In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Puppets lead Metro’s ticketing campaign, engineering works in Edinburgh, TfGM seeks views of customers, heritage grant for Crich Tramway Village, and Tyne and Wear Metro features in a new exhibition.

UKTram

A series of high-profile concerts and sporting fixtures have helped a number of UK tram networks post record patronage figures over the summer.

The latest meeting of the Light Rail Operators Group, organised by UKTram, heard that performances by Taylor Swift in Edinburgh and events at the new Co-op Live had provided a boost for the two networks in recent months.

However, poor weather over the summer holidays had a negative impact on systems reliant on seasonal customers but, overall, the figures pointed to continued recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, and you can read more here.

In other light rail news:

West Midlands Metro

Two vibrant and engaging characters are about to play a leading role in a lively new campaign highlighting the new ways to pay for travel on the West Midlands’ growing tram network.

Wes and Mindy are set to become familiar faces across the network as West Midlands Metro prepares for the switch-on of new ticket machines later in the autumn.

Beyond the launch of the new Metro ticket machines, these colourful puppets will become stars of the Metro’s social media channels, helping to promote the benefits of tram travel and keeping customers updated ahead of the new routes set to launch next year. For the full story, click here.

Edinburgh Trams

A section of Edinburgh’s tram network will see the temporary suspension of evening services early next week when essential engineering works are taking place throughout the night.

Edinburgh Trams is set to carry out maintenance works at Ocean Terminal on Monday, 30 September, with the last full route service towards the airport departing Newhaven at 20.00.

The last full route service to Newhaven will depart Edinburgh Airport at 19.01. Trams will then run between Edinburgh Airport and Balfour Street for the remainder of the evening, and a full tram service to all stops will resume the following morning, and full details can be found here.

Manchester Metrolink

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council (MCC) are seeking people’s views on travelling in Manchester – including to and from the city centre – to help shape improvements to people’s journeys.

TfGM and MCC want to make journeys better and easier by making them more reliable, safer and more sustainable. This will be done by making improvements to streets in Manchester through funding from the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

By sharing their experience of the transport network in Manchester, people can help shape where investment goes and what would make their journeys better. In turn, this will help TfGM make the right improvements so journeys can be made safer, more reliable and more sustainable, and you can read more here.

Tyne & Wear Metro

The Tyne and Wear Metro is featuring in a new exhibition which explores the radical urban transformations that changed the face of Tyneside.

Concrete Dreams explores the ideas, personalities and political climate that transformed Newcastle into a modernist city.

The immersive exhibition is being staged by Newcastle University at the Farell Centre and is on for eight months, and you can read more here.

Heritage

Crich Tramway Village has announced that they have been awarded a special Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The award, worth £83,080, is in support of a year-long project to help build the business resilience of the Tramway Museum Society.

The grant will focus on three key areas: audience data analysis, business planning and volunteer support. Karen Rigg, TMS Chairman, said these are all key to helping the society understand where to concentrate resources in future, and you can read the full story at British Trams Online, 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.