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| News...September 2004...News...September 2004...News...September 2004...News This Page was last updated Sunday 26 September 2004 |
| All the news carried on these pages is done so in good faith and the source is always quoted, normally with hyperlinks. If you have a correction to give us on a news story or have any additional news that can be added do not hestiate to email us . We are grateful for those people who have given us permission to use their images and news on this page. |
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For all previous news pages click here to go to the new News Index page which provides links to news dating back to September 2002. Photos on this page: Blackpool Balloon 702 in 1970s Fleet Livery on 5 September 2004. (added 22 September 2004) Metrolink "Get Back on Track" banner. (added 22 September 2004) Manchester Metrolink 1015 in "Get Our Metrolink Back on Track" advert. (added 26 September 2004) |
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News In Brief Blackpool: Roadliner 611, which has been in the resort once before, is expected to return for further tests this autumn. It may be remembered that the tram was not a great success last time round but is currently in Carnforth undergoing tests which, if successful, should see the tram return to Blackpool. (22/9/04 - Trams Magazine) DLR: On 21 September an open day was held at All Saints Station. It was held as research has shown that people in Tower Hamlets don’t use DLR services because they don’t understand the train services, where the DLR goes or how to buy tickets. Events on the day included the chance to meet DLR staff and find out how to use the ticket machines as well as getting a free day pass to use on the DLR. (22/9/04 - Docklands Light Railway) Manchester: 2004 has been named Salford Lads Club in the last couple of weeks. 1008 is also now back in service after its mid-life overhaul and features the front A and B numbers as 1007 and 1022 already have. (22/9/04 - Gordon Ferguson) ------------------------------------------------- |
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As mentioned in the week Manchester Metrolink have put the "Get Our Metrolink Back On Track" message onto a tram. Here we see 1015 at the G-Mex showing off its new colours. I apologise for the quality of this photo with the cars in the way but at the moment we can't do any better and it at least shows the basis of the livery. Photo: Gordon Ferguson |
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SEVERE MIDLAND METRO DISRUPTION Sunday 26 September 2004 There was almost a week of severe disruption on Midland Metro after vandalism caused a fire in cables at Priestfield. The fire happened on Thursday (16 September) night and this caused a huge power loss to the system. The Police are now investigating the incident which caused services to be curtailed and only running between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wednesdbury Great Western Street. The fire was so severe that it took almost a week of working round the clock to restore services on the full length of the line with the re-opening set for 23 September. Travel Midland Metro spokesman Phil Bateman said: “Everyone has worked so hard to ensure that we have trams operating tonight on all sections of the line. A full tram service will now be available today to help commuters make their journey to work." Source: icBirmingham & Midland Metro LIVINGSTONE GIVES “GO-AHEAD” TO CRYSTAL PALACE EXTENSION Sunday 26 September 2004 Mayor for London, Ken Livingstone, this week said that the Tramlink Crystal Palace extension will “definitely go ahead". He revealed this at a Council meeting on Monday evening when he is believed to have given the clearest indication yet that the extension would get the go-ahead to be constructed. Councillor Maylan said: “I am delighted the trams and Crystal Palace have received this vote of confidence from the Mayor. He says the money for the scheme is available and I am sure it will win popular support among residents and businesses.” However despite the Mayor revealing this information a spokesman from the Mayor’s office said: “There has been no final decision made. A decision is due in October from Transport for London.” This extension is the easiest of the Tramlink expansion plans and will also see the takeover by trams of the heavy rail route to Beckenham which will enable an increase in services on the Beckenham Junction line. In other news from Croydon it has also been revealed that fares will increase on Tramlink from 1 January 2005. The new fares will see a single fare on Tramlink rising to £1.20 whilst Oyster card users see only a 10p increase to 80p for a single fare (£1 in the morning peak). There was a serious collision between a car and tram on Monday (20 September) evening at Lower Addiscombe Road at approximately 10.30pm. It appears that a people carrier (possibly a mini cab) jumped the red lights and struck the cab door of 2535. The car was then dragged over the crossing and denting the leading bogie cover before being thrown clear and spun round away from the tram. The Fire Brigade attended to assist the driver of the car out and to stop a severe fuel leak and the tram was able to return to depot under its own power, after midnight. The tram will need extensive repairs to the cab door which was struck before it can return to service. For the full latest news stories from Croydon Tramlink visit the Unofficial site. Source: Croydon Guardian, icSouthLondon & Unofficial Croydon Tramlink HEATON PARK SUFFERS WITH THIEVES Sunday 26 September 2004 CORRECTION TO STORY: I have been asked to point out that this story on the possible pull out of the tramway from the park has no foundation and the MEN story was not endorsed by either the Tramway Society or Park Trust. The tramway are not looking at withdrawal and in fact planning big celebrations next year for their 25th Anniversary. Thanks to John Whitehouse for clearing this up The Heaton Park Tramway has suffered recently with thieves taking tramway equipment thought to worth around £100,000. The tramway had been storing tram tracks, which had been excavated from around the country over the years, for the completion of their major restoration project. The report on the Manchester Online website says that Heaton Park Tramway had planned to use the track to create a unique vintage tram system through the park - however it is not known whether this is just the relaying of the track which has been causing problems in recent years. The track had been stored in a secure compound being used by contractors undertaking the work. The Heaton Park Trust now fear that if the track is not replaced the tramway will quit the park. Edward Flanagan, General Manager of Heaton Park, said: “We are working closely with the tram society to calculate the precise amount of track which was stored in the park. Once this has been done, we will be able to establish whether any of their equipment is missing and, if necessary, carry out an appropriate investigation." Source: Manchester Online METROLINK FIGHT GOES TO DOWNING STREET Sunday 26 September 2004 Friday (24 September) saw a delegation from Manchester go to London to present the mass petition from the “Get Our Metrolink Back on Track” campaigns held since the government turned down funding for the scheme. The delegation represented the media, MPs, the public and the business community. There were over 41,500 messages of support on the petitions - which were to be presented to Tony Blair in three mail sacks. After Mr Blair has seen the pledges of support it will be passed onto the Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling. Along with the petition the Manchester Evening News were to present a dossier of evidence about the campaign. Councillor Roger Jones, the chair of the GMPTA said: “Over 41,500 pledges is a clear reflection of the scale of support that exists for Metrolink Phase 3 - both within Greater Manchester and beyond. The messages of support are still coming, in the form of letters, emails and texts. The support has been truly fantastic and will show the government that the initiative to get Phase 3 back on track is here to stay. I hope that the tide of popular opinion, combined with a revised analysis of the economic, social and environmental benefits of Metrolink Phase 3, will go some way towards convincing government of the essential need for an expanded Metrolink network. The sooner a positive outcome is reached, the sooner work can begin." The next stage of the fight to get the “Big Bang” on target will see a revised analysis of the scheme submitted to the government within the next few weeks. This analysis will re-examine the concerns about the cost and value, further evidence the strength and depth of the case for Metrolink Phase 3 as the cornerstone of a modern, integrated and efficient urban public transport network and it will also quantify the scale of loss of investment and jobs throughout Greater Manchester if it does not get the go-ahead. Source: GMPTE & Manchester Online TRENTBARTON BUSES TO AXE HUCKNALL SERVICES? Sunday 26 September 2004 The This is Nottingham website reports that Trentbarton buses may have to cut services on the Hucknall route because of the competition from Nottingham Express Transit. Trentbarton claim that passenger journeys have dropped by around 183,000 on the Nottingham to Hucknall route in the 6 months since NET services were launched. Trentbarton’s Commercial Director Ian Morgan said: “In the current climate it's going to be very difficult and unlikely that we can win a significant number of new passengers. This leaves us having to balance the books. It's almost certain that this will mean some kind of service reduction." The spokesman for the Nottingham Tram Consortium, Colin Lea, said: “If Trentbarton are looking at their routes we'd be interested in talking to them about providing services which fed into the tram in Hucknall.” The story on the website then goes on to interview some locals - all of whom are in favour of retaining the buses and thus making the article a little anti tram. Source: This is Nottingham |
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At the end of August Blackpool Balloon 702 was completed in its 1970s Green and Cream fleet livery just in time for the 70th Anniversary events. The tram has not yet been shown on these pages and so here it is at Pleasure Beach on 5 September 2004. Photo: Gareth Prior |
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BLACKPOOL TRAM FLEET TO BE REDUCED Wednesday 22 September 2004 Trams Magazine report that during the forthcoming winter period Blackpool Transport Services Limited (BTSL) are to reduced the size of the tram fleet by 20 - resulting in an operational fleet of 65 trams only. There is no official word from BTSL as to which trams will be withdrawn from service but Managing Director Steve Burd told Trams Magazine: “These will be the ones in the worst condition that are in need of an overhaul. They will not be scrapped, just simply parked up and mothballed. No further maintenance will be carried out on them.” The list of trams will include the Balloons (704, 716 and 717) which were withdrawn during last winter but the other trams will be subject I am sure to lots of rumour. As Trams Magazine note this news will come as shock to some people who have an interest in the Blackpool Tramway but the trams will not be going anywhere and will just be stored in the depot. If you think about it the total size of the current fleet is not really needed anymore with the staff shortages still being seen in the transport industry and the fact there is no need for lots of trams out on specials regularly as visitor numbers continue to go down in the resort. Source: Trams Magazine BLACKPOOL TOASTRACK 166 TO BE RELAUNCHED INTO SERVICE Wednesday 22 September 2004 On Saturday (25 September) as part of the Enthusiasts Day at the Crich Tramway Village, Blackpool Toastrack 166 will be relaunched into service after the extensive work has been completed. The plan of the day is to see the tram launched outside of the workshops at 1pm before it will undertake a run with those people who have donated money to get it running again. It should then enter public service for the first time since 1998 and there will also be chances to take photos in the depot yard with other Blackpool trams - there is a possibility it could include Standard 49 which is currently non-operational. This was the first project under the TSO (FTS) Blackpool Tramcar Fund and attention within this fund will now turn to another Blackpool tram - Standard 49, OMO 5 or Dreadnought 59? Further details on how to help this fund see here . In other news from Crich Leeds 602 has now moved to the workshops for a start to be made on major work for this tram to return to service. Initially the roof is being fully investigated for water ingress whilst work is also commencing on the electrics. Fellow Leeds tram 345 also continues progress in the workshop although it will not be completed before May 2005. Sheffield 510 is out of service and requires a replacement spring whilst Leeds 180 will have to withdrawn from service after water ingress was discovered and there have also been concerns over the body drooping. This news has been taken from Contact a newsletter from the Tramway Museum Society. To get the full picture of what is going on at Crich why not become a member? Full details can be found here and here. Source: Contact from the Tramway Museum Society THE CONTINUING SAGA OF “GET OUR METROLINK BACK ON TRACK” CAMPAIGN Wednesday 22 September 2004 Half the reason for the slowness of getting this big update to you this week has been the volume of stories coming out of Manchester and their continuing campaign to persuade the government to reverse the decision and approve the “Big Bang”. I can’t possibly cover every story in the last 3 weeks but what follows is a selection of what has been happening. Firstly the publicity of the campaign has moved forward in two ways: a tram in a new livery and a big poster in the city centre. Firstly 1015 (a first series tram which can also run to Eccles) has been finished in an all over advert for the “Get Our Metrolink Back On Track” campaign being run by the Greater Manchester PTE and local councils. The tram is mainly purple with the now recognisable logo in orange on the side along with lettering - it does feature contravision across the side windows. Originally the front of the tram and doors were left in standard livery colours - however it has now been reported that the doors are also now in turquoise. Councillor Roger Jones, Chairman of the Greater Manchester PTA, said about the tram: “This is the first time we've branded one of the trams so heavily and it will certainly catch people's attention! It's a great way to take our message to the heart of some of the areas affected by the government's decision not to approve Metrolink Phase 3. It's not just the future expansion of the Metrolink network that is affected by this decision - our plans to upgrade the Bury, Altrincham and Eccles lines and buy additional vehicles to cope with passenger demand are all up in the air now as well.” His comments were added to by Phil Smith, the Managing Director of Serco Metrolink, who said: “We wholeheartedly support this initiative. On the existing system alone, we carry more than 18 million passengers per year. Metrolink is a success and the most effective mode of transport to move large numbers of people safely and efficiently. It is crucial that we keep building upon the system as Metrolink is vital to the sustainable regeneration of Greater Manchester." In addition to this tram now showing the message a massive banner has been unveiled at the offices of the GMPTE saying much the same thing. GMPTE Director General Chris Mulligan said: “This banner leaves no doubt as to our reaction to the decision by the Secretary of State not to approve the big bang Metrolink plans. The Metrolink network has become a much-relied on part of Greater Manchester's transport infrastructure and has proved popular with commuters across the county. We want to make sure government is aware just how much this decision has disappointed Greater Manchester and the strong levels of public support." The banner is nearly 45 metres wide and 7 metres high and covers 2 floors of the Portland Street headquarters of the GMPTE. Elsewhere in the last few weeks there have been several rallies giving their support to the Metrolink extensions, culminating in one at the end of last week in Manchester city centre. The major rally in Albert Square, Manchester was classed as a noisy protest with the town hall bells chiming and people attending were urged to bring whistles and horns to let politicians know what people thought of the decision. It is estimated that literally thousands of people turned up for the rally which culminated in a minute of noise. At one of the earlier rallies in Tameside local councillor Kieran Quinn said: “If the government thinks it's heard from Greater Manchester, if it thinks it's heard from Tameside, they have heard nothing yet. The volume of our cries will get louder. This is just the start. We need Metrolink, we deserve Metrolink, let's have Metrolink!" The latest developments in the plans to get Metrolink’s extensions back on track should sometime this month see the revised plans being submitted to the government. The proposals will give extra evidence about the importance of Metrolink as the basis for an integrated and efficient public transport network. It is also likely that the proposals will include leasing trams rather than buying them and may also see the GMPTE taking on more risk of the project. Councillor Roger Jones told the Manchester Evening News: “I am confident that the revised submission will make the best possible case for extending the system. Taken together with the problems that will arise if we delay Metrolink Phase Three any further, I am sure it will demonstrate the futility in not allowing the project to go ahead." A working group has also been set up following discussions involving 21 local MPs with Tony Blair and Alistair Darling which is to look at ways of cutting costs in getting Metrolink going again. The MPs are to be represented by Withington MP Keith Bradley and talks were due to commence yesterday (Tuesday 21 September). Source: Manchester Online, BBC News Online, Gordon Ferguson & Alan Baillie |
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As part of the continuing campaign to persuade government to reverse the decision over rejecting the money for Metrolink's "Big Bang" this mighty banner has been put up in Manchester city centre. It is on the side of the GMPTE's building in Portland Street. Photo: Gareth Prior |
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NEW INTERNAL ROW OVER MERSEYTRAM Wednesday 22 September 2004 Another row has broken out between MerseyTravel and Liverpool City Council, this time over where Lines 2 and 3 should go. The City Council are now demanding that Line 2 should be built to the Liverpool John Lennon Airport whilst MerseyTravel want to keep to the original plan of having this as Line 3. The plans submitted to Government and into the public arena had seen Line 2 as linking the city centre with Prescot and Whiston Hospital and opening in 2008 whilst the airport would be served 2 years later as part of Line 3. But now the city council have come out and said that MerseyTram should serve the increasing number of tourists coming in to the city via the airport. At a meeting the MerseyTram committee accused the council of undermining “the support of the private sector, the Department for Transport, Her Majesty's Treasury, national, regional and local stakeholders, and the Merseyside public for the three line Merseytram network.” The committee also attacked the idea that the route should go by the old loop line and Belle Vale, Halewood and Gartson as it would have a negative impact on Knowsley which would lose Merseytram. In response to these attacks, Councillor Peter Millea, executive member for regeneration said: “It is not correct to say that the council is jeopardising the building of lines one and two, because the funding for line two isn't even in place yet. And the route we are proposing would take it into Knowsley via Halewood. This could be further extended into the borough when plans for line three are worked up. We are simply asking Merseytravel to look again at line two to take into account the expansion of the airport and regeneration of south Liverpool." Both sides are now expected to meet later this week in another emergency meeting to determine just what is going on. Source: icLiverpool & BBC News Online METROLINK CHAOS AFTER POWER FAILURE Wednesday 22 September 2004 There was rush hour chaos on the Altrincham route on Wednesday 15 September when a power failure caused 5 miles of track to be closed. The cause of the power failure was a broken wire at the Brooklands station which meant that from 6am for 6 hours trams were suspended between Old Trafford and Altrincham. A Metrolink spokeswoman said: “The problem may have been early on before the inspectors signed on for their shifts but we have had announcements going out on the address systems every six minutes. We have had inspectors all along the line giving out information." This followed complaints from some passengers that conflicting information was being given out over the tannoys with people being told to use replacement bus services - this was before these had been scrambled. Replacement buses were in use by 7.30am and served all stations between Old Trafford and Altrincham. Serco Metrolink had not ruled out vandalism as a possible cause of the disruption. Source: Manchester Online SERCO DOCKLANDS WINS AWARD AGAIN Wednesday 22 September 2004 Serco Docklands, the operator of the Docklands Light Railway, have won an award for the fifth consecutive year at the National Rail Awards. This time they have won the Best London Suburban Operator - an award they also won last year. They had previously won Best Light Rail/Metro (2000) and Best Operator (2001 and 2002). Neil McLean, Managing Director of Serco Docklands, said: “We are delighted to be recognised as the Best London Suburban Operator at the National Rail Awards. It’s the fifth major award for Serco Docklands and reflects our consistent year on year improvement and the commitment of all our staff to run this technically complex railway. Over the past year we have invested heavily in further improving our performance, particularly our reliability, punctuality and safety levels. These efforts have resulted in two consecutive periods of record reliability levels this year (97.58% in June and 97.83% in July) and an all time high of customer satisfaction - so this award is yet another reason for us to be celebrating.” The judges at the Awards were particularly impressed by Serco’s continued improvements, growth and innovative campaigns. Source: Docklands Light Railway MP CALLS FOR NET ROUTE CHANGE Wednesday 22 September 2004 Broxtowe MP Nick Palmer has called for the Beeston and Chilwell extensions route alignment to be altered - to avoid knocking down too many homes. He made this suggestion at the public meeting held at the start of the month by BBC Radio Nottingham when 170 people attended. Dr Palmer said that he though the tram was inevitable and also necessary but that he didn’t agree with the route if as many properties as are being proposed are to be demolished. He said: “People in their 80s will be forced to put up with a couple of years of disruption and it's too much to ask of them.” Nottinghamshire County Council Leader Mick Warner said that all residents would be compensated if they were forced into moving. However this did not meet with approval from some in the audience with local resident John McCloughan saying that the tram was an “abomination” that would cripple businesses and that “It will take 60% of my garden, my extension and my garage and the fence will be within six feet of my back door. I thought I would be able to sell the property and move on. But it will be 2006 before I get a proper decision on what is happening." One resident in Beeston said that whilst the minority of people who lost their homes would be upset, “there will be tens of thousands using the tram day in, day out." Source: This is Nottingham COMPLETE BLACKPOOL TRAMWAY CLOSURE THIS WINTER? Wednesday 22 September 2004 Trams Magazine also report that there is a possibility that there will be a 12 week shutdown of the whole tramway during the winter period. The reasoning behind this is that the next major trackwork project is to be pointwork leading to the depot. It had originally been hoped that the Council’s track gang could do the job by taking track out in sections and then welding it before replacing it. However it has been decided that this would cause complications and so it would appear that Birse Rail are to be asked back to do an extensive job on the track. A further complication has come about because it is believed that last time the track work was made to measure before installation, however if this was done now it would cost too much money. This means that there may have to be a realignment with the track as the points etc will just be standard type and may not fit the gaps. The reason for no trams at all whilst this goes on? There will be no access at all to the depot with the track being lifted (the Foxhall Square entrance is not in good enough condition to be used) and if the trams can’t get out of depot they can’t run a service. There is an outside possibility that remedial work may take place on the Foxhall route beforehand so some sort of service can be undertaken but if it isn’t it will be complete bus replacement. It is hoped that any work may start as soon as the Illuminations are over, so as to avoid any overrun interfering with Easter. Source: Trams Magazine EUROPEAN MP BACKS MERSEYTRAM Wednesday 22 September 2004 MEP for the North West Arlene McCarthy has thrown her support behind Merseytram in a visit to the Liverpool early this month. She said: “I’ve certainly been impressed by what I’ve seen. Merseytram Line 2 will deliver real benefits to Merseysiders and will be an engine behind future social and economic growth in the region. I have seen the positive impact that trams have had on cities throughout Europe, which I want to see repeated on Merseyside. For example, patients and relatives using Alder Hey and Whiston Hospitals will benefit from Line 2 by having an accessible, reliable and affordable service which will make travelling easier at what is a difficult time. There is much to be gained from this project being delivered and much to be lost if it fails. I want to see all of the agencies working together to ensure that we get the right result for Merseyside.” She made her comments as she visited the public exhibition at Alder Hey Hospital for a briefing on the proposed Line 2 and to meet members of the public with views on the trams. Source: Merseytravel MP WANTS NET EXTENSION DECISION FROM GOVERNMENT Wednesday 22 September 2004 Broxtowe MP Nick Palmer has called on the government to make a decision on Phase Two of NET. He asked during a session at the House of Commons: “Can we have a debate on the proposed extension to the Nottingham Light Rail system? I have numerous constituents on both sides of the argument, but everyone is completely fed up with the delays in deciding on the funding…we need a decision one way or the other." However there was no definite answer from the Leader of the House Peter Hain, who said: “The Government is strongly committed to a policy of light rail, and we will need to make a decision on this matter.” Dr Palmer’s call in Parliament was backed by Councillors back in Nottingham with Coun John Taylor, the chairman of the Nottingham Express Transit development board, saying: “We want the earliest possible decision - first, to build on the success of line one, and secondly to give certainty to people in Beeston, Chilwell, Wilford and Clifton. Once we have certainty about the route we can work even more closely to purchase the properties needed and deal with compensation packages." Source: This is Nottingham BLACKPOOL CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT FOR TRAM CASH Wednesday 22 September 2004 Council officials in Blackpool have had a meeting with senior civil servants in London to discuss why the plan to upgrade the tramway was rejected and what they can do to get it back on track. This meeting has knocked fears on the head from some in the town that the Council had gone off the idea after weeks of silence from the Town Hall on the trams. A council spokesman told the Blackpool Gazette: “We are currently working on the areas suggested at the meeting and are in constant dialogue with the department’s officials. We will complete this additional report to comply with the Government’s new stricter value for money criteria in the next couple of weeks. At that point we will be asking to see the minister to explain our position thoroughly to ensure that he understands the importance of trams for the future of Blackpool.” Blackpool South MP, Gordon Marsden added: “I am sure that we will get a meeting with Alistair Darling and when we do, we need to have the bullets to fire. We need to be able to argue our case. It is up to us to see how we can change our bid and impress on the minister how important this is for Blackpool.” Source: The Blackpool Gazette CROYDON TRAMLINK NEWS UPDATE Wednesday 22 September 2004 As briefly reported last month the tramway through the South Norwood Country Park reopened one day early, on Friday 27 August. The main work had been finished a few days previous to this and a tamper visited running on both the lines and there was also stressing carried out on the track. It is reported that the reopening was actually a bit of a farce, as despite the drivers being told a week before opening that it would happen a day early, the replacement bus drivers and controller had turned up on the morning wondering why trams were running! The New Addington line will see similar work undertaken next year with four main areas of concern at Lloyd Park, Gravel Hill, Addington Village and between Fieldway and King Henrys Drive. It is expected that there may have to be some work this autumn at all but the Gravel Hill section by Tramtrack Croydon’s maintenance contractor Mowlem to make sure the line remains in operational condition until the main work is undertaken. On the tram front 2530-6 and 2539 have been fitted with the new CCTV system with cabling installed up to 2541. For the full latest news picture on Croydon Tramlink visit the Unofficial website here. Source: Unofficial Croydon Tramlink SEATON TRAMWAY NEWS UPDATE Wednesday 22 September 2004 The new tram, 9, has become one of the mainstays of the service fleet at Seaton since launching in May. It has proved to be popular with both staff and passengers due to its wheelchair carrying capacity. Work continues on 10 - the second new tram - and it is hoped that it may be ready for testing at the October Gala Weekend. 10 is to see several modifications after the experience of using 9 in service, if all goes according to plan it will enter service in March 2005. The final of the trio of new trams, 11, is currently stored in the Paint Shop and work will commence on this as soon as 10 is in service. Elsewhere on the tram fleet 8 has been withdrawn from service for an overhaul on its trucks. New wheelsets, axles, gears and axle boxes are being ordered and the tram should be back in service by Easter 2005. 7 is also likely to be withdrawn from service - after 10 is completed - for some truck repairs. It is also expected that the chance will be taken to undertake a full body overhaul on the tram at the same time. General news from the tramway sees passenger numbers down by less than 1% from last year (this isn’t as bad as it sounds as the weather has been poor throughout the main season) although actual revenue has been up by 7%. It is hoped that the passenger figures may actually approach last years figures with the better weather experienced at the start of September. Finally details of the End of Season Gala on 30/31 October are now being finalised but it will feature celebrations of the anniversaries of 2 (40 years), 6 (50 years) and 14 (100 years). Source: Seaton Tramway MANCHESTER TRAM LEAVES LITTLE GIRL STRANDED Wednesday 22 September 2004 Following last months story that a tram in Croydon had left a little girl behind on a platform we now have a similar story coming out of Manchester. The incident happened after Martine McGinty was struggling off a tram at Heaton Park with a pram containing her baby son, however the doors shut before she could get off although her five-year-old daughter was already on the platform. Mrs McGinty shouted at the driver to stop but she could not get off the tram until the next station at Prestwich. Luckily two young women spotted the youngster and took her on the next tram to meet her mother who was waiting for the next tram to go back to Heaton Park to get her daughter. A Serco Metrolink spokesman said: “We apologise for any undue distress this has caused Mrs McGinty and her daughter. Unfortunately, when the driver was made aware of the separation he had already proceeded through his signal towards Prestwich stop - approximately two minutes away. On arrival at Prestwich stop, the driver contacted the Metrolink control room and procedures were immediately put into place to ensure that the child remained safe until she could be reunited with her mother." Source: Manchester Online |