London and Edinburgh tram drivers set for European Tram Driver Championship in Warsaw

Tram drivers from London Trams and Edinburgh Trams will represent the UK at the 12th European Tramdriver Championship, which takes place in Warsaw later this month. The championship will be held on Saturday, September 19th, with 26 teams from cities across Europe and beyond competing on the newly modernised Marszałkowska Street, in front of Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science. 

Hosted by Tramwaje Warszawskie and Warsaw’s public transport authority, the event will test drivers’ operational skills through a series of challenges designed to assess precision braking, accurate stopping, safety, and vehicle handling.

London and Edinburgh will compete alongside teams representing Barcelona, Bratislava, Budapest, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Istanbul, Kyiv, Luxembourg, Lyon, Milan, Oslo, Prague, Rotterdam, Sofia, Vienna, Zagreb and Zurich, among others. Melbourne will also join the championship as the 26th team.

Alongside the championship, a family festival will showcase public transport and other municipal services, with vehicles, technology and infrastructure on display. The event is part of Warsaw's activities around European Mobility Week and its Public Transport Days, with free admission for spectators.

For those unable to attend in person, the competition will also be available to watch via a live broadcast. The championship gives tram drivers from different networks a chance to demonstrate the skills involved in operating light rail safely and accurately, while sharing the spotlight with colleagues from systems across Europe. 

UKTram wishes the London and Edinburgh teams the very best of luck in Warsaw!