UKTram Light Rail News Round-up | Customer satisfaction success, festive fares and tramendous tributes | Friday 14th November 2025
- UKTram
- Nov 14
- 7 min read
In this week’s UKTram light rail news round-up: West Midlands Metro extends discounted travel for hospital patients and staff, Customer satisfaction with NET Nottingham Trams rises to 85%, King Charles opens South Wales Metro Depot, Blackpool Transport announces festive plans and Lioness Ella Toone voices tram announcements across Manchester’s Bee Network. Plus, Mainspring UK Light Rail Conference confirmed for 2026 and heritage tramway celebratory events.
Today, his Majesty, King Charles has officially opened the South Wales Metro Depot in Taff’s Well.
Home of the South Wales Metro, the £100 million depot provides over 400 jobs and is where a fleet of 36 brand-new tram-trains will be stabled and maintained. The opening of the depot and introduction of the first tram-trains next year will continue the transformation of transport across South Wales.
West Midlands Metro has announced the continuation of its discounted tram travel scheme for visitors and staff at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, following a successful six-month trial. The initiative, offering up to 15% off fares, aims to ease travel costs for patients and families while supporting hospital staff who use the Metro for their daily commute.
The renewed partnership will run for another 12 months, with discounted tickets available through the My Metro app.
Customer satisfaction with Nottingham Express Transit (NET) has climbed to 85%, marking a 17% increase compared with last year, according to a new survey of 1,200 people conducted by Mindfield Research. More than 95% of respondents said they would recommend NET, reflecting strong confidence in the network’s reliability and value.
The findings show notable improvements across key measures, including trust, overall perception, and value for money. Positive ratings during this year’s planned track works also rose from 65% to 77%, and more respondents now view NET as an important part of the city’s transport infrastructure.
NET says the results will help shape future service enhancements, including timetable improvements and ticketing initiatives such as discounted student travel.
The festive season may still be a few weeks away, but Blackpool Transport is already unwrapping its plans for bus and tram services over Christmas and the New Year. The unveiling of festive arrangements now will help Fylde coast residents and visitors to plan their trips well in advance, avoiding any last-minute panics when it comes to visiting friends or family or arranging a big day out.
Apart from Christmas Day itself, buses and trams will be running throughout the holidays with some amendments to exiting timetables between December 24th and January 2nd. Some of the most important changes over the holidays include a Saturday service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, with trams and buses running until 8.00 pm on both nights. There will also be a special service in operation on Boxing Day and New Years Day between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm, further information can be found here. Lioness Ella Toone voices tram announcements across Manchester’s Bee Network >>
Football fans travelling to Manchester United’s Champions League clash with PSG next week have heard a familiar voice on their journey, as England and United star Ella Toone recorded special announcements for the Bee Network.
The messages, which went live across the Metrolink network on Friday 7 November, encouraged passengers heading to Old Trafford to alight at Wharfside or Old Trafford stops and to make use of the network’s contactless tap and go system for easy travel. Toone’s voice featured on trams and platforms until the match on Wednesday 12 November, helping fans navigate to the stadium smoothly while celebrating one of Manchester’s sporting heroes. Supertram launches new advertising campaign >>
With planned rail works for 2025 now complete, Supertram is excited to let South Yorkshire know that their services are better, cleaner and safer. This autumn, Supertram is spreading the word with ts new outdoor and radio campaign designed to remind commuters and shoppers that the tram is a smart, sustainable way to travel.
The campaign features radio ads on Hits Radio South Yorkshire, social media ads, high-visibility billboards along Sheffield Parkway and St Anne’s Roundabout in Rotherham, plus digital ad vans touring the region throughout November and December. The adverts highlight the ease of travelling by tram, especially with the convenient Park and Ride sites that make switching from car to tram even simpler.
Sheffield Supertram has showcased the ongoing success of Tramendous Together, its social value initiative supporting colleague-nominated charities and community projects across South Yorkshire. The programme enables staff to put forward causes close to their hearts, with Supertram offering matched donations and support for a wide range of fundraising efforts.
Recent highlights include fundraising for Jessop Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, achieving the Highest Fundraiser Award at Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity’s Glow in the Park, raising £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of a long-serving colleague, and staff taking part in events such as the Sheffield 10K, the National Three Peaks Challenge and a sponsored skydive for The Sick Children’s Trust. Seasonal activities, including onboard carol singing for Weston Park Cancer Charity, also formed part of the programme’s wider community engagement.
Tyne and Wear Metro invests in new CCTV cameras to boost passenger safety >>
Passenger safety on the Tyne and Wear Metro is set to be further enhanced through the installation of 40 new high-definition CCTV cameras across the network. The upgrade forms part of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ commitment to improving safety and tackling anti-social behaviour, with the new digital cameras offering sharper picture quality to aid monitoring and police investigations.
Building on the £4.2 million investment in 740 cameras delivered in 2021, this latest rollout also complements the introduction of Metro’s new Stadler train fleet, each equipped with 44 onboard cameras to improve customer reassurance and security.
The Bee Network is enhancing accessibility across Greater Manchester with the rollout of dementia awareness training for all frontline staff. Delivered in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, the programme will equip around 540 employees, including Metrolink, customer service, and security teams, with the skills to better support passengers living with dementia.
The initiative forms part of Transport for Greater Manchester’s commitment to inclusion during UK Disability History Month, working with partners such as the Disability Design Reference Group (DDRG) and Breakthrough UK to ensure services are informed by lived experience. Plans are also underway to extend the training to Bee Network bus drivers through integration with the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).
Marking two decades of driving collaboration and sustainable transport progress across the UK.
Returning to its roots at Nottingham Trent University from 30th June to 1st July 2026, the milestone event promises two days of presentations and networking with leading figures from across the light rail sector.
Organised by Mainspring, in partnership with Nottingham Express Transit and Tramlink Nottingham, this year’s conference will unveil a fresh new look inspired by sustainability and feature special highlights to mark its 20th anniversary.
As reported by British Trams Online, Crich Tramway Village brought 2025 to a close in spectacular style with its second annual ‘Tramlight’ event on 8th to the 9th November. The weekend celebration saw trams operate after dark under striking lighting displays, including illuminated vehicles and themed attractions such as a Strongman Show, magic lantern performance and the family-friendly Lantern Walk.
Six trams operated on the Saturday, including Glasgow 22 with added illuminations, while Sunday’s line-up featured Chesterfield 7, Glasgow 22, and Blackpool 236. The event also included a rare outdoor appearance from Prague 180, viewed by a visiting Hungarian delegation. Manx Electric and Snaefell Mountain Railways mark end of 2025 season >>
A further feature by British Trams Online, the Manx Electric Railway and Snaefell Mountain Railway have concluded their 2025 operating season with a celebratory End of Season Gala on 1st and 2nd November.
The event marked 50 years since the end of mail traffic on the Manx Electric line, with all three historic mail vans: 4, 11 and 16 coupled to regular service trams, alongside Royal Trailer 59, which formed part of the final journey from Ramsey to Derby Castle. For the Snaefell Mountain Railway, Car 2 operated the last trip of the year, rounding off another successful season for both iconic Isle of Man networks.
Seaton Tramway has announced that tickets for its popular Polar Express™ Tram Ride 2025 are now available. The immersive 2.5-hour experience, inspired by the well-known Christmas film, takes families on a themed journey to the North Pole complete with hot chocolate, cookies, and appearances from Santa and his elves.
Passengers are encouraged to attend in their pyjamas to fully embrace the festive atmosphere and Seaton Tramway reports strong early demand for the seasonal event. UKTram and LRSSB
UKTram Board Member Lindsay Murphy represented the organisation at TransCityRail North 2025 in Manchester last week, joining transport professionals to discuss the role of light rail and mass transit in shaping the North’s transport future.
As part of the Leader’s Debate: The Future of Light Rail and Mass Transit in the North of England, Lindsay shared the stage with Melanie Corcoran, Executive Director of Transport at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and James Hill, Urban Transit Director at Egis.
The UKTram Owners and Authorities Group has outlined a series of priorities designed to deliver tangible benefits for the light rail sector, following its latest meeting on 14 October 2025, held online.
Chaired by Chris Hopkinson, Head of Metro Operations at Transport for West Midlands and supported by Vice Chair Stuart Lowrie, Public Transport Manager for the City of Edinburgh Council, the meeting brought together representatives from across the UK’s light rail networks to share updates and shape a forward plan for 2026.
The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) has completed another successful two-day Safety Risk Management (SRM) workshop, this time working collaboratively with teams from TOL and TfL’s London Trams. These interactive sessions form part of the LRSSB’s ongoing commitment to sharing best practice, strengthening safety culture, and supporting continuous improvement across the UK’s light rail networks.
UKTram Managing Director, James Hammett, recently attended the 2025 Urban Tram Forum (UTF) annual meeting, held in Amsterdam from 22nd to the 24th October and hosted by GVB (Gemeente Gemeentevervoerbedrijf - The Municipal Public Transport Operator for Amsterdam).
The Urban Tram Forum was established following the successful completion of COST Action TU1103 – Operation and Safety of Tramways Interacting with Urban Space and has continued to grow since 2016. The network now includes experts from Europe, North America, and Australia, providing a unique international platform for collaboration.
The next round-up will be published on Friday, 21st November, 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
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