In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Coronation celebrations at Crich Tramway Village, new OLE training guidance from the LRSSB, and information web page launched ahead of first trams to Newhaven.

UKTram

Marketing and customer service professionals from across the light rail sector are joining forces to help tackle anti-social behaviour on UK tramways and similar transit systems.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, network operators have reported a marked increase in reports of unacceptable behaviour from a small minority of people causing disruption and upset for employees and law-abiding customers.

Members of the UKTram Marketing and Customer Services Group also heard that some networks had seen a rise in offences such as criminal damage, reflecting a wider trend experienced by all forms of public transport and communities across the country.

Group Chair Tom Singleton, who is also Head of Service Delivery at London Trams, says tram and metro systems are not immune to problems experienced by wider society, and you can read the full story here.

In other light rail news:

Edinburgh Trams

As Edinburgh Trams prepares to launch services to Newhaven, a dedicated online information page is now ‘live’ to help local communities make the most of the extended network.

As well as tracking the progress of the testing programme, the website page has information about the new route and timetable with trams set to become a familiar sight for the residents of Leith Walk, Ocean Terminal, and Newhaven.

Route, times and fares information can be found online and customers can keep up to date with the countdown to launch by following our social media channels and you can read more here.

Luas

There will be some changes to Luas services over the May Bank Holiday weekend due to engineering works taking place on the Green Line.

There will be no trams running between St. Stephen’s Green and Beechwood Luas Stops on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. During this temporary closure, trams will run between Broombridge / Parnell and St. Stephen’s Green and between Beechwood and Sandyford / Brides Glen only.

On both the Red and Green Lines, trams will run Sunday Operating Hours on Monday, May 1, due to the Bank Holiday. The Red Line is not affected by the works, and further details are available here.

Tyne & Wear Metro

The Tyne and Wear Metro has appointed a new operations director with Kevin Storey taking over the responsibility for overseeing the day to day running of services on the network following a successful recruitment process.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said it was a key appointment, and that he would bring a wealth of experience to the role as it transitions to a new £362m fleet of trains.

Kevin, 47, of Northumberland, has worked in Metro operations since 2005 and has been promoted into his new role after previously working as Head of Operations Delivery. He has previously led the successful delivery of services for major events and you can read more here.

Heritage

On the morning of 23rd April 2023, a carefully planned tramcar swap took place at Crich Tramway Village.

Leeds 602 was moved out of the Exhibition Hall and replaced with Blackpool 762 from the depot in preparation for an upcoming Coronation celebration event in May.

The tram will on static display on the depot fan for several days to celebrate the fact that Leeds 602 entered service in June 1953 at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation. The livery it carries was for that reason, with purple being a Royal colour. The full story can be found here.

LRSSB

Rigorous training overseen with exemplary competence has been a key factor in maintaining the excellent safety record of Light Rail in the UK, and new guidance has just been published to help ensure this continues.

The latest Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) Systems Training and Competency Guidance (LRG 40.0) is published by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board and

covers everything needed to prepare maintenance staff to work safely in keeping tram services running as they should. For more information, 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.