Light rail and trams

RAIB investigates fatal Sheffield tram accident

11 January 2017The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has decided to investigate a fatal accident just before Christmas in which a Sheffield man was killed by a tram. At around 10am on 22 December 2016 a pedestrian, who had just stepped off an inbound tr...

DLR fare-dodging clampdown success ‘due to franchise specifications’

09 December 2016Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has revealed how it used requirements in its franchise partnership to tackle fare evasion in an interview with RTM. An RTM Freedom of Information request found that DLR has lost £3.3m to fare evasion since 2010...

MPT wins £350m contract to build Metrolink’s Trafford Park extension

02 December 2016The Metrolink Trafford Park line will be built by the consortium which has already delivered the other extensions to Manchester’s light rail network. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has given the green light for Transport f...

First test trams run along Manchester’s Second City Crossing

01 December 2016The first trams have been tested on Manchester’s new Second City Crossing in the early hours of this morning (1 December). The new line, which is due to open to passengers early next year, will allow for more frequent services on the city&r...

Second City Crossing on its way

18 November 2016Peter Cushing, Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM’s) Metrolink director, gives RTM an update on the Second City Crossing project.

Second City Crossing gets green light to open in early 2017

11 November 2016Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) leaders have given the city’s expanding light rail network Metrolink the green light to open its Second City Crossing (2CC) in early 2017, approving its plans in a committee meeting today. The new 2CC...

Exclusive: Fare-dodging on Metrolink costs £8m in three years

04 November 2016Fare-dodging on Manchester’s trams has cost £8m over the past three years, a Freedom of Information request by RTM has revealed. The amount of revenue Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has lost through passengers travelling on t...

RATP Dev ‘no longer preferred bidder’ for Metrolink

01 November 2016RATP Dev Ltd could lose its contract to operate Manchester’s tram network from next year, according to a new report. RATP Dev was awarded the 10-year Metrolink contract in 2007. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced last year th...

Government gives go-ahead for Trafford Metrolink extension

13 October 2016A 5.5km extension to the Manchester Metrolink tram network is set to go ahead after the DfT gave an order allowing it to be built. The £350m Trafford Park Line, funded through Greater Manchester’s devolution deal, will branch off from...

WMCA seeks DfT approval for £137m HS2 station tram extension

04 October 2016Proposals for an extension that will incorporate Birmingham’s HS2 station at Curzon Street into its tram network are due to be submitted to the DfT for approval. At a meeting yesterday, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Transport...

Milestone moment as Metrolink’s final M5000 tram leaves Vienna depot

30 September 2016Transport for Greater Manchester has celebrated the successful upgrade of the Metrolink tram fleet as the 120th vehicle left Bombardier’s Vienna depot. Tram 3120, the final tram in the fleet, left the manufacturer’s depot on 27 Septem...

Collaborative crime management across trams

05 September 2016Much is said about crime prevention across the railways, but how do major light rail operators ensure tram networks are kept safe? Peter Cushing, Metrolink director, talks about the role of Greater Manchester’s collaborative TravelSafe Unit.

£1bn Metro strategy includes new £550m fleet and service expansion

20 July 2016A new rail strategy for the Metro system, including £1bn investment over the next 20 years and plans to kick-start an expansion scheme, has been approved by the North East Combined Authority (NECA). The ‘Metro and Local Rail Strategy&...

Metrolink expands free travel offer for service personnel

23 June 2016In-uniform service men and women will be able to travel for free on Metrolink, the Manchester tram network announced to mark Armed Forces Day. Metrolink has traditionally offered free travel to personnel on Armed Forces Day, which takes place eac...

Midland Metro extension to Wolverhampton approved

22 June 2016The £18m Midland Metro tram extension to Wolverhampton was given formal approval yesterday by the transport secretary. Work on the extension can now begin later this year, and it is due to open in 2019. The route, part of a £120m red...