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| News...October 2005...News...October 2005...News...October 2005...News This Page was last updated Sunday 30 October 2005 |
| 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: Night time tram scene at Beamish (added 16 October 2005) Track work at Beamish (added 16 October 2005) Blackpool Jubilee 761 having lost its Wilkinson vinyls, now in all over cream (added 16 October 2005) A close up of the 2005 commissioned tram shelter and amenities building at Beamish. (added 23 October 2005) |
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News In Brief Blackpool: Twin Car Trailer 682 caused chaos on Friday (28 October) when leaving the loop at Little Bispham. The southbound line was blocked and single line working was put into place using the rare crossover at Norbreck. The previous day (Thursday 27 October) saw several rare workings to Fleetwood after dark with non high intensity headlight examples Balloon 703, Balloon 701, Balloon 721 and Railcoach 680 all making appearances at the northern terminus. (30/10/05 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport) Blackpool: By the time you read this OMO 10 is likely to be no more with contractors due to dismantle the tram on Friday (28 October) following the LTT stripping all useful components from it for use in sister 8’s restoration. (30/10/05 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport) Manchester: 1001 has now returned to service carrying the revised livery, presumably following its mid life refurbishment. It does not carry numbers on the dash panels. (30/10/05 - Gordon Ferguson) ------------------------------------------------- Blackpool: OMO 8 has now been released from the Paint Shop looking resplendent in its Plum and Custard livery – photos of the complete paint job can be seen here, here and here. (23/10/05 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport) Crich: Glasgow 1297 was reunited with its bogies this week following overhaul. The tram has now started test running before a return to service. (23/10/05) Manchester: A 52 year old man was struck by a tram at Corporation Street near Victoria Station on Friday (21 October) just before rush hour. He was taken to North Manchester General Hospital where his condition was reported as being non life threatening but he had damaged his back. (23/10/05 - BBC News Online) Models: Corgi have announced their die-cast model releases for the first half of 2006 and included are three trams, two Blackpool Balloons and one Blackpool Brush. Those to be released are 715 (Mystique livery – February), 721 (Hot Ice livery – March) and 632 (Fleetwood Market livery – April). The full catalogue can be found here - the trams are on page 56. (23/10/05 - Corgi) Trampower: Photos of the Trampower tram (or Roadliner whatever you care to call it) undergoing tests in Birkenhead can be found here. (23/10/05) ------------------------------------------------- Blackpool: Progress has been made on the repaint of OMO 8 into the Plum and Custard livery at BTSL’s workshops. The top half is now in undercoat whilst the bottom half is in primer – this photo shows the tram last week. (16/10/05 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport) DLR: Not previously reported as being refurbished and released in the new fleet livery are 36, 43, 72, 81 and 91. 06 which was in a Back the Bid livery has been noted as losing its vinyls and is now running in red and white (the base colours), it is unknown whether the other units are the same. (16/10/05 - Chris Cooper) Manchester: 2005 has finally returned to service, almost exactly a year since it was involved in a collision with a refuse lorry at Salford Quays in October 2004. It retains the Phase 2 livery, but now has the thin yellow stripe above the turquoise band on the skirt. The window adverts have changed again, this time they are advertising LG Mobile Phones with 1011, 1018, 1020, 1022, 1023 and 2003 being treated so far. (16/10/05 - Gordon Ferguson) ------------------------------------------------- Manchester: A 53 year old man was struck by a tram in Manchester city centre yesterday (Friday 7 October). The incident happened in High Street during the afternoon and he was trapped for a time before being taken to the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Metrolink services were disrupted for a time. (8/10/05 - BBC News Online) Nottingham: NET have been attempting to curb the squeals which have caused many of the claims (see separate story). 2 of the 15 trams have been fitted with dampeners – discs on the wheels designed to combat the squeal made by a cornering tram at a cost of £10,000. (8/10/05 - This is Nottingham) Nottingham: New scanners are being used on NET to try and catch up on fare dodgers using Easy Rider and Concession passes. Previously these had been taken on trust by conductors who may not have noticed out of date cards. (8/10/05 - BBC News Online) ------------------------------------------------- Blackpool: OMO 8 has moved to the Paint Shop for a start to be made for its repaint into Plum and Custard livery, as part of its cosmetic overhaul. Its sister 10 is now due to be scrapped in Reading during October and will donate some parts to 8. Also in the Paint Shop is Centenary 645 which is receiving an all over light blue base coat for a new all over advertising contract. Sister 648’s trucks are now receiving an overhaul with the tram on trestles, whilst Jubilee 761 has been stripped of its vinyls advertising Wilkinson. Finally, Balloon 717 has had a start made on its major overhaul and is currently being stripped for a heritage type overhaul. (2/10/05 - Paul Turner from Yahoo! Groups Blackpool Transport) DLR: Services are suspended between Beckton and Canary Wharf on Sundays 2, 9 and 30 October because of testing on the new City Airport extension. A replacement bus service is in operation on these days between Beckton and Canary Wharf via Blackwall serving all stations with DLR tickets valid. Services will continue to operate from Bank to Lewisham, Tower Gateway to Crossharbour and Stratford and Canary Wharf/Lewisham. (2/10/05 - DLR) ------------------------------------------------- |
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MERSEYTRAM DEAL “TANTALISINGLY CLOSE” Sunday 30 October 2005 Senior Councillors in Liverpool have said that a deal to put the Merseytram back on track is now “tantalisingly close” with a possible resolution now as close as Friday 4 November. However, Transport Minister Derek Twigg MP has said that a decision needs to be made once and for all to stop everything dragging along. A senior member of Liverpool City Council’s cabinet said: “We are tantalisingly close. David Henshaw is due to produce a report on Thursday which will go to the board on November 4." Further positive vibes have come from the City Council with the council leader, Mike Storey writing a letter to the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce David Wade-Smith. In it Councillor Storey said: “I share your determination to see this project come to a successful conclusion. It is hugely important to Liverpool and Merseyside and will be yet another sign of the continued regeneration of this city. Many deprived communities will be able to access cheap efficient transport and it will transform their communities and their lives as well. Clearly there are still some major hurdles which have to be agreed but I am confident, with the continued support of the city council, Knowsley, local politicians, Merseytravel and other Merseyside councils, we can see this dream become a reality. I am working extremely hard to achieve this." However, Derek Twigg, Minister for Transport had demanded that a final decision is forthcoming on whether Merseytram will go ahead from the councils by the deadline of tomorrow (Monday 31 October). Mr Twigg told the Liverpool Daily Post: “October 31 was given as a final deadline and we clearly need to bring things to a conclusion. I'm trying to be helpful and say 'things are going in the wrong direction' and they have to look at it. We need to have the assurance that, if there are any cost increases, Liverpool and Knowsley will take the risk. Our position has not changed since June - our £170m remains on the table." Mr Twigg also wrote to chairman of Merseytravel, Councillor Mark Dowd outlining his concerns: “When it was clear you would not get support from all five districts, we were willing to accept assurances from Liverpool and Knowsley only. I considered it was right to let you know quickly that your current approach is not heading in the right direction. When we met in Brighton on September 27, I made it clear that it was not sufficient just to give assurances on the contingency provision. We need the districts to underwrite any potential shortfall between the costs of completing Line One and Merseytravel's resources for the project." It now appears that the Department for Transport want Liverpool and Knowsley councils to agree to underwrite any excess costs on the construction of the network – not just the £25million that the councils are close to agreeing on. It is also incredibly ironic that the government are asking the councils to get a move on and make a final decision on whether to put the package in place. This is the same government who have not given a final decision on light rail projects nationwide but have rather but decisions off and off. Just what will happen on Monday if Liverpool City Council have not agreed to undertake to cover the losses is not known as sources close to project do not believe the DfT would cut the project adrift just for a few days (the Cabinet meet on Friday 4 November).
Keith Sergeant, Arrow Light Rail Limited General Manager said: “We have been encouraged by the very solid patronage and revenue results so far and we look forward to continued growth in the years ahead."
Deprecation amounted to £6.4 million meaning that a loss of £6.2 million has been published after a tax credit of £132,000. Standard Account Policies determine that Arrow Light Rail Limited must write off its assets equally over the 27 years of the concession. It is purely an accounting matter and does not affect the strong cash or operational performance of the company.
Labour have been doing the accusing this week with Kath Hartley, Labour Transportation spokeswoman saying she had evidence that the Council were intent on restricting the use of Broad Street to out of city trams only. She claimed that the initial City Centre extension to Five Ways would have to use a new route through streets parallel to Broad Street. If this was true then a new TWA order would be required as would a new Public Inquiry.
The cabinet agreed on Monday (24 October) that they would press ahead with the street level extension in conjunction with the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority. Councillor Len Gregory, Cabinet Transportation member, accused Ms Hartley of scaremongering and denied that he had a secret meeting with the PTA last week to discuss Broad Street. However, he did not rule out possible alterations to the proposed extension from Snow Hill to Five Ways via New Street.
The current on the spot fine of £10 is to be replaced by an escalating standard fare aimed at targeting repeat offenders. Proof of Identity is to be requested on all occasions where someone is discovered not to be in the possession of a valid ticket and their address will be stored a database for future reference.
Councillor Roger Jones, Chairman of the GMPTA said: “We are losing a massive amount of money, which could be reinvested back into Metrolink, as a result of people who think they can get away with not buying a ticket."
The £10 fine remains for people who caught without a ticket if they pay it on the spot with the cost rising to £15 for those who paid it within 21 days. These double to £20 and £30 for anyone committing a second offence and a third offence doubles again to £40 and £60. A fourth offence results in an £80 fine or the possibility of prosecution. In addition anyone who doesn’t pay the fine within the 21 days is also liable to prosecution.
This new scheme starts on Monday (31 October).
Jenners Princes Street Edinburgh Limited were due to give evidence to the Line Two Parliamentary Committee as Line Two includes a section of line which impacts of Jenners’ property but after discussions with tie and Edinburgh City Council they have now withdrawn their objection.
Their major concern was regarding access to and security of the Jenners Depository, a listed building close to Line Two. One development which encouraged the retailer was tie’s indication that it is likely to adopt a high level alignment in the area close to the depository which will prevent any interference with Jenners’ land.
Ian Kendall, Tram Project Director of tie, said: “Jenners joins a number of other leading Edinburgh retailers in withdrawing its objection to the plans, and we are pleased to have been able to come to an agreement together. One of the key benefits of trams is the delivery of shoppers quickly and easily to the key retail destinations in the city. As has been shown in other cities that have introduced trams, retail can achieve a massive boost from the introduction of trams, and it is our intention that the plans for Edinburgh deliver the same results.”
The eight stations involved are Victoria, Shudehill, Market Street, St Peter’s Square, G-Mex, Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly Station. Passengers only have to show their train tickets to any tram inspectors they may come across.
Denise Lennox, GMPTE Service Delivery Director said: “Metrolink has been a massive success for Manchester and it's important that people coming into the city centre from elsewhere in the county are able to benefit from it. That's why it is free for all Greater Manchester rail passengers to travel on the tram to any stop in the city centre zone between Victoria and G-Mex."
The deal is only valid on tickets bought within the Greater Manchester PTE area.
Sheffield 46, Leeds 600 and Glasgow 1100 are still at Crich as Hepthorne Lane (on the route to the Clay Cross store) has been closed for road works for 6 weeks. The move will not be able to take place until the end of November and then it could be further delayed by the short days and possible inclement weather.
Work on the new restoration project of LUT 159 is reportedly progressing well with most of the timber for the body now having been delivered. The main body pillars have been cut and profiled which will allow the trial dry fitting of some existing and new longitudinal timber rails. Further work has also been taking place on overhauling a pair of B18 controllers which used to be with Blackpool and Fleetwood Rack 2.
As reported briefly last week Glasgow 1297 has been reunited with its trucks. A rigorous testing programme is now going to take place and some remedial work to the paintwork will take place before the tram joins the serviceable fleet again. Leeds 602 is due to move to the workshop for a start to be made on its full repaint soon whilst fellow Leeds car 345 is currently receiving advertisements to the upper deck sides. Progress also continues with the roof area of Halle 902 which is now seeing localised painting to the roof.
Further to last weeks news item on the Phipps Bridge derailment early indications suggest it was caused by the points failing to fully spring back to their correct position. As a result the detection was not made and the Points Position Indicator continued to show a single dot, which the driver should have stopped at. The driver failed to react in time and by the time he applied full hazard braking he only managed to reduce space to around 30kph. The points resulted in the leading bogie coming off the rails shattering four sleepers in the process. 2530 required new front fairings and a precautionary bogie change.
Only 2531 and 2544 remain to be fitted with the new seat covers with the release of 2541 and 2551 from depot with the replacements. Meanwhile, the latest three trams to receive the Disabled Bay modifications are 2531, 2541 and 2548.
For all the latest detailed news from Croydon Tramlink visit the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website.
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A close up of the 2005 commissioned tram shelter and amenities building at Beamish. Photo: Paul Jarman, Transport Curtor, Beamish |
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LIGHT RAIL USE CONTINUES TO GROW Sunday 23 October 2005 The annual release of Light Rail Statistics from the Department for Transport shows that light rail patronage continues to grow, with an 8.4 per cent increase between 2003/4 and 2004/5. A large put of this increase can be put down to the opening of the Nottingham Express Transit system, which is in the figures for the first full year this time around (although only 5 per cent of national journeys are found year, showing a 3.4 per cent increase elsewhere – particularly good when bus patronage has only increased by 1 per cent. The Docklands Light Railway continues to be the system with the most passenger journeys – up to 50.1 million from 48.5 million (an increase of only 3.19% - the lowest increase of those with an increase), with all systems except the Tyne and Wear Metro and Midland Metro enjoying an increase in journeys. The big gainer this year is of course Nottingham Express Transit which has leaped up from 0.4 million journeys to 8.5 million (increase of 95.29%). Of the established systems Croydon Tramlink has done well with a 10% gain with journeys now totalling 22 million. Rather surprisingly Manchester Metrolink has managed a 4.06 % rise to 19.7 million, this despite the fact that in previous years when it has achieved only a minor increase it was down to it being almost at full capacity. For the first time this year, the Blackpool Tramway is also included in the figures with 3.9 million passenger journeys on the system in the past year – making it the least used system in the UK. For full details of the figures click here for a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on the figures or see the PDF file released by the DfT here.
The London Underground emergency response team were quickly on the scene to assist in the rerailing of the tram and by 1630 the tram was chained up ready to put back onto the track. Once the tram was taken back to the depot some minor repairs were necessary before a full service could resume, which was in place by the evening. During the disruption a shuttle service was put in place between Elmers End and Mitcham Junction (later extended to Phipps Bridge with the use of a pilotman). It is also presumed there was a shuttle between Morden Road and Wimbledon.
The new Rail Accident Investigation Branch was also called to the scene to undertake a full independent investigation into the cause of the accident. They took the tram data recorder disk and a download of the tram’s CCTV. The operating company Tram Operations Limited are also to carry out their own investigations.
Steve Foulkes, Labour leader of Wirral Borough Council said: “We do not agree that the tunnel tolls should subsidise the Merseytram scheme. It is now up to Liverpool and Knowsley Councils to decide whether to underwrite the contingency and they will discuss that at the next full council meetings. We can only hope they decide not to so this loan does not go ahead."
The ball has now been returned to the court of Liverpool City and Knowsley Council’s who must underwrite a £25 million contingency fund, before the new funding package is put to the government at the end of the month.
Liverpool City Council leader, Councillor Mike Storey said: “Obviously, we need to look at financial regularities, but the scheme will benefit both councils. We need to get together and work out how it should best be done. This was a good day for Merseytram."
A decision will be made by the City Council at an Executive Board meeting next week whether to underwrite half of the £25 million. Knowsley Council have already indicated they will agree to underwrite this loan – although they want to pay slightly less than Liverpool, in line with the proportion of populations in the two areas.
A spokesman for Merseytravel said: “Arrangements whereby Merseytravel can borrow up to £40m from the tunnels have been agreed. We can now move on to the next stage in the process."
Meanwhile, Liverpool City Council’s spokesman said: “The city council only received a formal request from Merseytravel about funding for Merseytram in the last few days. This project represents a major financial commitment for the council, and the latest proposals will need to be carefully considered. It is difficult to give a timescale for when this detailed evaluation will be completed as this is a very complex undertaking and we have not seen all the documentation and agreements reached by Merseytravel on this issue."
The incident happened on Tuesday (18 October) when it is believed a lorry jumped red lights at the junction of Corporation Street and Balloon Street as the tram was approaching Victoria station. The lorry must have been travelling at some speed as the force of the crash forced the front of the tram off the rails. The initial Manchester Online report claimed that a wheel had fallen off the tram, but eyewitness reports state that this was not the case.
Cheryl Hubbard, spokeswoman from Serco Metrolink said: “The force of the crash must have been substantial in order to derail the tram and so it's very fortunate that the driver and none of the passengers were injured. An investigation is under way into why the accident happened but we understand the signals were working correctly at the time. Fortunately, the Co-op Bank has CCTV cameras all along that stretch. We will be studying them to find out exactly what happened."
According to the Manchester Online report all services from Eccles to Victoria (I wasn’t aware there were any?), Eccles and Piccadilly and Altrincham and Piccadilly (why were Bury services unaffected considering they had to pass the scene of the incident) were stopped as the tram was rerailed and taken back to the depot to assess the damage.
The lorry driver suffered minor injuries but nobody else was reported as injured.
On Saturdays 13 trams are now required (instead of 11) and with one spare and one undergoing routine maintenance this means that there can be no further service improvements without the purchase of further trams. There will now be an extra 134 trips a week, with the total number of trips now being 2168 (up from 2034). 294 of these journeys are on a Saturday (up from 193) and 184 (up from 151) on a Sunday, there are 338 trips on each weekday.
Colin Lea, spokesman from NET, said: “We are very encouraged by the continued strong growth in patronage and pleased to offer improved weekend services. Our belief is that if we keep it simple, with frequent trams and easy to understand fares, coupled with Park and Ride and integrated buses, we will continue to grow.”
Fares will remain the same.
The consultants employed to present the report presented an original draft to the City Council back in April of this year saying almost exactly the same – underground running was not feasible economically. The Council sent them off again to have another look at it and they the consultants still believe the same.
The report states that it is possible to build two tunnels underneath the city centre, but it would only be possible at the cost of £2 billion. It now appears that the council have had to accept the results of the study and plans should (will?) now go ahead to build the Metro extension to Five Ways via New Street station – on surface level, as originally agreed many years ago.
City Council leader, Councillor Mike Whitby (Conservative, Harborne)said: “If we had the funding and if the Government wanted to fund a total underground system I would say it is desirable to be underground, but the reality is the Government sets its criteria and we want to move forward with the metro."
The only thing to come out of the report is a change of priorities as to which lines will be built in the future: Meanwhile, one of the authors of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ annual report has said that the feasibility study was a waste of time. Terry Milroy said: “Any transport professional could have told them these conclusions before they started."
Jonathan Fox, Director of Docklands Light Railway said: “This is great news for DLR and our growing number of passengers. This railway is key to the continued economic growth of east London and will play a major role in the 2012 Olympics. Today’s decision by Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman means that our plans are well on track to meet future demand.”
The project will cost more than £100 million, with the funding coming from Transport for London’s £10 billion five year investment Programme. A fleet of 24 new trains have already been ordered from Bombardier which should be in service by 2009. In addition the Beckton depot will undergo an expansion (a contract for this has recently been let).
The next stage will see tenders issued in Spring 2006 for the major construction works on the route between Bank and Lewisham, this work includes lengthening platforms and building a new station at South Quay. The work should then commence in early 2007 with completion by Autumn 2009.
They completed a further review into a high quality bus option (as requested by Mr Twigg) and provided additional financial details of the local funding for the tram option. Once again these reviews have shown that the tram is the most cost effective and the only solution that will provide the range and level of long term benefits needed by the city and the region along the routes.
The total cost of the scheme has now been reduced to within £25 million of the original allocation thanks to the revised financial structure announced in November 2004 – the total cost was reduced by £1/4 billion at this time. All the latest information has now been sent to the DfT along with a reminder that time is running out to the deadline of Compulsory Purchases (March 2006) on over 200 areas of land.
If (and it is probably a big if) approval is given in time it is hoped that construction of Leeds Supertram will commence in 2008 after the Best and Final offer stage of the bidding process is finally put into place.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I say explicitly trams will be part of the solution Manchester needs. I'm sure trams will play a major part.”
He was also asked whether it was true that civil servants in his department were anti tram he replied: “"I am the Secretary of State and what matters is what the Secretary of State thinks. Our position is for any transport system to be effective, you have to address the other traffic pressures, and it has to be affordable. If Greater Manchester does do something more to stop people coming into the city in their cars, that will increase the number of people using the trams and that in turn will reduce the cost of them. The difference between now and a year ago is both us and the PTE are working very closely together and trying to develop something that will actually work. I'm confident that what we'll have at the end of this process is a plan that addresses all of Greater Manchester's needs." And the answer to the question is what Alistair?
The ICE President, Dr Colin Clinton said: “There will always be essential car journeys but, with a quarter of car trips in the UK being less than two miles, ICE believes the majority of these can be made by public transport, walking or cycling. We've got no option other than the carrot and stick. The carrot option is to encourage increased bus, train and tram use. The stick option is to charge drivers to use highways. Ultimately, the future of UK roads is simple - increased governmental promotion of public transport or meltdown."
Councillor Roger Jones, chairman of the GMPTA welcomed the findings of the survey: “It shows members of the public recognise the important role public transport plays in reducing traffic congestion. In Greater Manchester we have made great strides over the past few years to improve our public transport network. However, we realise that much more needs to be done to attract more people out of their cars. It is vital government continues to invest in public transport schemes, such as Metrolink, which have a proven record of encouraging people to leave their cars at home for some journeys. We also welcome support for other bus initiatives such as the Leigh, Salford and Manchester Guided Busway. Only with continuous investment can we attain the truly functional and integrated public transport network that we and the government aspire to."
Trams are also receiving the Disabled Bay Modification with 2535, 2536, 2538, 2544, 2549, 2551 and 2552 being the first seven to have received it. The main changes have seen the removal of the perch seat from the disabled bay and the addition of a new backrest.
The side advert on 2551 for Energy Efficiency has been removed and the tram is now in complete fleet livery.
The Dispatcher Signals at East Croydon have been taken out of use permanently with trams leaving the centre platform now having to give way to trams from their left. Give Way signs have been fitted to each CCTV column at either end of this stop. These signals were the relics of initial over design when East Croydon was originally signalled as if it was a railway station.
For all the latest detailed news from Croydon Tramlink, including the planned operating schedule of the tamper visit the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website.
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Sheffield 264 and Sunderland 16 both make a rare appearance after dark at Beamish, viewed from the top deck of Newcastle 114. Photo: Paul Jarman, Transport Curtor, Beamish |
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BEAMISH TRAM SPONSORSHIP PLAN REVEALED Sunday 16 October 2005 On Thursday October 13th Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum, launched a scheme to encourage local businesses to place period advertisements on its fleet of six tramcars. All six of the museum's Beamish based fleet (Sheffield 513 is based in Blackpool) were driven into the Edwardian town at Dusk, being posed (fully illuminated) for potential sponsors to view. It is planned to role out a scheme for individuals to support the tramcars with small period glass pane adverts featuring the sponsors name being made designed and installed on one of the tramcars. More details will be announced regarding this scheme in due course, but it is hoped that it will appeal as a potential for birthday or anniversary presents. All the trams were driven under their own power (including Blackpool 31 running on one motor at present!) to the town and were extensively photographed by both museum staff and a number of visiting enthusiasts. The event proved to be a success and may well be repeated, for photographers charters, in the future. Elsewhere at Beamish the tram route is currently divided to enable street work to take place in the town. This includes extending the existing stone setts across the front of the new Masonic Temple and removing a traction pole - its role being taken over by a rosette attached to the Temple building. Completion of this work is anticipated for next springs opening of the Masonic building. At present the trams are running either side of the works, temporary stops being placed accordingly. The new tram shelter has completed a year in use and has proved to be a great success. It is planned to add information boards inside in due course. The winter season will commence in November - photographers note that the trams often run in the dark on winter afternoons!
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Old traditions at work today - Autumn street works at Beamish. Photo: Paul Jarman, Transport Curator, Beamish |
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TIE CLOSE TO FIRST TIME UTILITIES AGREEMENT Sunday 16 October 2005 In Edinburgh tie limited are well advanced in developing an agreement with the utilities companies in the capital whose apparatus and works will be impacted by the tram network in the Scottish capital. This would be the first such agreement on a tram network in the UK. The agreement will form a single framework contract for the movement of practically all the utilities, will seek to allow all apparatus to be moved at the same time, project management by one contractor and taking on board specialist assistance from each utility company where necessary through a partnership structure. It is hoped this deal will help to avoid unnecessary disruption and will result in a more efficient overall delivery of the overall project. Ian Kendall, Tram Project Director of tie said: “This agreement is an example of the innovative approach we have taken throughout this project, to ensure that we deliver the best for Edinburgh. By working together with utilities companies we can not only save the public money, but we can also minimise the disruption of what will be an extensive construction project. Other cities, which are now experiencing the benefits of their tram network, endured disruption through the approach to utility works meaning that streets were disturbed up to eight times. We hope that the Edinburgh public recognise that the utility plans for Edinburgh are a progressive UK first, designed to deliver a world class tram system for a world heritage city.”
Mr Topman said: “I am not sure about the underground, because of the costs. But what about not going underground, but look at going overground? You only have to look at Disneyworld and the monorail system they have there. If you had something like that in Birmingham you could reach all parts of the city. You could go from Selly Oak to Aston and Lozells, where you have the need for regeneration."
Birmingham would not the first place in the UK to consider a monorail system, with Portsmouth being the most famous example. A plan which now seems to have been put to bed after years of troubles.
On Saturday 1 October the eastbound points at Sandilands Junction were causing problems. During most of the day manual operation was needed until a maintenance crew inspection declared them as unsafe and they were taken out of use between 2045 and 2230 for repairs to take place. During this time trams east of the junction turned at either Addiscombe or Lloyd Park crossovers with trams west turning at Sandilands. Only one tram was on the New Addington line with two on the Beckenham Junction and Elmers End section.
Further disruption was caused on Tuesday 27 September at the Addiscombe Road Bridge on the Beckenham line at Sandilands Junction. A large lump of concrete was on the track and another piece was hanging down from the bridge and the tram was delayed until an incident officer attended the scene, eventually deciding it was safe for trams to pass. The first trams on the following morning were restricted to 5kph whilst firstly Mowlem Engineers removed the hanging piece of concrete and then structural engineers declared the bridge safe.
Further trams have now been treated with the new seat covers. The latest trams to have been fitted are 2530, 2548 and 2553 - bringing the total to 14. Trams fitted with the new covers have also received stickers telling people not to put their feet on the seats to try and keep them as clean as possible for as long as possible.
For all the latest detailed news from Croydon Tramlink, including the mystery of the closed steps to various Tramlink stops visit the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website.
The main task for the winter period is to repair the Museum building. The work will include reroofing and rewiring and will mean a considerable amount of disruption over the coming months but the Manchester Transport Museum Society have been assured that the work will be completed in time for the 2006 season – operations are due to start, as ever, at Easter.
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| Jubilee 761 has had its vinyls removed from its Wilkinson all over advert and is now running in its cream base coat, as seen here at Tower on 8 October 2005. Photo: Alan Robson |
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MERSEYTRAM CLINGS ON BY FINGERTIPS Saturday 8 October 2005 The deadline to save the Merseytram has been extended until the end of the month, following the passing of the previous so called “drop down date” of 4 October. Chairman of Merseytravel, Councillor Mark Dowd said: “We remain confident the scheme will be built and so does the private sector, which has allowed us flexibility in moving forward. We are aiming for commercial closure of the scheme by Thursday and financial closure by the end of the month. The decision as to whether or not the scheme goes ahead is now purely political." However, despite the fact that the deadline has been extended there still seems to be no consensus on the financial packages put forward in the past few weeks. The proposed use of the Mersey Tunnel surplus fares causes the most controversy with the council on Wirral unlikely to support it as their residents use it the most and will be getting no benefit of Merseytram when (if) it is built. It has been rumoured in the past week that some of the cost will come from Europe, with a new bid for an extra £18 million – to reduce the borrowing equipment of Merseytravel. A Merseyside Council official said: “The five councils have been very clear they would act as one so the fact they want to use money from the tunnels would still not be acceptable to Wirral. We still do not even know how much we will be getting in the concessionary fares grant. "It is likely it will be put in with the rest of the revenue support grant (annual funding to councils from government) and we might not see any net gain from last year anyway. Quite simply this is a £300m plus project but the Government is only providing £170m - does it really want it?" Liverpool City Council were due last week to have a full meeting of all 90 Councillors to see whether there remains support for the scheme in the city. Councillor Mike Storey, Council leader, said: “There is no way that either Liverpool or Knowsley would make a recommendation on something like this without going through the full democratic process. It would go to the executive board first and may be called in at that stage but the financial implications are such I would want to go to the full council. This would set a precedent as the first time any local public transport project has been paid for by just two of the five authorities. We need to think long and hard on it."
However, the City Council say many of the claims are completed unjustified. Pat Armstrong, head of transport projects said: “The council is not going to be faced with an extra £9m bill. These are totally unjustified claims. I have every confidence the great majority will not be proven."
One family in Cinderhill, Derek and Kathleen Rose, claim their lives have been made a misery by the tram, which runs past their back garden. They have put a fence and planted trees to hide the trams and track. Mr Rose said: “Our conservatory goes up and down when the tram passes. I can't hear my jukeboxes playing. And I didn't want trees in our garden because it's so small. There used to be silver birch trees behind our house but they've been cut down." He also complains of the noise of the bells on the trams, which often have to be rung with people walking down the track.
They did buy the house (originally worth £120,000) knowing that the tramway was being built but have said that if they had known how much disruption there would be they would never have bothered. Mr Rose doesn’t know the value of his claim and doesn’t really know how much he feels would be fair, but did say: “I would be upset if we didn't get some compensation."
Some of the claims for compensation have come from the Wigwam Lane area of Hucknall, somewhere which has buildings in between and is “several tens of metres” away from the line. Mr Armstrong said: “These properties already have had the Robin Hood Line running there for years," he said. "They have had a substantially improved public transport system within a few hundred yards of their doorstep with no additional noise, because they have other properties providing a barrier. Yet those people are putting in claims."
The one area the Council does expect to be paying out significantly is the controversial Noel Street area, where trams go within a few metres of homes and there has been wheel squeal problems. Mr Armstrong added: "Those are the sort of claims where we would expect the residents to be able to produce evidence there has been an impact. They were the sort of calculations included in our original estimations."
Claims can be made for 6 years after the trams started operation, namely March 2010. If consultation with the claimants fails, the cases will go to the Lands Tribunal. If any claims are approved it could take as little as 6-9 months to go through but any going to the Tribunal may take up to 3 years.
He said: “The substantive funding issues have been resolved and all the potential risks have been identified and effectively addressed. We are a very short step away from giving this project the final green light. We must now take that one short step together."
His comments came on the day that Keolis were sending a small guide to dozens of business organisations and partners on Merseyside, hoping to clarify the current Merseytram situation.
In the guide Keolis answer the major questions and try to expel the myths of what is happening: Mr Degave also praised the work of everyone involved in the project: “We would wish to pay tribute to Merseytravel, the leaders of Liverpool and Knowsley Council, MPs, other local politicians and business leaders who have worked tirelessly to help deliver this project."
Mr Souter said, in a letter to Roger Jones, chairman of the GMPTE: “The details of further bus priority measures are generic and sketchy at best, with no mention of how the difficult congestion nodules are going to be tackled.” He believes that it is biased towards Metrolink and there is no vision for the future of buses in Greater Manchester.
His claims were refuted by the Director General of the GMPTE, Chris Mulligan: “The strategy does make positive reference to both a vision for the bus network and to the potential role of bus-based park and ride schemes. However, the number of bus journeys in metropolitan areas is falling each year."
For photos of the days events, see here for a special gallery.
This money has been spent on items, including: Neil Scales, Director General of Merseytravel, had decided to do all this work in advance of the final go-ahead from Whitehall to save time on the tight schedule and was praised at the time. However, the decision may now be a very costly one to the taxpayers on Merseyside. A senior source from the Councils said: “The fact is they are arguing about whether Liverpool and Knowsley will borrow around £20m to make the finances work yet to this point the project has cost somewhere around £30m and that will probably rise to probably £40m. It is actually more expensive to stop now."
The incident happened at around 9.15am on Thursday when a lorry toppled onto its side at Great Bridge Road in Bilston. Tram drivers were ordered to slow down at the spot whilst safety checks were carried out, ensuring the bridge was safe.
A spokesman from Midland Metro said: “A lorry struck the bridge and landed on is side. We had the bridge checked out by engineers who assured us it was structurally sound. No trams were cancelled but drivers were ordered to slow down until the all clear was given."
This incident followed one of Monday (3 October) when a lorry was wedged under the bridge causing Metro services to be cancelled for two hours.
In Croydon fares are set to rise by 30p from £1.20 to £1.50 for passengers paying by cash on Tramlink. However, for those who use the Oyster Card the current £1 peak hour fare and 80p for off peak travel will remain the same.
Ken Livingstone said: “This proposed fares package focuses on halving the number of cash journeys made in 2006, to speed up journeys and improve the efficiency of the network. The simple message is you don't have to pay the new cash fares switch to Oyster and pay-as-you-go and you will save money as well as time. I believe Londoners are astute enough to choose the best value fare for their journey."
However, London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton accused Mr Livingstone of breaking his pre-election promise not to increase fares.
The increases will also affect services on the DLR, and full details of the exact fares are due to be revealed in December.
Iain McMillan said: “Trams for Edinburgh are not as important as completing the trunk road network. If the Scottish Executive can find the money for [rail and tram projects] without compromising more important infrastructure projects, then so be it We do support the proposed rail link to Edinburgh Airport and the city's trams, but if there is a squeeze on public expenditure then the motorway network has to come first."
These comments were met with dismay by environmental campaigners. Mark Ballard, Green Lothians MSP and transport spokesman said: “Mr McMillan seems not to understand that building more roads only increases traffic congestion. It makes no sense for commuters to drive between Edinburgh and Glasgow, when they could travel much more quickly with a world-class public transport system."
These comments were echoed by Duncan McLaren, Friends of the Earth Scottish Chief Executive: “It's hardly surprising that the CBI appears to have no interest in public transport users when all they represent is bosses in their chauffeur-driven cars. The CBI are badly out of step with public opinion and many of Scotland's businesses if they think investment in public transport like Edinburgh's trams should be halted."
It is thought unlikely that the city will be able to afford to build both Lines One and Two in one go, and current estimates say they is a deficit in funding of at least £260 million. The part likely to be axed is the Airport to Newbridge part of Line Two, which would save £60 million. In addition transport bosses are to look at whether there is sufficient justification to proceed at this stage with the Waterfront section of Line One. No final decisions will be made public until after permission has been granted by the Scottish Executive as this would add a further two years to the process.
The so called inside source said: “Delaying the construction of the Newbridge and Waterfront sections is certainly an option that is being considered, but no final decision will be taken until after the Bills have been granted Royal Assent. If we made any alterations at this stage we would have to resubmit fresh proposals to the parliament which would delay the whole process."
However, the official line remains that the whole of the two lines will be built, a spokeswoman for tie said: “TIE limited and the promoter, City of Edinburgh Council, intend to build the whole proposed network and our submission to the Scottish Parliament is based on this premise."
These comments were echoed by Council leader, Donald Anderson: “We have to stay focused on the Transport Bill and on getting approval for trams. Any discussions to be had will take place after that, and I'm not going to speculate now."
Merseytravel have agreed to pay £40 million of the missing £60 million using surplus cash from Mersey tunnel tolls, something previously resisted by the local Councils. Merseytravel are allowed to use left over cash from the tolls for major transport projects. Previously, it had been rumoured that the charges for using the tunnel would rise but it is now believed this will not be the case.
The councils of Liverpool and Knowsley have reportedly been asked to fund the remaining £20 million shortfall, mainly from money due from the government for cheap public transport to the over 60s – something already offered on Merseyside. The main pitfall with this is that the government will not announce how much this is until December.
A spokesman from Merseytravel said: “It was a positive meeting at which our partners demonstrated their support for the tram scheme."
Both Councils have been given a week to make a decision on this latest package, although previously the five councils have said they will not agree to a deal which doesn’t have their full backing.
Meanwhile, David Milliband MP, Labour Communities Minister, has said that Liverpool will not be able to raise extra funds by a special tram tax. At a fringe meeting in Brighton he said it was perfectly legitimate for local authorities to query whether they had sufficient powers to fund badly needed local schemes. He added: “With that distribution of powers must come a trade-off. If Manchester, Leeds, or anywhere else, decides transport is a big thing for them, there will have to be a trade-off with housing or other services, a balancing off at local level."
The new bid will cost only £88 million, instead of the original bid for £112 million, and it will only involve the upgrading of the current 11 mile route between Starr Gate and Fleetwood. The two Councils would be paying £22 million towards the total cost with the remaining 75% coming from central Government, if the Department for Transport approve the scheme.
Jackie Potter, Tourism and Regeneration Director said: “We're very encouraged that so many key business people in Blackpool are backing our bid. Primarily, this latest bid is to upgrade the existing tramway, but should we be successful our long-term plan – as it always has been – is to extend the service to neighbouring towns in the Fylde. This will help regenerate the economy of the whole Fylde coast sub-region.
"It must be stressed, however, that we are facing incredibly stiff competition for funds. This is why it's so important that the people who live, work and visit Blackpool get behind our campaign."
Amongst the business community backing the plans was John Holt, Hounds Hill Shopping Centre manager: “When you think of Blackpool, the trams are one of the first images that enter your head. Now that Debenhams is coming to Blackpool when the work on the Hounds Hill centre is complete, all the big names are looking at coming into the town centre and investment like this is certainly something that would make them stand up and take notice."
Adding to these comments was Derrick Ellershaw from the Blackpool Hotel and Guest House Association: “This is the sort of investment we need to see in Blackpool to keep people coming back each year. We recognise the need to do something radical to the town to show people Blackpool is serious about its future. This can only encourage more private investment to come into the town and from there visitors will follow."
The MP for Blackpool South, George Marsden added: “This is a strong, realistic bid and the best we can put forward for getting future funding for the trams. The bid doesn't take into account what we hope for Blackpool with casinos and regeneration, so the estimates on usage are extremely conservative. If we get all we want for Blackpool then I wouldn't rule out future private investment for further improvements."
The tram would be fitted with CCTV and the driver would have a bank of monitors in his cab to ensure that the doors were safe to open and close. Steve Burd, Managing Director of Blackpool Transport Services has said that the idea is to use these only on quiet days and that on busier days during the summer two conductors would still be used. This would hopefully mean the end to running trams top deck closed.
It has not been reported which tram will be so treated and also when the work will be undertaken. But it is believed it will be on one of the rebuilt Balloons.
This news has been taken from Trams Magazine. For a quarterly magazine on the Blackpool Tramway and also the Manx Electric Railway why not get a subscription? See the link below for further details.
Michael Howell, Chief Executive of tie, said: “The exhibition has been a great
success. The volume of people attending clearly shows there is a strong interest in trams amongst Edinburgh residents and visitors. The exhibition provided a unique opportunity for the people of Edinburgh to find out more about modern, integrated tram networks and to see for themselves how trams could look in the city. We have received hugely supportive feedback which will help us continue to provide regular, informative updates about the project as we move towards making the Edinburgh tram network a reality.”
The exhibition featured a full size replica tram, information boards and newsletters and was an important fact finding mission for many city residents, giving them the opportunity to see first hand the type of streamlined, modern, comfortable tram that could soon be on the streets of the Scottish capital.
Approximately 85% of all written comments received were in favour of trams in Edinburgh, with 69.6% providing highly positive feedback.
Leeds 345 is now visually completed with the livery lining and numbers now in place and has also been varnished and completed internally. Minor work such as the used ticket boxes remains to be completed but this should be done shortly, with the tram now undergoing extensive testing.
LUT 159 has had its body totally stripped and some replacement items have already been ordered. Work is to be undertaken to repair and restore some areas of the timberwork, mainly in the roof area.
Glasgow 1297’s roof is now being prepared and painted following the completion of the trolley plank and bow equipment. Work is now concentrating on the trucks with the wheelsets being reassembled and the axle boxes refurbished.
Ricon have confirmed to the Museum that they are willing to manufacture and fit a suitable lift to Halle 902 free of charge. They have also said they will overhaul the lift on Berlin 3006, again free of charge unless there are expensive parts required. Meanwhile, 902 has now been commissioned to allow use and driver training.
Finally, this winter will see fairly extensive attention to trams in the workshops, in addition to the major projects mentioned above. This will include a full repaint for Leeds 602, attention to Johannesburg 60’s wheelsets, rewiring and controller overhaul of Blackpool Toastrack 166 and a body lift and truck examination of Chesterfield 7.
Why not become a member of the Tramway Museum Society, to help preserve the UK’s tramway heritage? As a member you get free entry to the Museum, a monthly newsletter and a quarterly magazine. For further details see here.
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