2019 NET Community Hero tram named

Posted on Friday 15 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

One of the recent traditions on Nottingham Express Transit around its anniversary is the naming of a tram after a Community Hero with Citadis 222 the tram reserved for this honour. The 2019 renaming took place on Friday 15th March with the lucky recipient being David Stewart OBE, a local head teacher and Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.

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Planning application submitted for tram marquee in Douglas

Posted on Friday 15 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Whilst we still don’t quite know when the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway may start running in 2019 (25th April is still the nominal date announced but is subject to change depending on progress on the Prom reconstruction works) plans are currently continuing for a service to operate at some point in the year, including a planning application for a temporary marquee to be put up to house the horse trams.

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London Tramlink strike set for 28th March

Posted on Friday 15 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

ASLEF have confirmed that they are instructing their members to go on strike on Thursday 28th March in a dispute over the latest pay offer made to staff on London Tramlink. As we reported earlier this month a ballot was called over a pay offer of 3.2% for each of the next three years and following this ballot there has been an overwhelming majority of ASLEF members who are favour of taking industrial action.

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Box 40 enters service at Beamish

Posted on Thursday 14 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Thursday 14th March was a momentous day for Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40 as it entered service at Beamish – becoming the third tram to run on four different tramways in UK tram preservation. 40 is unlikely to be used on a daily basis just yet with this use in passenger service part of its testing and commissioning period.

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It’s a yes! Trams will go to Newhaven after approval given to extension

Posted on Thursday 14 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

It’s the news we have been waiting for – Edinburgh Trams will be extended to Newhaven via Leith Walk after councillors at a full council meeting on Thursday 14th March voted in favour of the £207.3 million project going ahead. The 2.8 mile extension will continue the current line beyond the terminus at York Place (which will be removed and replaced by a new stop at Picardy Place) to Newhaven with first trams due to run in public service in 2023.

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Picture in Time: Seaton 19

Posted on Thursday 14 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Another of the trams converted for operation on the Seaton Tramway from an original first generation tramway is no. 19 – which started off life on the local Exeter Corporation Tramways system.

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In Pictures: More from Talbot Square

Posted on Wednesday 13 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

With much of Talbot Road now reopened whilst we all wait for the tramway extension to open – which as we have reported many times won’t be for quite some time as we still await the demolition of Wilkinson’s and construction of tramway terminus – attention is now being concentrated at the Promenade end of the route on both the platform at Talbot Square and also as the tracks meet the existing tramway.

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In Pictures: New signage on Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Wednesday 13 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Over the past few months a number of new signs have appeared along the reserved track sections of Edinburgh Trams aimed at improving safety with new Temporary Speed Restrictions now put in place at all pedestrian crossings on these sections following on from the fatality in 2018 when a man was hit by a tram.

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NET get on the publicity machine as it reaches its 15th anniversary

Posted on Wednesday 13 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

In recent months local media have been reporting on what they see as the frequent service disruption on Nottingham Express Transit but now as the network celebrates its 15th anniversary the Greater Nottingham Light Rapid Transit Advisory Committee have been told that it is a “world-class network to be proud of”.

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More overhead problems in the West Midlands

Posted on Tuesday 12 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Coming hot on the heels of the previous disruption, Sunday 10th March saw further delays for passengers on the West Midlands Metro with overhead problems seen between Priestfield and Wednesbury Parkway causing shuttle services to operate until repairs could be undertaken.

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Wakebridge to act as terminus as Crich gets ready for new season

Posted on Tuesday 12 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Over this winter the big project at the Crich Tramway Village has been to relay the track at Glory Mine but unfortunately it has now been confirmed that the work isn’t going to be completed in time for the start of the 2019 season with trams set to terminate at Wakebridge during March. Crich is due to open for the first time this year on Saturday 16th March.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Engineering Car 753

Posted on Tuesday 12 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

It is a tram which it is hoped will be back on the rails sometime in 2019 for the first time since withdrawal in 1990 but it will look significantly different this time around as it will be a passenger tram once more having been converted into an overhead line car back in 1958. We are of course talking about Engineering Car 753 – or Standard 143 if you prefer.

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Tyne & Wear Metro performance improves but still down on 12 months ago

Posted on Monday 11 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

The continuing travails of reliability on the Tyne and Wear Metro have been shown in the latest performance figures as revealed in posters at each station on the network (but not made available on loan). These figures show that in the four weeks between 6th January and 2nd February 2019 81% of trains arrived on time – one percent up from the previous period but 5% down on the equivalent four weeks in 2018.

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In Pictures: A calmer day at Beamish

Posted on Monday 11 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Beamish and its trams have been in the news over the past couple of weeks with a busy February Half Term followed by the arrival of Box 40 for its loan spell. In this pictorial we take a look at an altogether calmer day on the tramway – Wednesday 27th February – with just the one tram in service to start with. With blue skies in evidence there are still visitors to transport around the museum and on this day Blackpool Marton Box 31 was the sole tram in service – although Newcastle 114 was expected to join it later in the day. Who would have thought that a day in late February would see two open toppers in service and no one complaining! Trevor Hall with the photos.

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Around the World in Trams: Budapest 2039 & 2028

Posted on Sunday 10 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Concluding our look at trams in the Hungarian city of Budapest today we take a look a couple of the more modern trams in the fleet at rest.

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In Pictures: Destination boxes fitted to Manchester 765

Posted on Sunday 10 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

As work continues to fully commission the two visiting trams for service at Beamish a team from the Heaton Park Tramway have visited the northeast with the aim of refitting the destination boxes to Manchester 765 as well as putting the all new replica destination blinds in for the first time.

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In Pictures: Metrolink 3075 goes through The Body Shop

Posted on Sunday 10 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Another vinyl wrap advert has been applied on a tram in Manchester with 3075 now advertising The Body Shop – the first new design for a couple of months. As is the norm with adverts on Metrolink the ends of the tram remain in fleet livery but in this case unusually the skirt of the bodyside is also still in fleet livery (its almost as if whoever ordered the vinyls for the advert ordered the wrong size!). Various products available for sale in The Body Shop are included on the vinyls which do feature extensive use of contravision.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 10 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

Photos this week come from Blackpool (and Beamish) as we say farewell (and hello!) to Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40:

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More than 7 million passengers carried on Metro in 2018

Posted on Saturday 9 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

New figures reported in the Wolverhampton Express and Star have shown that the West Midlands Metro system has never been so popular with 7.3 million passenger journeys recorded during 2018 – an increase of one million from 2017. And with extensions currently under construction hopefully this new found record will be shortlived!

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Picture in Time: Croydon Tramlink construction

Posted on Saturday 9 March 2019 by Gareth Prior

A bit of a difference for today’s archive image as we take a look at construction work rather than a tram.

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