In this week’s news from the light rail sector – All night trams in Edinburgh for the festival season, milestone for Metro extension project with re-opening of Lower Bull Street, Croke visitors urged to use Luas park and ride facilities and successful demolition of Gosforth Metro depot.

UKTram

A pioneering initiative aimed at driving innovation and economic growth by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the transport industry has won the backing of UKTram.

James Hammett, the organisation’s Managing Director, has joined the project review board of the Clean Futures programme, which plans to leverage £8 million to stimulate investment of over £30 million in new products for the transition to Net Zero.

It will support SMEs in existing supply chains, or those looking to move into new market sectors, and the full story can be found here.

In other light rail news: 

Edinburgh Trams  

An all-night tram service is being lined up for weekends in August to help visitors and local residents to make the most of Edinburgh’s acclaimed festival season.

Over the summer, the city hosts one of the world’s most popular celebrations of arts and culture, and Edinburgh Trams is gearing up to play its part in helping to keep the city moving as tens of thousands of people flock to Scotland’s capital.

In addition to daytime and evening services, which run from every seven minutes between the airport and Newhaven, trams will continue to serve all stops throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays and more details can be found here.

Tyne & Wear Metro

Demolition work on the 100-year-old buildings at Gosforth Metro depot has been successfully completed.

The last sections of the former maintenance sheds and the office block have been pulled down, paving the way for new sidings that will provide storage space for the new Stadler Metro train fleet.

The ageing facilities that were first built in 1923 have been razed to rubble to make space for the new £70m Metro depot and new trains.

A total of 17 new sidings for train stabling will also be created to serve the new depot, and you can read more here.

LUAS

Anyone heading to Croke Park for a match this summer is being urged to take advantage of Park and Ride facilities before taking a tram to Dublin City Centre.

Busáras or Connolly Luas Stops are an approximate 15-minute walk from Croke Park.

On the Luas Red Line there are Park & Ride facilities at Cheeverstown and Red Cow, while on the Green Line there are more spaces at Carrickmines and Stillorgan. Click here to find out more.

Extension Projects 

Work in Birmingham city centre to extend the Metro line to Digbeth is nearing completion with Lower Bull Street set to reopen later this week.

All the track has now been installed between Bull Street and Dale End, including the award-winning delta junction that will allow trams to travel in six different directions when the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension is in operation.

Timelapse footage has been released revealing the progress made to date and you can find a link to it, and more on the story here.

Heritage  

The Isle of Man Government has launched an ‘Independent Review and Economic Impact Assessment’ into the operation of the heritage railways on the island.

British Trams Online reports that this obviously includes the Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway.

As part of the review, they have launched an online consultation to find out views from the public, which can be found here.

LRSSB

The LRSSB is stepping up support for specialist training within light rail to deliver a further boost to safety, operational performance, and the wellbeing of those working in the sector.

The organisation is working with sector professionals to identify appropriate courses and aims to provide them with access to practical information alongside open forums to share best practice.

It’s also consulting the sector on its current and future needs following a recent workshop that highlighted how effective training, as well as driving up safety standards, helps employees feel valued. To find out more, 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.