Emergency overhead line repairs on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Saturday 27 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The recent period of hot weather has been the cause of damage to the overhead line on the Tyne and Wear Metro which will necessitate the closure of part of the Tyne and Wear Metro from Tuesday 30th August. The emergency closure will be between South Gosforth and Shiremoor and will last for four days.

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Trams 257 receives Leonardo advert

Posted on Friday 26 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams 257 has quickly moved on from its Edinburgh Napier University advert as after just a month it has now received a contract for Leonardo, a aerospace and defence and security systems manufacturer.

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Picture in Time: Seaton Tramway 6

Posted on Friday 26 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

“Picture in Time” heads to Devon for the next few weeks as we visit the Seaton Tramway, starting off in 1992.

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In Pictures: Update from West Midlands Metro extension in Wolverhampton

Posted on Thursday 25 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

The next extension due to open on the West Midlands Metro is the short (0.7lm) line to Wolverhampton Railway Station. As with the last extension to Edgbaston Village the opening of this line is much delayed but in the last official update it was said that testing would be able to start “after the Commonwealth Games”. That has now been reached but there is still no sign of the start of even initial testing although since our last pictorial update there does seem to have been some progress made with the construction.

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New tram timetables in Blackpool for the Illuminations

Posted on Thursday 25 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Trams in Blackpool will be running to a new timetable from Sunday 28th August as Blackpool Transport prepare for the annual illuminations by running more regular trams in the evening than during the daytime.

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Passenger numbers on UK tramways bounce back – but still below pre-pandemic levels

Posted on Wednesday 24 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Passenger numbers on all tram and light rail systems in the UK have bounced back to their highest levels since before the pandemic but are still a long way short of numbers which were carried in 2019/20 according to the latest statistics released by the Department for Transport. Coming some two months later than usual the stats show passenger journeys on each system along with various other statistics such as concessionary passenger journeys and average length of journeys.

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London Tramlink Engineering Works start

Posted on Wednesday 24 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We’re a little late to the party with this one, but services on London Tramlink are currently suspended between Wimbledon and Therapia Lane whilst rail replacement works take place.

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In Pictures: Blackpool & Fleetwood Box Car 40 to return to service!

Posted on Tuesday 23 August 2022 by admin

On Sunday 21st August, Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Box’ car 40 paid a visit to the workshop at Crich Tramway Village. Since its return to the museum following its extended stint of operation in Blackpool and a visit to Beamish, the tram operated at the museum during the latter part of the 2019 season, but had not run since as it required some minor attention, and was not considered a high priority with the reduced operating fleet and the general backlog of jobs due to the coronovirus pandemic. However, on this day, 40 was extracted from the back of the depot and transferred to the workshop – and this was obviously a success, as by the end of the day the tram was moving under its own power again!

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 7 Comments

Tick, tock! Clock returns to Leith Walk

Posted on Tuesday 23 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

A historic clock dating from 1857 has been returned to Leith Walk following 15 years of storage and an extensive restoration. The clock was removed back in 2007 during construction works for the original tram project and with works on the current Trams to Newhaven project continuing to mark good progress it has now been possible for it to be returned.

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Tram allocations announced for Blackpool Bank Holiday Vintage Weekend

Posted on Monday 22 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Please note there have been changes to the plan since this was originally published. The below article has now been updated with the new details (we did see subject to the usual caveats, its just we didn’t expect them to be come into effect quite so soon!)

How does 12 different heritage trams over the three day August Bank Holiday weekend sound? (13 probably sounds better!) If its sounds good then Blackpool is the place for you with the return of the standard six tram hop-on, hop-off timetable as part of the latest Vintage Weekend. Trams will include two Boats, one Brush, two Centenary Cars, four Balloon/Rebuilt Balloons, two illuminated trams and an interloper from Bolton!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Event Previews | 17 Comments

Out and About: West Midlands Metro 42

Posted on Monday 22 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We are off “Out and About” again today and its another trip to the West Midlands Metro.

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Trams &: Stagecoach Supertram 118 & bus

Posted on Sunday 21 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Trams &” we are off to South Yorkshire as we see another bus alongside a tram at the Halfway terminus on Supertram.

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Metro’s oldest ever driver retires after 40 years service

Posted on Sunday 21 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Richard Neesham, Tyne and Wear Metro’s oldest ever driver at 75, has retired about over 40 years of service on the network. He started his job on the Metro in 1981 shortly after the system opened and despite the 3am starts he had been there ever since, until now when he has finally taken a well earned retirement.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 21st August 2022

Posted on Sunday 21 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We have two sets of photos this week as we look back into our inbox at what we’ve missed over the past few months!

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Trams Spotify adverts – and then there were two!

Posted on Saturday 20 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Last time Spotify advertised on Edinburgh Trams they took out a contract on two trams – and they’ve done exactly the same again! In addition to 260, as reported last week, 263 is also carrying identical adverts.

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Around the World in Trams(ish): Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular

Posted on Saturday 20 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

It’s a little bit different for “Around the World in Trams” as instead of a traditional tram or light rail system we feature a funicular which operates in Portugal.

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UKTram appoint new Lead Engineer

Posted on Saturday 20 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Phillip Terry has been appointed as Lead Engineer at UKTram to help drive a series of key initiatives with aim of boosting the growth of light rail across the country. Mr Terry has a wealth of engineering experience including two decades working in light rail, most recently as Technical Support Manager at Nottingham Trams Limited.

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No strikes in Edinburgh after pay deal agreed

Posted on Friday 19 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams services will not be affected by strikes after the proposed action was called off following the agreement of a new pay deal. Reported to be between 6.5% and 11% members of the Unite union accepted the deal by an overwhelming majority with 95% of members agreeing to the offer.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Coronation 663

Posted on Friday 19 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

Over the past few weeks we’ve been in Fleetwood and then Blackpool and now we keep going south on the Lancashire coast reaching Lytham which at the time of the photo was home to Coronation Car 663.

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West Midlands Metro 47 has arrived too!

Posted on Thursday 18 August 2022 by Gareth Prior

We recently brought you the news that West Midlands Metro had seen another Urbos 100 arrive with 46 being delivered on Wednesday 10th August 2022. And now its been confirmed that the same day saw a second arrival with 47 also having made the trip from Zaragoza in Spain!

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