In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Support for Pride from West Midlands Metro, extra trams for ‘Swifties’ in Edinburgh, Nexus joins forces with the police to tackle anti-social behaviour in coastal communities, and Manchester Metrolink offers travel advice for celebrating City fans.
UKTram
Anyone planning to attend UKTram’s high-profile Light Rail Summit can now secure their place by booking online.
Tickets for the event are free, but strictly limited, and are expected to ‘sell out’ well before sector professionals gather at the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s conference facilities in Austin Court, Birmingham, on Thursday, September 19.
An impressive line-up of speakers has already been announced, and you can read more about them here, and more are set to be announced over the next few weeks. To book a place, click here.
West Midlands Metro
As Birmingham prepares for a weekend of events celebrating the city’s LGBTQ+ community, West Midlands Metro has announced its support for Pride 2024.
Anyone with tickets for Pride this weekend can enjoy a discount of 20 per cent on tram travel with its swift and convenient travel to venues in the city centre.
The discount applies to a Zone 1–4-day ticket, all day, on both May 25th and 26th, when thousands will flock into the city centre to catch performances by acclaimed artists such as Beverley Knight, Jamelia, Heather Small, Loreen and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. To find out more, click here.
Edinburgh Trams
Swifties heading to Edinburgh to see their idol on her Eras Tour are being offered a great travel deal by the city’s award-winning tram network, along with late-night services to make sure they don’t miss the climax of the shows.
When Taylor Swift performs at Scottish Gas Murrayfield for three consecutive days in June, trams will run until at least 1.00am, with additional services also being laid on before the global superstar takes to the stage.
Fans can also take advantage of a range of fare options that are sure to prove popular with Swifties heading to the venue, and you can read the full story here.
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester City fans are encouraged to plan their journeys ahead of the Premier League champions’ celebration parade on Sunday (May 26).
Pep Guardiola’s men will be celebrating an unprecedented fourth consecutive title and may also be showing off the FA Cup if they defeat rivals Manchester United in Saturday’s final.
Nearly 100,000 fans are expected to line the streets for the parade, which sets off from Cathedral Gardens at 7.30pm and will make its way along Deansgate.
Tram will be the best way of getting around, with Metrolink running as many services as possible on the day, and travel advice can be found here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
Operator Nexus has once again joined up with Northumbria Police and North Tyneside Council for this year’s Operation Coastwatch.
It’s an initiative that creates a holistic approach to tackling disorder and anti-social behaviour on the North Tyneside coast over the busy summer months.
The operation consists of extra patrols, preventative work on the transport network to disrupt and stop any disorder before it reaches communities, and beach wardens to monitor coastal activity. For the full story, click here.
Luas
Sunday operating hours and frequency will be in place for Ireland’s bank holiday on Monday, June 3.
Luas services will begin at 7.00 am on the Green and Red Lines and further details can be found here.
Customers are also being urged to plan ahead using the TFI Journey Planner, available online, or by downloading the TFI Live App from Google Play or Apple App Stores.
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.