In Light Rail news this week – prestigious award for Edinburgh Trams, NET seeks customer feedback, pay-as-you-go travel on Metro, Seaton Tramway in the running for three awards and planning application lodged for Dudley Interchange.   

UKTram

The organisation representing the UK’s light rail sector has welcomed further funding for essential transport services as the country emerges from the pandemic.

Tramways, metro systems and other similar transit systems are set to receive a share of a £150 million package of support for vital bus and light rail services announced by the government this week.

UKTram has worked closely with ministers and officials at the Department for Transport throughout the health crisis and has already helped to secure more than £250 million for the sector from the UK and Scottish governments.

It believes the latest tranche of funding will provide valuable stability as operators strive to rebuild patronage and you can read the full story here.

In other light rail news:

Edinburgh Trams

The operator of the city’s tramway has been named Edinburgh’s Large Business of the Year at a prestigious event last week.

Edinburgh Trams scooped the coveted title at the city’s Chamber of Commerce Awards after impressing judges with its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Throughout the health crisis, the tram helped to keep the city moving, with the operator taking a proactive approach to informing people of the latest guidance while introducing a wide range of measures to ensure the safety of customers and colleagues. The operator was also shortlisted in three other categories and the full story can be found here.

NET

Nottingham’s tram network is offering customers the chance to win a month of free travel by answering a few questions about its service.

All they have to do is follow a link to access a short survey to be entered into a prize draw. The winner will be selected at random once the survey closes at the end of March, and more details can be found here.

Tyne & Wear Metro

Metro customers can now get Pay As You Go travel on Android smartphones, thanks to a collaboration between Google Pay and Nexus, the public body which operates the system.

People are now able to load a Pop card into Google Pay on their smartphone, and then use it to touch in and out of the Metro system, in the same way that they use a Pop card.

Nexus said today’s launch of Pop Pay As You Go on Android would transform how people access the Metro network, and enjoy the savings that the Pay As You Go product offers. More details can be found here.

Luas

Engineering works are being carried out on the Luas Red Line from today (Friday, March 4) and over the weekend. Further works are planned between March 11 and March 13 and there will be temporary changes to Luas Red Line Operating Hours.

Green Line Operating Hours are not affected, and further details can be found here.

Heritage

Devon’s unique Seaton Tramway is in the running for three awards over the coming weeks. It has been nominated in two categories at the Devon Tourism Awards and a further nomination at the 2022 Heritage Railway Association Awards.

The popular attraction, which is only 2 foot 9 inch gauge tramway in the UK, includes a fleet of mainly purpose built trams plus three which have been converted from former larger gauge trams.

Whilst the past couple of years have been challenging for the tramway – as it has for all similar attractions – the way it has adapted has now been recognised in these award nominations, British Trams Online reports here.

Extension projects

The development of a new £24 million Dudley transport interchange has taken another step forward with the submission of a final planning application.

Set to be built on the current bus station site, the new Dudley Interchange will link bus services to the tram services on the Black Country Metro extension currently under construction.

As a high-quality gateway for visitors, it will support the regeneration Dudley town centre, as well as offer residents easy public transport access to leisure and work opportunities across the wider West Midlands. For the full story, click here.

To be included in the next round-up, or the Members News section of the UKTram website, send your press releases to jamie.swift@uktram.org.