West Midlands Metro seek views on the names of their routes

Posted on Tuesday 21 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

As most reading these pages will be well aware, the West Midlands Metro is currently in a period of expansion with the next extension – to Dudley – due to open later in 2026. As part of their plans for the introduction of this service they have recently launched a survey asking for opinions on what the new lines should be called to make it clear to passengers where each service is going.

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Industry seminar to take place on future of UK urban transport

Posted on Tuesday 21 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

RailEl (formerly the Permanent Way Institution) will be hosting a seminar on 14th May 2026 at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds which will be discussing the future of urban transport. UKTram will be one of the organisations attending the seminar along with other leading organisations from the rail and light rail sectors.

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Two go for scrap as one enters service on the Metro

Posted on Monday 20 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

There has been a gap of a few weeks since we last had an update of changes to the fleet on the Tyne and Wear Metro but after a brief pause the past week has seen another couple of the original Metrocars head off for scrap. Meanwhile, the 34th of the new Stadler units has entered service.

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National Tramway Museum win funding from Arts Council England

Posted on Monday 20 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

The National Tramway Museum have recently been awarded £492,880 of funding through the Arts Council England Museum Estates and Development Fund. This money will be used towards improvements for the Great Exhibition Hall, described as being at the heart of the museum.

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Old(er) and New – Manchester Metrolink: Cornbrook

Posted on Monday 20 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

We go to Cornbrook in this latest edition of “Old(er) and New”.

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They’ve Run in 2026 – Meet the Trams: National Tramway Museum – Leeds 345

Posted on Sunday 19 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Meet the Trams” we take a look at another tram which ran on the first day of the 2026 operating season at the National Tramway Museum. That tram is Leeds 345.

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Recruitment for new role the first step towards trams running at Summerlee again

Posted on Sunday 19 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

North Lanarkshire Council are again (for at least the third time) advertising a job which if filled should see the tramway at Summerlee reopening, with the expectation that the sound of steel wheel on steel rails could be heard again in 2027.

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In Pictures: Blackpool Balloon 708 on display at Sandtoft

Posted on Sunday 19 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft reopened for the 2026 season in early April, and as well as providing the chance to catch-up with the trolleybuses (operating and on display), the museum also remains the home of Blackpool Balloon 708.

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Metro timbers donated to Stephenson Steam Railway

Posted on Sunday 19 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Already home to the currently only preserved Metrocar – 4001 – the Stephenson Steam Railway in North Tyneside is set to enjoy more donations from the Tyne and Wear Metro which will used in the railway’s Woodland Walk. Logs from the lineside of the Metro will help to conserve and improve the walking route in the walking route which was opened in 2025.

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In Pictures: Blackpool 007 returns to service

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Blackpool Tramway Flexity2 007 is the latest tram to have had its repairs completed at Starr Gate Depot with the tram back in service on Saturday 18th April 2026.

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Around the World in Trams: Stockholm 615+331

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Its time for another outing for “Around the World in Trams” as we feature a photo of another tram in Stockholm.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 18th April 2026

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

This week we have photos coming from Beamish during a couple of days in March 2026:

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Back to fleet livery for a trio of trams in Manchester

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Three trams which received the same advert in February 2026 have returned to fleet livery on Manchester Metrolink with the mainly black vinyls for xtb having been removed by mid-April 2026. The trio of trams which had been carrying this advert were 3092, 3100 and 3101.

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Metro overhead line maintenance jobs advertised

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro are undertaking a major recruitment drive in their overhead line maintenance team with eleven vacancies currently being advertised. Its all part of their attempts to strengthen their incident response capability and network resilience.

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In Pictures: A look around the new Magna tramstop

Posted on Friday 17 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

As we reported a few days ago, Thursday 9th April saw the opening of a new tramstop on the South Yorkshire Supertram network with Magna welcoming its first passengers. Located on the Tram-Train route it is on Network Rail infrastructure and as such is more than just a normal tramstop with an accessible bridge and plenty of safety features to try and prevent people from being tempted onto the tracks (it is of course a low floor platform). This pictorial article with images from Stuart Cooke takes a look around the stop.

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Douglas Bay Horse Tramway 18 breaks cover

Posted on Friday 17 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Douglas Bay Horse Tramway 18 – the only operational double-deck tram in the fleet – has returned to the Promenade for the first time since 2024 after enjoying an extensive overhaul at Strathallan Depot.

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Picture in Time: Stagecoach Supertram 113

Posted on Friday 17 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

One last look in “Picture in Time” at the South Yorkshire Supertram system with another image from 2007.

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In Pictures: West Midlands Metro 27 returns to the mainline

Posted on Thursday 16 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Thursday 16th April 2026 was a momentous day for West Midlands Metro 27 when it escaped from Wednesbury Depot for the first time in quite some time with it being used on driver training.

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Trolleybuses set to return at Black Country Living Museum

Posted on Thursday 16 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Its been over three years since trolleybuses ran at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley but now with funding having been secured they are set to return to action. Whilst not directly linked to trams this will be a positive move for heritage transport at the museum, and it is hoped that it will pave the way for the trams to return at some point in the future.

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Edinburgh Trams prepare for Women’s 6 Nations matches

Posted on Thursday 16 April 2026 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 18th April will see a historic day for Scottish women’s rugby as for the first time they will be playing a 6 Nations match at the main Murrayfield Stadium when they take on world champions England. And as is always the case when there are major events at the stadium the best way to get there will be by tram!

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