All change! Balloon 710 to return to Rigby Road and not head to Sandtoft after all

Posted on Thursday 10 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

Back at the start of October it was confirmed that Blackpool Balloon 710 would be heading to Lincolnshire where it would become a children’s play are the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. But it appears a month is not only a long-time in politics but also in the heritage transport sector! For it has now been announced that it will not be going to Sandtoft after all but will be heading to home to Rigby Road where it is to go on static display at the burgeoning Tramtown attraction.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 4 Comments

Gyle Santa Express returns to Edinburgh Trams for 2022!

Posted on Thursday 10 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

We’re used to seeing Santa specials on various heritage railways and the like but its not often that the big man gets to travel on board modern transport – but he will get the chance in Edinburgh on two days at the start of December as the Gyle Santa Express returns to Edinburgh!

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First phase of Birmingham Westside extension wins environmental awareness award

Posted on Thursday 10 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The first phase of West Midlands Metro’s Birmingham Westside extension between Grand Central and Library has won an award for environmental awareness in construction. The team from the Midland Metro Alliance – who are building the extensions to the network on behalf of Transport for West Midlands – were presented with the award at the Highways UK expo in Birmingham at the start of November 2022 (almost three years after the line opened!).

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Winter Transport Festival brings an end to another year on the MER

Posted on Wednesday 9 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

It may seem that is has only just started but the Manx Electric Railway has now stopped running for another year with the last services operating on Sunday 30th October. But before it ended there was still time for another special event with the Winter Transport Festival taking place giving people another excuse to enjoy the best that the MER can offer (as well as the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway which played a full part in the event – the first time its been able to be a major part of a special event since 2019).

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New pay offer for Tramlink drivers – further ballot to come

Posted on Wednesday 9 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The ongoing pay dispute on London Tramlink has taken another turn with a new pay offer made by Tram Operations Limited (operator of the network) with the ASLEF Executive Committee now recommending its members accept the offer.

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Ashton line delays after car drives into tram underpass on Ashton line

Posted on Wednesday 9 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

Tram services between Piccadilly and Ashton-under-Lyne were suspended for around two hours on Saturday 29th October after a car took a wrong turn and drove into an underpass on the line before getting stuck and requiring rescue.

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In Pictures: More new adverts on Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Tuesday 8 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The changeover of adverts on trams in Edinburgh is still showing no signs of abating with the start of November seeing a further two trams have a change. Those two trams are 263 and 277 with the former welcoming a new advertiser to the trams whilst the highest numbered tram in the Edinburgh fleet has an identical advert to another tram in the city.

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In Pictures: Work continues on Metro Flow project

Posted on Tuesday 8 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The £104 million project to dual 4.6km of track on the Tyne and Wear Metro between Pelaw and Bede is continuing and as it reaches the final scheduled month of work good progress continues to be made. With £95 million worth of funding coming from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund the result of the work will be increased capacity on the network as well as increasing resilience for recovery from service disruption.

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Metro penalty fare to increase from January 2023

Posted on Tuesday 8 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

Anyone found to be travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro without a ticket will be liable to a penalty fare of up to £100 from January 2023. This is a nationwide increase for the national penalty fare regime on the rail network of which the Metro is included.

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In Pictures: Temporary timetable on Manchester Metrolink

Posted on Monday 7 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

Starting from Monday 24th October a temporary timetable has been in operation on Manchester Metrolink with a change in service pattern through Piccadilly Gardens because of a delay in engineering works due to take place on the delta junction. This has meant that trams from Ashton have been diverted to run to Crumpsall whilst the Eccles line has only been running as far as Deansgate-Castlefield. Trams from both Bury and Altrincham have also been unable to reach Piccadilly and so all services from these termini are running to each other. In this pictorial article, with photos from Steve Hyde, we take a look at some of these temporary operations at the end of October.

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Solution agreed for emergency braking equipment on Coronation 304

Posted on Monday 7 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The chances are many of you out there have been pondering how good it would be to have a Coronation Car running in time for King Charles III’s Coronation (scheduled to take place on Saturday 6th May 2023). Well, if you have you are not alone as the Fylde Transport Trust and Blackpool Transport Services have been thinking the very same! And if plans now in place come to fruition it is hoped that the FTT’s Coronation Car 304 could be running by next May – although there remains various caveats involved before it can be guaranteed.

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Out and About: More at Edinburgh Airport

Posted on Monday 7 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

A few weeks ago “Out and About” visited Edinburgh Airport – and we’re at it again today! This time we take a look at the tramstop itself along with the only tram which doesn’t ever go anywhere.

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Trams &: Oporto 196 & bus

Posted on Sunday 6 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

We have another edition of “Trams &” for you today and we’re off to Beamish once more as we see one of the resident trams in action along with a bus.

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Edinburgh Trams pay tribute to armed services

Posted on Sunday 6 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

Trams in Edinburgh are once again carrying poppies in their windows as Edinburgh Trams pay their respects ahead of Remembrance Sunday on 13th November. In addition armed services veterans and serving members of the Army, Air Force and Navy are being offered free travel to get to Remembrance events taking place in the city.

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In Pictures: Poppies return to Supertram

Posted on Sunday 6 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

November is traditionally the month when we pause to remember those who have died in the line of duty during the many conflicts seen across the world. Originally conceived following World War I Remembrance Day is on the 11th day of the 11th month to coincide with when the armistice was signed and the highest profile part of the commemoration is the poppies which are sold annually to raise funds for the Royal British Legion. As well as people wearing poppies, in recent years many public transport undertakings have put poppies on their vehicles – such as Sheffield’s Stagecoach Supertram system.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 6th November 2022

Posted on Sunday 6 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

We head to the West Midlands Metro for this week’s set of photos:

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First DLR B90 sent for scrap

Posted on Saturday 5 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

With the Docklands Light Railway set to get a fleet of new trains from 2024 (currently being built by CAF) it was inevitable that the long-standing fleet of trains dating from the early and mid-1990s would not have much of a future and now the first of these has been sent for scrap with B90 39 heading on a one way trip to Rotherham – the ultimate destination of many a last journey of UK light rail and heavy rail vehicles.

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Posted in Docklands Light Railway | 5 Comments

Around the World in Trams: Dijon 1002

Posted on Saturday 5 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

“Around the World in Trams” changes location again from today for the next few weeks and we end up in France to take a look at the modern tram system in Dijon.

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Two incidents in one evening combine to cause major Metrolink disruption

Posted on Saturday 5 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

The evening of Wednesday 2nd November saw two incidents on the Manchester Metrolink system leading to major disruption on both the Eccles and Ashton lines. Whilst this would usually be one service impacted with trams running between Ashton and Eccles, with the temporary timetable in place at the moment it meant that trams between Eccles and Deansgate-Castlefield and from Ashton to Crumpsall were affected.

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Late evening Supertram changes on 6th November

Posted on Saturday 5 November 2022 by Gareth Prior

No Stagecoach Supertram services will run beyond Cathedral after 2100 on Sunday 6th November to allow for essential engineering works to take place on West Street. Both the Blue and Yellow routes will be affected by this change.

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