Light rail and trams

Midland Metro extension work to start ‘within weeks’ as DfT funds secured

01 September 2017The Midland Metro expansion that will link Birmingham city centre with Edgbaston has been given the green light by government after the project’s funding was formally confirmed. The 2km-long extension, which forms the last stretch of the tr...

Work begins to transform Crumpsall Metrolink stop ahead of £350m expansion

25 August 2017Work to transform the Crumpsall Metrolink stop ahead of the operator’s £350m expansion to Trafford Park has started this week. The stop will undergo a significant upgrade as the new six stop line is planned to run direct from intu Tra...

TfGM starts search for Metrolink renewals and enhancements partners

04 August 2017TfGM has today announced that it is taking a “very different approach” to its procurement strategy as it announced the start of the competition for Metrolink Renewals and Enhancements Framework contracts. The light rail operator is lo...

Nexus starts work on £5.5m Tyne and Wear bridge replacement

02 August 2017Major work has begun this week to replace a rail bridge that serves the Tyne and Wear Metro service. Nexus, the operator who runs light rail in the region, said that the bridge over Killingworth Road in the Gosforth area had now been removed and...

TfGM award contract for Trafford Park extension

12 July 2017TfGM has revealed that the contract to extend the Metrolink network has been awarded to MPact Thales (MPT) and WSP. MPT, a consortium of Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales, will again collaborate to design and construct the new line that...

Costs of Sheffield tram-train pilot soar to five times its original budget

04 July 2017The costs of the beleaguered Sheffield tram-train project are expected to have run over five times the original budget after months of delays and uncertainty, a scathing report has today revealed. Releasing its independent findings, the National...

WMCA submits £200m Midland Metro expansion plans to DfT

26 June 2017Ambitious £200m plans to expand the Midland Metro network have been presented to the DfT. Following Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) taking over the running for the service from National Express in March, mayor of the West Midlands Combin...

Trams now ‘benchmark for excellence’ for passenger satisfaction in rail

14 June 2017The tram network is setting the bar for passenger satisfaction across the UK rail industry according to consumer champion Transport Focus, which has found that people are very satisfied with the performance of light rail operators. In its latest...

Part of Midland Metro tram line closes for essential works

08 June 2017Tram services on the Midland Metro line between Wolverhampton and Birmingham will be facing major disruption this week as essential track maintenance work is carried out by engineers. The line from Priestfield to Wolverhampton St. George’s...

Burnham calls on Mancunians to use tram to reduce city’s air pollution

07 June 2017Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has today appealed to residents to do their bit in reducing air pollution by taking the tram into work at least once a week. As part of the first Greater Manchester Clean Air Day that is taking place on Th...

Metrolink unveils unique ‘Spirit of Manchester’ tram

05 June 2017Metrolink yesterday unveiled a special tram that pays tribute to the “unique spirit” of Manchester that passengers will now be able to see running on the network. Tram 3022 has been renamed the ‘Spirit of Manchester’ and i...

Metrolink offers free travel for One Love Manchester concertgoers

01 June 2017Metrolink has today announced it will support the One Love Manchester aid concert taking place on Sunday by offering passengers free travel to Old Trafford. Following the terrorist attack that took place at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May, pop...

MPs urge parties to reduce air pollution through light rail investment

08 May 2017A group of influential MPs have called for political parties to improve the UK’s poor urban air quality by investing in cleaner trams. Politicians on the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group (APLRG) have sent a letter to all the main po...

Second City Crossing: a new line through the heart of Manchester city centre

08 May 2017Danny Vaughan, head of Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), reflects on the successes and challenges of the innovative Second City Crossing project.

Momentum builds for Metrolink extension works at Trafford

03 May 2017Work to construct a new six-stop Metrolink line to Trafford Park industrial estate and into the Trafford Centre will move up a gear this month, resulting in some disruption for commuters. TfGM has stated that there may be road closures whilst eng...