink with complaints from a resident at Cedar Grove in Prestwich that when trams run past her house it shudders and has caused tiles in the kitchen to be shaken off the wall. The lady's home is just 20 metres away from the Manchester to Bury line and she claims that the problem is getting worse and would like the 'silent' track fitted as is used elsewhere on the system. 80 residents have signed a petition asking for the replacement of the track and she has even asked for a speed restriction to be put on the passing trams. The most telling part of the report in the article was that the family moved into their house in 1994...Metrolink opened in 1992! Finally it has been reported that First Series tram 1007 has become the first of its type to have the revised livery applied with blue doors. Source: Manchester Online and Fylde Tramway News 23 March 2003: New West Midland LTP gains council approval This week Birmingham City Council gave approval for the new Local Transport Plan which would enable 5 new Midland Metro lines to be built. The five lines would run from Birmingham Snow Hill via the city centre to Edgbaston, Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, Birmingham International Airport to Hagley Road, a route linking the universities in the city and Wolverhampton to Wednesbury. If the plans gains Government approval it would see spending rising to half a billion pounds from this years amount of £86million. Source: icBirmingham 23 March 2003: Midland Metro announces fare revisions Not previously reported on this site are the fare revisions from 9 March on the Midland Metro network, the first since July 2001. Many of the key fares were frozen although some long distance fares were increased by 20p and travel card prices went up by 10p on average. The Corporate Affairs Director of Travel Midland Metro said "overall the average increase is just over 4%...it is still cheaper to go by tram than train." Source: Midland Metro 23 March 2003: Livingstone says trams the way forward for Merton At the biannual People's Question Time event last week the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, announced that there would be feasibility studies into extensions for the Croydon Tramlink network for Sutton via Morden to Wimbledon, Sutton via Mitcham to Tooting and Mitcham Junction via the town centre to Streatham had produced positive results. As yet the information on these feasibility studies has not been released into the public domain but the Mayor seems to believe it is the best option for the area following delays to other transport projects such as Thameslink 2000. Source: Croydon Guardian 23 March 2003: Croydon Tramlink update Further to last months reports of the financial problems being suffered by TCL it should be noted that there was never any danger to Tramlink ceasing services. There are arrangements in place between Transport for London and TCL which would ensure that even if the financial situation worsened trams would continue to run. The problems look as if they have come from the amount of revenue taken as opposed to the number of passengers carried (which are well up on forecasts) due to the number of Travelcards used for travelling (they may be excellent value for money for the customer but do cause problems for the various companies who accept them). It should be noted that Croydon Tramlink is the MOST successful of all the tram systems in the United Kingdom and is looking at future expansions. Apologies for any misleading information on this story in previous articles. Meanwhile on the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website figures have now been released showing the distances each tram has run since services began with 2538 leading the way at 349000 with 2532 travelling the least with 239000 on the clock. In total Tramlink has now travelled 7.8m km. I am indebted to Stephen Parascandolo for his permission to use limited news stories from his unofficial Croydon Tramlink Website, which contains detailed news stories on the latest Tramlink incidents. Source: Unofficial Croydon Tramlink 13 March 2003: Latest on Seaton new trams The official website of the Seaton Tramway reports that tram number 9 is now scheduled to go on its first test run in 2 weeks, with a current estimate of the tram entering service in mid May. Progress had been delayed slightly by supply problems but work is now approaching a close and the tram will be able to enter service if after its test run it receives the necessary HMRI and DETR approval. Source: Seaton Tramway Website 13 March 2003: New Multi Tickets to be launched in Nottingham for launch of NET Plans are well underway in Nottingham for a tickets to be launched allowing travel on both buses and trams for the opening of the Nottingham Express Transit in November. The plans see two types of ticket (daily and monthly) which would enable passengers to travel on Nottingham City Transport, Trentbarton buses and the trams without the need to buy different tickets. Source: Nottingham Post 11 March 2003: Oldham Councillors call for Metrolink route re-think Local councillors in Oldham have called on the Manchester Metrolink extension planners to change the route of the system through the town. Present plans have the system running on the current railway line which misses the centre of the town, but councillors want a re-think to see street running used through the business district. The project director of the extension said that a final decision had not been made and using the existing rail route was just one of the options. Source: BBC News Online 11 March 2003: Leeds Supertram advance works commence As reported last week on Monday of this week the advance construction works were started for the Leeds Supertram network. Councillor Brian Walker, the leader of Leeds City Council and Councillor Mick Lyons, Metro Chairman, were both present. Source: Leeds Supertram 10 March 2003: Man dies in Sheffield after being hit by tram With more sensationalist journalism under the headline 'Man dies in tram horror' a man has died after he got trapped underneath a tram at Park Street roundabout at 11.40pm on 9 March. It is not yet known how the man came to be trapped underneath the tram but he was pronounced dead on the scene after 3 hours of efforts by the emergency services to free him proved fruitless and he died whilst still underneath the tram. Tram services were back to normal by this morning. Source: Sheffield Today 10 March 2003: Fences to protect pedestrians on Midland Metro street extension? Certain areas of Birmingham city centre may have to be fenced off when the £55million extension is built following 2 recent deaths in Wolverhampton. Centro would like to have the system an 'open' system a la Manchester, Sheffield and Croydon but they fear that they will have to put fences up in Broad Street and maybe Pinfold Street. Before a final decision was made on the fences the proposed extension would have to go through a public enquiry which will more than likely happen if parliamentary powers are given when applied for this week. A public consultation exercise has already started over 6 possible routes for the Snow Hill-New Street-Broad Street extension. Comment: It would appear that Centro are being a little drastic over their belief that fences would be needed to protect pedestrians from the trams on this extension through Birmingham city centre. They cite that there have been 2 deaths on the Wolverhampton stretch which, according to the Birmingham Evening Mail, has 'already claimed 2 lives'. It should be remembered that these 2 deaths have occurred since the line opened not in just a day, and that the roads in Birmingham I'm sure claim more lives than this most weeks if not days. Source: icBirmingham 8 March 2003: Edinburgh set for trams by 2009 The Scottish Executive has announced that an investment of £375million is to be given to help improve congestion in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. This money should mean that the green light will be given to a tram system in the city starting with a North Edinburgh loop linking the city centre with Leith, Newhaven and the waterfront. There are plans for 3 lines in total with the second linking the airport into the network, it is hoped that at least the first line will be active by the end of 2009. Source: BBC News Online 8 March 2003: Controversy over Sheffield extension plans The planned extension of the Stagecoach Supertram in Sheffield is now causing controversy with transport consultants recommending that the network is extended to Dore station, right through the middle of parkland and the local cricket clubs pitch. The consultants also feel that extension should be built from Ranmoor to Rotherham Parkgate and from Sheffield to Orgreave, Wickersley and Hellaby. The proposed route of the Dore extension would go from the city centre down Brammal Lane (where buildings would have to be demolished) then joining with the railway line, where it would remain until Millhouses and then it would depart it before arriving at Abbeydale Road South. The cost of extensions to the network is estimated at £385million, with at least £20million having to be found locally. It should be stressed that these are currently only proposals. Source: Sheffield Today 6 March 2003: Docklands Light Railway Airport extension work commences At the start of this week the construction work for the £140million extension of the DLR to London City Airport and North Woolwich got under way. The ground breaking ceremony of the 4.4km extension was performed by London's Transport Commisioner Bob Kiley and is due for completion in 2005. There are just 4 stations on thsi extension but there is also the possibility that a further extension under the Thames at North Woolwich could be built, with a public enquiry currently adjourned until April. Source: Docklands Light Railway 6 March 2003: First tram runs in Nottingham for over 65 years On Sunday there was the first test run of a tram on the Nottingham Express Transit network when number 202 ran between the depot (Wilkinson Street) and Higbury Vale in Basford. The plan was to start off at walking pace before gradually building speed up to the maximum speed of 50mph. These test runs were to see if there were any bugs in the system and to make sure that the trams would not cause any problems with the signalling equipment on the adjacent Network Rail 'Robin Hood Line'. The test run went along without any hitches. Over half of the 15 trams have now arrived at the Wilkinson Street depot and all of them will undergo test runs along the limited part of energised track as used on Sunday. For anyone interested photos of the tram on its test run join the Yahoo! Group, UK Trams where there are many pictures taken on Sunday by Stephen Dee (see the links page). Source: Nottingham Post 6 March 2003: Blackpool Update As rumoured last month a Twin Car set has been painted into a variation of the Metro Coastlines bus liveries. The first set such treated has been 672 and 682 which are currently being painted in Orange and Yellow, having originally myself has reservations about this colour scheme the pictures, although not of the set completed, in this months FTN do show a very smart livery and something which will add to the scene this forthcoming season in Blackpool. Sets 671 and 681 , 675 and 685 and 673 and 683 will also receive new liveries with dark blue, red and green likely for these. Brush cars 622 and 632 are also expected to receive a repaint during the off season with 2 new advertising contracts starting (SeaLife Centre and a double glazing company), this will mean the end of the all white colour scheme of 622 . Centenary Car 647 and Balloon 724 are both currently progressing with their overhauls. Meanwhile Sheffield 513 has had its paint job completed and is now awaiting the application of Sheffield Corporation crests. The tramway remains closed north of Thornton Gate with the track work continuing at a pace, the three locations all at slightly different stages with the area between Stanley Road and Ash Street the most advanced with the rail just awaiting fixing to the sleepers. Finally trams have had to be towed from depot to the promenade due to the overhead loosing its tension with one of the traction poles at the Lytham Road/Hopton Road junction. Source: Fylde Tramway News 2 March 2003: Leeds Supertram works to commence in March 2003 The initial roadworks for the construction of the Leeds Supertram network are to commence on 10 March on the A61 Hunslet Road. A separate space will be created for the tracks to be laid alongside the current eastbound carriageway of the A61 so that future disruption is kept to a minimum. In addition new pedestrian crossings will be put in replacing a footbridge, a cycle lane will be added and foundations will be installed for flyover supports for the Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage 7 Viaduct.It is hoped that disruption will be kept to a minimum but at some stages it may be neccessary to reduce the lanes of the road, and in these cases a roadworks hotline has been set up. Source: Leeds Supertram 2 March 2003: New Ticketing method to be introduced in London Transport for London are looking to introduce a new 'smartcard' ticket on the Croydon Tramlink network by the end of this year which should ease the strain of buying tickets. The smartcard could be charged up at local shops and railway stations and would then be easy to validate at machines at each stop on the system. Source: icSouthLondon 1 March 2003: Local Transport Plan progress continues in Birmingham Following the public consultation stage in the LTP of the West Midlands PTE, the plan has been sent to 7 local councils for their approval. If their approval is granted the plan will be presented to Alistair Darling, Transport Secretary, in July. The plan sees an £880 million Metro network extending the current Line One. Source: icBirmingham 1 March 2003: Stuart Pillar dies aged 84 It has been announced that the former Chief Engineer of Blackpool Transport, Stuart Pillar, has died after a short battle with cancer. He held the post in the late 1970s and early 1980s before taking early retirement in 1982, a year after he had been awarded the MBE for his services to engineering. He was also a Life Vice-President of the Fylde Tramway Society. Source: Blackpool Today 16 February 2003: Collision on Stagecoach Supertram in Sheffield In the latest of the UK systems to suffer an accident the Stagecoach Supertram saw a tram and a lorry collide at 12.30pm on 14 February with one person on the tram reported to have slight injuries. The incident occurred at Hollinsend Road in Intake and caused damaged to one side of the Supertram around the drivers cab. Meanwhile the family of the man who was killed after a collision on the Midland Metro are threatening legal action over the lack of barriers and lights at the crossing where the incident occurred. There are also further doubts over the future of Midland Metro with the financial troubles revealed last week with the icBirmingham website reporting that the company auditors could not confirm that it was a going concern and the General Manager revealing that it could not continue under the present financial arrangements. Source: Sheffield Today - icBirmingham - BBC News Online 16 February 2003: Disruption in Croydon On 12 February at around 11pm a bus crashed onto the tram lines at Beddington Lane tram stop after the driver blacked out. As a result the tram service was disrupted for just over an hour. Source: Wimbledon Guardian 16 February 2003: Public Debate to commence in Liverpool Consultation with the public in Liverpool over the approved MerseyTram system has now started. This consultation will last for 5 weeks before the final plans are put to the government and the final routes are selected before the Transport and Works Act is given for the system. Source: BBC News Online 9 February 2003: Tram and Car collision results in death on Midland Metro At around 12.30pm on 8 February there was a collison at Priestfield road crossing in Wolverhampton on the Midland Metro. The driver of the car was declared dead at the scene with police, fire and ambulance all in attendance with the service badly affected for a large period during the day. A service was being operated between Wednesbury and Birmingham and return and there was also a very limited service between Wednesbury and Bilston.This has been the second death in similar circumstances on the Midland Metro in over 3 years with a woman dying on a road crossing in the West Bromwich area in December 1999. Source: BBC News Online 9 February 2003: West London protests against tram proposals Earlier this week a large number of protestors took to the steets of Ealing to show their anger at the proposed West London Tram project as announced by Ken Livingstone in May 2002. The Save Ealing's Streets campaign has been launched and their main complaint is that they do not want parts of the Uxbridge Road closed to cars which they claim will be forced to divert to back roads. This is the third major part of the campaign against the route following on from a petition handed to the Mayor and a meeting. BBC News Online quote a Transport for London spokseman as saying "we welcome the views of local residents but we hope the tram scheme will actually help reduce traffic in heavily congested areas along the Uxbridge Road." Source: BBC News Online 9 February 2003: Residents say they want Croydon Tramlink extended into their area At the West Thornton Neighbourhood Partnership meeting earlier this week local residents expressed their desire to see the current Croydon Tramlink network into the Thornton Heath area. Source: icSouthLondon 9 February 2003: Financial Problems in Croydon and on Midland Metro In a bad week for the new generation tram systems in the UK it has been announced that both the companies working the Croydon Tramlink and Midland Metro systems have made huge losses. The more serious problem appears to be at the apparently succesful system in Croydon where Tramtrack Croydon Ltd., the concessionare of the network, has announced that it has debts of £100 million and the money remaining is only enough to run the system until 25 March. However the operators of the line, Tram Operations Ltd., have said that in the short term they are able to continue running trams and that the stoppage of trams after 25 March would be the worst case scenario, with the company looking at a re-financing package. The problems have been identified as an over estimation on passenger numbers (which are around 20 million per year) and the low average fare constrained on Tramlink by Transport for London and with the popular Travelcards. Meanwhile Midland Metro, which runs between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, has lost over £16 million since it opened in 1999. The losses have been blamed on high running costs and lack of passengers along with severe fare dodging and vandalism along with the unreliability of the trams, some of which have never run in passenger service. It is now thought that fares will rise although Midland Metro bosses have revealed that tram reliabilty is now at 98%, a major improvement. Both of these stories show how much of a risk the building of tram systems in the UK and why the Government are reluctant to approve new systems and could put a question mark over whether many other private companies would be willing to put large sums of money into the construction and operation. Source: BBC News Online - icSouthLondon - LRTA 8 February 2003: Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway Update Centenary Car 644 returned to service at the start of last month with an all over advert for Fleetwood Market and Farmer Parrs Animal World formerly carried by 647. Meanwhile 647 has now been moved into the workshops for a start to be made on its mid-life overhaul in a similar vain to 644. Open-Top Balloon 706 has still not been painted after its removal from the paint shop with more urgent work on buses taking preference, although it has been confirmed that it will receive its original livery, similar to that carried on Balloon 701. Balloon 700 is expected to follow 706 through the paint shop for a repaint into its wartime livery after it has had a set of replacement trucks fitted and 703 is also likely to have a paint after panelling work. Also in the paint shop is Sheffield 513 which is being painted in the normal Sheffield livery of white and blue and will include the Corporation logo in the centre of the panels between decks. Finally it is rumoured in the Fylde Tramway News that a new livery could be carried by trams going through the paint shop this winter with a lighter green as the base colour with either yellow or cream, in a similar style to the bus Metro Coastlines liveries. Source: Fylde Tramway News 2 February 2003: Mayor Livingstone visits Croydon On Thursday 30 January the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, visted the borough of Croydon for a whirlwind visit to discuss various items. Whilst in the area the Croydon Advertiser asked him a number of question including one on the Tramlink system as to whether it could prove to be a model for the rest of London, his full response is given below. "Yes, I think the Croydon Tramlink has been extremely successful and I am keen to bring in other similar schemes across London. Over 7,000 car journeys a day have transferred to Croydon Tramlink since its introduction in May 2000. I am keen to bring in other similar schemes in other parts of London." Source: icSouthLondon 23 January 2003: Tram Network for Tyne and Wear in the pipeline? A recent trawl of the internet BBC News Online provided several news pieces about tram systems around the country. Firstly it has a report from mid-December that the Tyne and Wear PTA are considering 9 routes on a proposed tram system. The proposal has come from the operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro, Nexus, under the title Project Orpheus and is the centrepiece of their 15 year plan for public transport. It is believed that new trams will be used both on existing Metro tracks and also on new street tracks with originally 29 routes identified as possibilities but this has now been reduced to 9, with the first routes hoped to open by 2008. The 9 routes identified in the report are: Four Lane Ends to Killingworth/Cramlington, Central Newcastle to Denton to Walbottle and/or MetroCentre, Central Newcastle to Walker, Gateshead to MetroCentre, Gateshead to Team Valley, Gateshead to Washington via Wrekenton, South Shields to Sunderland via Boldon, Sunderland to Ryhope via Doxford Park and finally Sunderland to Seaham via Coast. Source: BBC News Online 23 January 2003: Bristol Tram project back on track After years of wrangling between Bristol and South Gloucestershire Councillors it has finally been decided that the one route (down from the original 6 proposed) with go from the City Centre to Bristol Parkway Station to the north east of the City rather than the route preferred by South Gloucestershire (to the Cribbs Causeway Mall). Now that agreement has been reached between the Councils over the route its is envisaged that trams will be returning to the streets of Bristol in 2007 with the funding already in place from the Government. Source: BBC News Online 23 January 2003: Manchester Metrolink Update Proposals were unveiled back in November for a second station to be built in Bury on the original phase of the Metrolink network. The plans are for a Park and Ride type station to be built in the Buckley Wells area of the town and were to be discussed with local residents. The hope is that the 200 spaces in the car park will cut congestion on the local roads. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive have said that the station is part of its long term plans for the Metrolink network. Meanwhile in the Manchester Evening News it is reported that a passengers' champion will be appointed to ensure that there will not be large fare rises as the system explodes in the next few years and in addition it has been revealed that by the end of the year an order will be put in for 70 new trams to ease overcrowding. Bids from consortium for building the extensions to the network have now been received and a decision will be revealed in the autumn with the winning consortium not only having powers to build the new lines but also a 25 year concession to operate all of the Metrolink. The new network is expected to be completed by 2010 although it will not be revealed which of the extensions is to be first built until the winning bidder is announced, either Greater Manchester Tramways Ltd. (Stagecoach, Virgin, Alstom, John Mowlem and Edmund Nuttall) or the Manchester Tram Company (Serco and SNC Lavalin), although a new depot at Old Trafford will see construction start first so there is somewhere to store all of the new trams. Finally the article in the Manchester Evening News states that planning application is to be put in soon to extend the system to Stockport while talks are to be held with the owners of the Trafford Park Shopping Centre about a possible spur to cover this area. Source: BBC News Online - Manchester Online 23 January 2003: Former Cardiff Tram Depot for conversion into Art Gallery As part of Cardiff's bid to become European City of Culture for 2008, the former tram depot in the Grangetown area of the city is being considered for conversion inton a large scale art venue so that big exhibitions can be held, something currently not present in Cardiff. Source: BBC News Online 23 January 2003: Former Nottingham Tram lines uncovered during NET works During some of the works to lay track for the Nottingham Express Transit system in Upper Parliament Street opposite the Theatre Royal some track, thought to be around 100 years old, was uncovered for a time. The tracks have lain under the tarmac of the road for around 60 years since the original trams stopped running, as common practice across the country was just to cover the tracks rather than remove them. Source: This is Nottingham 23 January 2003: Blackwater Valley Light Rail back on the agenda Despite the South East Regional Assembly recently pouring cold water on ideas for a light rail system in the Blackwater Valley (Camberley, Farnborough, Aldershot on the Hampshire/Surrey border) the Surrey Chamber of Commerce has backed proposals by the Camberley Society for a network in the area. The Society are angry that current work is seeing bus lanes being put in a lot of the areas roads causing chaos on the narrow roads and they would like a light train-bus system using just key bus and train stations with an extended network possible with cooperation between local bus and train companies. Source: Aldershot News and Mail 17 January 2003: Seaton Tramway New Trams Latest The 3 new trams at the Seaton Tramway are all expected to see passenger service by the early summer. Firstly 9 has seen good recent progress and is likely to be tested before the end of January with entry into service by Easter. This will be followed into service by 10 in May and 11 is expected to be used for the first time by June. Source: Seaton Tramway 17 January 2003: Crich Tramway Village News Update The current major project at Crich, Leeds 345, is making good progress with the upper saloon shell now nearly completed. The roof is completed which has included the bow pulleys, the interior and exterior trims, a preparation for painting and the manufacture of a new bow collector. Work has now commenced on the lower saloon which has been stripped and is basically a shell with platforms. Meanwhile Glasgow 22 has had its truck overhaul completed and in early November the body was refitted to the running gear. The car is in an almost complete operational condition and is being prepared for painting with completition expected in time for the 2003 season. Paisley 68 has had its truck removed and dismantled with the traction motors sent for overhaul, the brake rigging is now being overhauled and the wheelsets need to turned to recover the correct profiles. Blackpool 40 and LCC 106 have both returned to service after various repairs whilst the Museum are looking into a permanent soloution for the fractured wheel problem of Johannesburg 60. The Access Tram, Berlin 3006, is also seeing attention with the lift and pantograph requiring overhauls and additional work on the area around the windows with re-plating and trimming. Finally the Museum have announced that there is a rise of 8% in visitor numbers in the year up to 31 October 2002. Source: The Journal of the Tramway Museum Society 11 January 2003: Midland Metro Tram Namings cause controversy The Midland Metro network are currently looking towards naming many of their operational trams, although the chosen names are causing local controversy. The main problem people have with the prospective names is that most are little known local politicians such as former Mayors, only a public vote in Sandwell has produced a name that will be instantly recognisable nationwide with the former West Brom Footballer Jeff Astle their selection. One of the most controversial names was chosen by Altram, the company who run the system, who have picked the Resident Engineer for the builders of the troublesome trams, Ansaldo, Roger Entwistle. The namings are to feature lavish ceremony's and the article says that it will be at a cost of £10,000 per naming. The final decision will be made after a meeting with the West Midlands PTA. Source: icBirmingham 5 January 2003: Croydon Tramlink Bosses say its unlikely that major safety changes will happen A report from the Croydon Advertiser carried on the icSouthLondon website reveals that those in charge at Croydon Tramlink do not see it likely that despite the two deaths in the last third of 2002 there are unlikely to be major safety improvements along the trams route. The final recommendations will not be revealed to the public until after an inquest is held into the second fatality and discussions with the Railway Inspectorate. The tone of the article seems to imply that the newspaper thinks that major safety changes need to be employed by the tramway, however quite what can be done to stop people walking into the path of the trams is unknown as the installation of barriers is not practical and would not even be considered if we were talking of cars, and I expect that more than 2 people have been hit on the road in the same length of time. Source: icSouthLondon 5 January 2003: Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway News Update To start off this month a number of Balloons have been undergoing attention with Open-Top 706 now in the Paint Shop awaiting a repaint after some attention to the panelling in the Body Shop, 703 has also had panel attention following its minor collision back in September and Heritage 700 is having a replacement set of trucks fitted. Brush Car 631 is now back in service after an overhauled set of trucks were fitted at the start of December. Meanwhile the current Centenary Overhaul, 644, has now be completed in an all over advert for Fleetwood Market and Farmer Parr's Animal World and is currently undergoing attention in the Electrical Compound. News of the World Liveried Jubilee 761 returned to service at the start of December and Sheffield 513 has been moved into the Paint Shop for its first repaint for a number of years. Finally the works fleet has a new member with the arrival in December of a multipurpose Road and Rail vehicle, as yet unnumbered, which should take up the majority of duties currently undertaken by 940 with 941 likely to disposed of Source: Fylde Tramway News |