{"id":59964,"date":"2025-09-03T20:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/?p=59964"},"modified":"2025-09-24T17:11:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T16:11:02","slug":"heritage-trams-on-track-for-blackpool-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/?p=59964","title":{"rendered":"Heritage trams on track for Blackpool return"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems that it is all systems go for the anticipated return of heritage trams to Blackpool Prom with news that two trams have been cleared to return to use during Lightpool which starts on 15th<\/sup> October 2025. Both the Illuminated Frigate F736<\/strong> and Balloon 717<\/strong> have been checked over by an independent experts and now preparations are in hand for their transfer to Starr Gate Depot where they will based during their operation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Following the news, Martin Gurr, Heritage Operations Manager at Blackpool Transport, said: \u201cFinal preparations are now being put in place for the transfer of both trams to our Starr Gate depot, where they can be prepared for service. Once they\u2019re back in operation, the trams will be crewed by fully-trained Blackpool Transport drivers and conductors to ensure planned trips meet the latest industry regulations. \u201d<\/p>\n

As announced earlier this summer there has been a phased return plan for the heritage trams which last ran in early December 2024. This has seen independent experts assessing the trams whilst the track from Rigby Road Depot was also inspected to ensure the trams could be moved onto the Prom and to Starr Gate Depot.<\/p>\n

As they have done when operating for a while, all operating heritage trams will be based at Starr Gate Depot where they will undergo any required maintenance.<\/p>\n

The Frigate<\/strong> and Balloon 717<\/strong> have been chosen as the first trams to operate in the new look heritage tram operation. Martin added: \u201cBoth trams have played a prominent role in the history of Blackpool\u2019s tramway, and it\u2019s fitting they will be the first from our historic fleet returning to the promenade following a complete overhaul of our heritage operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, added: \u201cWe\u2019ve always known how important heritage trams are to our visitor economy. They are a big part of our history and heritage, and it will be great to see them back on the tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked exceptionally hard with Blackpool Transport to make sure they can return for Lightpool Festival, and I really hope that people enjoy seeing the trams and more importantly show their commitment by booking on the pre-paid tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the real benefits of having a transport company wholly owned by the council, that we can work together and find solutions to put our town first.\u201d<\/p>\n

More details about the planned Illumination Tours will be released in due course. The Lightpool Festival runs from 15th<\/sup> October until 1st<\/sup> November 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems that it is all systems go for the anticipated return of heritage trams to Blackpool Prom with news that two trams have been cleared to return to use during Lightpool which starts on 15th October 2025. Both the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59964"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59965,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59964\/revisions\/59965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}