| News Archive 3 This page was last updated 27 July 2003 |
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Around 50,000 people hit the streets of Fleetwood last Sunday (20 July) as the event entered its 19th year. Among those attending was MP for Fleetwood, Joan Humble, who said that the event was'important because it brings a massive number of visitors into the town. It means that as well as the activities on the day, huge numbers are introduced to Fleetwood's other attractions.' As usual vintage trams ran a shuttle service from Fisherman's Walk to Cleveleys, although this year they were all single deckers and there was also an appearance at Fleetwood Ferry from the Western Train 733+734 as a static exhibit. The day also saw an announcement from Blackpool Transport the Illuminated Frigate 736, would undergo a major overhaul to enable it to return to service on an all year basis, similar to the Trawler 633. Source: Blackpool Today 27 July 2003: 'Last Piece of NET Jigsaw' starts this weekend One of the final pieces of the NET construction jigsaw has begun this weekend with the installation of the overhead wires in Nottingham city centre. This work is to take place between 10pm and 6am in order to try and minimise disruption to the public and will involve a vehicle with a cable drum letting the cable out slowly whilst the workmen following behind will clip it into place. The work is to take place from today (27 July) with the last work expected to be complete by 27 August (a full list of when and where the work is taking place can be found on the official NET website - see link below). Meanwhile there is just 2 months left on the public consultation over the NET extension to Beeston and Clifton. Questionnaires are to be sent out to people living within 100 metres of the proposed route and information will also include detailed plans for the line including changes to road junctions and parking. Feedback from this consultation will be analysed by a market research company and will then be used to amend the proposals, if necessary, before presentation to the city and county councils for approval. If all goes according to plan an application for a Transport and Works order could be made early in 2004, with construction possibly commencing in 2005. Source: Nottingham Express Transit and This is Nottingham 27 July 2003: New look for Metrolink trams Further to last weeks news story about the new livery on Metrolink 1014 it has been reported on the official Metrolink website (see link below) that all of the 1st series trams are to undergo an overhaul. The overhaul described as a '£2 million mid-life refurbishment' will include updating the external appearance, major mechanical overhaul, the replacement of internal flooring and seat refurbishment. The program of refurbishment is expected to take 2 years for the whole 26 tram fleet (with 2 all ready completed) and Metrolink are encouraging the public to comment on the new livery (a picture of which is up at the Metrolink site). Source: Manchester Metrolink 27 July 2003: Seaton begins evening tram service Today (27 July) sees the start of the 2003 evening tram service on the Seaton Tramway, which is scheduled to run until Saturday 30 August. Open Boat style 4 will be used on these services when weather permits, with departures from Seaton at 1740, 1840, 1940 and 2040 and the return from Colyton at 1810, 1910, 2010 and 2110. Source: Seaton Tramway 20 July 2003: Crich Tramway Village Update Since the last report Glasgow 22, Paisley 68 (truck overhaul), Blackpool 167 (roof & partial repaint), Liverpool 869 (brake system), London Transport 1622 (controller) and Berlin 3006 (brake drum) have all either returned to service after attention or spent a period out of service, Leeds 602 has also being made available for limited use after a number of years out of use. Sheffield 510 is currently receiving workshop attention for a truck overhaul, with the motors currently away for inspection and test. The major restoration project, Leeds 345, continues with all of the remaining timber for the lower deck in stock and the motors being sent away for the required attention. Limited track work has also been done with the points at the depot cross-over seing attention, whilst the library was officially opened by the TMS' Patron, HRH the Duke of Gloucester on 14 April. Source: The Journal of the Tramway Museum Society (For details of how to become a member see the Museum's website 20 July 2003: Save Ealing's Streets deliver protest to Mayor This week memebers of Save Ealing's Streets, campaigning against the proposed West London Tram Scheme, delivered thousands of postcards to City Hall, protesting about the proposals. The WLTS would run down Uxbridge Road through Uxbridge to Shepherd's Bush via Acton, Ealing, Hanwell and Southall but protestors say that with part of the road closed chaos would ensue on the side streets as 27,000 vehicles use the road each day at the moment. If the tramway gets the go-ahead it is likely to open by 2009. Source: BBC News Online 20 July 2003: Hope remains for Midland Metro expansion plans Centro bosses have said that all is not lost on the Midland Metro extensions despite Alistair Darling's apparent rejection last week, when he awarded only £1 billion of funding instead of the hoped for £7.5 billion. Darling was responding to the West Midlands Multi-Modal Study, mapping out the regions transport needs for the next 30 years, and he said that there should be 'a greater focus on lower cost bus-based alternatives.' However those at Centro do not see this as a total rejection of at least some extensions with 2 likely to be continued with in the future. In the meantime Centro are going to continue lobbying the government using other European cities as examples of how successful tram systems can be used to the areas advantage. Source: icBirmingham 20 July 2003: Metrolink 1014 back into service following overhaul Two first series Metrolink trams have now undergone overhauls with 1014 recently being outshopped from the depot, joining 1007. 1014 now carries the revised livery with turquoise doors (as shown here) and in addition a turquoise band above the windows. The tram has also been named Margaret Robinson. Elsewhere on Metrolink, 1007 has now been fitted with the alternate high backed seating as noted on 1022 and 1010 is currently operating without one of its Golden Jubilee name stickers, revealing its former name. Source: Gordon Ferguson 13 July 2003: Nottingham experiences delays in opening It was revealed last week that Nottingham Express Transit would not be ready for its proposed 11 November 2003 opening. In the official press release on the NET website the reason given has been due to a longer period of commissioning, testing and training programmes than was originally envisiaged. This has led to some delay to construction completion which had a knock on effect on subsequent activities like switching the power on for system tests and also to enable drivers to be trained. The derailment at Higbury Vale has also contributed to delays as has finding experienced construction workers to meet the schedules, a problem encountered nationwide in the industry. Trams are expected to start testing on the street sections in mid-July after which there will be extensive tests including running the complete timetable without any passengers for a number of weeks. It is now expected that NET will open between 4 and 8 weeks later than scheduled, either just before Christmas or at the start of 2004. This news story was picked up across the country including an article in the business pages of The Daily Telegraph which uses the Blackpool Tramway as a shining example of how to run a tramway. In the article is says 'Blackpool's famous trams trundle along the Golden Mile carrying 16m passengers a year...If only the shiny new versions cropping up in city centres from Sheffield to Croydon could boast of such success.' It also mentions that the contractor, Carilliion, has said they will not go near another light rail project 'with a bargepole', and the article does finish by saying 'they've not all been disasters. Manchester Metrolink has proved a success and Sheffield has since revived. But the problems generated by less than 200 miles of tram track still make running Britain's rail network look like a summer holiday. Albeit one in Blackpool of course.' So it would appear that the best way to run a tramway is to have severe staff shortages and cancel many timetabled services. Source: Nottingham Express Transit 13 July 2003: Seaton new tram 9 begins testing The Health and Safety Executive gave permission to the Seaton Tramway to start testing 9 on 3 July. The first test run took place at 8.45am between Riverside and Swan Nest Loop's the following day and 9 is now out almost daily testing, currently out of service hours although soon it will be able to be tested at any time. The HSE are expected to inspect the tram at the start of August and will then be subject to a DETR inspection for accessibility arrangements and the tram is not likely to be available for service until October. Source: Seaton Tramway 13 July 2003: Fights over Stagecoach Supertram extension plans Two MPs from North and South Sheffield are both claiming that the Supertram should be extended into their consituencies. Helen Jackson, MP for Hillsborough (in the north) thinks the extsnion is needed for Stocksbridge to help with jobs, whilst Richard Allan, MP for Sheffield Hallam (in the south) says the south needs it to encourage people to leave their cars at home when going to work. It would appear that the south is winning the argument as a couple of weeks ago Supertram bosses seemed to rule out the Stocksbridge extension due to the high cost of £100 million. The City Council cabinet have now also backed the plans for extensions in the south of the city, from Ranmoor and Broomhill, to Rotherham via the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and the city centre, and from om Dore and Millhouses to Hellaby, the likely cost for these extensions is £383 million. The cabinet also said that a £40 million extension from the city centre to the Northern General Hospital should not be ruled out at this stage. There is now a strong chance that public consultation could begin in the autumn before an application is made to the government for funding. It is unlikely that any construction would start for at least 5 years. Meanwhile there has been a meeting of anti-tram extension people at a local parish hall. Around 70 people attended the meeting protesting against the proposed extension to Ranmoor and was orgainsed by 65-year old John Potter, who said that the tram would ruin the area's unique character, damage trees and cause added and unnecessary congestion. The meeting lasted 1 hour and a half and at the end it was agreed to start a protest group, ERASE (Endcliffe and Ranmoor Against the Supertram Extension). Don't miss out: in the next few weeks there will be a feature article on the Stagecoach Supertram.(Hopefully - depends on wrk commitments!) Source: Sheffield Today 13 July 2003: Public Consultation draws to a close in Edinburgh The 6 week public consultation period in Ediburgh for the proposed tram network has now finished and the results are now being collated, before the results are released in a few weeks time. If the scheme meets with the approval of the Scottish Executive a more detailed public consulation exercise will take place. It is thought trams could be running in the Scottish capital by 2009. Source: BBC News Online 13 July 2003: Vandals strike Croydon Tramlink Vandals have targetted Croydon Tramlink again, with a rock being thrown through the window of a tram on Monday (7 July)evening. The incident happened near to Harrington Road and a woman required stitches to a head wound. Roger Harding, general manager of Tramtrack Croydon Ltd, said that the suspicion was that the rock was fired using a weapon as the protective film on the windows to stop window etching should have stopped the rock breaking the glass. Source: icSouthLondon 13 July 2003: Historic Tram Shelter to get new life in Portsmouth An old tram shelter currently in a heavily vandalised state at Cosham near Portsmouth is to be carefully taken down and moved to the Gun Wharf Quays Shopping Centre in the city. The shelter is made of orante cast iron and steel and will spend a period of time at a builders before re-construction at the shopping centre. It is hoped it will be ready for re-construction by September when it is expected that it will house a food retailer. Source: Portsmouth Today 13 July 2003: New Uniforms for Blackpool Transport Bus and Tram drivers in Blackpool will be wearing brand new uniforms from Monday (14 July). The new uniform replaces the current version which has remained more or less the same since introduction way back in 1986. The new tie incorporates all the colours of the Metro Coastlines bus liveries and the uniform also includes a blue blazer, pale blue shirt or polo shirt and grey trousers or skirt. The old uniform will remain being worn by tram conductors until the end of the season. Source: Blackpool Transport 13 July 2003: British Telecom give support for DLR Woolwich Extension Not previously mentioned on these pages is that in mid-late June British Telecom withdrew their objection to the Docklands Light Railway extension to Woolwich. The public inquiry was reconvened with this news on 19 June after BT decided that the extension is compatible with the continued operation of the Woolwich telephone exchange. It is now hoped that the process of letting the contracts for construction can begin with an expected opening date of 2008 likely. Source: Docklands Light Railway 6 July 2003: Another record-breaking month for British Trams Online For the second time in 3 months British Trams Online has had a record month for hits. During June 574 unique users visited the site with a total of 2,411 page views. The most popular page during that time was the Gallery Index which saw a 15.84% hit rate with 321 visits. The month also saw the best day yet for British Trams Online when on Monday 30 June there were 372 page views. Thanks to everyone who has made June the best yet. 6 July 2003: MP's Support for South Hants Tramway Conservative MP for Fareham, Mark Hoban, has made an impassioned plea for support for the South Hampshire Light Rapid Transit scheme. The cost of the network has recently reportedly risen by £100 million to £270 million and Mr Hoban has said that with an expected 30% rise in traffic on the local roads even if the tramway is built 'the consequences of the government withdrawing support will be complex with implications for economic development, housing development, the need for alternative schemes and the environmental impact.' Source: Portsmouth Today 6 July 2003: 50 Years Since last Birmingham Tram This weekend sees the 50th Anniversary since the closure of the last tram route on Birmingham's tram route. To celebrate this anniversary a bus from the batch which were direct replacements for the trams has been used by enthusiasts to retrace the route and the Aston Manor Transport Museum has has an exhibition all weekend including model trams. Speaking of which don't forget the annual Festival of Model Tramways is back at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London next weekend, 12 and 13 July. For more details Click Here. Source: icBirmingham 6 July 2003: Croydon Tramlink Update Transport for London (TfL) have spent a staggering £35,000 on changing the Tramlink logo. The subtle change, the green has changed from a dark shade to a brighter one, is an effort from TfL to give a corporate identity to all the transport in the capital and is based on the world famous roundel style. The old signs have been transferred to the London Transport Museum. Residents in Lloyd Park in Croydon have expressed their concerns over access to their homes as they have to cross the tram tracks. They claim that the shubbery has grown too much and that they can not see whether a tram is coming so they have to edge onto the crossing in the hope a tram is not approaching. Tramtrack Croydon Ltd have said that they are aware of the problem and that it should be dealt with soon. Finally it looks likely that a quarter of the 1500 people who claimed over their plummeting house prices will receive some compensation although at no value to the claimant. It has also been claimed that the reason for the slow processing of these claims is that there has been no evidence produced that house values have been significantly affected. Source: icSouthLondon 6 July 2003: Nottingham wires continue to go up NET will be erecting the overhead wires in the city centre over the next few weeks with Talbot Street and Parliament Street being closed for 4 nights from 13-16 July between the hours of 10pm and 6am. Work has already commenced on the hanging of wires in the pedestrianised area between Talbot Street and Wollaton Street and all other areas with the tram line will be treated in the next few weeks. Wherever possible NET are fixing the wires to buildings in the city centre to avoid having to erect unsightly poles. Source: This is Nottingham 6 July 2003: Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway Update The big news this month is that Illuminated Western Train 733+734 will make a static appearance at this years Fleetwood Tram Sunday on 20 July. It is likely that it will require towing to the event and will then stabled for inspection by the public. On the livery front, Brush 631 is now back in service in its all over advert for the Laughing Donkey Bar on South Pier whilst Twin Car 674+684 have returned to use in their Cadbury Blue and Yellow Line 4 livery, with Open Top Balloon 706 now in the paint shop for its eagerly awaited repaint into original style. Coronation 304 has now been reunited with its Vambac unit and by the end of June was able to move under its own power again. Sheffield 513 has now been repaired following its major derailment in May which has seen as a consequence 513 and Stockport 5 (both 4 wheelers) have been banned north of Cabin. Severe staff shortages at Blackpool Transport (and also nationwide with adverts appearing in most local papers for bus drivers in places including Aldershot, Brighton and London) have meant that the published tram service has hardly been able to run. The Cleveleys service has been the main victim and the vintage tram service has not run as timetabled with only specials used. However on a positive note the Fleetwood service resumed on 20 June for the full day after lighting was provided at stops north of Thornton Gate. All Blackpool tramway news comes from the Fylde Tramway News. You can get this information and more by joining the Fylde Tramway Society, more details by clicking here. In the future BTO would like to move away from relying from other publications, so if you have any news please email us on britishtramsonline@lycos.co.uk. Source: Fylde Tramway News 29 June 2003: NET Power Switched On Last Wednesday (25 June) saw the switch on of power on the overhead lines from Wilkinson Street to Peel Street, approximately 1 and a half miles in length. NET spokesman Steven Barker was at pains to stress that 'no-one has been electrocuted on a modern British tram' and was urging people to just be sensible around the wires and also to ensure that their cars were parked clear of the tram lines. Source: This is Nottingham 29 June 2003: Sheffield Supertram extension to Deepcar and Stocksbridge would cost £100m It now appears that the originally proposed extensions to the Stagecoach Supertram network as far as Deepcar and Stocksbridge are a no-go as it will cost £100 million. South Yorkshire PTE boss Roy Wicks has said that they have looked at extending Supertram to Deepcar and Stocksbridge but they see more future in the proposals for Dore, Ranmoor and Rotherham. In the Sheffield Star he is quoted as saying 'Supertram is funded by the Government so we have to put together a very good case. To extend to Deepcar and Stocksbridge would cost another £100 million and that is significant funding.' This news comes at the same time as Sheffield City Council have given outline planning permission for a housing development of 400 homes in Deepcar, which will have very little access to public transport. Source: Sheffield Today 29 June 2003: Croydon Tramlink News Update Croydon Tramlink launched a new safety campaign on Monday but within a few hours tragedy had struck again on the system. A 57 year old man, Rex Nicholson, was hit by a tram at the junction of Addiscombe Road and Chepstow Road at approximately 2pm. He was taken by ambulance to King's College Hospital in Dulwich suffering with head injuries, where he was pronounced dead later on in the evening. The Police and accident investigators sealed off an area near to the Sandilands tram stop for around 2 hours before services could be resumed. Ironically the incident occurred on the same day as the Tramlink Mind Your Step campaign was launched. This new campaign is urging pedestrians to use the Green Cross Code when crossing the tramway especially near to tram stops. The campaign will continue although some posters will not be displayed as yet. Meanwhile elsewhere in Croydon a Police watchdog group have called on trams to run beyond 2am to stop people hanging around after the clubs have closed. Night buses have only recently started running in the area and Roger Harding, General Manager of Tramtrack, has said that it is a matter for consideration of Transport for London. Source: icSouthLondon 15 June 2003: Public Object to proposed Midland Metro extension According to a recent poll conducted people living near to the A34 Walsall Road in Great Barr object to the proposed Midland Metro extension. The survey, conducted by the Liberal Democrats, shows that 90% of those asked think that the tram system would create more congestion than it would solve. A local Councillor, Jon Hunt, says that the main worry of people in the area is that their access into the area will be made too difficult with 'over ambitious public transport schemes'. Centro, the local PTE, have said that no extension would be built without major public consultation. Source: icBirmingham 14 June 2003: Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway Update The first second series Balloon Car 713 has now entered the Body Shop where it is currently being stripped to the frame before it undergoes an overhaul. This tram will retain the traditional 'Streamlined' appearance unlike its recently overhauled sisters, such as 724 which is still undergoing attention in the electrical compound to its wiring. Twin Car set 674+684 are now undergoing a transformation with a Cadbury Blue livery (Line 4 on Metro Coastlines bus services) making it the third colourful Twin. Open Top Balloon 706 still awaits its turn in the paint shop whilst Coronation 304 is still not into service with the Vambac unit only recently returning from the contractor in Derby. On 29 April Standard 147 and Fleetwood Box Car 40 were involved in an accident at depot with 40 being pushed into 147 with the former having failed in service. 147 suffered damaged to its dash and was available for use just 5 days later at the FTS Convention altjough spent another period out of service afterwards to complete the repairs. Sheffield 513 has also been in the wars derailing between St Stephens Avenue and Cabin on 17 May with all wheels off the track, the tram had to stay overnight before being towed back to depot the following morning. The summer timetable commenced operation on 19 May with a 20 minute service Fleetwood-Starr Gate and a 20 minute service Starr Gate-Cleveleys. On Tuesdays the Cleveleys service is extended to Fleetwood during the day and at weekends there is a planned Vinatge and Open Tram service Pleasure Beach-North Pier every 10 minutes. The total journey length has now risen by 12 minutes to 75 minutes due to speed restrictions which requires an additional tram in service. This information comes from the Fylde Tramway News, The Journal of the Fylde Tramway Society, to receive the latest news and features on the Blackpool Tramway and beyond why not become a member? For more details see the official website of the Fylde Tramway Society Source: Fylde Tramway News 14 June 2003: Change of Plan route-wise for Nottingham Under the headline 'Tram Route Victory for the Elderly' it has been reported that the NET extension to Beeston had had a slight route change near to an Residential Home. The original proposal was to see the route go between buildings at the complex, off Bramcote Lane, but after reservations from both residents and the Railway Inspectorate the plans have now been changed to be routed to the south of the comlex. Despite this 'victory' it is still planned for a second block of elderly people's flats to be affected elsewhere in Beeston, which would mean 18 being demolished (although an additional 27 would be built instead). The changes and official route are now likely to be revealed when it goes out to public consultation later in the summer. Source: This is Nottingham 14 June 2003: Pensioner hit by tram in Croydon Last Friday (6 June) a 71 year old woman was struck by a tram near to West Croydon Station suffering a minor cut to her head. The incident happened at around 11.30am and has been said to have looked worse to onlookers than it actually was. Source: icSouthLondon CORRECTION TO NEWS STORY OF 5 JUNE 14 June 2003: Croydon Tramlink and Bus Collision As opposed to the account below on 5 June about the tram in Croydon running into the back of a bus at New Addington further details have now come to light. It appears that the bus driver was fiddling with his radio whilst using the roundabout and missed a red traffic light at a tram crossing. This meant that the tram struck the rear of the bus causing it to derail. The tram involved was 2540 which suffered several smashed windows amongst some other damage and was, after rerailing, driven back to the depot slowly, where it is undergoing attention. For just over 2 and a quarter hours trams had to turn at Addington Village before services were resumed at 1445. Source: Stephen Parascandolo's Croydon Tramlink (where a full account including photos can be found) 5 June 2003: Near Miss on Manchester Metrolink Two trams have nearly collided head on in Manchester which has resulted in 2 supervisors being suspended from work pending an investigation. It appears that one tram was returning to the depot wrong line from Bury whilst the other had just had a driver change at the staff halt before setting off for Bury. Luckily both drivers were alert and managed to stop in time,probably owing to the low speeds they were doing. It has also been reported that one of the supervisors who has been suspended told the tram going to depot to ignore a red signal. Around 20 passengers were on board the Bury service at the time. The local MP, Graham Stringer, has now called on Serco, the operators of the system, to be banned from having any further part in the Metrolink network as they did not release any details about the incident for several days, although they say they did inform the PTA and Railway Inspectorate within 30 minutes of it. An enquiry is now to follow to see why this incident happened. Source: Manchester Online and BBC News Online 5 June 2003: Tram and Bus Collide in Croydon A tram has hit the back of a T31 bus in New Addington on its way into Croydon. The incident occurred on Wednesday 28 May at 11.30am and firefighters were called to deal with it. The tram was derailed as a result with 6 minor casualties (4 on the bus and 2 on the tram). There were no tram services for 2 hours and there will be an investigation into what happened. Source: Croydon Guardian 1 June 2003: New advertising contracts in Croydon and Manchester cause stir Both the Croydon Guardian and the Manchester Evening News have reported this week about advertising contracts recently started on the areas trams. In Croydon, Gay.com, has signed a 2 month contract which will see their posters on Tramlink's vehicles encouraging people to visit their website. Meanwhile up in Manchester a new campaign by the Malta Tourism Authority featuring Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville has seen light fingered passengers helping themselves to the posters. The Maltese Tourism Authority have said that this has caused their expenditure on printing to soar whilst a spokesman for Metrolink has said that it is tantamount to vandalism. Source: Croydon Guardian and Manchester Online 26 May 2003: Derailment on NET One of the new NET trams derailed yesterday at Highbury Vale tram stop. One of the workers who went to assist with the incident tragically died of a heart attack at the scene. An investigation into what caused the tram to derail is underway with NET thinking at this early stage that it is a local problem rather than a safety one. However this minor incident has meant that as usual people have come out anti-tram with one man quoted on the This is Nottingham website as asking what would have happened if there had been someone in the tram or on the platform. Source: This is Nottingham 26 May 2003: Big day announced for Nottingham Express Transit It was this week revealed that the opening of the Nottingham Express Transit has been set as Tuesday 11 November 2003. The overhead wires are now being installed across the city centre slightly behind schedule and NET bosses have promised locals that they will be less unsightly than those of the original tram system. The next stage will see the first trams tested in the cuty centre somewhen in the summer (either July or August depending on the report you believe. Initial testing sees the trams operating empty, then the vehicles have water containers to weght them down and then finally staff will be used to simulate passengers. Also this week the government have given NET a £2.4million grant to help develop the proposals for Lines 2 and 3, to Beeston and Chilwell and Clifton. The work here will see fixing the preferred routes and engineering studies. However the local protest groups have come out in force again saying what a bad idea Lines 2 and 3 would be as they are concerned about the impact on the environment. The Beeston and Chilwell Business and Residents Association are to have a stall in Beeston Square on 21 and 288 June to show people just where the route will go and how it would affect them and they will also conduct a survey to show just how many people were opposed to the scheme. However an independent £20,000 survey of local residents to the extensions has already shown that the majority were in favour of the lines. It seems that protestors to tram lines in the UK are just something that everyone will have to get used to. Source: This is Nottingham BBC News Online 26 May 2003: Public give backing to Mersey Tram The 6 week consultation period of the Mersey Tram project has ended and it has been revealed that the public on Merseyside have given it a huge backing. Of the 9,147 people who took part an amazing 90% were shown to be in favour of the construction of Line 1, to run on a loop around Liverpool city centre and to Kirby. Of the 90% over 70% were strongly in support of the building of the system, around 6,563 people. 65,000 leaflets were distributed to local schools, over 16,500 visited public exhibitions and the official website received 34,000 hits. 45.8% of the respondents said the thing they were most looking forward to was the reliable journey times whilst 36.9% were keen to see a safe way of travel into the city centre. With all this support Merseytravel can carry on with the preparations for securing the necessary permission. Source: icLiverpool 18 May 2003: Public Consultation for Edinburgh Tramways The proposed two tram routes for Edinburgh have now been put out to public consultation. The 6 week exercise began on Wednesday (14 May) and will be followed by a more extensive consultation if the Scottish Parliament give their official backing to the scheme. Local residents can take part by either filling in leaflets currently being delivered to homes, attending public meetings of by visting the Transport Initiatives Edinburgh website. The plan is for two routes linking the north and west of the city centre. Source: BBC News Online 18 May 2003: One dead after car collison with tram pole in Sheffield One motorist has been discovered dead in the early hours of Saturday morning after his car collided with a overhead line pole in Sheffield. Police are looking for witnesses to the incident to see what actually happened. Saturday morning saw disruption to services on the Stagecoach Supertram between Halfway and Birley Lane whilst the overhead was repaired. Source: BBC News Online 18 May 2003: Tram crash exercise on NET Last weekend Nottingham Express Transit in conjunction with the Police, ambulance and fire services staged an 'accident' with a collison between a tram and a car, in order to test the speed of the emergency services. The incident was staged at Phoenix Park and two people were trapped in their car before they were rescued by the emergency services. Only senior officers from the Police, Fire, Ambulance and NET were aware of the exercise so that it could be as natural as possible. Source: This is Nottingham 18 May 2003: Mitcham becoming favourite for Tramlink extension Bob Kiley, Transport Commissioner for London, has said on a recent visit to Sutton and Merton that the proposed Tooting link, spurring off from the current line at Mitcham Junction to the town centre, would be the best value for money and the easiest to install. The news has encouraged the local councils involved although the route would not be operational before 2011. Source: Wimbledon Guardian 11 May 2003: Metrolink suffers major disruption The Bury line of the Manchester Metrolink network are still suffering major disruption after glass panes fell out of the roof at Manchester Victoria Network Rail station. Two panes of 4ftx2ft size fell 100 foot onto Metrolink Platform at 4.15am on Friday 9 May when luckily nobody was around. Metrolink have suspended services between Crumpsall and Piccadilly Gardens with a replacement bus service operating, serving usual stops between these two locations, Bury line services will only run from Crumpsall to Bury whilst all other routes are unaffected. It is presumed that trams will still access to the Metrolink depot which is between Victoria and Bury. Services are hoped to get back to normal on Monday morning (12 May). The Manchester Evening News article carried comments from passengers being critical of Metrolink as there was limited information given about what was going on. Source: Manchester Online and BBC News Online 11 May 2003: Man in wheelchair collides with Croydon Tramlink In one of the more bizare tram-related stories since the site was launched it has been reported in a local Croydon newspaper that a man in an electric wheelchair drove into the side of a tram at a pedestrian crossing when he failed to stop. The man was not injured but was treated for shock and tram services were disrupted for a time whilst the emergency services were in attendance. I wonder whether the newspapers would have cared about this incident if the man had driven his wheelchair into a car? Source: icSouthLondon 4 May 2003: British Trams Online enjoys a record-breaking month The month of April has been a record-breaking month for British Trams Online with an incredible 513 unique visitors (measured by the number of different IP addresses) and 1,994 page views across the whole site. In total since the site was launched on 1 December 2001 there have been 4,371 page views. A huge thank you to everybody who has made this possible which is beyond my widest dreams when I launched the site. 4 May 2003: Serco Docklands reveal new Managing Director Serco Docklands, the operators of the Docklands Light Railway, have announced that Neil McLean is the new Managing Director. This follows the previous MD, Jim Gates, stepping up to become Managing Director of Serco Rail Operations, which includes the Merseyrail Electrics franchise as announced last month. Mr McLean comes from Freightliner, the UK rail freight company, where he has been on the board for 6 years. Source: Docklands Light Railway 4 May 2003: Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway Update The two Brush Cars with new all over advertising contracts, 632 and 622, returned to service over Easter with adverts for the Sea Life Centre and GlynnGarry of Cheshire (double-glazing firm) respectively. Elsewhere on the repaint front Heritage Balloon 700 now doesn't look like it will receive attention this winter, Princess Alice 706 still awaits attention, Balloon Cars 703 and 716 have had their replacement panels painted but will not receive full re-paints and Sheffield 513 is now being completed. On the Twin Car repaint front 672 and 682 were back in service in their Orange and Yellow livery at Easter with full Metro Coastlines branding, whilst 671 and 681 were also in action during April in its Green and Yellow version, although initially minus any branding, finally 674 and 684 have been in service recently although has not yet been painted. The un-seasonal sunny weather in early April has meant that all of the Boat Cars and 619 have seen some use whilst Centenary 643 became the first tram running to Fleetwood over the newly laid track on 10 April before services resumed on 12 April. Finally for this month the Lancastrian Transport Trust now have premises to store their vehicles in Blackpool at Clifton Road and Coronation 663 (moving back to the resort and making it all 3 Coronations back in Blackpool) and Engineering Car 753 (previously Standard 143) were moved there in mid April. For all the latest photos and news on the Blackpool Tramway why not join the Fylde Tramway Society, Click Here for more details. The latest news and pictures can also be seen at Yahoo Group UK Trams or Fylde Tramway Society Source: Fylde Tramway News 4 May 2003: New Restoration Fund set-up Also revealed in the May issue of the Fylde Tramway News is the TSO (FTS) Blackpool Tramcar Fund. This is a joint initiative between the Fylde Tramway Society and the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation and should 'support a series of individual Blackpool Tram projects'. The first project of the fund will be the restoration to passenger service of Blackpool Toastrack 166 at the Crich Tramway Village which last ran in 1998 when it was withdrawn after problems were found with the tyre-axle interface. Future projects could include OMO 5 and Dreadnought 59, both currently at the Tramway Museum's Clay Cross store. Source: Fylde Tramway News 4 May 2003: People still awaiting their compensation monies from building of Tramlink It has been reported that people who claimed for compensation for disruption caused during the building of the Croydon Tramlink network have not yet received any monies. This came out during a question time at Croydon Council's full meeting last Monday. Hundreds of people made claims under the 1973 Land Compensation Act and maintain that either the value of their homes has gone down or they have suffered a fall in the standard of living. Transport for London received 1500 claims and have said that all claims that they believed to be correct would be settled as soon as possible. Source: icSouthLondon |