Lift replacement to start at The Hawthorns

Posted on Saturday 21 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

The lifts at The Hawthorns Railway Station are to be replaced in a three month project which will see both railway station and tram stop having no step free access between 1st December 2020 and 15th March 2021. The lifts haven’t been replaced since the opening of the station in 1995 and now is the time for this to happen to improve their reliability to all public transport users.

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Punctuality up, reliability down on Metrolink

Posted on Saturday 21 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

The latest performance report for Manchester Metrolink has been released and as the headline says it shows that punctuality has gone up whilst reliability has fallen. But in both cases they are big changes with Metrolink continuing to perform at a fairly stable level throughout 2020.

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Local Conservatives back plans for revitalisation of Volk’s Electric Railway

Posted on Friday 20 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Local Conservative Councillors have pledged to back plans which could revitalise the Volk’s Electric Railway and make it a key part of the tourist offering in Brighton and Hove. The Volk’s Electric Railway Association have come up with a plan with five proposals which they hope would rejuvenate the railway and would include a short extension at the Black Rock end of the line.

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Tyne and Wear Metro performance remains constant again

Posted on Friday 20 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

The latest performance statistics of the Tyne and Wear Metro have been released on posters at stations and show that it is exactly as it was in the previous 4 week period!

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Picture in Time: Granada Studio Tours Trams

Posted on Friday 20 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

For the next couple of weeks the Traditional Tram edition of “Picture in Time” is going to be a little bit different as we feature some “trams” which were part of Granada Studios in Manchester. Obviously, they weren’t real trams and little is known about them but we present these images taken during the mid 1980s.

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In Pictures: More track laid on Trams to Newhaven project

Posted on Thursday 19 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Signs that trams will once again be running through Leith to Newhaven in the next few years are continuing to appear with more track being out down as the project continues. We’ve already seen that the first tracks have been laid at Ocean Terminal and now this work has extended onto Ocean Way, which is a continuation of Constitution Street. John Hampton provides the below images.

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In Pictures: Trams seen in Talbot Square

Posted on Thursday 19 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

If you thought that you would have to wait until 2022 to able to sit on a tram in Talbot Square again – think again! It may not be the sort of tram we were expecting but new seating has recently been installed in the shape of Blackpool trams! Two seats are in place, one based on an OMO Car and one on a Brush Car!

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Stop by Stop Nottingham Express Transit: Clifton South line – Wilford Village

Posted on Thursday 19 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Continuing our look at the stops of the Nottingham Express Transit line to Clifton South we reach Wilford Village – the first of the stops which is a little bit different from the standard.

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In Pictures: Birmingham Westside extension Hagley Road crossover

Posted on Wednesday 18 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

We recently reported on the news that yet another milestone had been reached in the construction of the West Midlands Metro Birmingham Westside extension to Hagley Road, Edgbaston with the all important crossover having been installed. This crossover is likely to be regularly used by trams as they approach and depart from the terminus and is a key component in the construction of the line which is due to open at some point in 2021. Jim Smythe took a look at the worksite on a soggy 15th November 2020.

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Winter timetable to be introduced on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Wednesday 18 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro has announced that they will be introducing a reduced frequency winter timetabled from Sunday 29th November as they catch up with driver training which had to be halted earlier this year during lockdown. Despite the reduction Nexus are confident the timetable will provide a good service frequency across the network.

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Still Standing! Stamford Brook Depot, London

Posted on Wednesday 18 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Today our series which looks at old first generation tramways structures which remain extant is again in London with the depot at Stamford Brook featured.

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Heaton Park Tramway to return for Lightopia

Posted on Tuesday 17 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

While some heritage tramways resumed operation after the go-ahead was given by the government in July there have been some which haven’t been able to start running again and this included Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway. But all that is set to change as we approach Christmas – as they have confirmed they will be operating during the Lightopia event again.

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In Pictures: Progress slows on the demolition of Wilko’s

Posted on Tuesday 17 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Over the past few weeks we have seen rapid progress in the demolition of the old Wilko’s store in Blackpool but in this latest update that progress has slowed somewhat with little of the structure having been removed over the past week. Whilst there is only a small part of the total structure still standing the past week seems to have seen the removal of rubble previously knocked down and boring holes. Tony Armitage’s photos comes were taken on 13th November 2020.

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Whatever Happened To? Midland Metro 01

Posted on Tuesday 17 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Our series looking back at a set of trams from either an event or a complete class returns from today as we take a look at the original Midland Metro trams and see what has happened to the once 16 strong class in the intervening years. Its not much of a spoiler when we say that there isn’t much of a mystery what has happened to most of the T69s as after a spell in store at Long Marston following their departure from Wednesbury Depot they were sent for scrap but that isn’t the case for all of them, as we will see in this 16 part series illustrated with photos of the trams in better days. We’ll start at the very beginning as that is apparently a very good place to start – its 01.

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In Pictures: Good progress continues around Ocean Terminal

Posted on Monday 16 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Work on the laying of track around Ocean Terminal on the Trams to Newhaven project has been continuing on this first tangible sign of constriction for the extension of the current line between York Place and Newhaven. Since we last saw images from this location more track has now been laid – on both inbound and outbound track – as it is confirmed that a slight redesign will also see the retention of the Discovery Garden next to the shopping centre.

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Later finish time to be reinstated on Supertram

Posted on Monday 16 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Its an article which we seem to have published before but Stagecoach Supertram have announced that they are again intending to resume a later finish time to services on all lines – whilst the Tram-Train service has also returned to two an hour instead of the hourly service which has been running recently.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Twin Car 686+676

Posted on Monday 16 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

Today “Picture in Time” is back in Blackpool as we take a look at an image captured during the Centenary celebrations in September 1985.

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Trams in Video: Trams & Light Rail in Alicante

Posted on Sunday 15 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

In this edition we view excerpts from Bob Hodges’ DVD “The Trams and Light Railways of Alicante and Valencia” with the Alicante section featuring in this footage. Alicante tram routes L2, L3 and L4 are all shown with Bombardier Flexity Outlook trams, L1 with Vossloh Tram-Trains and L9 which is operated by diesel powered trams.

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Trams 257 receives new advert

Posted on Sunday 15 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

The ranks of the trams in full standard fleet livery in Edinburgh has decreased by one with 257 receiving a new advert – only the second it has carried and the first since January 2020. The tram is now advertising a new exhibition at National Galleries Scotland – Ray Harbyhausen: Titan of Cinema.

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Blackpool trams looking for a new owner

Posted on Sunday 15 November 2020 by Gareth Prior

In the great big Blackpool tram sell off at the end of traditional tram operation in 2011, not all the trams ended up with established preservation groups with some private individuals ending up the proud owner of an iconic Blackpool tram – or in this case two! But now a change of circumstances means the two trams – Brush Car 625 and Balloon 726 – are being made available.

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