In light rail news this week – Eccles line reopens on Metrolink, NET announces fare rises, engineering works on Luas and London Tramlink, Tyne & Wear Metro offers free football travel and Seaton Tramway celebrates Visit England accreditation.
The organisation responsible for driving light rail safety is set to deliver a keynote presentation at a high-profile summit for sector leaders next month.
The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board is co-hosting the event at the Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel on 23rd September, where it will set out its future plans and provide a summary of its achievements to date.
Organised jointly with UKTram, the summit will also provide sector professionals with the chance to take part in a series high-level discussion on the opportunities and threats to the sector post pandemic.
Tickets, priced at £99 for UKTram and LRSSSB members, and £199 for non-members, are now available from UKTram’s online shop at https://uktramshop.org and you can read the full story here.
In other light rail news:
Manchester Metrolink
The Eccles Metrolink line will reopen from Monday 16th August after the completion of safety-critical engineering works.
The line closed on 19th July to enable the replacement of two sections of track; initially for a two week period. However, during the first phase of works it was determined that additional renewals were required to the concrete around the tram tracks, which has been in place for more than 20 years.
The condition of the concrete was only visible once the rail removal operation had started and you can read the full story here.
NET
Nottingham’s tram network is set to introduce a small fare increase from 30th August.
The increase was due to be introduced in 2020 but was postponed for 12 months due to the Covid pandemic.
Day tickets will increase by between 10p and 20p while weekly tickets will rise by 50p. Changes will apply to day and weekly tickets purchased via ticket machines and the NETGO! app, and will also affect Robin Hood Pay As You Go, and you can read the full story here.
Luas
Luas and its operator, Transdev, teamed up with St Patrick’s Athletic Football Club, to support a youth football tournament that took place last week.
The two-day event was held at Richmond Park, with UEFA-qualified coaches overseeing the tournament.
Meanwhile essential engineering works are set to be carried out on the Luas Red Line over two weekends in August and September. The first set of works will take place on this weekend and the second from Friday, 3rd September. You can read more about them here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
Newcastle United fans were able to travel for free on the Metro and other modes of public transport when travelling with a 2021-22 season ticket for the first home fixture of the season.
The travel offer was available three hours before and after the match last Sunday when Newcastle United kick off their Premier League campaign against West Ham United at St James’ Park.
You can read more on the story, and find details of other discounted travel offers for fans here.
London Tramlink
Engineering works are underway in Croydon with no tram services through the town centre until Friday, 27th August.
The works coincide with the school holidays, with no trams running between Wandle Park and East Croydon, and further details can be found here.
Heritage
Seaton Tramway is celebrating accolade after being accredited as a VisitEngland Quality Assured Visitor Attraction.
The accolade follows a ‘mystery visit’ from an assessor earlier this month.
The VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme is designed to help visitor attractions to improve, whether through increased visitor numbers, a more engaged visitor experience or an increase in revenue. You can read the full story here.
To be included in the next round-up, or the Members News section of the website, send your press releases to jamie.swift@uktram.org.