In light rail news this week – WM Metro name charity of the year, tram named after NET community hero, Edinburgh Trams link with electric coach operator, Crich and Seaton prepare for new season and LRSSB publish guidance for helping vulnerable people.
The very latest job vacancies from across the light rail sector are now easy to find on UKTram’s recently revamped website.
You can find further details of career opportunities submitted by UKTram members, with links to full job descriptions and details on how to apply on our careers page.
The most recent posts include details of a vacancy for an Infrastructure Electrical and Mechanical Team Member in the West Midlands and for an Assistant Rolling Stock Manager in the Isle of Man where there is also an opening for an Electrical/Mechanical Rolling Stock Fitter.
If you have a vacancy you would like to promote on the UKTram website, email the details to jamie.swift@uktram.org.
In other light rail news:
West Midlands Metro
The generosity of West Midlands Metro employees is set to provide a boost for one of the region’s leading palliative care centres.
Following an internal poll, the Metro team has adopted Wolverhampton-based Compton Care as its Charity of the Year.
Now the organisation is set to benefit from a wide range of fundraising events planned for the months ahead, including coffee mornings, bake sales and a raffle. Metro colleagues will also support the charity by volunteering in the Compton Care gardens, helping them to prepare for their summer garden festival and you can read more here.
NET
A tram will be named after two community champions as part of the network’s birthday celebrations.
People of Nottingham were invited to vote on who they wanted to see named on one of the trams as part of the Community Hero naming competition.
After receiving thousands of nominations, at the 18th birthday celebrations the winners were revealed, as reported here.
Edinburgh Trams
The operator is joining forces with a local bus operator to drive ‘green’ travel between Dundee and Scotland’s largest airport.
Electric buses operated by Ember already serve the Ingliston park and ride stop, just a short hop by tram to Edinburgh Airport, and a new ticket offer makes planning a seamless journey even easier.
Ember tickets are now accepted on the tram for travel to and from the airport, at no additional cost. The tram ‘top up’ is included in the cost of the standard Ember ticket, providing great value as well as zero emissions journeys to and from Edinburgh Airport. For the full story, click here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
A Metro driver is putting the new Metro train fleet in the frame on his very own YouTube channel, taking people behind the scenes of the £362m project like never before.
Craig Pearson has become an ambassador for the Metro Futures project as it enters its most significant phase, with final production underway and the first new train set to arrive at the end of this year.
Craig, 39, of Gateshead, will be video blogging at key moments on the drivers’ journey to their new trains, under the title ‘That Metro Guy’ and you can read the full story here.
Heritage
After a difficult couple of years, Crich Tramway Village managed to open for some time during 2020 and 2021, though operating under government Covid-19 guidelines, which meant limited access to some of the facilities.
Following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Crich Tramway Village has announced all its facilities will be open during the 2022 season, which starts this Saturday (March 12), However, measures to maintain high levels of hygiene will remain in place. The team at Crich are also looking forward to launching refurbished tram, Newcastle 102, into service later in the season and you can read the full story here.
Meanwhile Seaton Tramway is offering half price Explorer Tickets for adults as part The National Lottery Open Week.To thank National Lottery players for their support, the tramway will be offering the discounts on 19th, 20th, 26th & 27th March to anyone who presents a National Lottery ticket (digital or physical), scratchcard, or Instant Win Game. For the full story click here.
LRSSB
Ensuring the safety of vulnerable people on tramways and similar transit systems is the subject of the latest guidance published by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
Providing colleagues with invaluable advice on how to handle situations where a customer may need additional help, the document is available to download here from the LRSSB’s expanding online reference library.
Subjects covered include reviewing and improving policy and procedures, staff training, identifying and communicating with vulnerable persons, strategies for helping, supporting and safeguarding, suicide prevention, and collaborating both with other agencies and with other light rail operators. The full story can be found 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.