Herdings Park has never had it so good! Ever since the discovery of a collapsed well at Birley Lane on the Blue route to Halfway all services using heading that way have been diverted to Herdings Park – giving it a frequent service probably for the first time since it opened over 30 years ago!
All services from Malin Bridge are currently running as normal to Gleadless Townend from where they turn off the Blue route and then run onto Herdings Park – usually the preserve of the Purple route with an hourly service (Monday-Saturday, half hourly on a Sunday).
There is a mix of route colours being shown on the trams with some still showing Blue route but going to Herdings Park whilst others have been programmed as Purple route trams.
No date for the completion of repairs at Birley Lane has yet to be announced.
Hillsborough is the location for this image of 118 as it approaches the citybound platform. Its service will have started back at Malin Bridge and it will head to Herdings Park – this tram has used the Purple route display.
And then we see 110 coming off Holme Lane and onto Hillsborough but this time it’s a Blue route display for Herdings Park!
Here we see 110 as it continues on its way to Herdings Park. (All Photographs by Stuart Cooke, 28th August 2026)
I’m told the reason for the mix is that for the purposes of the DfT/ORR performance statistics, 1 journey/hour closest to the normal Purple times is recorded as a PURPLE Service extended to Malin Bridge, and the remainder are recorded as BLUE services diverted to Herdings Park.