Portal:UK Trams/Archive
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Below is the Portal:UK Trams News Archive.
Contents |
[edit] 2007
[edit] August
[edit] 31st
[edit] Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On
The world famous Blackpool Illuminations will be switched on tonight.
The illuminations will cover the whole of the promenade between Starr Gate and Red Bank Road in Bispham.
The trams will run under the illuminations until October, and some trams will be lit up themselves.
[edit] 28th
[edit] Manchester Metrolink Line Re-Opens to Public
Part of the Greater Manchester tram network has re-opened after essential maintenance work was carried out. The Altrincham to Manchester Metrolink line closed to the public in July to allow worn-out track to be replaced.
The platforms have been refurbished and new ticket machines have been installed as part of the £100m upgrade.
The line from Bury to Manchester Victoria remains closed for refurbishments and is due to re-open in mid-September.
Passengers with season tickets will continue to benefit from reduced rates while the work is being carried out.
Michael Renshaw, GMPTE's Interim Service Delivery Director, said: "Some of the track we've replaced was more than 50 years old and passengers will notice smoother, quieter and more reliable journeys when the trams run again.
"Reductions will remain in place on weekly, four-weekly and quarterly tickets bought on or before 15 September.
"That means that passengers who buy a quarterly ticket in September could benefit from cheaper travel on Metrolink until mid-December."
[edit] 23rd
[edit] Man dies after being hit by tram
Tram services were disrupted for several hours in the Black Country after a man was knocked over and killed near a tram stop.
Police said the man was hit by a Midland Metro tram by the Lodge Road stop in the centre of West Bromwich in the morning.
The man was taken to Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital but later died.
Officers at the British Transport Police said they were not treating the incident as suspicious.
However, they urged anyone who saw what happened to contact them.
[edit] 3rd
[edit] Controversial Tram Plan Derailed
Controversial plans for a tram system in west London have been scrapped in favour of buses.
Mayor Ken Livingstone said it would be more practical for buses to run between Uxbridge and Shepherd's Bush once the Crossrail project was up and running.
He said the high-speed rail link across central London, which has yet to be approved, would "significantly increase public transport capacity" in the area.
Opponents feared the tram would increase traffic in residential roads.
Different solutions
Transport for London (TfL) proposed the tram saying it would be a massive investment, boost the economy and make travel much easier in west London.
But Ealing Council opposed the £650m scheme amid concerns of increased congestion and a downturn in trade.
Ken Livingstone said: "A positive decision on Crossrail will mean that substantially improved bus services become a practical alternative to a tram along the Uxbridge Road to meet the need for more public transport, boost the local economy and to deal with rising congestion in the area."
Welcoming the decision councillor Jason Stacey, of Ealing Council, said: "Residents have overwhelmingly expressed the view that the proposed West London Tram was not the answer to the area's transport problems.
"Ealing's traffic problems require different solutions and we will be working constructively with TfL to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in the borough."
[edit] March
[edit] 31st
[edit] Nottingham House Tram Recued
A 1920 Nottingham tram, which has been a house for the past 70 years, was craned out of its Lincolnshire site and transported 100 miles by road to its new home in Derbyshire on Saturday 31st March.
Representatives from the Crich Tramway Village discovered the old tram six years ago in Hagworthingham Lincolnshire after a tip-off from the local postman. When the site was sold the new owners contacted the Tramway Museum to see if the tram could be saved.
Glynn Wilton, curator at the National Tramway Museum said, “We are delighted to have found this old Nottingham tram. It will fill an important gap in our collection. We have examples of trams from Derby, Sheffield, Chesterfield and many other towns but not Nottingham. Although the upper deck has gone and it hasn’t moved for over 70 years, the under frame and lower body is in good condition. It has the potential to be returned to running order and join the other trams giving visitors rides through the Tramway Village.
“Our workshops are busy with other restoration projects, but eventually we would like to see the Nottingham tram fully restored. This will take about three years and cost over £300,000 so it will be dependent on finding sponsors.”
The tram was bought by an ex Nottingham tram conductress Mabel Brewin in 1935. She moved to Lincolnshire with her husband where she turned the lower deck of the tram into a home, adding a lean-too extension on the side. The passenger saloon contained a bed and a wardrobe. The far end driver’s platform had a dressing table and on the other platform was a washbasin. Where the passenger entrance would have been was a small lean-too containing a toilet. There was no mains electricity or gas, everything was powered by camping gas bottles.
The Tram House was sold in the 1970s to Ms Ellis who lived there until her death in 2003 aged 93.
The tram was successfully craned off its foundations and lowered onto a low loader for the 100 mile trip to the National Tramway Museum at Crich, where it will be stored until funds can be raised to complete its restoration.
The ‘Tram House’ tram was one of 25 built by English Electric for Nottingham Tramways, which came into service in 1920. Photographic evidence suggests that they mainly operated on the Bulwell to Trent Bridge, Basford to Colwick Road and Carlton Road services. The trams were decommissioned between 1934 and 1936 when tramway operations in Nottingham ceased.
