Picture in Time: Glasgow 1297

Posted on Thursday 24 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Its another trip to the Glasgow Garden Festival for this edition of Picture in Time as we view another of the trams in operation on the temporary timetable.

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Heaton Park Tramway to reopen

Posted on Wednesday 23 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Back in September when the Heaton Park Tramway were hit by a theft of their overhead wire you would have been hard pressed to believe that a mere month later services would be resuming that is precisely what is happening with the first passenger trams due to run again on Saturday 26th October – and as a thank you all journeys will be free across the first weekend.

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Passengers and crime up as Metrolink release their annual report

Posted on Wednesday 23 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink has never been so popular according to figures released in the system’s annual report, recently provided to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Transport Committee. Slightly over 45 million passengers were recorded between August 2018 and August 2019 – an increase of approximately three million from the previous 12 months. But despite this encouraging picture of the number of passengers carried there remains cause of concern with an increase in the amount of crime and anti-social behaviour reported across the network whilst performance was not quite at the target levels.

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In Pictures: Latest from Beamish

Posted on Tuesday 22 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

With the quieter period continuing at Beamish a two tram service (one clockwise and one anti-clockwise) continues to suffice at most times on the tramway with Thursday 17th October seeing Blackpool 31 running clockwise and Sheffield 264 anti-clockwise. Meanwhile, the big transport infrastructure project remains the new bus depot with the main structure now in place and fitting out of the interior to follow ahead of an official opening at a date to be announced.

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West Midlands Metro launch survey

Posted on Tuesday 22 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Passengers who travel on the West Midlands Metro are being asked for their opinions on the service with the launch of an online survey. The survey is looking for views on the service offered on the West Midlands Metro including the tramstop, conditions on board the tram, information available on the tram service (at the stops, on the trams and elsewhere) and the quality of service (including punctuality and length of time they have to wait for the trams).

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Picture in Time: Blackpool OMO 1

Posted on Tuesday 22 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Today’s delve into the archives finds us in the autumn of 1974 with a view of the very first OMO Car.

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Progress continues on Bluebird restoration

Posted on Monday 21 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It’s the major restoration project that has been ongoing in Crich’s conservation workshop since June 2014 and recently there has been some more excellent progress on London County Council 1, or Bluebird if you prefer.

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Tram and car collide on NET

Posted on Monday 21 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

A woman had to be taken to hospital for treatment after her car was involved in a collision between Queens Walk and Wilford Village tramstops on Nottingham Express Transit’s line to Clifton South on Sunday 13th October. The collision happened at approximately 1000 and led to NET’s service being suspended between those two stops until 1130. During the disruption passengers were advised to walk between the two stops to continue their journeys.

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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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