Light rail and trams

We must accept the need for a digital railway

13 January 2016Alistair Gordon, chief executive of Keolis UK and chair of the Rail Delivery Group’s technology and operations working group, makes the case for investment in a digital railway.

Sheffield Nunnery depot welcomes UK’s first tram-train

11 December 2015The UK’s first tram-train was greeted by transport minister Andrew Jones MP at Sheffield’s Nunnery Square depot yesterday (10 December) after it finished the nearly three-week journey from Vossloh España’s plant near Valen...

Trams running in central Birmingham for the first time in 60 years

08 December 2015Passenger services have started running to the Bull Street stop on Birmingham’s Midland Metro as part of the first step in the £128m city centre tram extension started in 2012. Services began at the weekend, marking the first time tra...

New Metrolink stop opens as the first step in Second City Crossing

07 December 2015Manchester’s expanding light rail network, Metrolink, gained an extra stop at the weekend with the start of services into Exchange Square, a busy shopping district in the city centre. The opening of the new stop also marks the first tangibl...

Edinburgh trams to trial mobility scooter access for three months

04 December 2015Transport for Edinburgh has launched the first phase of a trial – the first in Scotland – to allow mobility scooters on its tram network. The scheme will be split into two parts, the first of which consists of inviting potential candi...

DfT approves plans to build Tinsley Chord

27 November 2015The Department for Transport (DfT) has approved plans to build the Tinsley Chord which will allow the UK’s first tram-trains to run in South Yorkshire.  A joint Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application was made to the secretary...

First Sheffield tram-train shipped

23 November 2015The country’s first £60m tram-train vehicle has been shipped to Sheffield from is testing site at Vossloh España’s plant near Valencia. Stagecoach Supertram’s 37m-long tram-train will travel for two weeks over land...

Government commits £97m to Midland Metro Eastside extension

18 November 2015Central government has vowed to earmark an extra £97m for the Metro Eastside extension, subject to a business case, as part of the West Midlands major £1bn devolution package. The deal, announced yesterday, will inject £36.5m in...

Centro pushes Birmingham New Street tram extension works to 2016

10 November 2015Work on Birmingham’s Midland Metro have been scaled back as a result of “unforeseen challenges”, meaning the extension to New Street station, originally set for this year, will be kicked back into next year. Centro announced yes...

TfGM shortlists four companies for next Metrolink operations contract

19 October 2015Four companies have been shortlisted by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to operate and maintain Metrolink from 2017, after the current contract finishes. KeolisAmey, National Express, Transdev and the incumbent, RATP Dev, were the success...

Edinburgh trams passenger numbers exceed targets

11 September 2015Edinburgh trams carried 50,000 more passengers between late May and early September 2015 than in the same period last year, ahead of final proposals for a network extension. During its first full year of service, the trams served 400,000 more pas...

Nottingham tram extension opens after eight-month delay

25 August 2015NET phase 2, the Nottingham tram extension adding two new lines to the city’s light rail network, opened today (25 August) after eight months of delays. The opening was originally set for December 2014, but a series of delays pushed it back...

Edinburgh launches assessments into tram network extension

11 August 2015Edinburgh city councillors are reviewing the possibility of extending the tramway to Leith and Newhaven after an updated business case was introduced at its latest council meeting. The extension would serve to drive the renewal of the city’...

Smart ticketing contractor ditched in Greater Manchester

05 August 2015Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has scrapped its deal with private firm Atos to deliver smart ticketing across the Metrolink tram network, local rail services and the rest of the public transport infrastructure. In a joint statement by Tf...

Nottingham Tramlink delays lead to £217m loss for Vinci UK

03 July 2015Vinci has revealed a massive loss of £217m in its UK operations with the troubled Nottingham Tramlink extension accounting for most of the losses. Taylor Woodrow, a subsidiary of Vinci, was responsible for delivering the 17.5km extension of...