In Pictures: Progress on Wolverhampton City Centre extension

Posted on Sunday 12 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Work to extend the West Midlands Metro at both ends of the current line is currently continuing at a pace. At the Wolverhampton end of the line there is a hive of activity with plenty of tracklaying in progress on Piper’s Row as these photos from Martin Miller depict.

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Pay deal accepted in Sheffield

Posted on Sunday 12 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

It has been confirmed that the three year pay deal for Stagecoach Supertram drivers and conductors has been accepted by Unite the union members. This new deal will see a pay increase of 30p per hour in year one, 29p per hour in the second year and 2.5% in the third year. As a result of this deal being accepted no further strikes will take place on Supertram.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 12 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

This week we have a further Photo Gallery with the first of a two parter from the Isle of Man:

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Event Review: Isle of Man 50 Group Charters – July 2018

Posted on Sunday 12 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

In the first of a two part article David Mee reviews the Isle of Man 50 Group charters which took place immediately before the 2018 Manx Heritage Transport Festival in July.

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Hot weather leads to drop in Metrolink performance

Posted on Saturday 11 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Continuing the up and down trend of performance on Manchester Metrolink the latest figures have shown that both punctuality and reliability are down although both remain around the same mark as they have since KeolisAmey Metrolink started to publicly release the data.

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Picture in Time: Oporto 150

Posted on Saturday 11 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Continuing our look at trams from the early days of Summerlee before more local trams were restored for service. This time we take a look at Oporto 150.

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In Pictures: Centenary car 642 out on test

Posted on Saturday 11 August 2018 by Andrew Waddington

Following the recent announcement by Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours regarding the repaint of Centenary car 642 in an amended version of its 1990s Travelcard advert complete with green and cream ends, the tram made its debut on the promenade in its new look on Friday 10th August. Although this was only a test run, 642 attracted a fair bit of interest ahead of its public launch.

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Passenger satisfaction continues to rise on Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Friday 10 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Passengers travelling on Edinburgh Trams remain highly satisfied with the service on offer according to a new survey conducted by the Institute of Customer Service.

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Trackworks to lead to temporary timetable on NET

Posted on Friday 10 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

We’ve become used to line closures on UK tramways to allow for rail replacement works with the latest system to be affected being Nottingham Express Transit. From Thursday 23rd August until Sunday 2nd September no trams will be able to run between Wilkinson Street and The Forest to allow for essential work to replace the tracks on the loop line through Hyson Green.

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Tender out for more trams for West Midlands Metro

Posted on Thursday 9 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Transport for West Midlands have started the tendering process for additional trams to cover services on the numerous extensions of West Midlands Metro now under construction and planning. They are initially looking for 18 trams with the option for a further 32 – all of which must be capable of battery operation, which considering several of the lines will feature sections without overhead isn’t exactly the most surprising announcement of the year!

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Around the World in Trams: Rostock 682

Posted on Thursday 9 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today we find ourselves in Germany as we take a look a member of the tram fleet in Rostock.

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Future plans for Balloon 715 announced

Posted on Thursday 9 August 2018 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Balloon 715 is a well-used and popular member of Blackpool’s operational heritage tram fleet, but the car is actually owned by the Fylde Transport Trust. A new deal has been announced confirming that 715 will remain on loan to Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours for at least ten years, helping to safeguard its future on the tramway.

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No strikes in Manchester after pay deal agreed

Posted on Wednesday 8 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

The threat of strikes on Manchester Metrolink has been avoided after a deal was reached on a new pay deal for drivers – and for those drivers there can be no denying it is an excellent deal. This is part of a three year deal which will see derivers with more than three years experience paid £33,000 per annum from January 2019.

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NET Charity tram tour raises funds for Crich and Forever Stars

Posted on Wednesday 8 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

A charity tram tour back in May which allowed enthusiasts the rare chance to see behind the scenes at Nottingham Express Transit’s Wilkinson Street Depot as well as to cover rare track on the network has raised £1,200 for the Crich Tramway Village and local Nottingham charity Forever Stars. This sum – raised through ticket sales – was then matched by Keolis, operators of NET, to bring a grand total of £2,400 raised for the charities.

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In Video: Tram-Train testing continues to Rotherham

Posted on Tuesday 7 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

The testing of Tram-Trains on the line to Rotherham is now in its second week with 399 202 still the vehicle of choice. There is still no official word of when a service may actually commence to Rotherham Parkgate but it must be a good sign that testing is continuing. Having previously seen still images of the testing we can now – with thanks to Martin Miller – bring you some video footage of the testing at both Rotherham and Tinsley South junction.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Brush 625

Posted on Tuesday 7 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Its another one of my early tram photos which features for Picture in Time today as we are once again in 1992.

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Visitor’s Guide to…Manx Electric Railway

Posted on Monday 6 August 2018 by admin

Inspired by our recent guide to enthusiasts visiting Rome this is the first in a new triology of articles based on the visits of an American based British traction enthusiast – Edward M Koehler. Starting off with the Manx Electric Railway these are Edward’s observations of the line plus some photographic locations he discovered during this visit to help any enthusiasts visiting for the first time, something which may well happen soon with the 125th anniversary events at the start of September.

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Overhead problems causes disruption for Metrolink

Posted on Monday 6 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

Its been Manchester Metrolink’s turn for disruption caused by overhead line problems with a section of overhead coming down at Cornbrook on Sunday 5th August. Fortunately it was only a Sunday and no trams are currently running onto the Eccles line but even so there was pretty major disruption during the day as repairs were undertaken.

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Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours unveil 642’s new look

Posted on Sunday 5 August 2018 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours have unveiled their latest creation – Centenary car 642, which has been in the Rigby Road workshops receiving a makeover for the last few months. The tram last ran in early 2016 when it was temporarily withdrawn with a defect, but rather than simply repair this the opportunity was taken to carry out further work, including a well-needed repaint to replace the shabby all-over yellow paint worn previously, as well as the restoration of some other traditional features.

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In Pictures: Another advert in Edinburgh – with a twist!

Posted on Sunday 5 August 2018 by Gareth Prior

What do you do when you have another advertising contract but no trams left advert free to apply it? Well in Edinburgh Trams’ case you use the mock-up in use at Edinburgh Airport as the Tram Lounge! The Johnnie Walker #JointhePact campaign already have two operational trams with their adverts but they have now extended their contract to include the mock-up as well.

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