In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Spooky signs in Nottingham, rugby fans urged to take the tram in Edinburgh, a track dualling project on the Tyne and Wear Metro reaches the half-way stage and an update on testing of new DLR trains.
NET
In the run up to Halloween, Nottingham’s tram network invited customers to get into the ‘spirit’ of the occasion by spotting spooky twists on tram stop signs across the city.
NET challenging travellers to see if they can spot Halloween-inspired fakes and other spooky happenings on the network, take a picture and share them on social media with the hashtag #tramortreat.You can read the full story here.
Edinburgh Trams
Rugby fans heading for this year’s Autumn Internationals can be sure of swift and convenient travel to one of Scotland’s most iconic sports venues thanks to Edinburgh’s tram network.
On Saturday, November 5, Edinburgh Trams is planning to boost its services to every three minutes before and after the eagerly anticipated clash between Scotland and the mighty Fijians tomorrow (November 5).
The nearest tram stop is just a short walk from BT Murrayfield Stadium, and further details can be found here.
Docklands Light Railway
Transport for London (TfL) has provided an update on progress to upgrade the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) with new, longer, more spacious automated trains.
As reported here , images released by the transport body in a recent report show one of the first completed trains running on a test track in a striking new white and turquoise livery, a departure from the conventional tones of red and blue which have been used on the network since it started running in 1987.
The new trains will be longer, meaning there will be more space for passengers as trains won’t have to be coupled together in pairs and triples as they currently do.
Tyne & Wear Metro
A £104m track dualling project on the Tyne and Wear Metro in South Tyneside has reached its halfway stage, with the works on schedule and 3km of new line already in place.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said the Metro Flow works are going to plan and are on course to be completed in by December 4 – when the line between Pelaw and South Shields is due to re-open.
A total of 3km of new line has been installed so far, which has included the complete replacement of five track junctions. Over 4,000 new sleepers have gone in alongside 16,000 tonnes of new ballast.
A thousand rail workers are employed on the vast work site which stretches from Gateshead into South Tyneside and the full story can be found here.
LRSSB
Plans to develop a new sector-wide ‘safety plan’ are to take shape during the first of a series of working group meetings organised by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
Last week light rail safety professionals met to establish their key priorities for the sector over the next few years as part of a new initiative driven by LRSSB and colleagues from across the sector.
Dedicated working groups were established focussing on various topics of benefit to the sector, ranging from emerging issues to the communication of best practice that will subsequently be integrated into a National Safety Plan. These will then align with, and supplement, the LRSSB’s business planning objectives.
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 info@uktram.org.