In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Rock ‘n’ Roll star announcement on Manchester Metrolink, fare evasion campaign earns an award for NET, free admission for local residents from Crich Tramway Village, and a new mural unveiled by Tyne & Wear Metro.

UKTram

The autumn edition of the UKTram and LRSSB newsletter, OnTrack, is now available to download, and inside you will find all the latest news from two organisations at the heart of the light rail sector.

Read all about the recent Light Rail Summit, progress on key safety projects, the strengthening of overseas partnerships, and topics discussed at recent sector working groups by clicking here.

In other light rail news:

Manchester Metrolink 

Metrolink passengers were somewhat surprised this week as Liam Gallagher announced the tram stops on his favourite line.

The Manchester music legend took over the tram announcements in celebration of the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s integrated public transport system, and the Beyond the Music festival.

Beyond the Music is a new music festival and change-making conference taking place across Manchester this week and you can read more here.

NET

A successful, ongoing campaign to reduce fare evasion on Nottingham’s tram network has received international acclaim at a high-profile awards ceremony.

NET was among the winners at the Global Light Rail Awards, where it scooped top honours in the Best Customer Initiative category after adopting a fresh approach to tackling a problem experienced by many tram operators.

The ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign has seen the network’s Customer Experience Team introduce new methods to catch people travelling without a valid ticket, alongside high-profile marketing to encourage everyone to pay their way or risk receiving a penalty fare notice. For the full story, click here.

LUAS

Now that students are returning to college or school, the network is reminding them that it is their responsibility to ensure they have a valid ticket BEFORE boarding a tram.

A valid Luas ticket is required for travel, in accordance with the Luas Bye-laws, and passengers can be asked to show their ticket by Luas Customer Agents or selected Luas Security staff at any time on the tram, or if they have been seen getting off a tram on a platform.

Anyone caught using Luas without a valid ticket will be issued a Standard Fare Notice for €100; however, if paid within 14 days, a discounted penalty of €45 applies. For more on this story, click here.

Tyne & Wear Metro 

A new mural celebrating Sunderland’s industrial past and ongoing cultural revival has been unveiled at one of the city’s Metro stations.

The colourful and thought-provoking piece of artwork, which was created with the input of local community groups, has gone on display at Millfield Metro station near the south bank of the River Wear.

The project was commissioned by Sunderland Culture on behalf of the Metro operator, Nexus, as part of its Metro Community Takeover, marking the network’s 40th anniversary. Funding was provided by Arts Council England, and you can read the full story here.

Heritage  

Crich Tramway Village is offering free entry to residents living within a 5-mile radius as part of a weekend of events to celebrate its links with the local community.

Entertainment will be provided by local groups, and residents will need proof of address to take advantage of the offer, details of which can be found here.

LRSSB

A landmark project to upgrade a vital reporting system that’s already delivering a major boost to light rail safety has been put under the spotlight in a respected trade magazine.

The latest edition of Rail Director includes a detailed report on the months of hard work by the LRSSB and partners from across the sector that led to the successful launch of an enhanced Tram Accident and Incident Reporting (TAIR) system. To read 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.