Light rail and trams

Maintaining light rail

20 November 2018Dr Adam Bevan, Professor Paul Allen and Professor Jay Jaiswal, of the Institute of Railway Research, take a look at new rail asset management techniques in light-rail systems. The defining characteristics of light-rail systems – such as emb...

Budget update: £291m for London’s DLR and boost for Transforming Cities Fund

30 October 2018The chancellor Phillip Hammond yesterday announced a boost in funding for London’s Docklands Light Railway and the Transforming Cities Fund. The DLR will receive £291m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for support of essential inve...

New tram-train collides with lorry in Sheffield on the day of launch

25 October 2018One of the UK’s first ever ‘tram-trains’ has derailed on the day of its launch after colliding with a lorry in Sheffield. Police are currently investigating the collision, who said in a statement that at this time no-one is thou...

UK’s first ever ‘tram train’ launches in South Yorkshire

25 October 2018The UK’s first ever operational ‘tram train’ running between Sheffield and Rotherham has been launched today, with the scheme almost three years late and five times overbudget. Jo Johnson and Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarv...

Shortlisted bidders revealed for £360m Tyne and Wear rolling stock deal

17 September 2018Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro, has announced a shortlist of bidders in the running for the £360m contract to build and maintain the network’s new rolling stock. Nexus has now begun detailed negotiations with all bidders, w...

Council pitches £375m light rail scheme linking south to Heathrow airport

16 August 2018Spelthorne Borough Council has submitted proposals for a light rail link from Staines-upon-Thames to Heathrow airport to provide “joined up journeys” into the airport from the south. The council is actively promoting the transport lin...

Up to 50 more battery-powered trams on the way for West Midlands

14 August 2018As many as 50 new battery-powered ‘Urbos 3’ model trams could be on the way for transport in the West Midlands as part of the combined authority’s £3.4bn investment in transport in the area. Transport for West Midlands (Tf...

New trams on the way for Manchester as TfGM signs £72m contract

02 July 201827 new Metrolink trams will bolster Manchester’s light rail network in a new £72m contract signed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) today. The fleet will provide 4,800 extra spaces and increase capacity on the network by 15%...

Firm named for new Coventry VLR project

18 June 2018A transport firm has won a contract to work with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) of Warwick University to develop a very light rail vehicle as a new transport solution for Coventry. Stratford-upon-Avon-based Transport Design International won t...

Summer works will see Metrolink’s future Trafford Park extension linked to Eccles line

11 June 2018Work to deliver a bigger and better Metrolink network across Manchester will be carried out this summer. The work, which will result in a 13 day closure of the Eccles line from the end of July, will link the under-construction Trafford Park Metro...

Construction begins on Luton Airport rail link

17 April 2018Work has officially started on the £225m Luton airport light rail link. The DART transit system will transport passengers from Luton Airport Parkway to the airport in under four minutes, meaning that travellers will be able to reach the ter...

Tram passengers demand better value for money from services

21 March 2018  Satisfaction with value for money for tram passengers has dropped slightly, the latest Tram Passenger Survey has revealed. Fare-paying passengers’ satisfaction with the value for money of tram journeys was 69% in 2016, down to 68% i...

Bidders shortlisted for Edinburgh tram extension contract

14 March 2018A list of four bidders has been finalized for the Infrastructure and Systems contract to take trams to Newhaven, Edinburgh. The City of Edinburgh Council has called the step a “key milestone” towards the completion of the Final Busine...

London Marathon strike: Union to have emergency talks with DLR operators

13 March 2018RMT officials have agreed to meet with DLR operator Keolis Amey Docklands (KAD) today, in an emergency effort to end their ongoing dispute before strike action begins over the weekend of the London Marathon. The talks will be hosted by conciliati...

Consultation launched into potential Edinburgh tram extension

09 March 2018A consultation is to be launched to help shape the plans to extend Edinburgh’s tram line to Newhaven and Leith. The consultation, which will start later this month, will seek feedback on traffic management and business support plans for the...