In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Career opportunities in the West Midlands, travel tips from NET, tram services impacted by industrial action on the rail network and new safety videos from the LRSSB.

Group plans for the unexpected

Managing unexpected malfunctions of critical tramway infrastructure or equipment is to be the subject of a series of best practice workshops for network operators.

Planned for early in 2023, they will be led by the UKTram Operations Group and look at a range of different scenarios that require contingency planning.

Although uncommon, network-wide disruption incidents can happen due to factors beyond the operator’s control, including adverse weather or community-wide power outages.

There are also technical issues that can bring a tramway or similar transit systems to a standstill, and it is vital that plans are put in place to ensure that services are safely restored as quickly as possible with minimum disruption for customers.

For the full story, click here.

In other light rail news:

West Midlands Metro

The expansion of West Midlands Metro is generating a wealth of career opportunities, and enthusiastic individuals are being urged to apply now for a wide range of roles within the operator’s diverse team.

As well as recruiting Drivers/Customer Service Officers, Midland Metro Limited is looking for suitable candidates to fill engineering roles within its expanding infrastructure and tram maintenance departments.

All the current vacancies, offer a competitive salary and an attractive package of benefits, including free Metro travel and membership of an employee discount scheme. Further details can be found here.

NET

With Christmas fast approaching, Nottingham’s tram network is calling on customers to help it make travelling in and around the city an even more pleasant experience for everyone during the festive season.

By following a few simple travel tips, they can make the most of a frequent seasonal timetable, while helping the NET team to keep services running on time during the busiest weeks of the year.

Jo Bentley, Head of Customer Experience, explained that one of the easiest ways customers can help is to wait for fellow customers to get off the tram before trying to board themselves, standing well clear of the doors to help people to disembark swiftly. To read more, click here.

Edinburgh Trams

Visitors to a host of Yuletide attractions in Edinburgh can be sure of swift and convenient travel to and from venues thanks to the city’s award-winning trams.

The renowned Christmas Markets have turned Princes Street Gardens into a winter wonderland and, with the tram stop nearby, getting to there couldn’t be easier.

Adding to the festive fun, the ice rink has also returned to the west end of George Street, which is just a short walk from West End tram stop, and you can read the full story here.

Manchester Metrolink

Industrial action by rail workers over Christmas will impact tram services between Altrincham and Timperley as Metrolink relies on Network Rail’s signallers for safe operation.

During strike days, Metrolink services will only be able to operate to Altrincham between 7am and 7pm. Outside of these times, services will operate as far as Timperley, with a replacement bus operating between Timperley and Altrincham.

As reported here, Metrolink will run as many trams as possible to help passengers get around, with thousands of free park and ride spaces available at dozens of sites across Greater Manchester.

Tyne & Wear Metro

Tyne and Wear Metro will also be impacted by rail strikes. Although its employees are not taking industrial action, there will be an impact on Metro services operating between Pelaw and South Hylton because this stretch of line is part of the national rail network which is owned and managed by Network Rail.

No Metro services will be running between Pelaw and South Hylton on affected days, and customers travelling in this area will need to find alternative modes of travel. More details can be found here.

Heritage

British Trams Online has reported that Blackpool Transport has confirmed that an online fundraiser for money to bring back Balloon 710 from Wyre Dock to Rigby Road Depot has been successful.

Launched in mid-November the campaign was looking to raise £2,500 to pay for the transportation of the tram along the Fylde Coast and within a couple of weeks this has been surpassed allowing plans to be made for its move.

Balloon 710 has been acquired by Blackpool Transport to go on display at Tramtown with it set to be initially cosmetically restored to its late 1980s condition when it was featrured in one of Coronation Street’s biggest storylines and you can read more here.

LRSSB

The dangers of jumping red lights near to tram lines are highlighted in one of the latest additions to a series of videos from the organisation responsible for driving light rail safety.

Aimed at motorists, the animated films from the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board also illustrate the importance of leaving enough space for trams to pass – particularly when parking close to the tracks.

Featuring eye-catching graphics, the latest ‘Be SMART around Trams’ videos drive home the message that trams take longer to stop than other road vehicles and cannot take other evasive action to avoid collisions. For more information, and a link to the video, 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.