Light rail and trams

Wales and Border rail franchise in £200m deal for new metro fleet

02 April 2019The Wales and Borders rail franchise has received £200m from the financial services giant Legal & General to provide new rolling stock on the south Wales Metro. The funding will see a new Wales and Borders rail fleet replace the current...

WMCA approves £450m funding for ‘game-changing’ Midlands Metro extension

27 March 2019Funding for a “trailblazing” metro rail link linking Dudley with Birmingham and Wolverhampton has been given final approval by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Work will start later this year on the £450m scheme afte...

‘Compelling case’ put forward for £4bn metro network for Cambridgeshire

20 March 2019There is a “compelling case” for a metro scheme for Greater Cambridge after a feasibility report has claimed it could create 100,000 jobs and 60,000 new homes, but could cost £4bn. The feasibility study was commissioned by the C...

£200m Edinburgh tram extension given green light despite criticism for ‘arrogant’ plans of ‘unknown financial risk’

15 March 2019Councillors have rubber-stamped £207m plans to extend Edinburgh’s tram line from the city centre to Newhaven despite major criticism over the project’s rising costs and the disruptions it could cause. Edinburgh City Council vote...

New electric ‘very light rail’ vehicle planned for Coventry

14 March 2019Engineers have unveiled plans for a battery-powered, lightweight, ‘very light rail’ vehicle to operate in Coventry. A 3D simulation of the innovative light rail vehicle has been developed by engineers and researchers at WMG, Universit...

£50m plans for transport projects to support South Wales metro unveiled

07 March 2019A £50m programme of local transport projects to support the South Wales Metro has been proposed. The Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal has produced the plans for the scheme in collaboration with the Welsh Government and Transport for W...

Councillors back controversial plans to extend Edinburgh’s tram network

01 March 2019The controversial extension of Edinburgh’s tram network to Newhaven has been backed by a committee of City of Edinburgh councillors. Final proposals for the £207m project were submitted last month and have been heavily scrutinised by...

Urgent safety advice calls for louder horns on Edinburgh trams after pedestrian’s death

15 February 2019The RAIB has issued urgent safety advice calling for louder warning horns to be fitted on Edinburgh’s trams following the death of a pedestrian. Carlos Correa Palacio was struck and fatally injured by a tram travelling from Edinburgh city c...

Decision due on Edinburgh tram extension as cost rises to £207m

12 February 2019The business case for extending Edinburgh’s tram network in a £196m project has entered its final stage, with councillors in the Scottish capital scrutinising the case ahead of a decision next month. Originally estimated to cost &poun...

Plans to scrap Glasgow Airport rail link a ‘betrayal of the city’ claims Labour MP

04 February 2019The decision to scrap plans for a direct rail link between Glasgow Airport and the city centre in favour of new plans for a shuttle pod system has been branded as a “betrayal for the city” by a Labour MP. Last week, following meetings...

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ as Gatwick Express trains trial due to start

01 February 2019MP Caroline Lucas has revealed that a trial for the Gatwick Express rail link will launch this month following months of reduced services, disruption and the May timetable chaos. Protest groups have been campaigning for the past few months for Go...

Glasgow Airport rail link plans could be ditched for rapid shuttle pod system

31 January 2019A long-awaited rail link to Glasgow Airport could be ditched in favour of a shuttle pod system between the airport and Paisley. Instead of a full tram-train rail link, a ‘personal rapid transit’ shuttle pod system such as the one used...

Plans for tram-trains in Manchester unveiled as Grayling and Burnham mull expansion of Metrolink

25 January 2019Proposals for an expansion of Greater Manchester’s (GM) tram network are in the works, Chris Grayling and Andy Burnham have announced, with plans for greater devolved control for the region and the introduction of tram-trains being considere...

London trams to be fitted with automatic braking system in response to Sandilands recommendations

14 January 2019London’s tram network is to be fitted with an automatic braking system in response to safety recommendations following the fatal Croydon tram crash. The new safety measures will automatically apply brakes and bring a tram to a controlled st...

Spotlight on Coventry Very Light Rail

27 November 2018Olivia Brown, business development officer at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), an academic department of the University of Warwick, outlines the four exciting projects currently taking place as part of the Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR)  pr...