North Star Consultancy joins UKTram Member Community

Specialist transport operations and maintenance consultancy North Star Consultancy has become the latest organisation to join UKTram, bringing experience from light rail and metro projects across the UK and around the world.

Established 19 years ago, North Star provides operations and maintenance (O&M) consultancy services to transport organisations across Europe, the Middle East, North America, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. Today, its international team includes more than 80 transport specialists and has supported over 250 projects across 20 countries. 

The consultancy works across the project lifecycle, from business cases and early design through to procurement, mobilisation, operational readiness, performance improvement and ongoing service delivery. Its approach draws on the frontline and managerial experience of a team that describes itself as “practitioners, operators and maintainers first and foremost”.

North Star has extensive light rail experience, providing operational and technical support across planning, procurement and delivery. Its work has included Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Tram and Croydon Tramlink in the UK, alongside light rail and metro projects across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australasia. 

Following a management takeover, the North Star team is now looking to build closer links with the UK light rail community, sharing its international experience while learning from operators, authorities and organisations across UKTram’s membership.

Amy Woodward, Business Development Manager at North Star Consultancy, said:

“North Star is delighted to be a member of UKTram. We are keen to learn of best practice and initiatives developed within the group and share our international experience and expertise with teams and affiliated organisations.”

The company’s light rail experience covers projects at different stages of their lifecycle, with a focus on whether the development and operation of networks will ultimately deliver the intended passenger outcomes and wider social value.

Its current UK work includes supporting Transport for Greater Manchester in procuring the 2027 Metrolink Operations and Maintenance Agreement, providing expertise across O&M, performance, stakeholder engagement, programme management and governance. North Star is also providing operational expertise to the West Yorkshire Mass Transit programme, helping ensure early design decisions consider service delivery, maintainability, lifecycle value and customer experience. 

Amy added:

“North Star Consultancy has been involved in many light rail projects in the UK, North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australasia over the past 19 years. Members of our senior team have held senior positions on light rail systems across the globe.

“The North Star team is keen to be involved with this important group, learn from others and also share our international experience with UKTram and its partners and stakeholders.”

James Hammett, Managing Director at UKTram, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome North Star Consultancy to UKTram. Their experience across light rail systems in the UK and internationally will add another valuable perspective to our membership, and we look forward to involving the team in our working groups and wider activities.”

North Star will now have opportunities to engage with UKTram’s working groups and wider member activities, sharing experience from its work internationally while developing new connections across the UK light rail sector.