In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Engineering works in Manchester to see two stops close over summer, exclusive discounts for tram customers at venues in Nottingham, award recognition for Edinburgh Trams and changes to tickets in the West Midlands.
Manchester Metrolink
Two tram stops on Metrolink’s Eccles line will close for 10 weeks to allow for major rail replacement work to take place
From Saturday 15th July to Thursday 21st September, track renewal work will be carried out on Eccles New Road which will result in the closure of Eccles and Ladywell tram stops. Services will continue to operate as normal between Weaste and the city centre, as well as the MediaCityUK and Trafford Park Metrolink lines.
A fully accessible bus replacement service will also run to take passengers between Weaste and Eccles, serving Ladywell, for onward journeys. Signed pedestrian walking routes will be in place and customer service staff will be present to help passengers. More information can be found online.
NET
Tram users in Nottingham can now access free exclusive discounts from a range of Nottingham cafés, bars, shops, restaurants and more, and all they need is a tram ticket.
Launched by Tramlink, which operates Nottingham Express Transit (NET), the new initiative, Destination Discount, will be open to anyone with an active travel pass or valid tram ticket.
Tram customers will be able to get exclusive discounts at participating partnered brands across the city. Tickets just need to be valid for travel that day and you can read more here.
Edinburgh Trams
Just a couple of weeks after the successful launch of services to Newhaven, Edinburgh’s acclaimed tramway has picked up a top honour at an event celebrating excellence in the Scottish transport sector.
Edinburgh Trams was named ‘Public Transport Operator of the Year’ during the Scottish Transport Awards last week in Glasgow.
It clinched the coveted title after impressing judges with its ‘Glide to the Future’ campaign ahead of the first passenger service tram on the new route earlier this month and you can read the full story here.
West Midlands Metro
From the July 3, there will be changes to bus+Metro tickets, as bus operators have increased their fares. There will be an increase in the cost of the bus element of bus+Metro tickets. For example, an nbus+Metro day ticket will now cost £7.70.
Bus operators are also simplifying their ticketing options by removing off-peak ticket types. This means that the off-peak nbus+Metro and off-peak NX+Metro day tickets are being discontinued. The only available option for customers purchasing bus+Metro tickets will be the nbus+Metro day ticket. For full details, click here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
A long-serving transport worker is retiring after a 43-year career at Metro, three decades of which were spent looking after ticket machines.
Steve Griffin has diligently kept Metro ticket machines in tip top condition since 1990, working across all 60 stations. The 64-year-old will bring the curtain down on his career at Metro when he leaves at the end of June, having started work there in 1980 as an electrician.
His work has been absolutely vital for the smooth running of the Metro system over so many years, said Metro’s operator, Nexus, undertaking thousands of ticket machine repairs. He’s also had a key role working on Metro’s new ticket and gating system which arrived ten years ago and you can read more 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.