UKTram Light Rail News Round-up | Construction milestones, Community Rail Partnerships and heritage events | Friday 24th October 2025
- UKTram
- 18 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
In this week’s UKTram 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.
Edinburgh Trams has received recognition at the Cloud Computing Awards, with its web-based Authority to Work permit system, PERMIT+, being Highly Commended in the Most Innovative Cloud Product or Service category.
Developed in partnership with Codemakers, the platform provides a secure, fully digital process for managing permits required for works on or near the tramway. Since its launch in 2023, PERMIT+ has processed more than 3,000 applications, helping the Engineering and Control Room teams monitor third-party works and maintain high safety standards. The system has transformed workflows, improving efficiency and transparency for contractors across the network.
South Yorkshire’s newest Tram Train station has reached a major construction milestone, with the installation of lift shafts and a new passenger overbridge now complete at the Magna Tram Train station in Rotherham. The £10million station and Park & Ride, set to open in early 2026, will serve the Tram Train route between Sheffield and Rotherham - improving access for residents, businesses and the Magna Science Adventure Centre, reducing congestion and pollution within the Lower Don Valley, and supporting wider regeneration in the area. The new infrastructure marks a significant step forward in the delivery of the station, which will feature fully accessible platforms, step-free access via lifts, and a pedestrian overbridge connecting both sides of the tracks.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is inviting residents to share their views on spending priorities for its 2025–26 budget, which sets out how £866 million will be invested across the region. The consultation, open until 26 October, covers key areas including transport, housing, skills and regeneration.
From April 2026, WYCA will move to an integrated funding settlement, giving greater local control over how investment is allocated to meet community needs and reinforcing its commitment to improving connectivity and accessibility. Modernising the SPT Subway, one step at a time >>
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) continues to make steady progress on the modernisation of the Glasgow Subway, one of the world’s oldest underground transport systems. Base plates are now being installed across stations, marking a key milestone in preparations for the fitting of new platform screen doors.
The installation forms part of SPT’s wider Subway Modernisation Programme, which includes new rolling stock, upgraded signalling and control systems, and a refreshed station environment - all aimed at improving reliability and future-proofing Scotland’s only underground network.
Essential work to improve the tram line that connects Bury with Manchester city centre is taking place from tomorrow, supporting long-term reliability and network performance. From Saturday 25 to Thursday 30 October, no tram services will run between Crumpsall and Bury, with a replacement bus service operating between the affected stops and continuing to Victoria.
The closure will allow for beam replacement works at Whitefield Metrolink Tunnel and construction on a new substation near Heaton Park, which will form a key part of the light rail power system. Passengers can plan ahead and check travel options via the Bee Network website. Arrive Alive: Keeping Scotland’s Roads Safe - Edinburgh Trams >>
At Edinburgh Trams, safety on and around the trams is the number one priority. Whilst its trams run on their own tracks and within strict operational limits to ensure this, trams also share the road with other road users throughout the city centre and Leith. Safer roads benefit everyone – drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and tram users alike.
That’s why Edinburgh Trams is supporting the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland’s road safety campaign to tackle speeding across Scotland. 1 in 5 deaths on Scotland’s roads are caused by speeding, so we’re backing this campaign to encourage drivers to slow down to help reduce collisions and casualties and keep Scotland’s roads safer. New Community Rail Partnership launched in South East Wales >>
A new Community Rail Partnership has been launched in South East Wales, funded by Transport for Wales, to strengthen links between rail services and the communities served by the South Wales Metro. Based in Merthyr and hosted by Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil, the Three Valleys Community Rail Partnership brings together partners from the voluntary, tourism, health and transport sectors.
The initiative will promote sustainable travel, health, wellbeing, and economic growth along the lines connecting Treherbert, Aberdare, and Merthyr with Cardiff. It becomes the sixth community rail partnership in the Transport for Wales network, reinforcing the Metro’s role in supporting local engagement and inclusive regional development.
A new Highways Magazine feature shines a spotlight on Coventry City Council’s work with Waterman Aspen to advance active travel schemes and deliver the innovative Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR), the zero-emission, ‘turn up and go’ system designed and built in the city.
Nicola Small, VLR Programme Director and Member of the UKTram Board, highlights the collaborative approach behind the project, noting that Waterman Aspen provides the flexibility and expertise needed to deliver on Coventry’s ambitious goals. The project continues to provide a blueprint for how local authorities can lead innovation in sustainable urban transport. Safety, collaboration and inclusion in focus at Transdev Ireland Safety Forum >>
Transdev Ireland has hosted its annual Safety Forum in Dublin, bringing together transport leaders, experts and partners to explore how operators can strengthen safety, accessibility, and crowd management across public transport networks.
Highlights included a keynote from Professor Brian Caulfield of Trinity College Dublin on the approval of Dublin’s Metrolink, alongside a presentation by Sean Ward, Consultant in Emergency and Evacuation Planning, who discussed the “four Cs” of event safety - communication, coordination, cooperation and competence.
West Midlands Metro hosted a successful charity coffee morning in support of its Charity of the Year, Black Country Women’s Aid, raising £180 to help survivors of abuse and exploitation across the region. The event brought colleagues and supporters together for coffee, cake, and conversation, all in aid of a vital local cause.
The team has thanked everyone who attended and contributed, with donations still open to help reach their fundraising goal. You can support the campaign here.
Luas has provided a further update on the George’s Dock Bridge reconstruction, confirming that works are progressing well as crews move into the next phase of the project. This stage includes beam lifting, steel fixing, and concrete pouring, with some late evening and weekend activity scheduled to maintain momentum and meet key milestones.
Luas has thanked local residents, businesses, and customers for their patience and cooperation as these essential works continue. Further updates will be shared as the infrastructure improvement project advances in the coming weeks.
A rare colour film capturing the Tyne and Wear Metro’s first year of operations has been unearthed on eBay, offering a fascinating glimpse into the system’s early days. Shot in July 1981, the six-minute 8mm cine reel follows a journey between Haymarket and Tynemouth, when the Metro was less than a year old and still expanding across the region.
Discovered by local transport enthusiast Ian Chapman, the film has been digitised and added to Nexus’s YouTube channel to preserve it for future generations. The footage, filmed on the same day as the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, shows a quiet Metro network and offers a vivid snapshot of the system’s history.
The East Anglia Transport Museum is preparing to welcome visitors for its annual Halloween Event, running across two days on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October from 3pm to 8pm. The spooky celebration invites guests to “Dare Ride After Dark”, with unlimited trips on vintage trams, trolleybuses and the narrow-gauge railway.
Highlights include the Terror Tram to Hedley Graveyard, children’s face painting, local catering and free vintage bus services to Lowestoft and Beccles, supported by First Eastern Counties.
The Manx Electric Railway (M.E.R.) will commemorate 50 years since the end of its mail service on Sunday 2 November, marking the milestone with restored mail vans in operation throughout the day. The event celebrates a unique part of the railway’s history, when conductors were sworn in as postmen to collect mail from lineside boxes along the route.
Historic vans No. 4 and No. 11, both built in the late 19th century, will take part in the commemoration, carrying special commemorative covers donated by Mike Southall MBE. Proceeds from their sale will support ongoing volunteer-led restoration projects across the M.E.R. network.
UKTram Managing Director, James Hammett, joined industry leaders at the Rail Forum Annual Conference 2025 on the 9th of October, held at Doncaster Racecourse and Exhibition Centre. 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.
Building on discussions from the most recent Centre of Excellence (CoE) meeting, UKTram has further strengthened engagement with the British Standards Institution (BSI) by attending the Innovation Management Summit 2025, held on Wednesday 8th October at London’s Science Museum.
Representing UKTram, Lead Engineer Phill Terry joined delegates from across industry, academia and government for a full day of insight into innovation policy and practice, with a particular focus on the implementation of ISO 56001, the new international standard for innovation management systems. The next round-up will be published on Friday, 31st October, to be included in the round-up or the Members News section of the UKTram website, please send your press releases, event updates and career opportunities to chelsea.branch@uktram.co.uk