In Pictures: A look around Blackpool’s Tramtown

Posted on Sunday 11 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

The behind the scenes tours of Tramtown – Blackpool Transport’s Rigby Road Depot – remain popular with the twice weekly tours seeing plenty of booking to get the chance to see what is going on at the historic facility. Members of the Fylde Tramway Society were treated to an extra tour on Friday 28th April when they got their own chance to see many trams which have been stored for a number of years. Stuart Cooke was one of those who enjoyed the opportunity to take a look.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 8 Comments

What’s New on British Trams Online? 11th June 2023

Posted on Sunday 11 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

This week our photos come from Edinburgh Trams where the Trams to Newhaven extension opened a few days ago.

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In Pictures: 258 gets a revised advert as Trams to Newhaven opening

Posted on Saturday 10 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

Since March 2022, Edinburgh Trams 258 has been carrying adverts for their own recruitment as they geared up towards the Trams to Newhaven extension opening. Now, with the line opening to the public and that recruitment having come to an end, it has received revised adverts and publicises the extension with the slogan “Faster – Better – Longer – Cleaner”.

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Around the World in Trams: Gothenburg 757

Posted on Saturday 10 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

This Saturday evening “Around the World in Trams” stays in Gothenburg as we take another look at a tram operating in that Swedish city.

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Coronation 304 update

Posted on Saturday 10 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

At the start of May we reported on the overhaul of Blackpool Coronation 304 which at the time was edging closer to a return with the tantalising prospect that further testing would be taking place to allow it to take its place in the operating fleet once more. The owners of the tram, the Fylde Transport Trust, have recently given an update on this work which has hit a slight delay but only one which should knock things back by around four weeks.

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In Pictures: Supertram 116’s advert in service

Posted on Saturday 10 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

A few weeks ago we brought you the news that Stagecoach Supertram 116 had received a new advertising livery promoting the Park and Ride sites available across the network. At that time it hadn’t entered service and the photos we included were of it stabled in the tram depot but not long after that was published it did enter service and we can now feature it out on the system.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 1 Comment

WMCA to vote on new funding package for Metro extension to Brierley Hill

Posted on Friday 9 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority are to be asked to agree a new funding package which will enable the second phase of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill West Midlands Metro extension to start construction. The project was split into two distinct phases last year after increased costs meant that funding was no longer available for the complete length of the line, and now it appears that it could be a three phase project if this latest funding package is agreed.

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Extra funding confirmed for Greater Manchester transport

Posted on Friday 9 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

The Department for Transport have announced an extraordinary funding settlement for Transport in Greater Manchester with an additional £18 million being awarded to the region to go towards protecting vital services. The funding has been awarded after lobbying from leaders in Greater Manchester along the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has bemoaned the fact that it is a lower percentage in funding than that awarded to London.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool OMO 4 & Balloon 711

Posted on Friday 9 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

“Picture in Time” returns to Blackpool for the next few weeks as we feature another excellent set of photos from Donald Brooks of how things used to be on the tramway – at a time when this was the only operating public service tramway in the UK.

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Four minus two equals two as the Fleetwood collection is reduced

Posted on Thursday 8 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust are now just looking to dispose of two remaining trams from their collection at Wyre Dock after Centenary 641 and Railcoach 678 departed following component recovery. This process has provided valuable parts for other preserved trams and would seem to be the best possible outcome when you consider there was no serious prospect of either tram being preserved in their own right.

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Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 20 Comments

In Pictures: Photos from early season at Crich

Posted on Thursday 8 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

This trip to the Crich Tramway Village was on Sunday 19th March 2023 not long after the season had got underway when there was a three tram service featuring Glasgow 22, Leeds 180 and Leeds 399. Photos from Stuart Cooke.

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Nottingham Express Transit Engineering Works: 17th & 18th June

Posted on Thursday 8 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

There will be no trams running to Phoenix Park over the weekend of 17th and 18th June with overhead line maintenance scheduled to take place.

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It’s open! Trams to Newhaven welcomes its first passengers!

Posted on Wednesday 7 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams are now running in passenger service all the way between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven after the opening of the Trams to Newhaven extension as planned at midday on Wednesday 7th June. There were almost simultaneous departures from each end of the line with the first passengers able to buy special platinum tickets from the machines at both Picardy Place and Newhaven tramstops.

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Posted in Edinburgh Trams | 8 Comments

West Midlands Metro service changes: June 2023

Posted on Wednesday 7 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

West Midlands Metro services will be subject to changes during June 2023 with work being undertaken at Five Ways underpass and also at Dudley Street and Dartmouth Street.

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Update! Metrolink strike suspended (No Metrolink service confirmed for strike days)

Posted on Wednesday 7 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

The planned strikes due to affect Manchester Metrolink services on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June have been suspended. Normal services will now run all weekend with some stops being temporarily closed – the link at the end of the article gives full details (original article is still included below).

It has been confirmed that no Manchester Metrolink services will run on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June with Unite the Union confirming that their members will be going on strike on these days.

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In Pictures: The trams keep arriving on the West Midlands Metro!

Posted on Tuesday 6 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

You turn away your attention from the West Midlands Metro for 30 seconds and another tram arrives! 49 is the latest Urbos100 to have made the trip from Spain with it turning up at Wednesbury Depot on Tuesday 6th June – the fourth delivery in the past month including one a week for the past three weeks!

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Edinburgh Trams disruption on Newhaven extension opening eve

Posted on Tuesday 6 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

A bad rehearsal means a good performance? That’s what Edinburgh Trams will be hoping for tomorrow (Wednesday 7th June at midday) when the Trams to Newhaven extension opens to the public as the eve of this momentous occasion has seen extensive disruption after overhead problems at Gyle Centre.

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Revised Supertram services for the Arctic Monkeys

Posted on Tuesday 6 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

Stagecoach Supertram will be running a revised service on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th June with the Arctic Monkeys performing at Hillsborough Park. This will see Blue route services diverted to Middlewood following the event to provide extra capacity for those wanting to get home.

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In Pictures: Progress in Wolverhampton

Posted on Monday 5 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

As we get closer towards the start of tram services to Wolverhampton Railway Station on the West Midlands Metro there has been further progress in recent days. This has included the final road surface being completed around the tracks along with some line painting and the top surface.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 2 Comments

They’ve Run in 2023!

Posted on Monday 5 June 2023 by Gareth Prior

Its time for another update of which heritage trams have run in passenger service across the British Isles during 2023. Since our last update there have been more trams running for the first time as we enter a period of better weather which has meant more open trams have seen use. The aim is to feature all tramways within the British Isles and to give an indication of what has run on each of them – to qualify it has to have run with passengers on board, so private hires do count but not any tram which has just been used for testing. As always any errors or omissions please let us know by using the contact details at the bottom of the article.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, Blackpool Tramway, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, East Anglia Transport Museum, Great Orme Tramway, Heaton Park Tramway, Manx Electric Railway, National Tramway Museum, Seaton Tramway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Summerlee Museum Tramway, Volk's Electric Railway | Comments Off on They’ve Run in 2023!