More cars find their way onto Metrolink tracks

Posted on Tuesday 3 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

With the crushing inevitably you have come to accept there have been a couple more cars which have found their way onto Metrolink tracks recently, including one which managed to drive onto the tracks at Vicotria – in a position which really beggars belief!

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Picture in Time: Nottingham Express Transit 207

Posted on Tuesday 3 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today Picture in Time is back in Nottingham for an image taken on just the second day of public service.

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27 new M5000s officially ordered for Metrolink

Posted on Monday 2 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

The contract to deliver 27 new M5000s for Manchester Metrolink has been signed to help increase capacity on the network by 15%. The 27 trams are part of a £72 million deal and are set to start arriving in Manchester in February 2020.

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Historic path found as work continues on West Midlands Metro extension

Posted on Monday 2 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

An old footpath – dating from either the 18th or 19th century – has been unearthed in Victoria Square, Birmingham as part of the Birmingham Westside extension of the West Midlands Metro. As so often happens when work is underway on constructing new tramways there are lots of hidden treasures – not seen for years – indeed in Blackpool recently old tram tracks were discovered but this latest find is even more historic.

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Stamps launched for MER 125th Anniversary

Posted on Sunday 1 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

You may have heard that the Manx Electric Railway is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2018 (a week long event takes place 1st to 8th September in case you weren’t aware!). As part of the celebrations a set of 6 new stamps have been launched featuring photos from competition winners with these available from Saturday 30th June 2018.

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Record passenger figures for Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Sunday 1 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams looks set to post record passenger numbers over the weekend of the Royal Highland Show with a 20% increase on figures from 2017. Although exact numbers haven’t yet been released the excellent weather experienced during the weekend along with an increased service frequency combined to help the expected record number of passengers to be carried.

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Car and tram collide in Oldham

Posted on Sunday 1 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

Services through Oldham were disrupted for a time on Monday 25th June after a collision between a car and a tram. M5000 3035 was the tram involved on King Street close to the stop at Oldham Mumps. Details of the causes of the accident have not been made public but no injuries were reported with the car being removed from the scene after initial investigations.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 1 July 2018 by Gareth Prior

We have photos from last weekend’s Totally Models event in Blackpool as part of this week’s update:

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Site News | 1 Comment

In Pictures: A busy day in the Crich workshop

Posted on Saturday 30 June 2018 by Andrew Waddington

The past week has been a good one for fans of large open top trams around the UK. Fresh from the return to service of Blackpool 31 at Beamish Museum, and the announcement of Blackpool’s own ‘Princess Alice’ 706 being earmarked for overhaul with funding from a Fylde Tramway Society appeal, Saturday 30th June saw Newcastle 102 moved into the workshop at Crich Tramway Village for work to start on a major overhaul for this popular tramcar.

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Long lost tram track presented to Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Railway Society

Posted on Saturday 30 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

As so often happens in former tramway towns when work takes place on roads old tram track – buried long ago when the tramway was abandoned in the name of progress – is discovered once again. Another instance of this has happened in Colwyn Bay with the track now dug up and presented to the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Railway Society.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool OMO 5

Posted on Saturday 30 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today we feature one of the very first photos I ever took of a tram back in 1992 – little did I know at the time that this would be the only photo I ever took of an OMO in normal passenger service!

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English Light Rail journeys suffer small fall for first time in eight years

Posted on Saturday 30 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Over the past few years the number of passengers has been on the increase almost across the board but this overall increase has come to a halt in the latest figures released which have shown 416,000 fewer journeys were made in 2017/8 compared to 2016/7. Its not all bad news though as Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Express Transit and the Blackpool Tramway did all see increases on the previous years stats.

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NET 220 receives its new name

Posted on Saturday 30 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit Citadis 220 is now running with its latest name following a special ceremony at Wilkinson Street Depot on Wednesday 27th June. 220 is the tram used each year to celebrate the overall winner at the Nurse and Midwife Awards and for the next 12 months it will be named Luisa Avanzado.

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Marton 31 returns to service at Beamish

Posted on Friday 29 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

After over two years popular open topper Blackpool Marton 31 has returned to service at Beamish with the tram carrying its first passengers again at the museum on Thursday 28th June 2018. And it’s a very welcome return ahead of the main summer season at Beamish!

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In Pictures: New advert for Edinburgh Trams 276

Posted on Friday 29 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams have obviously felt left out by all the adverts revealed on Manchester Metrolink in recent days as they have re-entered the new vinyl adverts game with 276 receiving an advert for The Edinburgh Dungeon. This tram previously advertised last week’s Royal Highland Show.

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‘Princess Alice’ 706 restoration appeal launched

Posted on Friday 29 June 2018 by Andrew Waddington

One of Blackpool’s best loved trams is undoubtedly the unique open-top Balloon car, ‘Princess Alice’ 706. The tram was always hugely popular whenever it appeared in service since its conversion to open-top condition in 1985, until the end of the 2015 season when it was withdrawn from use as it was in need of major workshop attention. The Fylde Tramway Society are now raising funds to enable this to be carried out, and donations from the public are needed to help!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fylde Tramway Society | 3 Comments

New Seaton terminus opens to the public

Posted on Thursday 28 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Nine months since the last passengers departed the old Seaton terminus the new look modernised terminus building has opened to the public with all tram services once again running from Seaton to Colyton. The brand new terminus is two metres higher than previously and provides fully covered accommodation for both trams and visitors – no more waiting in windswept conditions for the tram to arrive!

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In Pictures: More adverts on Metrolink

Posted on Thursday 28 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

The magic number of 10 has been reached of vinyl wrap liveries on Manchester Metrolink following the application of an advert for Capital Radio on 3030. Meanwhile the fourth Vodafone advert has been confirmed as being carried on 3100.

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Around the World in Trams: Vienna 4-103 & 18

Posted on Thursday 28 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

Heading into Austria as part of our look at trams from around the world today with a view from Vienna.

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Edinburgh Trams profit up

Posted on Wednesday 27 June 2018 by Gareth Prior

For a system (or single line if you prefer) which had a very traumatic start in life, Edinburgh Trams seems to be on the up and up with ever increasing passenger numbers, good reliability figures and now higher than expected financial returns. The latest set of annual accounts have shown a £1.6m pre-tax operating profit – against the business model prediction of £333,000.

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