The next tram to Victoria is…Manchester 173!

Posted on Wednesday 16 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Manchester 173 is going to escape its home at the Heaton Park Tramway for one day only on Sunday 20th October when it heads to Manchester Victoria to take part in the 175th birthday celebrations of the station. Despite pre-publicity for the event by Northern stating that you will be able to “ride on a heritage tram”, 173 will in fact be a static exhibit throughout the day.

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Work underway on temporary Metro depot

Posted on Wednesday 16 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro is scheduled to get a new, albeit temporary, depot by next summer in Howdon and work is now underway preparing the former landfill site for the main construction works. Extensive earth works are required first with excavators now on site to level the area.

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In Pictures: The Trawler back on Illumination Tours

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Anyone who follows the Blackpool Tramway in any details will probably have been aware that the start of the Illuminations this year there has been a missing tram on tour duty – the Trawler. The LEDs fitted to the tram, providing it with its illuminated aspect as there are no traditional bulbs on the tram, have been proving problematic but recent workshop attention has seen these start to work again and the tram returned to tour duty in time for Friday 11th October.

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A new name on the way for NET 220

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit 220 is set for a renaming in the next few months following the announcement of the latest winner of the Nottingham Nurse of the Year at a glittering ceremony. Sophie Robson, a nurse in the Assessment Unit of the Nottingham Children’s Hospital was named overall winner at the Nurse and Midwife of the Year Awards after winning a public vote following a glowing nomination by the mother one of her patients. As part of the award Citadis 220 is reserved for the naming with it currently holding the name of the 2018 winner, Luisa Avanzado. The tram will be renamed in due course.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Brush 627

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Another image take in 1990 for this edition of Picture in Time. This time around we feature one of the Brush Cars in service.

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In Pictures: First adverts applied to refurbished Incentros

Posted on Monday 14 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

When first released into traffic after the completion of their refurbishment the Nottingham Express Transit Incentros were without adverts but this has now changed with 205 becoming the first to carry ads. This is not an all over advert by any means with just above window adverts included but it does mean that the newly revised livery on the Incentros does have a bit more colour added, at least for now!

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Very small decline in Metrolink punctuality

Posted on Monday 14 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It is that time again to take a quick look at Manchester Metrolink performance with the statistics for 18th August to 14th September now released. This time around there has been a decline in punctuality (although only be 0.1%) whilst reliability has increased from the previous period to 98.1% (from 97.4%).

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Around the World in Trams: Zurich 2034

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

As we continue our random trips around the world for this photo series we end up in Zurich for a photo taken some 10 years ago.

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In Pictures: Night-time running at East Anglia Transport Museum

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

In all the excitement of the event at Crich, Blackpool and Birkenhead we have neglected to mention the Trolleybus Weekend at the East Anglia Transport Museum which took place over the weekend of 21st and 22nd September. Whilst primarily an opportunity for the museum to get out all of their operating trolleybuses the other forms of transport at the museum also get a look in – of course, including the trams.

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Consistency continues on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

85% seems the percentage for the Tyne and Wear Metro as for the third four week period in a row that is the number of trains arriving on time across the network – which also happens to be the same number as this same period last year!

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Off to the Wirral for this weeks photographic offerings:

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2021 for trams to Blackpool North?

Posted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

More progress on the project to extend the Blackpool Tramway up Talbot Road to a site just adjacent to Blackpool North Railway Station appears to be on the horizon with news that it could be 2021 for service to start, according to latest documents from Blackpool Council.

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Picture in Time: Docklands Light Railway 45+81

Posted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

This week’s modern light rail image from the archives heads back to 16th March 2005 again for another look at the Docklands Light Railway.

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Expansion announced for Metro driver training programme

Posted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro will now be able to train double the number of new drivers following the expansion of their training programme it has been announced by Nexus. This is the biggest expansion of training in Metro’s history and comes as a response to a high turnover of staff in recent years.

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In Pictures: Work continues on Birmingham Westside extension

Posted on Friday 11 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

With further testing due to take place during October – and a service set to commence by the end of this year – how far advanced is work on the Birmingham Westside extension first phase as far as Centenary Square? Martin Miller took a trip on 4th October which shows work still continuing on completing this short extension.

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In Pictures: Refurbishment work continues on Incentros

Posted on Friday 11 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

We recently took a look at the first three Incentro trams in Nottingham which have had their refurbishment completed allowing them to return to service but behind the scenes at Wilkinson Street Depot it remains busy with further trams under attention receiving the extensive work to improve their reliability. In two separate visits we see trams under attention courtesy of Geoff Pickles and Nigel Pennick.

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Crich builds up to the end of the season

Posted on Friday 11 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It’s hard to believe but we are in the final month of the 2019 season at Crich (just where does the time go!) with the final events of the year being prepared for. As well as the usual – and increasingly popular – Starlight Event for the final week of the season, the museum will also be taking part in The Big Draw Festival.

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Edinburgh Trams extension work to start in earnest in November

Posted on Thursday 10 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Since approval was given to the Edinburgh Trams extension project to Newhaven earlier this year there has plenty going on in preparation for the full construction programme to begin and it has now been confirmed that works will begin on Constitution Street in mid-November. At the same it has been confirmed that the project budget of £207.3m remains achievable.

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In Pictures: Sheffield College adverts moved to 102

Posted on Thursday 10 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

A few weeks ago we reported that the adverts for Sheffield College which had been carried on Supertram 110 were removed leaving this tram back in full fleet livery but now there is another tram carrying advertising for Sheffield College – 102. As with 110 this is not a full advertising livery by any means with just a few window vinyls and above window adverts included. Once again the main part of this advertising campaign is to let people know when open days are being held at the college.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool & Fleetwood 2 and Sheffield 264

Posted on Thursday 10 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

We take our final trip to the 1973 Transport Extravaganza at Crich for this latest edition of Picture in Time with a shot of two trams no longer part of the operational fleet.

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