In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Supertram staff raise thousands in memory of a colleague, extra trams in Edinburgh at peak times, a busy weekend ahead for Manchester Metrolink, emergency track works in London, and the LRSSB appoints a new board director.
Sheffield Supertram
A heartfelt fundraiser by Supertram staff in memory of a much-loved colleague has raised a total of £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Matthew Orange, who sadly passed away from cancer in October this year, was a cherished member of the Supertram team, known for his gentle nature, dedication, and dry sense of humour.
To honour his memory and contribute to a befitting cause, Supertram organised a special fundraising event where colleagues wore orange to work in a show of solidarity and respect for Matthew. For the full story, click here.
Edinburgh Trams
Extra services at peak times are being introduced in addition to timetable changes to match the growing popularity of Edinburgh’s award-winning tramway.
Providing additional capacity during the busiest times of the day, the extra trams are being introduced at selected points in the timetable following a review of customer travel patterns since the launch of services to Newhaven last year.
Based on the analysis of various information, Edinburgh Trams has refined its timetable better to reflect the needs of a growing number of customers whilst considering road conditions and restrictions at different times of the day, and you can find out more here.
Manchester Metrolink
People are being encouraged to plan their journeys ahead of an exceptionally busy period in Manchester, with thousands expected in the city for big football matches and Co-op Live also hosting two major shows.
City take on Spurs at the Etihad Stadium in a big Premier League clash this Saturday (November 23) at 5.30 pm. The kick-off time means fans will likely be leaving the ground as concertgoers are arriving for Hits Radio Live at the Co-op Live, and the area is expected to be busy.
Just three days later, Pep Guardiola’s men are at home again to Feyenoord in the Champions League, meaning supporters will be travelling to the area at the same time as fans of Sleep Token, who play Co-op Live that same evening.
The city centre will again be exceptionally busy and there may be delays in public transport and on the highway network, more details can be found here.
London Trams
Transport for London has issued another late-notice announcement of the closure of a large section of the tram network this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24).
Inside Croydon reports that TfL says that the closures are caused by “emergency track works” along a stretch of track near Lebanon Road, Addiscombe, which will limit services between Croydon and Beckenham and Elmers End from 8.30pm on Saturday.
Tyne & Wear Metro
Memories of the Tyne and Wear Metro’s opening day have been fondly remembered by two people who were there when the system first opened in August 1980.
Paula Henderson and Adrian Don, both now in their 60s, have told how proud they were at being among the first people to travel on the Metro – and expressed their excitement of reliving it all over again when the Metro’s new trains enter service.
Adrian and Paula joined the crowds bright and early on a summer’s morning – August 11, 1980 - when the first Metro trains ran with customers on board between Haymarket and Tynemouth, and you can read the full story here.
LRSSB
The organisation's delivery of enhanced safety standards on UK tramways has further broadened the expertise of its board of directors by hiring a highly experienced rail professional.
Currently, the operations director at Transport for Wales, Sarah Higgins, joins the Light Rail Safety and Standards board as it continues to evolve to meet the sector's needs while building on its successes to date.
You can read more about Sarah’s appointment by visiting the LRSSB website here.
Heritage
Having missed much of the summer season at the Seaton Tramway undergoing maintenance, 15 returned to service last month. It was one of 11 trams to be used in service over the month, with 10 again leading the mileage charts.
October also saw the Seaton Tramway continue with its daily operation. However, the Yellow timetable dominated proceedings, seeing services end an hour earlier than during the main season.
Despite the fact that the month generally sees more changeable weather, the open-top double-deckers continued to see extensive use, but the most noticeable thing from the released figures is that the older double-deckers did see considerably less use over the month, reports British Trams Online.
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.
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