Around the World in Trams: Milan 1821

Posted on Sunday 20 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

After a few weeks of random tram images we settle in Milan for the next few weeks as we continue our series on trams from outside of the British Isles.

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Santa’s getting ready on his…tram!

Posted on Sunday 20 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It may be hard to believe but in around two months time Santa will be getting on his sleigh to deliver toys to all the good girls and boys, but before the big day he’s going to be a busy man as he will be visiting tramways across the UK with Beamish, Birkenhead, Blackpool, East Anglia Transport Museum and Seaton all having events in the lead up to Christmas.

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Supertram to partially suspend service for Wednesday v Leeds match

Posted on Sunday 20 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Last year when Leeds United visited Sheffield Wednesday for a Championship football match there were reports of serious incidents including vandalism and damage to trams and intimidation of staff with physical and verbal assaults. As a result Supertram met with both Sheffield Wednesday and South Yorkshire Police to discuss how safety could be improved for all tram users and employees in the future but recommendations made (including reduced away tickets and options to manage the transport of away fans) have not been agreed with Sheffield Wednesday which has led Supertram to make the decision to temporarily suspend service through Hillsborough on Saturday 26th October when the two teams meet in Sheffield for the first time since the incidents.

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Blackpool trams under attention across the country

Posted on Saturday 19 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Both the Fylde Transport Trust (FTT) and North East Electrical Transport Trust (NEETT) as well as being handily easy to give easier to type acronyms to(!) are also both currently working on Blackpool trams in their collections with the FTT’s attention reverting to Railcoach 279 and the NEETT working on Balloon 721.

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Picture in Time: Tyne and Wear Metro 4014

Posted on Saturday 19 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

For the next few weeks we are back in the north east each Saturday for our more modern light rail and tramway dip into the archives. It is, of course, the Tyne and Wear Metro and we are in fact heading back to the 30th anniversary in 2010.

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In Pictures: Metro on the Metro

Posted on Saturday 19 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

You can now pickup your weekday fix of free news on the West Midlands Metro with four boxes being fitted per tram to hold the paper – yes, that’s right you can pick-up the Metro on the Metro! Having firmly established itself as a part of daily commuters life across the UK the Metro is a free paper available at many railway stations across the country as well as various public transport offerings, including Stagecoach Supertram. And now West Midlands Metro has joined in!

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Friday 18 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

In this weeks main update of British Trams Online we are off to Blackpool for photos:

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Green line trams getting longer on Luas

Posted on Friday 18 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

In a sign of the continued popularity of Dublin’s Luas network 26 trams are set to grow as part of a major investment programme. The Citadis 402 trams (originally delivered as seven section trams) will become Citadis 502s in the programme with the addition of two sections, adding 30% to their capacity. The first tram – 5021 – was recently unveiled in a special ceremony attended and has also received a special vinyl wrap on the new sections with the slogan “I’ve Grown!”.

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Metro’s head of engineering to retire

Posted on Friday 18 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Nexus’ Head of Maintenance Delivery, Phil Kirkland, who managed the construction of the original Tyne and Wear Metro network between 1979 and 1984 is to retire after 47 years of service to the railway industry. Phil, who is currently in his second spell on the Metro will leave his role in November.

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In Pictures: Now the blue moves to trams in hybrid livery

Posted on Thursday 17 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

We have had a quieter period of livery changes on the West Midlands Metro recently but that looks set to change as the full blue vinyls are now being applied to those trams which had previously lost the magenta but kept the white/silver. The first of the trams to fall into this category is 18 which is now blue whilst keeping its adverts for Just Eat.

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New App launched for NET giving cheaper travel

Posted on Thursday 17 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

NETGO!, a new app developed by a local company, has been launched for Nottingham Express Transit which as well as giving all the latest travel information can be used to purchase tram tickets – cheaper than buying from the machines. The app was officially launched on Monday 14th October with over 3,000 people having already downloaded it by launch day itself.

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Picture in Time: Glasgow 22

Posted on Thursday 17 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

This week our traditional tram edition of Picture in Time is off to Glasgow for the first of several photos taken during the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival which featured an operational heritage tramway.

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The next tram to Victoria is…Manchester 173!

Posted on Wednesday 16 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Manchester 173 is going to escape its home at the Heaton Park Tramway for one day only on Sunday 20th October when it heads to Manchester Victoria to take part in the 175th birthday celebrations of the station. Despite pre-publicity for the event by Northern stating that you will be able to “ride on a heritage tram”, 173 will in fact be a static exhibit throughout the day.

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Work underway on temporary Metro depot

Posted on Wednesday 16 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro is scheduled to get a new, albeit temporary, depot by next summer in Howdon and work is now underway preparing the former landfill site for the main construction works. Extensive earth works are required first with excavators now on site to level the area.

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In Pictures: The Trawler back on Illumination Tours

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Anyone who follows the Blackpool Tramway in any details will probably have been aware that the start of the Illuminations this year there has been a missing tram on tour duty – the Trawler. The LEDs fitted to the tram, providing it with its illuminated aspect as there are no traditional bulbs on the tram, have been proving problematic but recent workshop attention has seen these start to work again and the tram returned to tour duty in time for Friday 11th October.

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A new name on the way for NET 220

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit 220 is set for a renaming in the next few months following the announcement of the latest winner of the Nottingham Nurse of the Year at a glittering ceremony. Sophie Robson, a nurse in the Assessment Unit of the Nottingham Children’s Hospital was named overall winner at the Nurse and Midwife of the Year Awards after winning a public vote following a glowing nomination by the mother one of her patients. As part of the award Citadis 220 is reserved for the naming with it currently holding the name of the 2018 winner, Luisa Avanzado. The tram will be renamed in due course.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Brush 627

Posted on Tuesday 15 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Another image take in 1990 for this edition of Picture in Time. This time around we feature one of the Brush Cars in service.

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In Pictures: First adverts applied to refurbished Incentros

Posted on Monday 14 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

When first released into traffic after the completion of their refurbishment the Nottingham Express Transit Incentros were without adverts but this has now changed with 205 becoming the first to carry ads. This is not an all over advert by any means with just above window adverts included but it does mean that the newly revised livery on the Incentros does have a bit more colour added, at least for now!

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Very small decline in Metrolink punctuality

Posted on Monday 14 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It is that time again to take a quick look at Manchester Metrolink performance with the statistics for 18th August to 14th September now released. This time around there has been a decline in punctuality (although only be 0.1%) whilst reliability has increased from the previous period to 98.1% (from 97.4%).

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Around the World in Trams: Zurich 2034

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

As we continue our random trips around the world for this photo series we end up in Zurich for a photo taken some 10 years ago.

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