Weekly Light Rail News | New fleet plans, safety initiatives & service updates | 26th September 2025

In this week’s light rail news round-up: South Yorkshire takes the first step towards procuring a £116m new tram fleet, Edinburgh Trams issues travel advice during a three-day partial shutdown and Luas confirms upcoming Red Line closures. London Trams joins the national ‘Two Lines = STOP’ pedestrian safety campaign and Blackpool boosts services for the rescheduled World Fireworks Championships. Other highlights include TfL’s 25th anniversary wraps, apprentices gaining behind-the-scenes insight at West Midlands Metro, new leadership for Cambridge’s light rail vision and sector insights from the seventh UKTram & LRSSB Light Rail Summit in Birmingham.

Tyne and Wear Metro 'Poetry Station' and art installation

Five new and original poems about Tyne and Wear Metro have gone on display at a busy Metro station. Working with Metro-operator Nexus, and the Royal Literary Fund, the poems are all written by local, professional poets. The poems are displayed at Longbenton Metro station, which serves over one million customers annually and has become Metro’s unofficial ‘poetry station’.

Meanwhile, an art installation at a North Tyneside Metro station has been restored to its former glory.

The work, known as Bridge, is the coloured glazing which has overlooked the tracks and platforms at West Monkseaton Metro station for more than 25 years. It is now looking as good as new following the completion of the project.

TfL marks 25 years with special wraps across the network

Transport for London is continuing celebrations for its 25th anniversary with a series of striking vehicle wraps unveiled across its network. The designs, seen on the Tube, DLR, buses and even the Cable Car, highlight the customer improvements delivered over the past quarter century.

Supported by TfL 25 corporate partners, the wraps are part of a wider campaign marking key milestones and achievements since the organisation was formed. A full write-up and gallery of images has now been published by TfL. South Yorkshire launches market engagement for £116m new tram fleet

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has opened an Early Market Engagement exercise ahead of procuring 25 new trams to replace the Siemens-built vehicles that have served since 1992.

Suppliers are being invited to share technical solutions, costings and delivery timescales as part of the £116m programme, which aims to deliver a modern, accessible and sustainable fleet by 2032. The engagement process will also support a parallel search for a partner to deliver upgrade work on the existing fleet to ensure reliability until the new trams enter service.

Edinburgh Trams issues travel advice during engineering works

With a three-day partial shutdown in place for essential engineering at the West End, Edinburgh Trams has advised customers that validators at West End, Princes Street and St Andrew Square stops will be switched off. Ticket acceptance is in place on selected Lothian Buses and ScotRail routes, while Tap On, Tap Off remains available at open stops.

London Trams joins national initiative to enhance pedestrian safety

A national tramway safety campaign has reached another milestone, with all seven second-generation systems now embracing bold graphics with the message ‘Two Lines = STOP’. London Trams is the latest network to install new signage, supported by attention-grabbing social media content, aimed at reducing the risk of collisions with pedestrians.

It now joins systems in Manchester, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Blackpool, Nottingham and the West Midlands in backing an initiative launched last year by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.

Bee Network highlights cost of fare evasion on Metrolink

Transport for Greater Manchester has revealed that between January and May 2025, £745,000 in penalty fares were issued to Metrolink passengers travelling without a valid ticket. The figures underline the importance of buying before you board, with ticket checks continuing across the network to protect revenue and support reinvestment in services.

Officials are reminding customers to make sure they have a valid ticket or pass before travel and further details on how to pay and avoid fines are available on the Bee Network website.

Luas announces Red Line closures for essential works

Luas has confirmed two weekends of major engineering works on the Red Line, with no services running between Red Cow and Tallaght/Saggart on 4–5 October and 25–27 October. A replacement bus service will operate every 15 minutes during the closures, while services between Connolly and Red Cow, and the Green Line, remain unaffected.

Blackpool Tramway boosts services for Fireworks Championships

Image: Visit Blackpool

Blackpool Transport has announced enhanced tram timetables to support the rescheduled World Fireworks Championships on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 September. Mainline services will run every 12 minutes from 6pm, alongside a 24-minute shuttle between North Station and Little Bispham, helping to meet demand during the popular seafront spectacle.

Apprentices get behind-the-scenes look at West Midlands Metro

West Midlands Metro welcomed apprentices from Black Country Transport for a behind-the-scenes tour of its operations. The visit offered insights into engineering, operations, training, and customer service, supported by the Metro’s leadership team. The initiative reflects Metro’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of transport professionals. West Midlands Metro remains committed to supporting the next generation of transport professionals through its Apprenticeship Programme and invite anyone interested in joining the team to register here.

Cambridge light rail plans boosted by new commissioner

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has appointed Peter Cushing as Light Rail Commissioner to advise on proposals for a potential network in Greater Cambridge. Peter will advise the Mayor on all aspects of assessing, planning, and potentially delivering a light rail network for Greater Cambridge. As reported here, Peter will provide oversight, constructive challenge, and expert input into the viability of proposals, the development of business cases, and the integration of light rail within the broader transport system.

UKTram & LRSSB Light Rail Summit 2025 brings sector together in Birmingham 

This year’s sold-out Light Rail Summit in Birmingham brought together more than 120 industry leaders, operators and stakeholders for a day of insightful discussions and knowledge sharing a. This year, sessions spanned safety, strategy, skills, and social responsibility and showcased the sector’s innovation and ambition for the future. The next round-up will be published on Friday 3rd 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