Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2026 saw the annual Tramlines Festival take place at Hillsborough Park. With the tramway running close to the venue it is ideally placed to transport the large number of people heading to the event and this year to help Supertram ran extra services – including the rare sight of the Purple route going beyond Cathedral. Stuart Cooke was out with his camera to see what was happening.
The change in services saw the following operated:
Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July
Special timetable from 1100-1800:
- Blue – every 12 minutes between Halfway and Middlewood (instead of Malin Bridge)
- Purple – Herdings Park to Malin Bridge with more frequent services
- Tram-Train – normal service
- Yellow – normal service
Sunday 26th July
Special timetable from 1100-1800:
- Blue – Halfway to Malin Bridge every 15 minutes
- Purple – Herdings Park to Middlewood every 15 minutes
- Tram-Train – normal service
- Yellow – normal service
After these times there was either a normal service or immediately following the event stop closures and most services only running to and from Shalesmoor, plus express services from Leppings Lane into the city centre.
You don’t often see two trams at Malin Bridge but that is precisely what is seen in this image with 118 and 122 present.
118 is actually beyond the platform here as it waits for its next duty. The destination screen says its going to Cathedral although upon departure this was changed to running through to Herdings Park.
Hillsborough and its another unusual sight as we see 103 on a Blue route service to Middlewood. Obviously Middlewood is usually served by Yellow route services with the Blue route going to Malin Bridge.
120 is also on the Blue route to Middlewood.
The platform indicator with the unusual sight of a Purple route service running to Malin Bridge.
With different services running a pointsman was employed at Hillbsborough.
Different services on the last day of the event meant that it was Middlewood which saw Purple route services.
102 stands at Middlewood with its destination display telling us it will be running on the Purple route to Herdings Park. (All Photographs by Stuart Cooke)