UK's first tram train en route to Sheffield

THE UK’S first tram train vehicle has started its journey to Sheffield from Spain. The fully-constructed, 37m long tram train will make a two week voyage over land and sea from Valencia before arriving in South Yorkshire on 1 December. Passengers in the county will be the first in the UK to benefit from the innovative new tram train, a tram-type vehicle that has the signalling, power supply, control and communication technology to run on both street tram lines and the rail network.
November 25, 2015 Read time: 3 mins

The UK’S first tram train vehicle has started its journey to Sheffield from Spain.

The fully-constructed, 37m long tram train will make a two week voyage over land and sea from Valencia before arriving in South Yorkshire on 1 December.

Passengers in the county will be the first in the UK to benefit from the innovative new tram train, a tram-type vehicle that has the signalling, power supply, control and communication technology to run on both street tram lines and the rail network.

The arrival of the first of seven tram trains marks an important milestone for the two-year pilot scheme, delivered by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), 5021 Network Rail, 805 Stagecoach Supertram, Northern Rail and the 1837 Department for Transport, to see if the technology can be used elsewhere in the UK. The pilot will run for two years while customer satisfaction, passenger numbers, reliability and costs are tested. Tram train will continue to run as a local service if the pilot is successful.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “This is a great milestone in the pioneering tram train project which, when complete, will mean better journeys for passengers in South Yorkshire, as well as helping to boost the economy of the local area and beyond. I am looking forward to seeing the first vehicle arrive in Sheffield next month.”

Speaking on behalf of the project team, SYPTE’s executive director Steve Edwards, added: “Tram train is a first for the UK. The design and planning to make Tram Trains run is a complex operation and we’re delighted this important milestone brings us one step closer to making the scheme a reality.

“Tram train will demonstrate the potential, both locally and nationally, of this new technology to deliver value for money services. It will provide a boost to the regional economy, thanks to improved connections across the region. And, if the pilot is successful, it opens the way for tram trains to be introduced in other parts of the country.”

Part of the major works to make the scheme a reality also includes the electrification of the rail network between Sheffield and Rotherham, building new Tram Train platforms at Rotherham Central and Parkgate, and the construction of a new 160 metre section of track, the Tinsley Chord, linking the tramway to the train line near Meadowhall. Approval by the Secretary of State for Transport to construct the Tinsley Chord was welcomed by SYPTE and Network Rail in November 2015.

Related Content

  • January 25, 2012
    Anywhere card delivers prepaid contactless ticketing
    David Crawford investigates a far reaching initiative in integrated travel. The Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), an operator of high speed commuter rail in the north eastern US, is not one of the world's best known transit providers. Its 13 stations along a single east-west route (three of them interchanges with other regional commuter lines) handle 40,000 passengers a day, travelling to and from Philadelphia, the US' fifth most populous city.
    Read More
  • April 19, 2013
    Chief executive of Transport Systems Catapult appointed
    The Catapult centre, the new technology and innovation centre for integrated transport systems, which is being set up by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, has appointed Steve Yianni as its chief executive. The centre will focus on innovation for efficient and sustainable ways to move people and freight across national transport systems including road, rail, sea and air. Helping business bring products and services to market that will help to ease congestion globally and prepare for the growing requirement
    Read More
  • December 5, 2017
    Hamburg’s on-demand alternative to commuting by car
    As Hamburg is confirmed as the host for the 2021 ITS World Congress, David Crawford looks at the city’s moves towards enabling MaaS-type operations. Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, is pinning its civic reputation on having its promised all-electric, on-demand, shuttle bus ridesharing service up and running by 2018. Partners in the three-year project are regional metro and bus service provider Hamburger Hochbahn and Volkswagen Group’s Berlinbased mobility innovation subsidiary Moia, which was set
    Read More
  • July 17, 2014
    North Yorkshire to benefit from major transport funding
    Building the A684 bypass in North Yorkshire can start after the UK Department for Transport agreed to fund over US$50 million towards the full scheme cost of US$58.5 million. The bypass will remove traffic from villages and improve journey times on a vital east-west tourist route to the Yorkshire Dales. The scheme consists of a new 4.8 kilometre single carriageway road from the A684 north of Bedale to the A684 east of Leeming Bar, which links into junction 51 of the A1(M). Transport Minister Baroness
    Read More

Highlighted Content