TfL awarded government funding package

Posted on Friday 15 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Usually the perception is London gets funding first and then the rest of the country has to wait to follow at a later date but during this Coronavirus pandemic it has been rather different with the regions transport undertakings being offered funding packages – although there have been complaints that these aren’t enough – whilst Transport for London continued to lose money with a threat that services may have to be suspended. The immediate threat of this happening have now been averted though as on Thursday 14th May it was announced a £1.6 billion package had been agreed – dwarfing many of the previously announced financial support to other areas of England.

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Lockdown Walks: Edinburgh Trams 270

Posted on Friday 15 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

This latest “Lockdown Walk” takes us to Edinburgh City Centre again.

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Picture in Time: Newcastle 114 & Blackpool 31

Posted on Friday 15 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

A tram double for you today as we are again at Beamish and take a look at Newcastle 114 and Blackpool 31.

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Tyne and Wear Metro to increase service frequency

Posted on Thursday 14 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

It was the first network to reduce its service frequency and now the Tyne and Wear Metro is set to be the first to return to something closely resembling a normal timetable. From Monday 18th May the daytime service frequency will be back to normal levels with a doubling of services from every 24 minutes to every 12 minutes on all routes.

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Trams &: Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40 & Burrel Showmans Road Locomotive 3896

Posted on Thursday 14 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

It was inevitable that in this series we were going to end up at Beamish at some point but what is probably the biggest surprise is that it has taken us this long!

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Still Standing! Matlock Cable Tramway Depot

Posted on Thursday 14 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

This week we are taking a trip to Derbyshire to have a look at a remarkable survivor from the 19th century in the form of the old Matlock Cable Tramway Depot.

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West Midlands Metro to increase serve frequency slightly

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

With the slight easing of restrictions by the government this week thee is expected to be an increase in the number of passengers travelling by public transport as additional people will have no choice but to do so in order to start working again. To take this into account, West Midlands Metro have announced that from Friday 15th May a new revised service will run, a service which is very similar to one of the previous revised timetables.

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So Nearly, Not Quite! Blackpool Balloon 724

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

It seems that the photography session sent around Victoria Street in central Fleetwood on 2nd September 2018 was not the most successful ever as we have another entry for “So Nearly, Not Quite”!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, So nearly, not quite! | 3 Comments

Picture in Time: Stagecoach Supertram 120

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Continuing our series of photos from Sheffield, in this edition of “Picture in Time” we move forward to 2002.

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Horse Tram route won’t be completed by 2021

Posted on Tuesday 12 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

I guess its reassuring that even though we are all adapting to a new way of life thanks to Covid-19 there are some things which still plough as usual – such as the saga of the relaying of tracks for the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway! As you will no doubt recall the decision had been taken that the tramway would run on double track between Derby Castle and Broadway before switching to a single track on the seaward side of the Prom for the remaining section to the Sea Terminal but a recent newsletter has set hares running again as it announced that trams would not go any further than the War Memorial. It has since been clarified that this was an error but the Department of Infrastructure have confirmed it won’t be until 2022 at the earliest that the full line will be operational.

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Whatever Happened To? Blackpool Centenary 643

Posted on Tuesday 12 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

The next tram we take a look at that appeared over the final weekend of traditional tramway operation in Blackpool is the first to longer be on the Blackpool Tramway.

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Around the World in Trams: Wellington 257

Posted on Tuesday 12 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

We continue a look at the trams based at MOTAT in Auckland today and in this edition of “Around the World in Trams” we feature a tram which has moved to Auckland from Wellington.

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In Review: Croydon Tramlink A Definitive History by Gareth David

Posted on Monday 11 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

I guess its sign of getting old when a book entitled “A Definitive History” on one of the UK’s modern tramways comes out but when the main wave of new systems have now been around for approximately 20 years it is certainly time that we saw some in-depth looks at their gestation and operation. A new book from Pen & Sword Books seeks to do just this with Croydon (now London) Tramlink – but is it worth purchasing? Read on for our review of the book.

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Lockdown Walks: West Midlands Metro 27

Posted on Monday 11 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

For our latest “Lockdown Walk” we are back on the West Midlands Metro for another look at one of the Urbos3s in service.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Railcoach 679

Posted on Monday 11 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Today we feature Blackpool Ex-Towing Railcoach 679 – a tram currently being worked on hard by the Fylde Transport Trust to return to the tracks in its original condition.

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Trams in Video: East Anglia Transport Museum September 2014

Posted on Sunday 10 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Today our latest video features not only trams but also trolleybuses as we are off to the East Anglia Transport Museum. Filmed on 7th September 2014 we see Sheffield 513 in service on the tramway and it is joined by trolleybuses from Newcastle, London, Belfast, Portsmouth and Derby.

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Trams &: Summerlee Trams & Buses

Posted on Sunday 10 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

We have a multitude of trams and buses at the Summerlee Museum for this latest look at “Trams &”…

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Andy Burnham hits out at government support

Posted on Sunday 10 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has become the latest official across the UK to criticise promised government support saying the funding being offered to help Manchester Metrolink doesn’t go far enough and without more decisions will have to be made to mothball the network completely.

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What’s New on British Trams Online?

Posted on Sunday 10 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

As its another Bank Holiday we have a double dose of Photos for you again:

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Posted in Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, Manchester Metrolink, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Western Train gets a repaint as Heritage Tram Tours launch online shop

Posted on Saturday 9 May 2020 by Gareth Prior

Whilst the majority of restoration and overhaul work on trams across the UK has been suspended during lockdown there are still a few projects which have been able to be continued, and one such job is the overhaul on Blackpool’s Western Train.

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