Plenty to get on track with in this week’s UK and Ireland tram and light rail round-up. As the sector marks International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March, this week’s update includes several features highlighting women across the industry, alongside news from across UK and Irish networks and heritage tramways.

Women in Transport will host an online event on Tuesday, 10th March to mark International Women's Day, bringing together professionals from across the sector to discuss career journeys and opportunities in transport.

 There’s been a 4% rise in female representation in the transport sector workforce since 2023 according to the Women in Transport Equity Index. However, whilst progress is being made, continuing this upward trend remains a key priority for gender equality within the sector.

On the build up to Employee Appreciation Day KAM are shining a spotlight on the everyday stars who make their business what it is. Proper Appreciated is all about celebrating brilliant moments of kindness, teamwork and support across KAM. Through manager recognition and peer to peer shout outs, every nomination earns a limited edition pin badge, a small way of saying a big “thank you”. All nominations are shared on Traxx, their engagement platform, so colleagues can see and c

As National Careers Week 2026 focuses on the theme Own YOUR Future, UKTram and its sector partners would like to share a clear message: the future of the industry depends on the people entering it today.

UKTram attended the Clean Futures Innovation Circuit Demonstration Day on 19th February 2026, held at the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering in Coventry. The Clean Futures Innovation Circuit for the West Midlands supports SMEs in developing new ideas by providing funding alongside opportunities to make connections with potential customers.

In this week's UK and Ireland light rail round-up: 55+ million Luas journeys recorded in Dublin, Phase 2 of Coventry Very Light Rail begins, Nexus takes delivery of all 46 new Stadler Metro trains and KeolisAmey Metrolink welcomes first T‑Level students. Plus, Transport funding approved for Birmingham Metro extension, South Yorkshire reports strong public response to Supertram changes and Blackpool Transport Services appoints new managing director

Seaton Tramway is seeking a part-time Office Assistant to join its team at Riverside Depot in Seaton. The role involves supporting depot operations through administration, customer service and finance-related duties, with strong communication skills considered essential. Experience in money handling or accounting is desirable.

UKTram was pleased to see light rail firmly represented at the recent Politics in Rail: West Midlands Question Time event, hosted by Young Rail Professionals (YRP) at WSP’s offices in Birmingham. The panel discussion brought together senior rail leaders to examine how politics and policy affect investment, delivery, and long-term network development in the West Midlands. 

The latest UKTram Light Rail Engineers Group (LREG) meeting and Best Practice Day on took place on 12th and 13th February 2026. Held at Network Rail offices and hosted by Transport for Wales in Cardiff, the two-day programme brought together sector engineers and supply chain representatives, both in person and online, to share updates and explore learning across light rail systems.

In this week's UK tram and light rail round-up: West Midlands Metro names Midlands Air Ambulance as Charity of the Year, Sheffield Supertram driver marks 30 years of service and Blackpool Transport freezes popular tram and bus tickets for third year running. Plus, Prime Minister and Welsh First Minister visit Transport for Wales depot, Heritage Tramway Committee highlights safety, skills and guidance priorities and Mainspring European Light Rail Congress 2026 programme confi

The recent UKTram Heritage Tramway Committee meeting reviewed progress across several priority workstreams supporting the safe and sustainable operation of heritage tramways. The meeting, held online on Tuesday, 27th January 2026, confirmed continued strong engagement from across the UK’s heritage tramway sector, with regular attendance from operators, the Isle of Man tramways and representation from ORR/HMRI. 

The Permanent Way Institution, a UKTram member organisation with an established corporate membership relationship with UKTram, has announced a formal change to its name. The update reflects the Institution’s evolving role within the rail engineering profession and its continued engagement across the wider transport sector.

On Tuesday 31st March, UKTram will bring together members of the Light Rail Engineering Group (LREG) and the supply trade for an online Trade & Trams session focused on shared learning, engineering insight and practical experience from across the light rail sector.

In the light rail round-up this week: Dublin Luas marks Valentine’s Day with Leap Card giveaway for customers, TravelSafe LiveChat milestone strengthens safety across Greater Manchester’s tram and transport network and South Wales tram-trains enter final testing phase ahead of spring introduction. Plus, West of England unveils new Transport Vision with mass transit ambition, Edinburgh Trams boosts services for Six Nations fixtures at Murrayfield and Heaton Park Tramway highl

National Apprenticeship Week, which runs every year in February, provides an important opportunity to reflect on the role apprenticeships continue to play in shaping the future of the lightrail and tramway sector. UKTram is proud to support the campaign running 9th-15th February 2026 by sharing stories and examples and opportunities from across the sector, with a particular focus on operator-led apprenticeship programmes.

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, KeolisAmey Metrolink has been showcasing apprentices past and present across its LinkedIn channel, highlighting the breadth of roles and routes and available across the organisation.

In the first UK Tram and Light Rail round-up of February 2026: Edinburgh Trams confirms fare changes and prepares for Six Nations matchday travel, Blackpool Transport reflects on leadership and retirement and Tyne and Wear Metro secures approval for major fare reforms. Plus, procurement milestones for Dublin’s MetroLink, progress on the West Midlands Metro Dudley extension, continued investment in safety and innovation across UK networks, heritage anniversaries marked by Cric

UKTram has appointed Colin Robey as Honorary President in recognition of his exceptional and longstanding contributions to the organisation and the broader light rail sector. Colin has spent over sixty years working in heavy and light rail, including almost twenty years with UKTram. During this time, he has shaped strategy, development, governance and professional standards.

The UKTram Centre of Excellence met to review progress on several technical and strategic projects. The focus was on tramway design guidance and developing skills and apprenticeship pathways for the light rail sector.