UKTram is pleased to welcome Tim Bilby to the team as Stakeholder & Innovation Manager, strengthening our capacity to support innovation and engagement across the light rail sector.

 As 2025 draws to a close, UKTram is reflecting on a brilliant year for both the organisation and the wider light rail sector. We've had record engagement across functional groups, growing government confidence in light rail investment, and rail patronage across England totalling more than 231 million, with systems outside London seeing a 6% uplift and vehicle miles increasing by 4%.

UKTram has been featured in the latest Rail Director article published by Rail Business Daily, with Managing Director James Hammett reflecting on a pivotal year for the UK light rail sector and the opportunities ahead.

UKTram is pleased to announce the official launch of Tram Talks, our new members’ magazine, created to provide a dedicated space for insight and shared learning across the light rail community.

The latest meetings of the Light Rail Engineering Group (LREG) and the accompanying Best Practice Day made for two days of constructive discussion in Manchester on the 20th and 21st of November 2025.  

This year, the UKTram and LRSSB teams have taken a new approach to their usual Secret Santa tradition by joining forces to support Toys4Bham, a city-wide Christmas appeal providing gifts for vulnerable children and young people across Birmingham.

UKTram is delighted to share that Chelsea Branch, UKTram's Digital Marketing Manager, has been selected for Women in Transport’s Advance mentoring programme, now entering its largest cohort to date, with more than 100 participants taking part. 

UKTram played an active role at the RIA (Railway Industry Association) Light Rail Member Interest Group yesterday (Monday 24 November), where industry leaders and supply chain partners came together at Arup’s Birmingham office to discuss the growing opportunities within the UK’s evolving light rail landscape. The session, kindly hosted by Arup, brought a cross-section of organisations focused on the future of tramways and wider guided transport. 

As a corporate partner of Women in Transport, UKTram is pleased to support the organisation’s latest research initiative examining how women’s safety is being considered across the wider transport system, including walking routes, station environments, interchanges, and public transport.

UKTram has reinforced its commitment to cross-sector learning and technical knowledge, with UKTram's Lead Engineer, Phill Terry, attending two specialist events hosted by the Permanent Way Institution (PWI).

hospital patients and staff,Customer satisfaction with NET Nottingham Trams rises to 85%, Blackpool Transport announces festive plans, Lioness Ella Toone voices tram announcements across Manchester’s Bee Network. Plus, Mainspring UK Light Rail Conference confirmed for 2026 and heritage Returning to its roots at Nottingham Trent University from 30th June to 1st July 2026, the milestone event promises two days of presentations and networking with leading figures from across th

UKTram Board Member Lindsay Murphy represented the organisation at TransCityRail North 2025 in Manchester last week, joining transport professionals to discuss the role of light rail and mass transit in shaping the North’s transport future.

Chaired by Chris Hopkinson, Head of Metro Operations at Transport for West Midlands and supported by Vice Chair Stuart Lowrie, Public Transport Manager for the City of Edinburgh Council, the meeting brought together representatives from across the UK’s light rail networks to share updates and shape a forward plan for 2026.

UKTram Managing Director, James Hammett, recently attended the 2025 Urban Tram Forum (UTF) annual meeting, held in Amsterdam from 22nd to the 24th October and hosted by GVB (Gemeente Gemeentevervoerbedrijf - The Municipal Public Transport Operator for Amsterdam). 

Representatives from across the light rail sector gathered in Leeds this week for the Focus on Light Rail event, jointly hosted by Rail Forum and the UKTram, to explore opportunities and challenges across the evolving public transport landscape.

UKTram’s Operations Manager, Steve Duckering, represented the UK’s light rail sector at the 81st UITP Light Rail Committee Meeting in Toronto from 27th to 29th October 2025, joining global leaders to exchange innovation and operational insights.

Engineers and operators from across the UK and Ireland's light rail networks met in Birmingham at the WMCA offices last month to share updates and discuss sector-wide priorities and opportunities ahead of the annual UKTram and LRSSB Light Rail Summit.  

UKTram Lead Engineer, Phill Terry, attended a well-subscribed international webinar this month, exploring best practice in obsolescence management - a growing challenge across transport engineering and supply chains.

In this week’s light rail news round-up: Edinburgh Trams receives recognition at the Cloud Computing Awards, South Yorkshire’s newest Tram Train station reaches major construction milestone, West Yorkshire Combined Authority invites views on 2025–26 budget. Learn more about the new Community Rail Partnership launched in South East Wales, the rare 1981 Tyne and Wear Metro film discovered on eBay and heritage tramway events over half term.

UKTram Managing Director, James Hammett, joined industry leaders at the Rail Forum Annual Conference 2025 on the 9th of October, held at Doncaster Racecourse. This year’s theme, “Unleashing the Value of UK Rail”, brought together voices from across the sector to explore the future of integrated transport and innovation.