In this week’s news from the light rail sector – Tram named after Nottingham fashion designer, new winter timetable in Blackpool, Edinburgh Trams steps up support for rugby fans, engineering works on Tyne and Wear Metro, and Pre Metro sponsors military vehicle parade.
NET
Beeston-born fashion designer Sir Paul Smith has become the latest Nottingham star to receive the honour of having a Nottingham Express Transit (NET) tram named after him.
The commemorative renaming comes in celebration of Sir Paul’s career, which spans more than 50 years, following the opening of his first ever 3×3 metre store in Nottingham in 1970 and has grown to include more than 130 shops across the globe.
Sir Paul has become a trailblazing British designer whose work influences both fashion and popular culture. His colourful Signature Stripe design is now instantly recognisable, featuring heavily within his own fashion house as well as locally. To read more, click here.
Pre Metro
The operator of the Stourbridge Shuttle will again sponsor the town’s Military Vehicle Parade, alongside Pegasus Grab Hire, in support of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.
In the build-up to this year’s parade, Pre Metro is once again inviting local businesses to participate in the annual shop front decoration contest, with cash prizes awarded to the most original and heartfelt tributes to our veterans.
Following the creativity showcased last year, businesses across Stourbridge will again have the opportunity to showcase their support for the military community by decorating their shop windows in a theme of remembrance, and you can read the full story here. Picture credit: David Hardwick.
Edinburgh Trams
Scottish Gas Murrayfield will host some of the best rugby teams in the world over the next few weeks as part of The Famous Grouse Nations Series 2024, and Edinburgh Trams is committed to helping fans get to the stadium as easily as possible.
A total of four matches will take place in Edinburgh during the month of November, with the first, Scotland v Fiji, kicking off on November 2. The tram operator has produced a handy guide to the tournament, and how to get to matches, which can be found here.
Blackpool Transport
From Sunday, November 10, Blackpool Transport will introduce a reliable, fast and frequent winter tram timetable.
Services will run every 15 minutes, all day, every day, from Starr Gate to Fleetwood and back via Blackpool North Station.
Although T2 or T3 services will not be running, a simple, frequent service that sees the majority of trams running through Blackpool North Station, offers a one-stop, short hop to the Illuminations and this year’s Christmas by the Sea too. Further details can be found here.
Tyne & Wear Metro
There will be a five-day major line closure on the Metro system between Gateshead Stadium and South Shields and Gateshead Stadium to South Hylton next week.
This will mean that two substantial sections of Metro south of the Tyne that serve Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland will be closed between Monday, October 28 and Friday, November 1.
The lines are scheduled to re-open on Saturday, November 2, and you can find out more here.
LRSSB
New guidance on the development of tramway Safety Management Systems has been published by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
In addition to setting out the governance processes that are an essential part of a comprehensive SMS, the document describes the typical procedures to ensure safe operation of trams, as well as the safety of workers, passengers, and members of the public.
Now available to download from the LRSSB’s comprehensive online reference library, the guidance was developed while the organisation supported the transition of Sheffield Supertram into the ownership of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), and you can read more here.
BCIMO
Steve McBride has joined the organisation as Business Development Director, having held senior positions in the rail industry across the train manufacturing, rolling stock maintenance and leasing sectors for more than thirty years.
He takes up his role at BCIMO in October and will focus predominantly on developing the organisation’s relationship with key industry stakeholders across the breadth of heavy, light and very light rail, in particular highlighting the £32m purpose-built Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre’s Rail Development & Test Site facilities.
The site encompasses an off-network 2.2km test track, including a 870m tunnel section, and you can read more here.
To be included in the next round-up, or the Members News section of the UKTram website, send your press releases to info@uktram.org.
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