In this week’s news from the light rail sector – MP visits shuttle depot, NET highlights fare evasion among young people, Halloween fun at Crich Tramway Village, all-night trams for techno fans in Edinburgh and half-term travel offer from Tyne & Wear Metro.
Pre Metro
The Stourbridge Shuttle team has welcomed Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles and local Councillor Jason Griffin to discuss future Shuttle operations and an exciting vision for the proposed new Dasher project that seeks to connect Stourbridge with Canal Street.
Pre Metro Director Steve Jasper hosted the meeting at the Shuttle depot before escorting the visitors on a tour of the facility.
They then rode the Shuttle to view a potential new depot site alongside the current Stourbridge Branch Line, and you can read the full story here.
Edinburgh Trams
Edinburgh Trams is planning on going the extra mile for music fans next weekend, with additional trams set to run through the night for a ‘creeptacular’ event at the Royal Highland Centre.
Trams will continue to run from every 10 minutes until 3 am on the nights of Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26, to help party-goers make the most of this year’s Terminal V Halloween, Scotland’s biggest electronic music festival.
For the rest of the night, there will be trams from every 20 minutes until daytime service resumes the following morning, and more details can be found here.
NET
With just one week to go until the end of a discounted academic year travel offer, NET has revealed that 42% of tram users fined for travelling without a valid ticket over the past year have been aged 16 – 21 years old.
Under the network’s zero tolerance fare evasion policy, anyone caught travelling without a valid ticket or pass is handed a ‘no questions asked’ £70 Penalty Fare Notice. If left unpaid, it leaves the recipient liable for prosecution, with a further fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record next to their name.
However, thanks to NET’s latest campaign to give students cheaper tram travel, students who secure an academic pass by Sunday 20 October will be able to access it for £275 – a saving of £50 and equivalent to a daily travel cost of just 82p a day. To read more, click here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
North East families are in for a treat this Halloween, as Kids Go Free continues across all modes of public transport this October half-term.
The popular offer, which makes travel more affordable for families, is running once again from October 26 until November 3, after North East Mayor Kim McGuinness brought together transport operators to launch the region-wide offer during the school holidays.
This summer, more than 360,000 children are estimated to have travelled by public transport for free with a fare-paying adult or concessionary passholder – contributing to more green, affordable journeys across the region, and the full story can be found here.
LRSSB
The vital role of the LRSSB in delivering even safer tram transport has been highlighted in briefings for the new government, sector leaders have heard.
The organisation has been asked to prepare several papers for officials from the Department for Transport that set out its aims, objectives and successes to date.
In an update to members of the UKTram Operators Group, LRSSB Chief Executive Carl Williams reported that the documents also outline potential future projects, and you can find out more here.
Heritage
There’s plenty of spooky Halloween fun on offer at Crich Tramway Village between Monday, October 28, and Friday, November 1.
There’ll be stories on board trams, fancy dress, face painting and daily Halloween shows, and visitors are invited to follow a Halloween trail through the woodland walk, with an extra bewitching surprise on Thursday, October 31.
For more details of activities taking place through the week, 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.
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