Former Edinburgh Trams Managing Director, Lea Harrison, has been named as the new Managing Director of Blackpool Transport Services. He will take up his role from 1st March 2026, ahead of the retirement of Jane Cole OBE, with a handover period in place between the two.
Lea Harrison has a wealth of experience at modern tram systems, and started his career as one of the first tram drivers for Manchester Metrolink in 1991. He later became Head of Service Delivery at Tramlink Nottingham, where he was involved in the successful introduction of two new extensions in August 2016. After Nottingham he then moved on to become Managing Director at Edinburgh Trams.
He spent 10 years in the top job at Edinburgh Trams, where he successfully oversaw a variety of projects, including an extension to the network an a “Tap-on, Tap-off” contactless ticketing system across both buses and trams. During his time there he saw a 250% growth in patronage along with multiple awards for customer service at the Global Light Rail awards and the Institute of Customer Services. He left Edinburgh earlier this year after a restructuring saw the operations of Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams merged.
Cllr John Boughton, Chair of Blackpool Transport Services Board, said: “I’m delighted that somebody with Lea’s experience is so keen to come and work in Blackpool. He will bring a wealth of knowledge about well-connected public transport operators that puts customers first.
“I’d also like to place on record my immense thanks to Jane, who has spearheaded enormous change at BTS over the last decade, and she will be missed.”
Cllr Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member responsible for its relationship with Blackpool Transport, added: “We’re really lucky in Blackpool to have a bus and tram operator that is owned by the council and can put local people and customers first, unlike private corporations. Our relationship is the envy of many councils across the country and I am excited to see how Lea takes us on to bigger and better places.”