In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Police patrols in Manchester, free Hogmanay trams in Edinburgh, flood damage in Tyne and Wear, another milestone for the Trams to Newhaven project and Crich volunteers delighted at investment.

Manchester Metrolink

Greater Manchester’s TravelSafe Partnership launched a special operation across the region last week as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the travelling public and to continue to target crime and antisocial behaviour on the public transport network.

As reported here, Police and TravelSafe officers were deployed  in Manchester city centre, Bury and Bolton on Friday December 16.

Utilising a range of specialist resources including knife arches, drones, and dog units, they patrolled Metrolink stops at Piccadilly Gardens and Cornbook, as well as Manchester’s Victoria and Piccadilly stations.

Edinburgh Trams

With a legendary pop duo headlining this year’s Hogmanay, Edinburgh’s award-winning tram network will be rolling out free, late-night services for New Year’s Eve revellers across the city.

While thousands of music fans will gather in Princes Street Gardens for a special performance by Pet Shop Boys, bars, clubs, and restaurants will also be packed for the eagerly awaited celebrations.

From midnight until 5.00 am, the free trams will operate up to every 15 minutes and you can read the full story here.

Tyne & Wear Metro

A replacement bus service is to start running on a section of the Metro network in Sunderland which has been closed due to flood damage in an electrical substation.

Network Rail, which manages the railway through Sunderland, is continuing repairs and Metro services will be suspended between Park Lane and South Hylton into the new year.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, has introduced the replacement bus service between the affected stations, operating every 20 minutes. For the full story, click here.

Extension Projects 

Trams to Newhaven has reached a major milestone after laying the final piece of track connecting Edinburgh’s existing tram system to the new line.

Ahead of passenger services beginning next spring, the last section of rail has been laid at Picardy Place and, as the project nears completion, two-way traffic will also permanently resume between Great Junction Street and Duke Street.

The finishing touches are being made, including removing most of the fencing and filling excavations around the lamppost columns along Leith Walk, before sites close for Christmas. Testing and commissioning to commence in the new year and you can read more here.

Heritage

Crich Tramway Village workshop staff and volunteers are delighted with an investment into new machinery which will help save time and money by enabling them to complete woodwork projects in-house.

The Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation (TSO) and the London County Council Tramways Trust (LCCTT) have helped to fund the considerable investment.

The tools include a planer thicknesser, a spindle moulder and a band saw, plus a commercial dust extraction unit.

Click here for the full story.

LRSSB

Work to carry out a major upgrade to the Tram Accident and Incident Reporting (TAIR) system is gathering pace.

Led by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB), a sector working group is engaging with specialist software developers to spearhead improvements to the system.

Together they are driving a series of enhancements to make it even more effective, and easier for tramway operators to use and more details 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 info@uktram.org.